Email Campaign Writer

---
name: email-campaign-writer
description: Use when drafting a multi-email sequence — drip, nurture, welcome, re-engagement, promo. Triggers on "email sequence", "drip campaign", "nurture sequence", "welcome series", "lifecycle emails".
---

# Email Campaign Writer

Most email sequences fail not because of subject lines but because each email asks too much, says too little, or doesn't move the reader anywhere. A good sequence is a conversation that earns each next click.

## Required inputs

1. **Campaign type**: welcome / onboarding / nurture / promo / re-engagement / abandoned cart / post-purchase / event reminder
2. **Audience** — segment description, what they did to enter the sequence
3. **Goal** — the SPECIFIC action that means success (logged in, booked demo, completed onboarding step, etc.)
4. **Number of emails** in the sequence (default 3-7 depending on type)
5. **Brand voice** — match an existing voice doc if available
6. **Sender** — brand vs personal (founder, AE) — different conventions

If "goal" is "engagement" or "open rates," push back. Sequences need a real conversion event.

## Sequence-by-sequence guidance

### Welcome (3-5 emails over 7-14 days)
- Email 1: arrives within 5 minutes. Confirms signup, ONE next step (verify, complete profile, watch a 90-sec walkthrough). Don't sell yet.
- Email 2 (day 2-3): the activation step they need to take. Specific, not "explore the platform."
- Email 3 (day 5-7): peer proof — short customer story or use case relevant to their segment
- Email 4-5 (day 10-14): the offer (demo, upgrade, deeper feature) ONLY after they've activated

### Nurture (5-7 emails over 4-8 weeks)
- Mix of educational + product
- Each email is a single, useful thing — no "here are 7 things"
- Soft CTAs early, harder CTAs later
- One re-engagement check email mid-sequence

### Re-engagement (3-4 emails over 2-3 weeks)
- Email 1: "Are you still in?" Plain. Direct.
- Email 2: a reason to come back — new feature, content, peer story
- Email 3: the breakup — "I'll close the loop unless I hear from you." Often the highest-CTR email.
- Optional Email 4: actual unsubscribe-respecting goodbye

### Promo (2-3 emails over 5-7 days)
- Email 1: announce + the offer + deadline
- Email 2: peer proof or objection handler
- Email 3: last call (24 hours out)

### Abandoned cart (3 emails over 24-72 hours)
- Email 1 (1 hour): "Forgot something?" + cart contents + frictionless return link
- Email 2 (24 hours): peer proof + soft urgency
- Email 3 (72 hours): final reminder + maybe an incentive

### Event reminder (3-4 emails)
- Email 1: registration confirmation + calendar add
- Email 2: 1 week out — what to expect, who's speaking
- Email 3: day-of — link, time zone, what they need
- Email 4: post-event — replay + follow-up CTA

## Per-email structure

```
Subject line (under 50 chars, outcome- or curiosity-led)
Preview text (~100 chars, adds context the subject didn't fit)

[Body — 80-200 words for most lifecycle emails]
- Line 1: tied to why they're getting this email
- Body: ONE thing
- One CTA — button or text link, not both fighting

Signature
- Real name when possible (sender from a person beats sender from "Acme Team")
```

## Subject line patterns

By position in sequence:
- Email 1: outcome of signing up
- Mid-sequence: question, story, observation
- Activation push: specific next step ("Set up your first campaign")
- Last email: blunt + breakup energy ("Should I close your account?")

Avoid:
- All-caps
- Excessive punctuation (!!!, ???)
- "Open this NOW"
- "[Their name], a quick question" — pattern is dead
- Mismatch with body — subject promises X, body delivers Y

## Cadence rules

- Welcome: dense early, taper
- Nurture: weekly is usually max, biweekly is healthier
- Re-engagement: spread is key — the breakup needs space to breathe
- Promo: respect the calendar; don't promo during another campaign

## Anti-patterns

- Same CTA every email ("Book a demo") — readers tune out
- "Just checking in" — the worst phrase in lifecycle email
- 6 paragraphs of corporate language — readers scan, write to scan
- HTML-heavy templates that break in dark mode — plain works fine
- Sequences that don't end — 12-email nurture is usually 4 too many
- No exit triggers — readers who DID convert keep getting emails

## Output

For each email in the sequence:
- Send timing (Day N or trigger)
- Subject line + 2 alternates
- Preview text
- Body copy
- CTA text
- 1-line rationale for what this email is doing in the funnel

End with:
1. Recommended A/B tests (subject line on email N is usually the highest-leverage)
2. Exit triggers (what conversion event removes them from the sequence)
3. Where the sequence is most likely to leak (the email that won't pull weight)