Expand email-sequence with comprehensive email types reference
Added detailed guidance for 20+ email types organized by category: Onboarding: - New users series, new customers series - Key onboarding step reminders, new user invites Retention: - Upgrade to paid/higher plan, ask for review - Proactive support, usage reports, NPS, referral program Billing: - Switch to annual, failed payment recovery - Cancellation survey, renewal reminders Usage: - Daily/weekly/monthly summaries - Key event and milestone notifications Win-Back: - Expired trials, cancelled customers Campaigns: - Monthly roundup, seasonal promotions - Product updates, industry news, pricing updates Also added email audit checklist for program review. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Corey Haines
@@ -267,6 +267,515 @@ Coordinate with in-app onboarding. Email supports, doesn't duplicate.
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---
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## Email Types Reference
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A comprehensive guide to lifecycle and campaign emails. Use this as an audit checklist and implementation reference.
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### Onboarding Emails
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#### New Users Series
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**Trigger**: User signs up (free or trial)
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**Goal**: Activate user, drive to aha moment
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**Typical sequence**: 5-7 emails over 14 days
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- Email 1: Welcome + single next step (immediate)
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- Email 2: Quick win / getting started (day 1)
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- Email 3: Key feature highlight (day 3)
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- Email 4: Success story / social proof (day 5)
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- Email 5: Check-in + offer help (day 7)
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- Email 6: Advanced tip (day 10)
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- Email 7: Upgrade prompt or next milestone (day 14)
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**Key metrics**: Activation rate, feature adoption
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---
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#### New Customers Series
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**Trigger**: User converts to paid
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**Goal**: Reinforce purchase decision, drive adoption, reduce early churn
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**Typical sequence**: 3-5 emails over 14 days
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- Email 1: Thank you + what's next (immediate)
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- Email 2: Getting full value — setup checklist (day 2)
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- Email 3: Pro tips for paid features (day 5)
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- Email 4: Success story from similar customer (day 7)
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- Email 5: Check-in + introduce support resources (day 14)
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**Key point**: Different from new user series—they've committed. Focus on reinforcement and expansion, not conversion.
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---
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#### Key Onboarding Step Reminder
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**Trigger**: User hasn't completed critical setup step after X time
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**Goal**: Nudge completion of high-value action
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**Format**: Single email or 2-3 email mini-sequence
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**Example triggers**:
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- Hasn't connected integration after 48 hours
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- Hasn't invited team member after 3 days
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- Hasn't completed profile after 24 hours
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**Copy approach**:
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- Remind them what they started
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- Explain why this step matters
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- Make it easy (direct link to complete)
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- Offer help if stuck
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---
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#### New User Invite
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**Trigger**: Existing user invites teammate
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**Goal**: Activate the invited user
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**Recipient**: The person being invited
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- Email 1: You've been invited (immediate)
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- Email 2: Reminder if not accepted (day 2)
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- Email 3: Final reminder (day 5)
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**Copy approach**:
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- Personalize with inviter's name
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- Explain what they're joining
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- Single CTA to accept invite
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- Social proof optional
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---
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### Retention Emails
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#### Upgrade to Paid
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**Trigger**: Free user shows engagement, or trial ending
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**Goal**: Convert free to paid
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**Typical sequence**: 3-5 emails
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**Trigger options**:
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- Time-based (trial day 10, 12, 14)
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- Behavior-based (hit usage limit, used premium feature)
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- Engagement-based (highly active free user)
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**Sequence structure**:
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- Value summary: What they've accomplished
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- Feature comparison: What they're missing
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- Social proof: Who else upgraded
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- Urgency: Trial ending, limited offer
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- Final: Last chance + easy path
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---
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#### Upgrade to Higher Plan
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**Trigger**: User approaching plan limits or using features available on higher tier
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**Goal**: Upsell to next tier
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**Format**: Single email or 2-3 email sequence
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**Trigger examples**:
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- 80% of seat limit reached
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- 90% of storage/usage limit
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- Tried to use higher-tier feature
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- Power user behavior patterns
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**Copy approach**:
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- Acknowledge their growth (positive framing)
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- Show what next tier unlocks
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- Quantify value vs. cost
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- Easy upgrade path
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---
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#### Ask for Review
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**Trigger**: Customer milestone (30/60/90 days, key achievement, support resolution)
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**Goal**: Generate social proof on G2, Capterra, app stores
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**Format**: Single email
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**Best timing**:
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- After positive support interaction
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- After achieving measurable result
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- After renewal
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- NOT after billing issues or bugs
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**Copy approach**:
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- Thank them for being a customer
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- Mention specific value/milestone if possible
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- Explain why reviews matter (help others decide)
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- Direct link to review platform
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- Keep it short—this is an ask
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---
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#### Offer Support Proactively
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**Trigger**: Signs of struggle (drop in usage, failed actions, error encounters)
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**Goal**: Save at-risk user, improve experience
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**Format**: Single email
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**Trigger examples**:
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- Usage dropped significantly week-over-week
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- Multiple failed attempts at action
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- Viewed help docs repeatedly
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- Stuck at same onboarding step
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**Copy approach**:
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- Genuine concern tone
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- Specific: "I noticed you..." (if data allows)
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- Offer direct help (not just link to docs)
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- Personal from support or CSM
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- No sales pitch—pure help
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---
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#### Product Usage Report
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**Trigger**: Time-based (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
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**Goal**: Demonstrate value, drive engagement, reduce churn
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**Format**: Single email, recurring
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**What to include**:
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- Key metrics/activity summary
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- Comparison to previous period
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- Achievements/milestones
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- Suggestions for improvement
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- Light CTA to explore more
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**Examples**:
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- "You saved X hours this month"
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- "Your team completed X projects"
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- "You're in the top X% of users"
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**Key point**: Make them feel good and remind them of value delivered.
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---
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#### NPS Survey
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**Trigger**: Time-based (quarterly) or event-based (post-milestone)
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**Goal**: Measure satisfaction, identify promoters and detractors
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**Format**: Single email
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**Best practices**:
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- Keep it simple: Just the NPS question initially
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- Follow-up form for "why" based on score
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- Personal sender (CEO, founder, CSM)
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- Tell them how you'll use feedback
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**Follow-up based on score**:
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- Promoters (9-10): Thank + ask for review/referral
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- Passives (7-8): Ask what would make it a 10
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- Detractors (0-6): Personal outreach to understand issues
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---
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#### Referral Program
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**Trigger**: Customer milestone, promoter NPS score, or campaign
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**Goal**: Generate referrals
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**Format**: Single email or periodic reminders
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**Good timing**:
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- After positive NPS response
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- After customer achieves result
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- After renewal
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- Seasonal campaigns
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**Copy approach**:
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- Remind them of their success
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- Explain the referral offer clearly
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- Make sharing easy (unique link)
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- Show what's in it for them AND referee
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---
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### Billing Emails
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#### Switch to Annual
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**Trigger**: Monthly subscriber at renewal time or campaign
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**Goal**: Convert monthly to annual (improve LTV, reduce churn)
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**Format**: Single email or 2-email sequence
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**Value proposition**:
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- Calculate exact savings
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- Additional benefits (if any)
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- Lock in current price messaging
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- Easy one-click switch
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**Best timing**:
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- Around monthly renewal date
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- End of year / new year
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- After 3-6 months of loyalty
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- Price increase announcement (lock in old rate)
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---
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#### Failed Payment Recovery
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**Trigger**: Payment fails
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**Goal**: Recover revenue, retain customer
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**Typical sequence**: 3-4 emails over 7-14 days
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**Sequence structure**:
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- Email 1 (Day 0): Friendly notice, update payment link
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- Email 2 (Day 3): Reminder, service may be interrupted
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- Email 3 (Day 7): Urgent, account will be suspended
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- Email 4 (Day 10-14): Final notice, what they'll lose
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**Copy approach**:
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- Assume it's an accident (card expired, etc.)
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- Clear, direct, no guilt
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- Single CTA to update payment
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- Explain what happens if not resolved
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**Key metrics**: Recovery rate, time to recovery
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---
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#### Cancellation Survey
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**Trigger**: User cancels subscription
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**Goal**: Learn why, opportunity to save
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**Format**: Single email (immediate)
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**Options**:
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- In-app survey at cancellation (better completion)
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- Follow-up email if they skip in-app
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- Personal outreach for high-value accounts
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**Questions to ask**:
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- Primary reason for cancelling
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- What could we have done better
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- Would anything change your mind
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- Can we help with transition
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**Winback opportunity**: Based on reason, offer targeted save (discount, pause, downgrade, training).
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---
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#### Upcoming Renewal Reminder
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**Trigger**: X days before renewal (14 or 30 days typical)
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**Goal**: No surprise charges, opportunity to expand
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**Format**: Single email
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**What to include**:
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- Renewal date and amount
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- What's included in renewal
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- How to update payment/plan
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- Changes to pricing/features (if any)
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- Optional: Upsell opportunity
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**Required for**: Annual subscriptions, high-value contracts
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---
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### Usage Emails
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#### Daily/Weekly/Monthly Summary
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**Trigger**: Time-based
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**Goal**: Drive engagement, demonstrate value
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**Format**: Single email, recurring
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**Content by frequency**:
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- **Daily**: Notifications, quick stats (for high-engagement products)
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- **Weekly**: Activity summary, highlights, suggestions
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- **Monthly**: Comprehensive report, achievements, ROI if calculable
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**Structure**:
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- Key metrics at a glance
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- Notable achievements
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- Activity breakdown
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- Suggestions / what to try next
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- CTA to dive deeper
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**Personalization**: Must be relevant to their actual usage. Empty reports are worse than no report.
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---
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#### Key Event or Milestone Notifications
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**Trigger**: Specific achievement or event
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**Goal**: Celebrate, drive continued engagement
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**Format**: Single email per event
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**Milestone examples**:
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- First [action] completed
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- 10th/100th [thing] created
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- Goal achieved
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- Team collaboration milestone
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- Usage streak
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**Copy approach**:
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- Celebration tone
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- Specific achievement
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- Context (compared to others, compared to before)
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- What's next / next milestone
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---
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### Win-Back Emails
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#### Expired Trials
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**Trigger**: Trial ended without conversion
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**Goal**: Convert or re-engage
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**Typical sequence**: 3-4 emails over 30 days
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**Sequence structure**:
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- Email 1 (Day 1 post-expiry): Trial ended, here's what you're missing
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- Email 2 (Day 7): What held you back? (gather feedback)
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- Email 3 (Day 14): Incentive offer (discount, extended trial)
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- Email 4 (Day 30): Final reach-out, door is open
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**Segmentation**: Different approach based on trial engagement level:
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- High engagement: Focus on removing friction to convert
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- Low engagement: Offer fresh start, more onboarding help
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- No engagement: Ask what happened, offer demo/call
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---
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#### Cancelled Customers
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**Trigger**: Time after cancellation (30, 60, 90 days)
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**Goal**: Win back churned customers
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**Typical sequence**: 2-3 emails spread over 90 days
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**Sequence structure**:
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- Email 1 (Day 30): What's new since you left
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- Email 2 (Day 60): We've addressed [common reason]
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- Email 3 (Day 90): Special offer to return
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**Copy approach**:
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- No guilt, no desperation
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- Genuine updates and improvements
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- Personalize based on cancellation reason if known
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- Make return easy
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**Key point**: They're more likely to return if their reason was addressed.
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---
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### Campaign Emails
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#### Monthly Roundup / Newsletter
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**Trigger**: Time-based (monthly)
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**Goal**: Engagement, brand presence, content distribution
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**Format**: Single email, recurring
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**Content mix**:
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- Product updates and tips
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- Customer stories
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- Educational content
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- Company news
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- Industry insights
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**Best practices**:
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- Consistent send day/time
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- Scannable format
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- Mix of content types
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- One primary CTA focus
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- Unsubscribe is okay—keeps list healthy
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---
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#### Seasonal Promotions
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**Trigger**: Calendar events (Black Friday, New Year, etc.)
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**Goal**: Drive conversions with timely offer
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**Format**: Campaign burst (2-4 emails)
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**Common opportunities**:
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- New Year (fresh start, annual planning)
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- End of fiscal year (budget spending)
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- Black Friday / Cyber Monday
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- Industry-specific seasons
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- Back to school / work
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**Sequence structure**:
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- Announcement: Offer reveal
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- Reminder: Midway through promotion
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- Last chance: Final hours
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---
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#### Product Updates
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**Trigger**: New feature release
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**Goal**: Adoption, engagement, demonstrate momentum
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**Format**: Single email per major release
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**What to include**:
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- What's new (clear and simple)
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- Why it matters (benefit, not just feature)
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- How to use it (direct link)
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- Who asked for it (community acknowledgment)
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||||||
|
**Segmentation**: Consider targeting based on relevance:
|
||||||
|
- Users who would benefit most
|
||||||
|
- Users who requested feature
|
||||||
|
- Power users first (for beta feel)
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
#### Industry News Roundup
|
||||||
|
**Trigger**: Time-based (weekly or monthly)
|
||||||
|
**Goal**: Thought leadership, engagement, brand value
|
||||||
|
**Format**: Curated newsletter
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Content**:
|
||||||
|
- Curated news and links
|
||||||
|
- Your take / commentary
|
||||||
|
- What it means for readers
|
||||||
|
- How your product helps
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Best for**: B2B products where customers care about industry trends.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
#### Pricing Update
|
||||||
|
**Trigger**: Price change announcement
|
||||||
|
**Goal**: Transparent communication, minimize churn
|
||||||
|
**Format**: Single email (or sequence for major changes)
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Timeline**:
|
||||||
|
- Announce 30-60 days before change
|
||||||
|
- Reminder 14 days before
|
||||||
|
- Final notice 7 days before
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Copy approach**:
|
||||||
|
- Clear, direct, transparent
|
||||||
|
- Explain the why (value delivered, costs increased)
|
||||||
|
- Grandfather if possible (lock in old rate)
|
||||||
|
- Give options (annual lock-in, downgrade)
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Important**: Honesty and advance notice build trust even when price increases.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
## Email Audit Checklist
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Use this to audit your current email program:
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Onboarding
|
||||||
|
- [ ] New users series
|
||||||
|
- [ ] New customers series
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Key onboarding step reminders
|
||||||
|
- [ ] New user invite sequence
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Retention
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Upgrade to paid sequence
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Upgrade to higher plan triggers
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Ask for review (timed properly)
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Proactive support outreach
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Product usage reports
|
||||||
|
- [ ] NPS survey
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Referral program emails
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Billing
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Switch to annual campaign
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Failed payment recovery sequence
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Cancellation survey
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Upcoming renewal reminders
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Usage
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Daily/weekly/monthly summaries
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Key event notifications
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Milestone celebrations
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Win-Back
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Expired trial sequence
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Cancelled customer sequence
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Campaigns
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Monthly roundup / newsletter
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Seasonal promotion calendar
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Product update announcements
|
||||||
|
- [ ] Pricing update communications
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
## Email Copy Guidelines
|
## Email Copy Guidelines
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
### Structure
|
### Structure
|
||||||
|
|||||||
Reference in New Issue
Block a user