| name | email-nurture |
| description | Designs email sequences that onboard, educate, and retain users — welcome series, drip campaigns, and re-engagement. Use when sign-ups don't activate, users go quiet, or you need automated nurture beyond social posts. |
Email Nurture
Social gets attention; email owns the relationship. For developer products, email works when it
teaches something useful — not when it spams "Come back!" every day.
Chains from [[growth-strategy]] (ICP, activation metric) and [[content-marketing]] (repurpose articles).
Complements [[community-engagement]] (event invites) and [[referral-loop]] (referral asks in sequence).
Use email-nurture checklist alongside this process.
When to Use
- Welcome series for new sign-ups
- Activation drip (user signed up but didn't complete first action)
- Re-engagement for inactive users (7/14/30 day)
- Launch announcement to waitlist
- Newsletter for engaged users
Skip when: no email collection, no product to link to, or list is bought/scraped (never).
Process
1. Map sequences to lifecycle
| Sequence | Trigger | Goal |
|---|
| Welcome | Sign-up | First action in 24h |
| Activation | No first action by Day 1 | Complete profile / first connection |
| Onboarding | Day 1–7 | Habit + value discovery |
| Re-engagement | Inactive 14+ days | Return visit |
| Newsletter | Opt-in engaged users | Trust + updates |
One primary goal per email — not five CTAs.
2. Welcome series (5 emails max)
| Day | Subject angle | CTA |
|---|
| 0 | Welcome + one quick win | Complete profile |
| 1 | How others use it (story) | First connection |
| 3 | Tip / tutorial snippet | Try feature |
| 7 | Community / showcase | Join discussion |
| 14 | Feedback ask | Reply or survey |
Draft full copy: subject (≤50 chars), preview text, body (scannable), single CTA button.
3. Write for developers
- Plain text or minimal HTML — not marketing brochure
- One idea per email; 150–300 words
- Code snippet or screenshot when teaching
- Unsubscribe one click — required
- From name: person or product, not "noreply marketing"
4. Technical setup
5. Measure
| Metric | Target (industry rough) |
|---|
| Open rate | 35%+ (dev lists) |
| Click rate | 3%+ |
| Unsubscribe | <0.5% per send |
| Activation lift | vs no-email cohort |
A/B test subject lines only after 500+ sends per variant.
6. Compliance
- GDPR/CAN-SPAM: consent, unsubscribe, physical address if required
- No purchased lists
- Honor unsub within 24h
Common Rationalizations
- "Email is dead for devs" — Useful onboarding email isn't spam; "we miss you" daily is.
- "One blast to everyone" — Segmented sequences convert 2–3x.
- "HTML newsletter week 1" — Start plain welcome; polish later.
Red Flags
- No activation trigger — same email to active and dormant users
- Broken links or missing UTM
- Five CTAs per email
- Welcome email sends day 3 instead of minute 1
- Re-engagement with no value — just "come back"
Verification
