email-marketing
Scannednpx machina-cli add skill kostja94/marketing-skills/email-marketing --openclawChannels: Email Marketing
Guides email marketing strategy for AI/SaaS products. Email ROI ~$36 per dollar spent; open/click rates typically higher than social. Covers EDM vs Newsletter, five content types, deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and SEO synergy via article delivery.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1-2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Initial Assessment
Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-context.md exists, read it for audience and content strategy. See content-marketing-strategy for content types and formats across channels.
Identify:
- Goal: Retention, conversion, brand reach, or SEO synergy
- Content mix: Onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
- List size: Bulk sender rules (5,000+/day) require Gmail/Yahoo compliance
EDM vs Newsletter
| Type | Purpose | Use |
|---|---|---|
| EDM | Direct marketing; conversion-focused | Promotions, campaigns, announcements; bulk sends |
| Newsletter | Ongoing value; relationship | Industry insights, curated articles; regular cadence |
Combine both: EDM for push; Newsletter for nurture. Cover different stages and goals.
Five Content Types
| Type | Use |
|---|---|
| Onboarding | Welcome + first-use guidance; 5-7 day sequence; behavior-triggered; drive "Aha!" moment |
| Campaign | Promotions, limited-time; conversion or participation |
| Announcement | Product launch, major update; one-time important notice |
| Features update | New features, improvements; help users adopt |
| Blog/Newsletter | Curated articles, industry insights; sustained touch |
User Best Practices
| Practice | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Personalization | Segment by behavior, source, stage; boosts open/click |
| Timing | New users: dense; existing: controlled pace; behavior-triggered > calendar-only |
| Welcome series | Send soon after signup; 5-7 emails over days; guide first key action |
| Unsubscribe | One-click required (Gmail/Yahoo); honor within 48h; clear entry |
| Complaint rate | Keep below 0.3%; list hygiene critical |
Content Best Practices
| Practice | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Subject | One clear topic per email; avoid pure promo |
| Value first | Useful info before promotion |
| CTA | Single primary CTA; clear next step |
| Mobile | 50%+ read on mobile; responsive layout, tappable links |
Deliverability & Domain Config
Subdomain: Use subdomain (e.g. mail.example.com) for marketing; keep transactional (support@, etc.) on main domain. Isolate risk.
SPF, DKIM, DMARC
| Protocol | Purpose |
|---|---|
| SPF | Authorizes mail servers for domain |
| DKIM | Cryptographic signature; verifies sender |
| DMARC | Policy for unauthenticated mail; start p=none, then quarantine, then reject over 60-90 days |
Order: SPF first, then DKIM, then DMARC. Gmail/Yahoo require all three for bulk senders (5,000+/day) since Feb 2024.
Advanced: TLS-RPT, MTA-STS, BIMI (brand logo). Postmaster Tools: Monitor deliverability, spam rate, auth status.
Delivery Strategy: Articles + SEO Synergy
| Article Type | Use |
|---|---|
| Retention | Deep content for existing users; improve retention |
| ToFu | Top of funnel; awareness (trends, concepts, problem framing) |
| MoFu | Middle of funnel; consideration (comparisons, reviews, best practices) |
Dual value: (1) Better email engagement (open, click, stickiness); (2) Drive traffic to article pages from non-search channel; signals to Google that users value content; supports SEO.
Measurement: GA4 email source traffic to article pages; GSC rank/click changes.
Planning Framework
- Content mix: Allocate onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter
- Select articles: Pick retention, ToFu, MoFu from blog; prioritize SEO target pages
- Cadence: Stable frequency (weekly/biweekly/monthly); avoid over-sending
- Monitor: Open rate, click rate; GA4 email contribution to article traffic; GSC
Frequency
| Guideline | Note |
|---|---|
| Baseline | 1 high-value email/week for most brands |
| Peak times | Tue-Thu, 8-11am or 2-4pm (recipient timezone) |
| Segmentation | New vs loyal need different cadence |
| Quality | Relevant, behavior-triggered > calendar volume |
Data: ~36% send 1-3/month; ~30% weekly; daily risks high unsubscribe.
Output Format
- Content mix (five types)
- EDM vs Newsletter balance
- Deliverability (subdomain, SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
- Article delivery (Retention, ToFu, MoFu, SEO targets)
- Cadence and frequency
- KPI (open, click, GA4 email traffic, GSC)
Related Skills
- content-marketing-strategy: Content types, formats; email as channel in repurposing matrix
- newsletter-signup-generator: Signup form design
- traffic-analysis: Email source attribution, UTM
- analytics-tracking: Email click tracking
- content-strategy: Article selection for email delivery
- integrated-marketing: Email as owned media channel
Source
git clone https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills/blob/main/skills/channels/email-marketing/SKILL.mdView on GitHub Overview
Guides AI/SaaS teams through email marketing strategy, covering EDM vs newsletter, deliverability basics, and five core content types. It also explains how to align email campaigns with SEO through article-based delivery and content strategy.
How This Skill Works
Starts with an initial assessment of goals and audience context, then defines when to use EDM versus Newsletter, selects a five-type content plan, and establishes deliverability controls (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) and domain strategy. Provides best practices, a delivery-focused content calendar, and SEO synergy guidance to optimize reach and engagement.
When to Use It
- Planning an EDM campaign for a SaaS product (promotions, announcements, or bulk sends).
- Building a regular Newsletter strategy with ongoing value and industry insights.
- Setting up deliverability foundations, including SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and subdomain separation.
- Designing content mix around onboarding, campaigns, announcements, feature updates, and blog/newsletter content.
- Optimizing cold email outreach with proper authentication and audience targeting.
Quick Start
- Step 1: Run an initial assessment of product marketing context, goals, and audience.
- Step 2: Choose EDM vs Newsletter, define the five content types, and set deliverability basics (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
- Step 3: Create a deliverability-friendly content calendar and a subdomain strategy to separate marketing from transactional mail.
Best Practices
- Personalization and segmentation based on behavior, source, and lifecycle stage.
- Timing and cadence: behavior-triggered sends often outperform calendar-only sends.
- Welcome series: 5-7 emails post-signup guiding the first key action.
- Unsubscribe and complaint management: one-click unsubscribe and maintain low complaint rates.
- Deliverability hygiene: use a separate subdomain for marketing, and implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in that order.
Example Use Cases
- Onboarding welcome sequence for a new SaaS user to drive activation.
- EDM campaign for a product launch with limited-time promotions.
- Weekly newsletter delivering curated industry insights and trends.
- Feature update announcements to improve adoption of new capabilities.
- Cold email outreach with proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration and subdomain strategy.
