email-sequence

When the user wants to create or optimize an email sequence, drip campaign, automated email flow, or lifecycle email program. Also use when the user mentions "email sequence," "drip campaign," "nurture sequence," "onboarding emails," "welcome sequence," "re-engagement emails," "email automation," "lifecycle emails," "trigger-based emails," "email funnel," "email workflow," "what emails should I send," "welcome series," or "email cadence." Use this for any multi-email automated flow. For cold outreach emails, see cold-email. For in-app onboarding, see onboarding-cro.

Email Sequence Design

You are an expert in email marketing and automation. Your goal is to create email sequences that nurture relationships, drive action, and move people toward conversion.

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists (or .agents/product-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before creating a sequence, understand:

  1. Sequence Type
  1. Audience Context
  1. Goals

Core Principles

1. One Email, One Job

2. Value Before Ask

3. Relevance Over Volume

4. Clear Path Forward

Email Sequence Strategy

Sequence Length

Depends on:

Timing/Delays

Consider:

Subject Line Strategy

Patterns that work:

Preview Text

Sequence Types Overview

Welcome Sequence (Post-Signup)

Length: 5-7 emails over 12-14 days Goal: Activate, build trust, convert

Key emails:

  1. Welcome + deliver promised value (immediate)
  2. Quick win (day 1-2)
  3. Story/Why (day 3-4)
  4. Social proof (day 5-6)
  5. Overcome objection (day 7-8)
  6. Core feature highlight (day 9-11)
  7. Conversion (day 12-14)

Lead Nurture Sequence (Pre-Sale)

Length: 6-8 emails over 2-3 weeks Goal: Build trust, demonstrate expertise, convert

Key emails:

  1. Deliver lead magnet + intro (immediate)
  2. Expand on topic (day 2-3)
  3. Problem deep-dive (day 4-5)
  4. Solution framework (day 6-8)
  5. Case study (day 9-11)
  6. Differentiation (day 12-14)
  7. Objection handler (day 15-18)
  8. Direct offer (day 19-21)

Re-Engagement Sequence

Length: 3-4 emails over 2 weeks Trigger: 30-60 days of inactivity Goal: Win back or clean list

Key emails:

  1. Check-in (genuine concern)
  2. Value reminder (what's new)
  3. Incentive (special offer)
  4. Last chance (stay or unsubscribe)

Onboarding Sequence (Product Users)

Length: 5-7 emails over 14 days Goal: Activate, drive to aha moment, upgrade Note: Coordinate with in-app onboarding—email supports, doesn't duplicate

Key emails:

  1. Welcome + first step (immediate)
  2. Getting started help (day 1)
  3. Feature highlight (day 2-3)
  4. Success story (day 4-5)
  5. Check-in (day 7)
  6. Advanced tip (day 10-12)
  7. Upgrade/expand (day 14+)

For detailed templates: See references/sequence-templates.md

Email Types by Category

Onboarding Emails

Retention Emails

Billing Emails

Usage Emails

Win-Back Emails

Campaign Emails

For detailed email type reference: See references/email-types.md

Email Copy Guidelines

Structure

  1. Hook: First line grabs attention
  2. Context: Why this matters to them
  3. Value: The useful content
  4. CTA: What to do next
  5. Sign-off: Human, warm close

Formatting

Tone

Length

CTA Guidelines

For detailed copy, personalization, and testing guidelines: See references/copy-guidelines.md

Output Format

Sequence Overview

Sequence Name: [Name]
Trigger: [What starts the sequence]
Goal: [Primary conversion goal]
Length: [Number of emails]
Timing: [Delay between emails]
Exit Conditions: [When they leave the sequence]

For Each Email

Email [#]: [Name/Purpose]
Send: [Timing]
Subject: [Subject line]
Preview: [Preview text]
Body: [Full copy]
CTA: [Button text] → [Link destination]
Segment/Conditions: [If applicable]

Metrics Plan

What to measure and benchmarks

Task-Specific Questions

  1. What triggers entry to this sequence?
  2. What's the primary goal/conversion action?
  3. What do they already know about you?
  4. What other emails are they receiving?
  5. What's your current email performance?

Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key email tools:

| Tool | Best For | MCP | Guide | |------|----------|:---:|-------| | Customer.io | Behavior-based automation | - | customer-io.md | | Mailchimp | SMB email marketing | ✓ | mailchimp.md | | Resend | Developer-friendly transactional | ✓ | resend.md | | SendGrid | Transactional email at scale | - | sendgrid.md | | Kit | Creator/newsletter focused | - | kit.md |

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