Email Marketing

Comprehensive email marketing skill covering campaign creation, automated sequences, A/B testing, segmentation, and deliverability optimization.

Overview

This skill covers:

• Email campaign creation and templates

• Automated drip sequences

• A/B testing frameworks

• List segmentation strategies

• Deliverability best practices

Email Types & Templates

1. Welcome Sequence

sequence: "Welcome Series"

trigger: subscriber_signup

duration: 14_days

emails:

  - day_0:

      subject: "Welcome to {Brand} 🎉"

      goal: deliver_lead_magnet + set_expectations

      template: |

        Hi {first_name},

        Welcome to {Brand}! Here's your [free resource].

        Over the next 2 weeks, I'll share:

        • {benefit_1}

        • {benefit_2}

        • {benefit_3}

        First up: [teaser for email 2]

        Talk soon,

        {sender_name}

  - day_2:

      subject: "The #1 mistake {audience} make"

      goal: educate + build_trust

  - day_4:

      subject: "{first_name}, quick question"

      goal: engagement + segmentation

  - day_7:

      subject: "How {customer} achieved {result}"

      goal: social_proof + soft_pitch

  - day_10:

      subject: "Ready to {achieve_goal}?"

      goal: conversion + offer

  - day_14:

      subject: "Last chance: {offer_details}"

      goal: urgency + final_conversion

2. Newsletter Template

newsletter:

  frequency: weekly

  day: Tuesday

  time: 10:00 AM

  structure:

    - header:

        logo: true

        issue_number: true

    - intro:

        personal_note: 2-3 sentences

        tease_content: true

    - main_content:

        sections: 3-5

        format: |

          ## {Section Title}

          {2-3 paragraph insight}

          **Key takeaway**: {one-liner}

          [Read more →]({link})

    - curated_links:

        count: 3-5

        format: "• {title} - {one-line description}"

    - cta:

        primary: product/service

        secondary: share/reply

    - footer:

        social_links: true

        unsubscribe: required

3. Promotional Email

promo_email:

  type: sale_announcement

  subject_options:

    - "{first_name}, 30% off ends tonight"

    - "🚨 Final hours: Your exclusive deal"

    - "Last call: Save $X on {product}"

  structure:

    hero:

      headline: "{Offer headline}"

      subhead: "Limited time only"

      cta_button: "Shop Now"

    body:

      - urgency: "Sale ends in {countdown}"

      - social_proof: "{X} customers already saved"

      - benefits: bullet list

      - testimonial: 1 short quote

    cta:

      button_text: "Claim Your {X}% Off"

      link: "{promo_landing_page}"

    ps:

      text: "P.S. {urgency reminder or bonus}"

Automated Sequences

Cart Abandonment

sequence: "Cart Recovery"

trigger: cart_abandoned

wait_before_start: 1_hour

emails:

  - email_1:

      delay: 1_hour

      subject: "Forgot something? 🛒"

      content: |

        Hi {first_name},

        You left some items in your cart:

        {cart_items_with_images}

        [Complete Your Order →]

        Questions? Reply to this email.

  - email_2:

      delay: 24_hours

      subject: "Your cart is waiting"

      content: |

        Still thinking it over?

        Here's why {X} customers love {product}:

        ⭐ "{testimonial}"

        [Complete Purchase →]

  - email_3:

      delay: 72_hours

      subject: "Last chance + free shipping"

      content: |

        Hi {first_name},

        Your cart expires soon, but here's a little incentive:

        Use code FREESHIP for free shipping.

        [Complete Order with Free Shipping →]

Re-engagement Sequence

sequence: "Win-Back"

trigger: inactive_90_days

emails:

  - email_1:

      subject: "We miss you, {first_name}"

      content: |

        It's been a while! Here's what's new at {Brand}:

        • {New feature 1}

        • {New feature 2}

        • {New content}

        Come back and check it out →

  - email_2:

      delay: 7_days

      subject: "A special offer just for you"

      content: |

        {first_name},

        We'd love to have you back. Here's 20% off your next purchase.

        Use code: COMEBACK20

  - email_3:

      delay: 14_days

      subject: "Should we part ways?"

      content: |

        Hi {first_name},

        We noticed you haven't opened our emails in a while.

        If you'd like to stay subscribed, click here: [Stay Subscribed]

        If not, we'll remove you from our list in 7 days.

        No hard feelings either way.

A/B Testing Framework

What to Test

ab_test_elements:

  high_impact:

    - subject_line:

        variants: 2-3

        sample_size: 20% of list

        winner_criteria: open_rate

    - send_time:

        variants: [morning, afternoon, evening]

        test_duration: 2_weeks

    - cta_button:

        variants: [text, color, placement]

        winner_criteria: click_rate

  medium_impact:

    - preview_text

    - email_length

    - personalization_level

    - image_vs_no_image

  low_impact:

    - font_choice

    - button_shape

    - footer_layout

Subject Line A/B Test Examples

test_1:

  hypothesis: "Emoji increases open rate"

  variant_a: "Your weekly productivity tips"

  variant_b: "Your weekly productivity tips 🚀"

test_2:

  hypothesis: "Personalization increases open rate"

  variant_a: "New features you'll love"

  variant_b: "{first_name}, new features you'll love"

test_3:

  hypothesis: "Curiosity gap increases open rate"

  variant_a: "5 ways to save money"

  variant_b: "The $500 mistake I almost made"

test_4:

  hypothesis: "Urgency increases open rate"

  variant_a: "30% off this weekend"

  variant_b: "30% off ends in 24 hours"

Segmentation Strategies

segmentation:

  behavioral:

    - purchase_history:

        segments: [never_purchased, one_time, repeat, vip]

    - engagement_level:

        segments: [highly_engaged, moderate, inactive, churned]

        criteria:

          highly_engaged: opened_5_of_last_5

          moderate: opened_2_5_of_last_5

          inactive: no_open_30_days

          churned: no_open_90_days

    - product_interest:

        based_on: [clicks, page_views, cart_adds]

  demographic:

    - location: for timezone optimization

    - industry: for B2B personalization

    - company_size: for offer customization

  lifecycle:

    - stage: [lead, trial, customer, churned]

    - tenure: [new, established, long_term]

segment_specific_content:

  vip_customers:

    - early_access: true

    - exclusive_discounts: true

    - personalized_recommendations: true

  inactive_subscribers:

    - reduced_frequency: true

    - re_engagement_offers: true

    - sunset_flow: after_90_days

Deliverability Best Practices

deliverability:

  authentication:

    required:

      - SPF: sender policy framework

      - DKIM: domain keys

      - DMARC: alignment policy

    check: mxtoolbox.com

  list_hygiene:

    - remove_bounces: immediately

    - remove_unsubscribes: immediately

    - re_engage_inactive: after_60_days

    - remove_inactive: after_90_days

  content_best_practices:

    - spam_words_avoid: [free, act now, limited time, click here]

    - text_to_image_ratio: 60:40

    - alt_text: on all images

    - unsubscribe_link: prominent

    - physical_address: required (CAN-SPAM)

  sending_practices:

    - warm_up_new_domain: 2-4 weeks

    - consistent_sending: same days/times

    - gradual_volume_increase: max 20%/week

    - monitor_complaints: target <0.1%

Analytics & KPIs

email_metrics:

  primary:

    - open_rate:

        benchmark: 20-25%

        improve_with: subject_lines, sender_name, send_time

    - click_rate:

        benchmark: 2-5%

        improve_with: content, cta, design

    - conversion_rate:

        benchmark: 1-3%

        improve_with: offer, landing_page, targeting

  secondary:

    - unsubscribe_rate:

        healthy: <0.5%

        action: review frequency, content relevance

    - bounce_rate:

        healthy: <2%

        action: clean list, verify emails

    - spam_complaints:

        healthy: <0.1%

        action: improve opt-in, add unsubscribe

  revenue:

    - revenue_per_email

    - revenue_per_subscriber

    - customer_lifetime_value

reporting_template: |

  # Email Performance Report - {Week/Month}

  ## Campaign Summary

  | Campaign | Sent | Opens | Clicks | Conv | Revenue |

  |----------|------|-------|--------|------|---------|

  | Newsletter | 10K | 22% | 3.5% | 1.2% | $5,000 |

  | Promo | 10K | 28% | 5.2% | 2.8% | $12,000 |

  ## List Health

  - Total subscribers: 50,000

  - New this week: 500

  - Unsubscribes: 45 (0.09%)

  - Bounces: 12 (0.02%)

  ## Top Performing

  - Best subject: "{subject}" (32% open rate)

  - Best CTA: "{cta}" (8% click rate)

  ## Recommendations

  1. Test more curiosity-based subjects

  2. Segment by engagement for next promo

  3. Clean inactive subscribers (2,000+)

Output Example

Request: "Create a welcome email sequence for a SaaS product"

Output:

# Welcome Sequence - SaaS Product

## Email 1: Welcome (Immediate)

**Subject**: Welcome to {Product}! Here's your quick start guide 🚀

Hi {first_name},

Welcome to {Product}! I'm {founder_name}, and I'm thrilled you're here.

You just joined 10,000+ teams who've transformed how they work.

Your first step: [Complete your profile] (takes 2 min)

Over the next week, I'll share:

• The 3 features that save users 5+ hours/week

• How {Company} increased productivity by 40%

• Pro tips from power users

Questions? Just reply to this email—I read every one.

Let's do this,

{founder_name}

P.S. Need help? [Book a free onboarding call]

---

## Email 2: Quick Win (Day 2)

**Subject**: {first_name}, try this 2-minute trick

Hi {first_name},

Day 2, and I want to share the #1 feature our users love:

[Feature Name]

It takes 2 minutes to set up, and users report saving 1+ hour every day.

Here's how:

• Go to Settings → [Feature]

• Click "Enable"

• That's it!

[Set it up now →]

Tomorrow, I'll show you how {Customer} used this to {impressive result}.

Talk soon,

{founder_name}

---

## Email 3: Social Proof (Day 4)

**Subject**: How {Customer} saved 10 hours/week

Hi {first_name},

Meet Sarah, a project manager at {Company}.

Before {Product}: "I spent 10+ hours/week on status updates."

After {Product}: "Everything's automated. I focus on actual work now."

The best part? She set it up in one afternoon.

Want similar results? Here are Sarah's top 3 tips:

• {Tip 1}

• {Tip 2}

• {Tip 3}

[See the full case study →]

What's your biggest productivity challenge? Reply and let me know.

{founder_name}

---

## Email 4: Engagement Check (Day 7)

**Subject**: Quick question, {first_name}

Hi {first_name},

It's been a week! Quick check-in:

How's {Product} working for you so far?

A) 🚀 Loving it!

B) 🤔 Still figuring it out

C) 😕 Having some issues

[Click your answer]

Based on your response, I'll send you the most relevant resources.

{founder_name}

P.S. If you picked C, reply with details and my team will help within 24 hours.

---

## Email 5: Conversion (Day 10)

**Subject**: Ready to unlock full power?

Hi {first_name},

You've been using {Product} for 10 days. Here's what you've accomplished:

📊 {personalized_stats}

Impressive! But you're only using 40% of what {Product} can do.

With Pro, you unlock:

✅ {Pro feature 1}

✅ {Pro feature 2}

✅ {Pro feature 3}

Teams who upgrade see {X%} more productivity on average.

[Upgrade to Pro →]

Use code WELCOME20 for 20% off your first year.

{founder_name}

---

**Sequence Settings:**

- Wait time between emails: As specified

- Skip weekend sends: Yes

- Exit condition: Upgrades OR unsubscribes

- Branch: If no opens after email 3 → shorter re-engagement sequence

Email Marketing Skill - Part of Claude Office Skills