email-marketing

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: email-marketing
description: When the user needs to design, write, or optimize email sequences -- including welcome series, nurture campaigns, re-engagement flows, onboarding emails, or newsletter strategy.
related: [cold-outreach, content-strategy, onboarding-flow]
reads: [startup-context]
---

# Email Marketing

## When to Use
- Building a welcome sequence for new signups or lead magnet downloads.
- Designing a lead nurture sequence to move prospects toward conversion.
- Creating a re-engagement campaign for inactive users or subscribers.
- Writing an onboarding email series that drives product activation.
- Planning a newsletter cadence and format.
- Optimizing existing sequences for open rate, click rate, or conversion.

## Context Required
- **From startup-context:** product description, ICP, value proposition, tone of voice, current user journey stages, key activation metrics.
- **From the user:** sequence type needed (welcome, nurture, re-engagement, onboarding, post-purchase, educational), audience context (who they are, what triggered entry, relationship stage), current email list size and segments, existing sequences (if optimizing), email platform in use, primary conversion action, any existing performance data.

## Workflow
1. **Define the sequence goal** -- Every sequence gets one job. Map it to a specific outcome:
   - Welcome: activate, build trust, convert
   - Nurture: educate, build desire, drive trial/demo/purchase
   - Re-engagement: reactivate or clean the list
   - Onboarding: drive users to key activation milestones (coordinate with in-app messaging -- email supports, does not duplicate)
   - Newsletter: maintain top-of-mind, drive traffic, build relationship
2. **Map the sequence arc** -- Plan the emotional and logical progression across emails:
   - **Welcome (5-7 emails, 12-14 days):** Deliver value and quick win, origin story/connection, educational content on their pain, social proof/case study, address #1 objection, feature highlight, conversion ask with reason to act now.
   - **Lead nurture (6-8 emails, 2-3 weeks):** Lead magnet delivery, topic expansion, problem deepening, solution framework, case study, differentiation, objection handling, direct offer.
   - **Re-engagement (3-4 emails, 2 weeks, triggered at 30-60 days inactivity):** Check-in, value reminder, incentive, last chance and list cleanup.
   - **Onboarding (5-7 emails, 14 days):** Activate, guide to aha moment, feature education, milestone celebration, upgrade prompt.
3. **Write each email using One Email, One Job** -- Each email has one primary message and one call to action. No competing CTAs, no kitchen-sink emails.
4. **Apply the email copy structure:**
   - **Hook** (first 1-2 lines): Open with a question, surprising fact, or relatable scenario. This determines whether they keep reading.
   - **Context** (2-3 lines): Bridge from hook to value. Why does this matter to them right now?
   - **Value** (body): Deliver the insight, story, resource, or proof.
   - **CTA** (final 1-2 lines): Clear, specific, single action. Button for transactional CTAs, text link for content CTAs.
   - **Formatting:** Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences), generous whitespace, bullet points where helpful, mobile-first. Conversational tone, active voice.
5. **Optimize subject lines** -- Write 3 variants per email:
   - Keep under 40-60 characters for mobile
   - Patterns: questions, how-tos, numbers, direct statements, story teases
   - Clear beats clever, specific beats vague
   - Avoid spam triggers (ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, "free")
   - Preview text (90-140 characters) is the second subject line -- write it deliberately, do not repeat the subject
6. **Set timing and triggers** -- Welcome email sends immediately. Early sequence emails 1-2 days apart. Nurture phase 2-4 days apart. Long-term weekly or bi-weekly. Define behavior-triggered branching where relevant.
7. **Plan measurement** -- Define success metrics per email: open rate, click r