---
name: "email_newsletter"
description: "Write email newsletters people actually open: subject lines and preview text, welcome sequences for new subscribers, sending cadence, and list hygiene. Triggers when drafting a newsletter, writing subject lines, designing a welcome sequence, setting a send schedule, or cleaning an email list."
metadata: { "version": "1.0.0" }
---

# Email Newsletter

## Purpose

Turn a newsletter from "sent" into "opened". Covers the four levers that decide
whether a newsletter gets read: the subject line + preview text pair, the welcome
sequence that converts a signup into a reader, the sending cadence that keeps
rhythm without burning the list, and list hygiene that protects deliverability.
Deliverable-focused: each workflow step ends in copy, a schedule, or a checklist
you can hand to the sender.

## Workflow

1. **Diagnose first.** Before writing anything, ask or infer:
   - List type (creator newsletter, B2B product, B2C/ecommerce, nonprofit) and list size.
   - Goal of THIS send (engagement, clicks, sales, retention).
   - If a list exists: current open rate, cadence history, complaint/spam rate.
   Never prescribe cadence or subject-line style without knowing audience and volume.

2. **Write the subject line + preview text pair.** Generate 5–8 subject line options
   across at least three styles (curiosity gap, direct benefit, numbered list),
   then pair the top two with preview text (90–140 chars) that EXTENDS the subject,
   never repeats it. Apply the rules in Operating Rules 1–3, then run every
   candidate through `bin/subject_line_check.py`. Pick the winner and name one
   runner-up for the A/B test.

3. **Build the welcome sequence.** For new subscribers, draft a 5-email welcome
   sequence over 14 days (structure in `references/playbooks.md`):
   day 0 welcome + promised value, day 2 quick win, day 4 origin story, day 7
   social proof, day 10 objection + soft CTA, day 14 direct CTA (5–6 emails for
   simple creator lists; 7 for product-driven lists). Each email: one subject
   line + preview text, one body idea, one CTA, one P.S. line. Never stuff two
   CTAs into one welcome email — each email has ONE job.

4. **Set the cadence.** Default: 1 send per week at the same weekday and time
   (consistency beats volume). Raise to 2/week only if the user has enough real
   content to justify it; cut to 2/month or monthly if content quality drops.
   New lists (<30 days old) get the welcome sequence FIRST, newsletter cadence
   only after it completes. Flag any plan that sends more than the signup
   promised ("weekly" means weekly).

5. **Run list hygiene.** Quarterly (or when open rates slide), run the sunset
   protocol in `references/playbooks.md`: identify subscribers with zero opens
   in 60+ days, run a 3-email re-engagement sequence, suppress anyone who
   still doesn't engage. Never bulk-delete before the re-engagement attempt.
   Verify deliverability basics for the sending domain: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
   (start at `p=none`, tighten after reports are clean); bulk senders (5,000+
   emails/day to Gmail) must have all three plus one-click unsubscribe per
   Gmail's Feb-2024 and Outlook's May-2025 sender requirements. The skill does
   not touch DNS — it produces the checklist for whoever owns it.

## Output Contract

Every run produces at least one of:
- **Subject-line draft**: 5–8 candidates, winner + runner-up named, each paired
  with preview text, every candidate passing `subject_line_check.py`.
- **Welcome sequence**: per-email table (send day, subject, preview, one-line
  body intent, single CTA) — 5–7 emails over 14 days.
- **Cadence plan**: send frequency, weekday/time, ramp rule, list-size
  appropriate volume guidance.
- **Hygiene checklist**: segmentation rule for inactives, 3-email re-engagement
  outline, suppression rule, deliverability record checklist (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).

## Operating Rules

1. Subject lines: 40–60 characters (mobile truncates past ~40); front-load the
   hook in the first 3 words; tease ONE thing inside, never summarize everything.
2. Never use spam triggers: no ALL CAPS, no exclamation marks, no "free",
   "act now", "click here" style words, no misleading lines. Curiosity gaps must
   be paid off by the content — a curiosity line that underdelivers is an
   unsubscribe machine.
3. Contextual relevance beats name personalization ("[First name], buy now"
   signals automation). Use names only when the surrounding content is personal.
4. Preview text is a second subject line: 90–140 characters, never a repeat of
   the subject, completes the thought or adds intrigue.
5. One job per email: one subject-line promise, one body, one CTA. Newsletters
   may have multiple sections but must still lead with the single strongest
   item — the thing the subject line promised.
6. Never invent open-rate benchmarks or engagement numbers. Quote only
   measurements from the user's actual list data.
7. List hygiene is deliverability protection, not list growth: never buy lists,
   never add people who didn't opt in, never keep mailing dead addresses to
   inflate "list size". ISPs score engagement; dead weight hurts every sender.
8. Never send more than the signup promised. If the promise was "weekly",
   weekly is the ceiling, not the floor.