Email nurture sequence

Email Nurture Sequence

Produces a 5-email sequence that earns its place in an inbox: one job per email, subject lines tested not guessed, formatting that reads like a person wrote it, and a hard rule that leaving must always be easy. This skill outputs drafts and a load plan — it never connects to an ESP and never sends.

When to Use

• The user needs a welcome, onboarding, lead-magnet follow-up, or pre-launch sequence.
• An existing drip underperforms and needs a one-goal-per-email restructure.
• The user asks for "subject line A/B tests" for a sequence.
• Not for: a single recurring newsletter issue (newsletter-assembler), the page the sequence points to (landing-page-copywriter), or actually sending — no ESP access, drafts only, human loads and presses send.

Quick Reference

Action	Rule
One goal per email	Each email drives exactly one click/reply/action; a second ask means a sixth email, not a longer fifth
Subject pairs	A/B per email: A = clarity, B = curiosity; both ≤50 chars, both honest about contents
Plain-text-first	Write as if no HTML exists: short lines, no image-dependent meaning, ≤2 links, one formatting device max
Sequence arc	1 deliver+welcome → 2 quick win → 3 story/proof → 4 objection → 5 direct ask
Unsubscribe respect	Footer slot in every draft; no guilt copy; opt-down offered before the ask email
Sending	NEVER. Deliver drafts + load checklist; human owns the ESP

Procedure

1. Gather — confirm: who enters the sequence and from where (lead magnet, signup, purchase), the sequence's end goal (the one conversion email 5 asks for), sending cadence (default: days 0, 2, 4, 7, 10), sender name/voice, and links available. End goal missing → stop and ask; a sequence without a destination is just noise.
2. Map one goal per email — write a 5-row plan first: email #, single goal, the one link/action, arc role (per Quick Reference). If the user's wishlist has 7 goals, cut or defer 2 — do not double-load an email. Get a nod on the map when the stakes are high; otherwise proceed.
3. Draft in arc order — each email: subject pair, preview text (≤80 chars, extends A not repeats it), body in plain-text style — greeting, 60–150 words that earn the one ask, single CTA as a text link, human sign-off. Emails 1–2 give before anything asks; email 4 names the biggest objection honestly; email 5 asks directly, once.
4. Subject A/B discipline — for each email: A states the value plainly ("Your template is inside"), B opens a loop ("The mistake I made first"). Both must be true to the body — curiosity that the email doesn't pay off trains people to ignore you.
5. Respect-the-exit pass — every draft ends with an [UNSUBSCRIBE] placeholder line; email 4 or 5 includes a one-line opt-down ("just want the monthly digest? click here" placeholder). Strip any guilt phrasing ("we'll be sad to see you go" is fine; "you'll miss out forever" is not).
6. Deliver drafts + load plan — assemble the Output Template with the schedule table and an ESP load checklist. State explicitly: these are drafts; nothing has been sent.

Output Template

# Nurture Sequence: [name] — 5 emails, drafts only
**Entry:** [trigger] | **End goal:** [email 5's ask] | **Cadence:** D0/D2/D4/D7/D10

| # | Day | Goal (one) | Arc role |
|---|---|---|---|

## Email [n] — [goal]
Subject A: ... | Subject B: ...
Preview: ...
---
[body, plain-text style, one CTA link]
—[sender]
[UNSUBSCRIBE] · [opt-down, emails 4–5 only]

## Load checklist (human)
- [ ] Paste into ESP, map merge fields, verify unsubscribe link renders
- [ ] Set A/B split on subjects, schedule per cadence table
- [ ] Send test to self before activating

Pitfalls

• Two asks in one email — a "quick win" email that also pitches the offer, so neither lands. Recovery: return to the step 2 map; move the second ask to its rightful email or cut it. One email, one goal, no exceptions.
• Bait subject, mismatched body — subject B promises a story the email doesn't tell. Recovery: in step 4 read each body asking "does this pay off both subjects?"; rewrite whichever side lies.
• Newsletter-shaped nurture — emails balloon to 400 words of sections and links. Recovery: cut to the 60–150 word band; if material genuinely deserves more, it's a link to a post, not inline copy.
• Guilt-trip exit copy — retention dark patterns creep into the footer. Recovery: run the step 5 pass; unsubscribe is one neutral line, opt-down is offered once, nothing shames the reader.
• The agent "helpfully" sends — drafts get loaded or dispatched because ESP access happened to exist. Recovery: this skill has no send step by design; if a send was made, report it immediately to the human with the audience affected — never quietly continue.

Verification

• Exactly 5 emails; each maps to one goal on the step 2 table; no email carries two asks
• Every email has subject A + B (≤50 chars each) and preview text; both subjects truthful to the body
• Bodies 60–150 words, ≤2 links, single CTA, plain-text-first formatting
• [UNSUBSCRIBE] in all 5; opt-down present in email 4 or 5; zero guilt phrasing
• Deliverable states "drafts only — human loads and sends"; nothing was sent