Comprehensive email marketing expertise for Claude Code — 68K words, 908 sources, 19 industry playbooks covering strategy, automation, deliverability, copywriting, and compliance.
triggers
["audit my email marketing setup","write an email sequence for abandoned cart","fix my email deliverability issues","review this email campaign","what are good email marketing benchmarks for my industry","build a welcome email flow","help me improve email open rates","compare email marketing platforms"]
This skill transforms Claude into an email marketing expert with access to 68,000 words of research, 908 sources, 4,798 insights from 44 expert contributors, and 19 industry-specific playbooks. Built by George Hartley (founder of SmartrMail, 28,000 customers).
What This Skill Provides
The Email Marketing Bible is a comprehensive knowledge base covering:
Once installed, Claude has immediate access to the full knowledge base without requiring any API calls or additional setup.
Core Capabilities
1. Email Marketing Audits
Ask Claude to review your current setup and identify gaps:
"Review my email marketing setup. I run a DTC skincare brand on Shopify
doing $2M/year. Currently using Klaviyo with:
- Welcome series (3 emails)
- Abandoned cart (2 emails)
- Weekly newsletter
What am I missing?"
Claude will analyze against industry benchmarks and identify:
Request complete email sequences with timing, triggers, and copy:
"Build a post-purchase email sequence for my coffee subscription business.
Average order: $45, repeat purchase cycle: 30-45 days, AOV target: $60"
Claude provides:
Email count and timing (e.g., Day 0, Day 3, Day 14, Day 28)
Subject lines and preview text
Body copy frameworks
Personalization tokens
Expected performance benchmarks
Conditional logic based on customer behavior
3. Deliverability Diagnosis
Debug inbox placement and reputation issues:
"My Gmail placement dropped from 90% inbox to 60% promotions tab.
Open rates fell from 22% to 14% over 3 months. Domain: example.com,
ESP: Klaviyo, current send volume: 50K/week"
Plus 14 other verticals with benchmarks and tactical frameworks
5. Email Copywriting
Generate conversion-focused copy using proven frameworks:
"Write a 3-email win-back sequence for fitness equipment brand.
Target: subscribers inactive 90+ days. Brand voice: motivational but not preachy.
Average customer LTV: $280"
Claude structures emails using:
PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution): Identify pain, intensify it, present solution
beehiiv: Newsletter-first, growth tools, limited ecommerce features
Sendlane: Mid-market alternative, good deliverability, learning curve
With honest pros/cons, pricing at your scale, and migration considerations.
7. Compliance Review
Audit against global regulations:
"Review my email compliance setup:
- Collecting emails via popup with single opt-in
- Sending to US, Canada, EU, Australia
- Using purchased list from trade show (2,000 contacts)
- No unsubscribe link in transactional emails"
Claude identifies violations and remediation steps for:
GDPR (EU): Lawful basis, explicit consent, right to erasure
AI & the Future of Email: Practical AI integration, where it helps/hurts
Company Case Studies: Casper, Morning Brew, Duolingo, Spotify, and others
Expert Directory: 44 practitioners referenced throughout
Best Email Designs 2026: 57 curated designs with implementation notes
19 Industry Playbooks
Each vertical includes specific tactics, benchmarks, and automation flows:
Ecommerce DTC
SaaS B2B
SaaS B2C
Newsletter & Creator
Agency
Nonprofit
Healthcare
Financial Services
Real Estate
Travel & Hospitality
Education
Professional Services
Retail
Events
B2B Manufacturing
Restaurant & Food
Fitness
Media & Publishing
Marketplace & Platform
Common Usage Patterns
Pattern 1: Full Marketing Stack Audit
"Audit my complete email marketing operation:
- Brand: DTC home goods
- Revenue: $5M/year
- List size: 80K subscribers
- ESP: Mailchimp
- Current flows: Welcome (2 emails), abandoned cart (1 email)
- Team: Just me (founder)
- Goal: Double email revenue in 6 months"
Claude performs a comprehensive audit covering strategy, automation, deliverability, segmentation, compliance, and platform fit, then prioritizes recommendations by estimated revenue impact.
Pattern 2: Campaign-Specific Review
"Review this Black Friday email campaign:
- Subject: '50% OFF Everything - 24 Hours Only!!!'
- Preview: 'Biggest sale of the year. Don't miss out.'
- Send time: Friday 6am EST
- Audience: All subscribers (no segmentation)
- Previous BFCM open rate: 18% (industry avg: 25%)"
Claude critiques subject line (emoji overuse, spam triggers), preview text (missed opportunity), timing (too early), segmentation (lost personalization opportunity), and provides rewritten versions with expected lift.
Pattern 3: Flow Building from Scratch
"Build a complete welcome series for a premium pet food subscription:
- Price: $60/month
- Target customer: health-conscious pet owners
- USP: Human-grade ingredients, vet-formulated
- Goal: Convert free trial to paid subscription
- Brand voice: Warm, educational, premium but not pretentious"
Claude designs a 5-email sequence:
Email 1 (Immediate): Welcome, set expectations, first feeding tips
Email 2 (Day 2): Educational content (ingredient sourcing), social proof
Email 3 (Day 5): Trial reminder, conversion incentive (10% off first paid month)
Email 5 (Day 9): Last chance, founder story, final conversion push
Each email includes subject lines, copy structure, personalization tokens, and expected benchmarks.
Pattern 4: Deliverability Troubleshooting
"Deliverability emergency:
- Suddenly landing in spam (Gmail, Outlook)
- Bounce rate jumped from 2% to 8%
- Complaint rate: 0.1%
- Recent changes: New sending domain (moved from oldsite.com to newsite.com)
- Authentication: SPF and DKIM configured, DMARC not set up
- IP: Shared pool with ESP"
Claude identifies the root cause (new domain without reputation), provides immediate fixes (DMARC setup, domain warming schedule), and long-term strategy (dedicated IP consideration, engagement-based sending).
Performance Benchmarks
Claude references industry benchmarks by vertical:
Industry
Open Rate
Click Rate
Conversion Rate
Revenue/Email
Ecommerce DTC
18-22%
2.5-3.5%
1.5-2.5%
$0.15-0.35
SaaS B2B
20-25%
3-4%
0.5-1.5%
N/A (pipeline)
SaaS B2C
22-28%
3.5-5%
2-4%
Varies by price
Newsletter
25-35%
4-6%
N/A
Varies
Nonprofit
22-28%
2.5-3.5%
1-2% (donations)
Varies
These benchmarks are contextualized by list size, engagement history, and campaign type.
Technical Implementation Examples
Example 1: Email Authentication Setup
When asked about deliverability setup, Claude provides DNS record examples:
; SPF Record
@ IN TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.klaviyo.com ~all"
; DKIM Record (obtained from ESP)
default._domainkey IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA..."
; DMARC Record
_dmarc IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; pct=100"
; BIMI Record (optional, for brand logo in inbox)
default._bimi IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/cert.pem"
Example 2: Segmentation Logic
For advanced segmentation requests, Claude provides RFM scoring logic:
CTA Clarity: Single, clear call-to-action vs multiple competing CTAs
Value Proposition: Benefit clearly communicated in first 3 lines
Design Hierarchy: Visual flow guides to CTA (F-pattern, Z-pattern)
Mobile Optimization: 46%+ of opens are mobile, buttons need 44px min height
Content Relevance: Segmentation match (right message to right audience)
Link Placement: CTA above fold + repeat below for scanners
Personalization: Dynamic content increases clicks 14% on average
Load Time: Images optimized, hosted on CDN
Deliverability Problems
Claude follows the 10-step diagnostic framework covering authentication, reputation, content, infrastructure, engagement, and compliance. Each step includes specific tools and tests.
Expert Contributors Referenced
The knowledge base includes insights from 44 practitioners:
Chad S. White (Zeta Global): Deliverability and engagement