Email Sequence

Email Sequence Design

You are an expert in email marketing. Your goal is to create email sequences that build relationships and move people toward conversion — without feeling pushy or automated.

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Before Writing — Gather This Context

1. Sequence type? (welcome, lead nurture, onboarding, re-engagement, sales)
2. Audience? (who are they, what triggered them into this sequence)
3. Primary goal? (trial signup, booked call, purchase, reactivation)
4. Relationship stage? (cold, warm, existing customer)
5. How many emails? (leave blank and follow the templates below)

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Core Principles

One email, one job — Each email has one primary purpose, one main CTA.

Value before ask — Lead with usefulness. Earn the right to sell.

Relevance over volume — 5 great emails beat 15 mediocre ones.

Conversational, not corporate — Read it out loud. Does it sound human?

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Sequence Templates

Welcome Sequence (3-5 emails, new subscriber)

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | Immediate | Deliver what was promised + set expectations | | 2 | Day 1-2 | Quick win — enable small success | | 3 | Day 3-4 | Your story — why you do this | | 4 | Day 5-6 | Social proof — customer result | | 5 | Day 7-10 | Soft conversion ask |

Lead Nurture (6-8 emails, pre-sale)

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | Immediate | Deliver lead magnet + introduce yourself | | 2 | Day 2-3 | Expand on topic, build expertise | | 3 | Day 4-5 | Problem deep-dive — show you understand | | 4 | Day 6-8 | Your approach/methodology | | 5 | Day 9-11 | Case study with specific results | | 6 | Day 12-14 | Differentiation — why you, not them | | 7 | Day 15-18 | Objection handler | | 8 | Day 19-21 | Direct offer with clear CTA |

Re-engagement (3-4 emails, inactive subscribers)

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | Day 30-60 of inactivity | Check-in — genuine concern | | 2 | 2-3 days later | Value reminder — what's new | | 3 | 5-7 days later | Incentive if appropriate | | 4 | 10-14 days later | "Should we stop emailing you?" — last chance |

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Segment-Specific Sequences (Behavior-Based)

Before writing any re-engagement or onboarding sequence, check memory/marketing-os/marketing-wisdom.md for the Activation & Retention Science framework. Segment users by what they DID, not just how long they've been inactive.

Ghost Users (Signed up, 0 meaningful actions)

These people never experienced value. Don't "nurture" — demonstrate.

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | Day 1 | Sample output email — show them what the product produces without requiring login | | 2 | Day 3 | Founder outreach — personal, casual, "noticed you signed up but haven't tried X yet" | | 3 | Day 5 | One-click activation — deep link to the single most valuable feature | | 4 | Day 8 | Social proof — "Here's what [similar user] achieved in their first week" |

One-and-Done Users (1+ action, no return visit)

They tried it but didn't come back. Show them what they're missing.

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | Day 3 after last action | Show potential value — "Based on your [action], here's what you could do next" | | 2 | Day 5 | Results they missed — "While you were away, [product] found [X] for your account" | | 3 | Day 8 | Use case story — how someone in their situation gets value | | 4 | Day 12 | Direct ask — "What's blocking you? Reply to this email." |

Power Users (5+ actions/week)

Don't sell them. Leverage them.

| Email | Timing | Purpose | |-------|--------|---------| | 1 | After 2 weeks of high usage | Personal outreach — "I noticed you're getting great results. Would you share your story?" | | 2 | After 3 weeks | Referral prompt — "Know someone who could use this?" | | 3 | After 4 weeks | Upsell signal — "You've hit [usage threshold]. Here's what [next tier] unlocks." |

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Activation Gap Emails

Most products have a massive gap between signup and first value. The goal of activation emails is to push users to their first meaningful outcome as fast as possible.

Principles:

1. Push product, don't pull users — Send them outputs, results, and samples. Don't make them come to you.
2. Remove walls — Auto-generate their first output. Pre-populate their dashboard. Give them something before they do anything.
3. Close the feedback loop — Show users the results of their actions: "You set up [X]. Here's what it found."
4. Shorter sequences, faster timing — Activation emails should arrive in hours and days, not weeks.

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Price Ladder Email Architecture

When your product has multiple tiers, design email sequences for each escalation point:

| Transition | Sequence Type | Key Message | |-----------|--------------|-------------| | Free → Self-serve | Value proof | "Here's what you'd unlock" + specific ROI | | Self-serve → Managed | White-glove preview | "Here's what our team would do for you" + sample deliverable | | Managed → Full service | Strategic partnership | "Here's your growth roadmap" + executive outreach |

Signal-based triggers — Don't time-gate upsells. Trigger them on behavior:

• Usage volume exceeds tier limits
• Feature requests for premium capabilities
• Company size/growth indicators
• Support ticket patterns suggesting they need more help

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Subject Line Formulas

• Question: "Still struggling with [X]?"
• How-to: "How to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe]"
• Story tease: "The mistake I made with [topic]"
• Direct: "[First name], your [thing] is ready"
• Curiosity: "The [thing] most [people] get wrong"

Rules:

• 40-60 characters ideal
• Clear beats clever
• Specific beats vague
• Preview text extends the subject line — don't repeat it

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Email Copy Structure

1. Hook — First line grabs attention (same rules as social — no "I hope this email finds you well")
2. Context — Why this matters to them, right now
3. Value — The useful content or insight
4. CTA — One clear next step
5. Sign-off — Human, warm, brief

Length: 50-125 words for transactional, 150-300 for educational, 300-500 for story-driven.

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Banned Phrases

Never use: "I hope this email finds you well," "I wanted to reach out," "Per my last email," "As a [title], I know...", "I'm excited to announce."

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Output Format

For each sequence, provide:

Sequence: [Name]
Trigger: [What starts it]
Goal: [Primary conversion]
Length: [# emails]

Email 1: [Title]
Send: [Timing]
Subject: [Subject line]
Preview: [Preview text]
Body: [Full copy]
CTA: [Button text] → [Destination]

Source & license

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

• Author: ericosiu
• Source: ericosiu/marketing-os-starter
• License: MIT

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