| name | email-sequence |
| description | Email sequence expertise — cold outreach, drip nurture, re-engagement — timing, personalization signals, A/B test guidance for subject lines and CTAs |
| allowed-tools | Read |
Email Sequence Skill
Expertise in building email sequences that convert without burning the list. Every sequence has a job: cold sequences open conversations, drip sequences build trust before asking, re-engagement sequences clean the list and recover the reactivatable.
When to Use Which Sequence
Read sequences.yaml for the exact structure. The guidance on which to deploy:
Cold outreach — you have a list of people who don't know you yet. The job of email 1 is not to pitch — it's to earn a reply. Personalization is the only thing that separates cold email from spam. Generic hooks fail.
Drip (new subscriber) — someone gave you their email in exchange for something. The 21-day window is when trust is built or lost. Day 0 delivers the promise. Days 2-14 build credibility. Day 21 is earned permission to ask.
Re-engagement — 90-day inactivity is the signal. Some are gone forever; some just drifted. Email 3 is an intentional list clean — people who don't click the unsubscribe offer are worth keeping.
Personalization Signals
Priority order for cold outreach personalization:
- Recent company news (funding, product launch, hire)
- Specific content they published (article, post, talk)
- Mutual connection or shared context
- Role-specific pain (use job title as a proxy)
Never use "I came across your profile" — it signals automation.
Subject Line A/B Test Framework
Test one variable at a time against sequences.yaml ab_test_variables:
- Curiosity: open loop, unanswered question ("The one thing holding back [outcome]")
- Urgency: time or scarcity signal (only credible if real)
- Personalization: [First name] or company-specific reference in subject
- Benefit: direct outcome statement ("3x your email open rate in 14 days")
Minimum 200 sends per variant before declaring a winner.
Quality Signals
Copy that converts:
- One idea per email — not three
- CTA that matches the funnel stage (no "buy now" in email 1)
- Preview text that complements the subject, not repeats it
- Sent from a real person name, not "The [Company] Team"
Copy that kills lists:
- Generic openers ("Hope this finds you well")
- Pitching before establishing relevance
- Three CTAs in one email
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "We'll do email later when we have more subscribers" | Email converts best at small list sizes — early subscribers are highest-intent. |
| "Our audience doesn't respond to email" | They don't respond to bad email. Sequence structure and personalization are the variables. |
| "5 cold emails is too many" | 80% of replies come after email 3. Stopping at 2 is leaving pipeline on the table. |
| "Re-engagement is risky — they might unsubscribe" | Inactive subscribers hurt deliverability. A clean list outperforms a large one. |
