Emails
Corey HainesCommunityCreated by Corey Haines
- Skill
- Content generator
- Automation and integrations
- MIT
- No issues found
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a structured framework for designing, writing, and auditing automated email sequences. It focuses on creating high-value, human-centric communication that guides users through specific lifecycle stages—such as onboarding, lead nurturing, and re-engagement—without relying on common AI-generated tropes. The skill integrates best practices for sequence architecture, timing, and copy, ensuring each email serves a distinct purpose and drives a clear, singular action.
What it does
- Designs multi-email automated flows for various lifecycle stages.
- Provides templates for welcome, nurture, onboarding, and re-engagement sequences.
- Offers an audit framework to identify gaps in existing email programs.
- Establishes copy guidelines that prioritize human tone and avoid AI-generated patterns.
- Defines strategic timing and sequencing logic based on user behavior.
- Integrates with specific email marketing tools for implementation.
When to use it
- When building a new welcome, nurture, or onboarding email sequence.
- When auditing existing lifecycle emails to improve conversion or retention.
- When you need to define the cadence and goals for a trigger-based email flow.
- When you want to ensure your email copy sounds human and avoids generic AI phrasing.
Advantages
- Reduces reliance on generic, low-performing AI-generated email templates.
- Ensures consistency across multi-email communication flows.
- Aligns email content with specific user lifecycle stages and goals.
- Provides a clear, actionable structure for both strategy and execution.
Usage examples
- “Design a 5-email onboarding sequence for my new SaaS product users.”
- A structured 5-email plan including subject lines, preview text, core value propositions, and specific CTAs designed to drive product activation.
- “Audit my current re-engagement email flow for inactive users.”
- A review of your existing sequence against best practices, identifying missing touchpoints or opportunities to improve conversion and list health.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/coreyhaines31/emails/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip emails.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Corey Haines
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.
Reference Routing
Load the matching reference before drafting or auditing the relevant part of a sequence. Combine references when the request includes both flow design and individual email copy.
| User intent | Load | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Build a welcome, lead nurture, re-engagement, or product onboarding flow | sequence-templates.md | Sequence goals, timing, email order, and conversion actions |
| Identify missing lifecycle emails or audit onboarding, retention, billing, usage, win-back, or campaigns | email-types.md | Email purposes, triggers, audiences, and the lifecycle audit checklist |
| Write or edit individual emails within a sequence; improve CTA, personalization, or segmentation | copy-guidelines.md | Structure, tone, length, merge fields, dynamic content, and copy testing |
Initial Assessment
Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
Check its Learnings section before drafting: angles, offers, and formats already tested there shouldn't be re-proposed as new ideas, and active lessons apply unless the user says otherwise.
Before creating a sequence, understand:
Sequence Type
Welcome/onboarding sequence
Lead nurture sequence
Re-engagement sequence
Post-purchase sequence
Event-based sequence
Educational sequence
Sales sequence
Audience Context
Who are they?
What triggered them into this sequence?
What do they already know/believe?
What's their current relationship with you?
Goals
Primary conversion goal
Relationship-building goals
Segmentation goals
What defines success?
Core Principles
1. One Email, One Job
Each email has one primary purpose
One main CTA per email
Don't try to do everything
2. Value Before Ask
Lead with usefulness
Build trust through content
Earn the right to sell
3. Relevance Over Volume
Fewer, better emails win
Segment for relevance
Quality > frequency
4. Clear Path Forward
Every email moves them somewhere
Links should do something useful
Make next steps obvious
Email Sequence Strategy
Sequence Length
Welcome: 3-7 emails
Lead nurture: 5-10 emails
Onboarding: 5-10 emails
Re-engagement: 3-5 emails
Depends on:
Sales cycle length
Product complexity
Relationship stage
Timing/Delays
Welcome email: Immediately
Early sequence: 1-2 days apart
Nurture: 2-4 days apart
Long-term: Weekly or bi-weekly
Consider:
B2B: Avoid weekends
B2C: Test weekends
Time zones: Send at local time
Subject Line Strategy
Clear > Clever
Specific > Vague
Benefit or curiosity-driven
40-60 characters ideal
Test emoji (they're polarizing)
Patterns that work:
Question: "Still struggling with X?"
How-to: "How to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe]"
Number: "3 ways to [benefit]"
Direct: "[First name], your [thing] is ready"
Story tease: "The mistake I made with [topic]"
Preview Text
Extends the subject line
~90-140 characters
Don't repeat subject line
Complete the thought or add intrigue
Sequence Types Overview
Welcome Sequence (Post-Signup)
Length: 5-7 emails over 12-14 days Goal: Activate, build trust, convert
Key emails:
Welcome + deliver promised value (immediate)
Quick win (day 1-2)
Story/Why (day 3-4)
Social proof (day 5-6)
Overcome objection (day 7-8)
Core feature highlight (day 9-11)
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:
Deliver lead magnet + intro (immediate)
Expand on topic (day 2-3)
Problem deep-dive (day 4-5)
Solution framework (day 6-8)
Case study (day 9-11)
Differentiation (day 12-14)
Objection handler (day 15-18)
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:
Check-in (genuine concern)
Value reminder (what's new)
Incentive (special offer)
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:
Welcome + first step (immediate)
Getting started help (day 1)
Feature highlight (day 2-3)
Success story (day 4-5)
Check-in (day 7)
Advanced tip (day 10-12)
Upgrade/expand (day 14+)
For detailed templates: See references/sequence-templates.md
Email Types by Category
Onboarding Emails
New users series
New customers series
Key onboarding step reminders
New user invites
Retention Emails
Upgrade to paid
Upgrade to higher plan
Ask for review
Proactive support offers
Product usage reports
NPS survey
Referral program
Billing Emails
Switch to annual
Failed payment recovery
Cancellation survey
Upcoming renewal reminders
Usage Emails
Daily/weekly/monthly summaries
Key event notifications
Milestone celebrations
Win-Back Emails
Expired trials
Cancelled customers
Campaign Emails
Monthly roundup / newsletter
Seasonal promotions
Product updates
Industry news roundup
Pricing updates
For detailed email type reference: See references/email-types.md
Email Copy Guidelines
Structure
Hook: First line grabs attention
Context: Why this matters to them
Value: The useful content
CTA: What to do next
Sign-off: Human, warm close
Formatting
Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences)
White space between sections
Bullet points for scanability
Bold for emphasis (sparingly)
Mobile-first (most read on phone)
Tone
Conversational, not formal
First-person (I/we) and second-person (you)
Active voice
Read it out loud. Does it sound like a person?
No AI Tells
Subscribers learn to recognize generated email fast, and they stop reading. Write from the specific thing you want them to know or do.
Never write these:
Contrast reveals: "It's not X, it's Y." "Not because X. Because Y." State Y directly, with the reason.
Negation lists: "No X, no Y, no Z." Say what does happen. One plain absence ("No card required") is fine.
Trailing pile-ons: a full claim, then a comma and more restating clauses. End the sentence at the claim.
Self-answered questions and colon reveals: "The result? 3x faster." "The best part: it learns." FAQ questions and a question in the reader's own voice are fine.
Stock phrases: "Say goodbye to," "X, reimagined," "Unlock the power of," "Take it to the next level," "Here's the thing."
Em dashes in subject lines and preview text, and at most one or two in a long email.
Email-specific tells:
Subject-line bait: fake "Re:" or "Fwd:", "You won't believe...", "🔥 Big news." The subject should hold up if it's the only line they read.
Stock openers: "I hope this email finds you well," "Just checking in," "Great news!" Open with the reason you're writing.
Sign-off filler: "Feel free to reach out if you have any questions." Ask for one specific action, or end.
For the full blacklist, use the copywriting skill's AI-tells reference.
Length
50-125 words for transactional
150-300 words for educational
300-500 words for story-driven
CTA Guidelines
Buttons for primary actions
Links for secondary actions
One clear primary CTA per email
Button text: Action + outcome
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
What triggers entry to this sequence?
What's the primary goal/conversion action?
What do they already know about you?
What other emails are they receiving?
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 |
| Nitrosend | AI-native email (sequences via prompts) | ✓ | nitrosend.md |
| Resend | Developer-friendly transactional | ✓ | resend.md |
| SendGrid | Transactional email at scale | - | sendgrid.md |
| Kit | Creator/newsletter focused | - | kit.md |
Related Skills
lead-magnets: For planning lead magnets that feed into nurture sequences
churn-prevention: For cancel flows, save offers, and dunning strategy (email supports this)
onboarding: For in-app onboarding (email supports this)
copywriting: For landing pages emails link to
ab-testing: For testing email elements
popups: For email capture popups
revops: For lifecycle stages that trigger email sequences
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer873 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.0 KiB
- SKILL.md11.3 KiB
- evals/evals.json7.3 KiB
- references/copy-guidelines.md2.3 KiB
- references/email-types.md13.9 KiB
- references/sequence-templates.md3.8 KiB
evals/evals.json
{
"skill_name": "emails",
"evals": [
{
"id": 1,
"prompt": "Create a welcome email sequence for new users who sign up for our project management tool's free trial. The trial is 14 days. We want to get them to their aha moment (creating their first project and inviting a team member).",
"expected_output": "Should check for product-marketing.md first. Should create a welcome sequence (5-7 emails) following the core principles: one email one job, value before ask. Should map each email to a specific goal in the 14-day trial journey. Should include timing/delays between emails. Each email should follow the email copy structure: hook → context → value → CTA → sign-off. Should include subject lines following the subject line strategy. Should align sequence with the aha moment (first project + team invite). Output should follow the structured format with sequence overview and per-email specs.",
"assertions": [
"Checks for product-marketing.md",
"Creates 5-7 email welcome sequence",
"Follows one email one job principle",
"Maps emails to trial timeline (14 days)",
"Includes timing between emails",
"Each email has hook, context, value, CTA",
"Includes subject lines for each email",
"Aligns with stated aha moment",
"Output follows structured per-email format"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 2,
"prompt": "We need a lead nurture sequence for people who download our 'State of DevOps 2024' report. Goal is to get them to book a demo of our CI/CD platform.",
"expected_output": "Should create a lead nurture sequence (6-8 emails). Should follow value before ask — first emails should provide related value, not immediately push for demo. Should map the sequence from awareness (report download) through consideration (related content, case studies) to decision (demo request). Should include timing between emails. Each email should have clear subject line, hook, single CTA. Should gradually increase commitment asks across the sequence.",
"assertions": [
"Creates 6-8 email lead nurture sequence",
"Follows value before ask principle",
"Maps from awareness through consideration to decision",
"Includes timing between emails",
"Each email has clear subject line and single CTA",
"Gradually increases commitment asks",
"Connects to original download topic"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 3,
"prompt": "our email open rates have tanked. used to be 35% now we're at 18%. what's going on and how do we fix our subject lines?",
"expected_output": "Should trigger on casual phrasing. Should diagnose potential causes of declining open rates: sender reputation, list hygiene, subject line quality, sending frequency, deliverability issues. Should apply the subject line strategy from the skill: test curiosity vs benefit vs urgency patterns, personalization, optimal length. Should recommend a re-engagement campaign to clean the list. Should provide specific subject line formulas and examples. Should suggest testing framework for subject lines.",
"assertions": [
"Triggers on casual phrasing",
"Diagnoses potential causes beyond just subject lines",
"Addresses sender reputation and deliverability",
"Recommends list hygiene or re-engagement",
"Applies subject line strategy with specific patterns",
"Provides subject line formulas and examples",
"Suggests testing framework"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 4,
"prompt": "Build a re-engagement sequence for subscribers who haven't opened any emails in 90 days. We have about 5,000 inactive subscribers.",
"expected_output": "Should create a re-engagement sequence (3-4 emails). Should follow the re-engagement pattern: first email acknowledges absence and offers value, middle emails escalate with compelling reasons to re-engage, final email is a clear 'last chance' before removal. Should recommend aggressive subject lines to break through. Should include a sunset policy (remove non-responders after sequence completes). Should address the impact on deliverability of keeping inactive subscribers.",
"assertions": [
"Creates 3-4 email re-engagement sequence",
"Acknowledges absence in first email",
"Escalates through the sequence",
"Includes 'last chance' final email",
"Recommends sunset policy for non-responders",
"Addresses deliverability impact of inactive subscribers",
"Uses compelling subject lines"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 5,
"prompt": "What's the ideal timing for our onboarding email sequence? We send the first email immediately after signup, but we're not sure about the rest.",
"expected_output": "Should provide timing guidance for onboarding sequences. Should reference the timing and delays framework: immediate first email (welcome/confirmation), then suggest data-driven timing based on user behavior triggers vs fixed time delays. Should recommend behavior-triggered emails when possible (user completed action → next email) with time-based fallbacks. Should provide typical timing patterns for SaaS onboarding (day 0, day 1, day 3, day 5, day 7, etc.). Should note that optimal timing depends on product complexity and trial length.",
"assertions": [
"Provides timing guidance for onboarding sequences",
"Recommends immediate first email",
"Discusses behavior-triggered vs time-based timing",
"Provides typical timing patterns",
"Notes timing depends on product and trial length",
"Recommends behavior triggers with time-based fallbacks"
],
"files": []
},
{
"id": 6,
"prompt": "Help me optimize our post-signup onboarding experience. Users sign up but 60% never complete setup.",
"expected_output": "Should recognize this is an in-app onboarding optimization task, not an email sequence task. Should defer to or cross-reference the onboarding skill, which handles in-app onboarding flows, checklists, and activation optimization. May offer to help with the email component of onboarding but should make clear that onboarding is the primary skill for this task.",
"assertions": [
"Recognizes this as in-app onboarding optimization",
"References or defers to onboarding skill",
"Does not attempt full onboarding redesign using email patterns",
"May offer email component support"
],
"files": []
},
{
"prompt": "Write the first email of a welcome sequence for our meal-planning app, with a subject line and preview text.",
"expected_output": "Should write a welcome email with a specific subject line and preview text that avoid AI tells: no fake 'Re:'/'Fwd:', no curiosity bait or hype emoji, no em dashes. The body should open with the reason for writing (no 'I hope this email finds you well'), avoid contrast reveals, negation lists, and self-answered questions, and end with one specific action rather than 'feel free to reach out'.",
"assertions": [
"Subject line has no fake Re:/Fwd:, bait, or em dash",
"No stock opener",
"No contrast reveal or negation list",
"Ends with one specific action"
],
"files": [],
"id": 7
}
]
}
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
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Attribution and licence
- Created by
- Corey Haines
- Publisher
- Corey Haines (Community)
- Source
- coreyhaines31/marketingskills · skills/emails · commit 96798cf
- Licence
- MIT License (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Corey Haines.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download emails.zip