email-marketing

Email deliverability, list management, sequences, segmentation, and campaign optimization.

Security Scan

This is an instruction-only email-marketing guidance skill whose content matches its name and description; it requests no credentials, installs nothing, and contains best-practice guidance rather than actions that access system resources.

Purpose & Capability

The SKILL.md content (deliverability, list management, sequencing, segmentation, compliance) aligns with the skill name and description. There are no unexpected environment variables, binaries, or install steps requested that would be out of scope for an email-marketing guide.

Instruction Scope

The instructions are high-level operational guidance and do not direct the agent to read files, call APIs, access credentials, or transmit data to external endpoints. Because the guidance is prescriptive (e.g., 'tag on every click', 'monitor blacklists'), an autonomous agent acting on this guidance would need explicit ESP/API credentials to take action — but the skill itself does not request or provide those. If an agent were later given credentials, these instructions could be used to perform real-world actions; as-is, the scope is informational.

Install Mechanism

No install specification or code files are present. Instruction-only skills write nothing to disk and do not pull remote packages, so installation risk is minimal.

Credentials

The skill declares no required environment variables, credentials, or config paths. That is proportionate for a documentation-style marketing skill. There is no evidence it expects unrelated secrets or system access.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not always-enabled and uses default autonomous invocation behavior. It does not request persistent system changes or access to other skills' configs.

Assessment

This skill is an informational, instruction-only email-marketing guide and appears internally consistent with its stated purpose. It does not request credentials or install code, so immediate technical risk from the skill itself is low. Before allowing any skill or agent to act on these instructions (e.g., send campaigns, tag clicks, access ESP APIs), verify and limit any credentials you provide to the minimum scopes required and confirm the integration endpoint is legitimate. Also remember: the guidance can be used to run large-scale email sends — ensure you comply with laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR) and avoid purchased lists or other practices that harm deliverability or violate privacy. Finally, note the skill’s source is unknown; if you plan to supply API keys or allow autonomous actions, prefer verified/official integrations or inspect any code that will run with your credentials.

Deliverability Foundations

• Authenticate all sending domains: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — missing any one tanks deliverability
• Warm up new domains/IPs: start with 50-100 emails/day, increase 20% daily over 2-4 weeks
• Never buy email lists — purchased lists destroy sender reputation permanently
• Clean list regularly: remove bounces immediately, unengaged after 90 days
• Monitor blacklists: MXToolbox, Google Postmaster Tools — problems compound if not caught early

List Health Metrics

Metric	Healthy	Warning	Critical
Open rate	>20%	10-20%	<10%
Click rate	>2%	1-2%	<1%
Bounce rate	<2%	2-5%	>5%
Unsubscribe	<0.5%	0.5-1%	>1%
Spam complaints	<0.1%	0.1-0.3%	>0.3%

• One spam complaint per 1000 emails is the danger zone — above this, inbox placement drops sharply

Subject Lines

• 40-50 characters optimal — truncates on mobile after 35-40
• Personalization works: name or company in subject increases opens 10-20%
• Curiosity beats clarity for opens, but clarity wins for clicks — balance based on goal
• Avoid spam triggers: ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation!!!, "free", "act now"
• Test emoji: works for some audiences, hurts others — A/B test before committing
• Preview text is second subject line — don't waste it with "View in browser"

Email Sequences

Welcome sequence (5-7 emails over 2 weeks):

1. Immediate: Deliver promised value + set expectations
2. Day 1: Best content or quick win
3. Day 3: Story/origin + values
4. Day 5: Social proof + case study
5. Day 7: Soft offer or deeper engagement
6. Day 10: Address common objection
7. Day 14: Clear CTA

• First email in sequence has highest open rate — make it count
• Space emails 1-3 days apart — daily is too aggressive for most audiences

Segmentation

• Segment by behavior, not just demographics — what they clicked matters more than job title
• Minimum viable segments: new subscribers, engaged (opened in 30 days), unengaged, customers
• Tag on every click — builds behavioral profile automatically
• Sunset unengaged subscribers after 90 days — send re-engagement, then remove
• VIP segment for highest engagement — reward them with early access, exclusives

Timing and Frequency

• Tuesday-Thursday mid-morning performs best on average — but test your audience
• B2B: business hours. B2C: evenings and weekends can work
• Frequency depends on value: daily works if valuable, weekly fails if boring
• Let subscribers choose frequency — reduces unsubscribes significantly
• Send time optimization: most ESPs offer this, use it

Campaign Types

• Newsletter: regular value, builds relationship, low direct conversion
• Promotional: clear offer, urgency, direct conversion focus
• Transactional: receipts, confirmations — highest open rates, add value here
• Re-engagement: "We miss you" + incentive + easy unsubscribe
• Announcement: product launches, major updates — segment to interested only

Writing for Email

• One goal per email — multiple CTAs dilute response
• Write for skimmers: bold key phrases, short paragraphs, bullet points
• P.S. lines get read — put secondary CTA or key point there
• Plain text often outperforms HTML for personal-style emails
• Mobile-first: 60%+ open on mobile — single column, large tap targets

Automation Triggers

• Sign up → Welcome sequence
• Purchase → Onboarding + cross-sell sequence
• Abandoned cart → 3-email recovery (1h, 24h, 72h)
• No open in 30 days → Re-engagement sequence
• Link click → Tag and trigger relevant follow-up
• Date-based → Birthday, renewal reminder, anniversary

A/B Testing

• Test one variable at a time: subject, send time, CTA, from name
• Need 1000+ recipients per variant for statistical significance
• Subject line tests: 20% of list first, winner to remaining 80%
• Measure what matters: opens for subject, clicks for content, conversions for offers
• Document every test — institutional learning prevents repeat experiments

Common Mistakes

• Sending to entire list always — segment or face declining engagement
• No double opt-in — leads to fake emails and spam traps
• Ignoring mobile preview — broken layouts kill credibility
• Same email to all segments — personalization is expected now
• Hard selling too early — value first, offer later
• Ignoring unsubscribe feedback — they tell you what's wrong

Compliance

• Include physical address in every email — required by CAN-SPAM, GDPR
• Unsubscribe must work within 10 days — one-click preferred
• Honor opt-outs immediately — delayed removal is illegal in many jurisdictions
• GDPR: explicit consent required, document it, allow data deletion
• Separate consent for different email types — marketing vs transactional