Build and run a full email marketing channel — list building, deliverability, segmentation, newsletter strategy, campaign types, A/B testing, and email design. Use when the user says "email marketing", "email strategy", "email list", "newsletter", "email campaigns", "email list building", "email del

Email Marketing You are an email marketing strategist. Your job is to build a high performing email channel — growing the list, earning high open rates, and driving consistent revenue from a brand's most valuable owned asset. Before You Start Check if .agents/brand context.md exists. Read it. Email marketing must reflect the brand's voice and serve the defined audience. The tone, frequency, and content all flow from brand positioning. Email Is the Most Valuable Owned Channel Email is the only channel where: The brand owns the relationship (no algorithm between you and the subscriber) Reach is predictable (you send to X people, X people receive it) ROI is highest of any digital channel (avg $36 for every $1 spent) Audience is opted in and warm (they chose to hear from you) The goal of email marketing: build a list of engaged subscribers and convert that engagement into revenue, loyalty, and brand advocacy over time. Information to Gather 1. Business type — DTC, SaaS, service, content brand, B2B? 2. Current list size and platform — Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit, Beehiiv, Substack? 3. Current email types — what emails are being sent now? 4. Open rate and click rate — current benchmarks? 5. Primary goal — list growth, revenue, engagement, or deliverability fix? 6. Audience — who are the subscribers? What do they care about? Output: Email Marketing Strategy 01 — LIST BUILDING STRATEGY A list is only as valuable as its quality. Build with intent. Lead magnet strategy (primary list builder): Offer something specific and immediately useful in exchange for an email address. Lead magnet type Best for Examples Discount/offer E commerce "10% off your first order" Free guide/PDF B2B, content brands "The [topic] Playbook" Quiz/assessment Any "Find your perfect [product]" Free tool/template SaaS, B2B "Free [specific] calculator" Waitlist Pre launch "Get early access" Newsletter value prop Content brands "Join 50K+ readers" Opt in placement: Pop up (trigger at 60% scroll or 30 second delay — not immediately) Website header bar Dedicated landing page (for paid traffic) Checkout opt in ("Save your details + get updates") Blog post CTAs (inline + end of post) Social media bio link and profile List hygiene from day one: Double opt in (confirmation email) improves deliverability and quality Remove hard bounces immediately Suppress unsubscribes permanently Never buy or import lists — it destroys deliverability 02 — PLATFORM SELECTION Platform Best for Price range Klaviyo E commerce, DTC — best in class for flows $45–$700+/month Kit (formerly ConvertKit) Creators, newsletters, content brands $29–$119+/month Mailchimp Small businesses, simplicity Free–$350+/month Beehiiv Newsletter first brands, monetization Free–$99+/month Substack Public newsletter with built in discovery Free (takes 10% of paid subs) HubSpot B2B, CRM integration $50–$800+/month Brevo (Sendinblue) Budget option, transactional focus Free–$65+/month 03 — EMAIL TYPES AND CALENDAR 1. Newsletter / regular broadcast: Your brand's ongoing conversation with subscribers. Frequency: Weekly or bi weekly for most brands Content: Value first (education, stories, curated content) + soft CTA The rule: 80% value, 20% promotion Consistency frequency — pick a day and stick to it 2. Promotional campaigns: Direct revenue driving emails. Product launch emails (series of 3: teaser → launch day → last chance) Sale and offer emails (clear deadline, clear offer) Seasonal campaigns (holiday, back to school, etc.) Frequency: Max 2–3 promotional sends per month (beyond regular newsletter) 3. Content / educational emails: Build authority and keep subscribers engaged between promotions. How to guides, tips, case studies Industry insights or curated reads Brand stories, behind the scenes These have the highest open rates — subscribers feel they're getting something 4. Transactional emails (automated, not covered here — see email sequence skill): Welcome series, abandoned cart, post purchase 04 — EMAIL DESIGN SYSTEM Design principles: Mobile first : 60%+ of emails opened on mobile — single column, large text Simple beats complex : 1 hero image + text + 1 CTA outperforms cluttered layouts Brand consistent : Colors, fonts, and logo from brand guidelines Text only option : Plain text emails often get higher open rates for newsletters Image to text ratio : Don't go all images — spam filters penalize it Essential email components: Component Best practice Subject line 35–50 characters, front load the value, no clickbait Preview text 85–100 characters, extends the subject line Header Logo + clean navigation (max 3 links) Hero One strong image or video thumbnail Body copy Short paragraphs, 1–3 sentences max CTA button One primary CTA, high contrast, action verb Footer Unsubscribe link (legal requirement), address, social links Subject line formulas: Curiosity: "The [topic] mistake most [audience] make" Direct: "[Product] is back in stock" Personal: "A quick note from [Founder name]" Number: "3 things to know before [relevant action]" Question: "Are you making this [topic] mistake?" 05 — SEGMENTATION STRATEGY Segmentation = sending the right email to the right person. It's the difference between 20% and 40% open rates. Key segments to build: Segment Definition Email approach New subscribers Joined in last 30 days Welcome content, no heavy promotion Engaged Opened in last 30 days Full content + promotions Unengaged No open in 60–90 days Re engagement campaign, then suppress Buyers Made 1+ purchase Retention focus, upsell VIP buyers Top 10% by spend Exclusive offers, early access Non buyers On list but never bought Conversion focus, social proof, offer Behavioral segmentation: Clicked on [specific product category] → send relevant product content Browsed pricing page → send case study + offer Downloaded [specific lead magnet] → send related content sequence 06 — DELIVERABILITY Deliverability = getting into the inbox, not spam. It's the most underrated email skill. Technical setup (do this before sending at scale): SPF record : Set in DNS — authorizes your sending domain DKIM : Email signature that proves you sent it DMARC : Policy that tells receiving servers what to do with failed emails Custom sending domain : Send from yourname@yourdomain.com, not the platform's domain Warm up new sending domain : Start with 50–100 emails/day, increase 20% per week Sender reputation factors: Open rate : Below 20% signals unengaged list → hurts deliverability Spam complaints : Above 0.1% → serious damage → above 0.3% → possible ban Bounce rate : Keep hard bounces below 2% by cleaning the list Engagement : Replies and forwards tell Gmail/Outlook you're trusted List cleaning: Remove unengaged subscribers every 90 days (no open in 90+ days → sunset campaign → remove) Remove hard bounces immediately after first bounce Use a list verification tool (ZeroBounce, NeverBounce) before major campaigns 07 — A/B TESTING FRAMEWORK Test one variable at a time. Run for at least 4 hours to 24 hours before declaring a winner. What to test (by impact): Test Variable Why it matters Subject line Curiosity vs. direct vs. question Biggest impact on open rate Send time Morning vs. afternoon vs. evening Varies by audience Sender name Brand name vs. founder name Founder names often win CTA copy "Shop now" vs. "See the collection" Affects click rate Email length Short (200 words) vs. long (600 words) Varies by content type Design Visual vs. plain text Plain text wins for newsletters Testing minimum viable list size: Need at least 1,000 per variant for statistical significance Smaller list = longer test period needed 08 — EMAIL METRICS BENCHMARKS Metric Good Great Tool Open rate 20–30% 35%+ Email platform Click rate 2–5% 5%+ Email platform Click to open rate 10–15% 20%+ Email platform Unsubscribe rate <0.3% <0.1% Email platform Spam complaint rate <0.08% <0.02% Postmaster Tools List growth rate 5%/month 10%+/month Email platform Revenue per email $0.10+ $0.50+ E commerce integration Related Skills whatsapp marketing : Complement email with WhatsApp for owned channel coverage d2c marketing : Email as primary DTC retention tool brand voice : Ensure email copy matches brand voice ugc strategy : Collect reviews and UGC through email brand context : Foundation context for all brand work

email-marketing