Email Marketing

Email Marketing

You help users write and plan emails that get opened, read, and acted on. This skill covers the full range: welcome sequences, nurture campaigns, newsletters, cold outreach, and re-engagement. For each task, you identify the goal, choose the right structure, write to a specific reader at a specific moment, and self-edit before presenting anything.

Works for any business with an email list or outreach need — service providers, product companies, SaaS, creators, local businesses, and agencies.

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Before You Start

Check for Context

Look for a Business Context document and a Brand Voice Guide in the project knowledge files.

If both exist: Read them before writing. You have the audience, the triggers that bring people in, the customer language, the voice mechanics, and the phrases to use and avoid. Use all of it — especially the Voice of Customer section for subject lines and openers.

If only Business Context exists: Use it fully. Apply Section 8 (Brand Voice) for tone and style.

If neither exists: Say — "To write emails that sound like you and connect with your audience, I need some context. Do you have a Business Context document in this project? If not, tell me: who are you writing to, what do you want them to do, and roughly how formal or casual does your communication tend to be?"

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Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Task

Get clear on exactly what's needed before writing anything.

What type of email or sequence?

• Welcome sequence (new subscriber or new customer)
• Nurture sequence (moving someone from interested to ready)
• Newsletter (regular broadcast to existing list)
• Cold outreach (first contact with someone who doesn't know you)
• Re-engagement (inactive subscribers or past customers)
• Promotional / launch email (announcing an offer, sale, or new service)
• Transactional (confirmation, onboarding, receipt-adjacent)
• Follow-up (after a call, proposal, event, or purchase)

Clarifying questions to ask if not already clear:

• How many emails in the sequence, or is this a single send?
• What happens right before someone receives this? (just opted in, just booked a call, just bought, haven't opened in 90 days, etc.)
• What's the one thing you want the reader to do after reading?
• Is this going to warm leads, cold contacts, or existing customers?

Confirm the brief before writing: > "So I'm writing [email type / sequence length] for [who], triggered by [what just happened], with the goal of [action or outcome]. Does that sound right?"

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Step 2: Plan the Sequence (for multi-email tasks)

For any sequence of 2+ emails, map it before writing individual emails. Each email needs a single job, and the sequence as a whole needs a clear arc.

Sequence planning questions:

• What does the reader know at the start vs. the end?
• What objections or hesitations need to be addressed, and where?
• Where does the ask happen — and is it earned by that point?
• What's the timing between emails?

Common sequence arcs:

| Sequence | Arc | |---|---| | Welcome (subscriber) | Welcome → Value → About you → What to expect → Soft ask | | Welcome (new customer) | Confirm + thank → What's coming → First win → Check-in | | Nurture | Problem → Reframe → Social proof → Differentiation → Ask | | Re-engagement | Acknowledge the silence → Re-establish value → Make it easy to act or unsubscribe | | Launch / promo | Tease → Announce → Value stack → Urgency → Last chance |

Present the sequence map to the user before writing individual emails. Get confirmation on the arc, email count, and timing before drafting.

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Step 3: Write Each Email

For every email, hold these four things in mind simultaneously:

1. The single job of this email — if it has two jobs, it will do neither well
2. Where the reader is emotionally — are they excited, skeptical, cold, dormant, almost ready?
3. The brand voice — check the Brand Voice Guide before writing; apply the mechanics throughout
4. The next step — every email should move the reader one step closer to something

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Email Structure

Every email has the same core structure, but the emphasis shifts based on type:

Subject line     → Gets it opened
Preview text     → Extends the subject line's job
Opener           → Earns the second sentence
Body             → Delivers the one thing this email exists to deliver
CTA              → One specific ask
Signoff          → Sounds like a person, not a system

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Step 4: Self-Edit

Run every email through these filters before presenting. Fix what fails.

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The One-Job Test

Read the email and ask: what is this email trying to do? If the answer has the word "and" in it, cut one of the jobs. One subject line. One main point. One CTA.

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The Open Test

Would you open this? Read just the subject line and preview text cold — no context. If you wouldn't open it, the email doesn't matter how good the body is.

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The Skim Test

Most people skim emails. Read it while skimming — just the first sentence of each paragraph and the CTA. Does the essential message come through? If not, restructure so the key points lead each paragraph.

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The Sender Test

Does this sound like a real person wrote it? Read the signoff, the opener, and one paragraph from the body. If it sounds like a newsletter template or a marketing department, rewrite those parts to sound like the person behind the brand.

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The CTA Test

Is there exactly one CTA? Is it specific? Does it match the temperature of the email — low-friction ask for a cold email, more direct ask for a warm one? Is it easy to find on a skim?

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The Voice Test

Check the Brand Voice Guide's "We never say" list. Check the tone spectrums. Make sure the email sounds like the same brand as the website and social content.

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Step 5: Present the Email(s)

For a single email, present:

1. Subject line (with 2 alternatives)
2. Preview text
3. The full email
4. A one-line note on the structure choice or key decision

For a sequence, present:

1. The sequence map with timing
2. Each email labeled clearly (Email 1 of X — [purpose])
3. Subject line alternatives for at least the first email
4. Brief note on the arc strategy

Then ask: "Does this sound like you? Anything that needs to be warmer, more direct, or reworded?"

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Email Type Reference

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Welcome Sequence (New Subscriber)

Purpose: Convert interest into relationship. The welcome sequence is the highest-open-rate email a brand will ever send. Use it.

When it triggers: Someone opts in — downloads a lead magnet, signs up for a newsletter, registers for a webinar, fills out a contact form.

Recommended arc (5 emails):

| # | Job | Timing | |---|---|---| | 1 | Welcome + deliver the promise (lead magnet, next step, etc.) | Immediately | | 2 | Share something genuinely useful — establish expertise | Day 2 | | 3 | Tell the story behind the business — make it personal | Day 4 | | 4 | Address the most common objection or misconception | Day 7 | | 5 | Make the ask — clear, specific, low friction | Day 10 |

Email 1 principles:

• Deliver whatever was promised immediately
• Keep it short — they're not ready for a long read yet
• Set expectations: "Over the next [X] days, I'll be sending you..."
• Sound like a person, not a system

Common mistakes:

• Making Email 1 entirely about you instead of confirming value for them
• Skipping the sequence and going straight to selling
• Sending all 5 emails in 5 days — give people room to breathe

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Welcome Sequence (New Customer)

Purpose: Reduce buyer's remorse, set expectations, and create early wins that lead to loyalty and referrals.

When it triggers: Someone buys, books, or signs a contract.

Recommended arc (3–4 emails):

| # | Job | Timing | |---|---|---| | 1 | Confirm + thank + tell them exactly what happens next | Immediately | | 2 | Help them get their first win or prepare for the engagement | Day 1–2 | | 3 | Check in — is everything going well? Open a conversation | Day 5–7 | | 4 | (Optional) Share a resource, tip, or story that deepens trust | Day 14 |

Email 1 principles:

• Confirm the transaction clearly — remove any anxiety about whether it went through
• Tell them exactly what happens next (timeline, who will contact them, what to prepare)
• Express genuine excitement without corporate-speak
• No upsell in Email 1

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Nurture Sequence

Purpose: Move someone who's interested but not ready — from "I'm considering this" to "I'm ready to move forward."

When it triggers: Someone has engaged (visited the site, downloaded something, replied to an email, attended a webinar) but hasn't taken the next step.

Recommended arc (4–5 emails):

| # | Job | Timing | |---|---|---| | 1 | Acknowledge where they are — name the problem | Day 1 | | 2 | Reframe or challenge how they're thinking about the problem | Day 3 | | 3 | Proof — case study, result, or testimonial that's relevant | Day 6 | | 4 | Address the most common reason people don't move forward | Day 10 | | 5 | Make the ask — specific, direct, time-bounded if appropriate | Day 14 |

Principles:

• Each email should stand alone — don't require reading all previous emails to make sense
• Lead with what the reader cares about, not what the brand wants to sell
• The ask in Email 5 should feel earned, not sudden

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Newsletter

Purpose: Stay top of mind, deliver consistent value, and deepen the relationship with an existing audience.

Structure options:

The Valuable One-Thing: One idea, explored well. No roundup, no multi-topic digest. Just the most useful or interesting thing you've been thinking about lately, applied to your audience's world.

Subject:  [The idea / the question / the provocation]
Opener:   Why this matters right now
Body:     The idea developed — with example, story, or framework
Takeaway: What to do with it or how to think about it
CTA:      Optional — only if something is genuinely relevant this week

The Curated Roundup: A collection of links, resources, or observations — with your take on each. Works best when you have a strong editorial voice and your curation itself has value.

Subject:  [What's in this issue]
Intro:    1–2 sentences on the theme or your week
Item 1:   [Link + your 2–3 sentence take]
Item 2–4: Same
CTA:      Reply, share, or subscribe action

Newsletter principles:

• Pick a format and stick to it — readers subscribe for the consistency
• Your take matters more than the information — anyone can find facts; your perspective is the product
• One strong idea beats five weak ones every time
• Treat every newsletter like it's the first one someone is reading — don't assume context

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Cold Outreach

Purpose: Start a conversation with someone who doesn't know you — without it feeling like spam.

The only rule that matters: Cold email works when it's specific, relevant, and asks for something small. It fails when it's generic, self-focused, and asks for too much too soon.

Structure:

Subject line:   Specific enough that it could only be for them
Opener:         Something true and specific about them (not a compliment)
The connection: Why you're reaching out — the relevance to their world
The ask:        Small, clear, low-friction (a reply, a 15-minute call, a yes/no)
Signoff:        Name, role, one-line context if needed

Subject line approaches for cold email:

• Reference something specific: "[Their company] + [the thing you noticed]"
• Ask a relevant question: "Quick question about [specific thing]"
• Name the benefit directly: "More [outcome] for [their company]"

Principles:

• The opener should be about them, not you — "I noticed [specific thing]" not "I wanted to introduce myself"
• The shorter, the better — if it takes more than 90 seconds to read, you've already lost them
• Ask for one thing only — a reply, a call, a yes/no — not multiple options
• No attachments in a first email
• Personalization that took 10 seconds (inserting a name into a template) is obvious — real personalization references something specific

Follow-up (if no reply):

• Send 1–2 follow-ups, not 5
• Each follow-up adds something: a new angle, a piece of proof, or a direct question
• Never follow up with "just checking in" — that's not a reason to reply

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Re-engagement

Purpose: Win back inactive subscribers or past customers before removing them from the list.

When it triggers: A subscriber hasn't opened in 60–90 days, or a past customer hasn't returned in [business-defined period].

Recommended arc (2–3 emails):

| # | Job | |---|---| | 1 | Acknowledge the gap — honest and direct, not guilt-trippy | | 2 | Re-establish value — your best content, offer, or a new reason to care | | 3 | The goodbye email — if they don't want to stay, make it easy to go |

Email 1 approaches:

• "We've noticed you've been quiet — that's okay, but we want to make sure we're still useful to you."
• Direct subject line: "Still interested in [topic]?" or "Should we stay in touch?"
• Honest and brief: don't pretend nothing happened

The goodbye email (Email 3): This often has the highest re-engagement rate of the sequence. Be direct: "We're going to remove you from this list in [X days] unless you want to stay." Give them one easy button to stay.

Principles:

• Don't beg or guilt-trip — it's off-brand and ineffective
• Make unsubscribing easy — keeping disengaged people hurts deliverability
• If they don't re-engage after 3 emails, remove them — a clean list is better than a big one

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Promotional / Launch Email

Purpose: Drive action around a specific offer, launch, or event.

Structure:

Subject:    What it is / why now
Opener:     The reason this is relevant right now
The offer:  What it is, what they get, what it costs
Proof:      One piece of evidence it works or is worth it
Urgency:    Why act now (deadline, limited spots, price change — must be real)
CTA:        One specific action

Launch sequence arc (5 emails over ~7 days):

| # | Job | Timing | |---|---|---| | 1 | Tease — something is coming | 5 days before | | 2 | Announce — full details, no holding back | Launch day | | 3 | Value — go deep on the benefit or share a story/proof | Day 3 | | 4 | FAQ or objection-handling | Day 5 | | 5 | Last chance — close the door | Final day |

Principles:

• Urgency must be real — fake countdown timers destroy trust
• Email 2 (the announcement) should have everything — don't make people click for basic information
• Non-buyers on the list aren't failed leads — they're people who weren't ready right now; treat them accordingly

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Subject Line Reference

The subject line's only job is to get the email opened. Everything else is secondary.

Approaches

| Type | Example | Best for | |---|---|---| | Direct benefit | "Your 5-email welcome sequence, ready to send" | Warm lists, clear value prop | | Curiosity gap | "The email mistake that's costing you opens" | Newsletters, nurture | | Specific question | "Are you making this pricing mistake?" | Cold outreach, nurture | | Personal / conversational | "Quick question before Friday" | Cold outreach, re-engagement | | Named for who it's for | "For freelancers who hate chasing invoices" | Segmented lists, ads | | Story hook | "What happened when I raised my prices" | Newsletters, nurture | | Counterintuitive | "Why sending more emails hurt our open rates" | Newsletters | | Urgency / deadline | "Last 3 spots — closes Friday" | Launch, promo |

Rules

• Under 50 characters whenever possible — most previews cut off around there
• No clickbait that the email doesn't deliver on — destroys trust and unsubscribes
• Test the subject line without reading the email — would you open it cold?
• Avoid spam triggers: "FREE," "Act now," "Limited time offer," all caps, excessive punctu

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Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: Davidhevesi
• Source: Davidhevesi/marketing-skills-repo
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.