email-marketing
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 deliverability", "email open rates", "email segmentation", "email design", "email calendar", "grow my email list", "email marketing plan", "broadcast emails", "email engagement", or wants to use email as a primary owned marketing channel beyond just automated flows.
- Installs
- 1.6K
- Last 24h
- +13
- Trending rank
- #7381
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills --skill email-marketing- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads email-marketing automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
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
- Business type — DTC, SaaS, service, content brand, B2B?
- Current list size and platform — Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Kit, Beehiiv, Substack?
- Current email types — what emails are being sent now?
- Open rate and click rate — current benchmarks?
- Primary goal — list growth, revenue, engagement, or deliverability fix?
- 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
FAQ
What does the email-marketing skill do?
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 deliverability", "email open rates", "email segmentation", "email design", "email calendar", "grow my email list", "email marketing plan", "broadcast emails", "email engagement", or wants to use email as a primary owned marketing channel beyond just automated flows.
How do I install email-marketing?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills --skill email-marketing in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/email-marketing/ (personal) or .claude/skills/email-marketing/ (project).
Which AI agents can use email-marketing?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is email-marketing safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains email-marketing?
It is published by arnabbagxd in arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills. It has 1,564 recorded installs.
More from arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
brand-naming
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Full brand naming workflow for founders, agencies, and businesses. Use this skill whenever the user says "help me name this brand", "brand naming", "I need a name for", "name ideas for", "what should I call my brand/company/product", "naming a startup", "brand name suggestions", "help with naming", or shares a brand brief and asks for name options. Also triggers when the user shares existing name options and asks for feedback, evaluation, ranking, or scoring of those names. Auto-detects whether to run the full generation workflow or the evaluation workflow based on what the user provides. Always use this skill for any brand or product naming task — even if the user just casually mentions needing a name.
brand-identity
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Create a visual identity brief for a brand — logo direction, color palette, typography, imagery style, and design system foundations. Use when the user says "visual identity", "brand identity", "logo brief", "logo direction", "design brief", "brand design", "color palette for my brand", "typography for my brand", "visual language", "design system", "brand look and feel", "what should my brand look like", or is briefing a designer or design agency. Also use when the user has a brand strategy and wants to translate it into visual design direction.
personal-brand
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Build a personal brand strategy for founders, executives, creators, and consultants. Use when the user says "personal brand", "personal branding", "build my brand", "founder brand", "executive brand", "thought leadership", "I want to be known for", "grow my personal brand", "LinkedIn presence", "creator brand", "consultant brand", "personal brand strategy", "position myself", "what should I be known for", or wants to establish credibility, grow an audience, or become a recognized voice in their industry.
brand-positioning
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Define and sharpen a brand's market positioning — where it sits relative to competitors, what it owns, and how it differentiates. Use when the user says "brand positioning", "positioning statement", "where do we sit in the market", "how are we different", "differentiation strategy", "positioning map", "competitive positioning", "what space do we own", "brand territory", "we're too similar to competitors", "help me position this brand", or wants to find a defensible place in a crowded category.
brand-voice
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Define a brand's verbal identity — tone, voice, writing style, vocabulary, and messaging rules. Use when the user says "brand voice", "tone of voice", "how should we write", "writing guidelines", "copy style guide", "brand language", "verbal identity", "how should the brand sound", "tone guide", "our copy doesn't sound right", "copywriter guidelines", "voice and tone", or when onboarding a copywriter or content team. Also use when the user has a brand strategy and wants to define how the brand communicates.
brand-guidelines
arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills
Create a comprehensive brand standards document — covering logo usage, color, typography, voice, messaging, and application rules. Use when the user says "brand guidelines", "brand standards", "brand book", "style guide", "brand guide", "brand manual", "brand rules", "brand documentation", "brand toolkit", "onboarding designers or copywriters", "need a document for the team", "brand consistency across teams", or wants to codify all brand decisions into a reusable reference document.
Popular marketing & seo skills
reddit-automation
flowkit-labs/skills
Find Reddit threads where people are genuinely asking for what you offer, then draft short, genuinely helpful replies — disclosing your affiliation honestly and naming your product only when it truly answers the question. Two moves: discovery — scan the right subreddits for real needs (recommendation asks, expressed pain, competitor mentions) and rank the few threads where you can actually help; drafting — write from real experience, respect each community's self-promo rules, and keep a human in the loop to review and post. This markets on Reddit the honest way: contribute value, disclose who you are, never astroturf. Distilled from the playbook behind doany.ai's Reddit agent. Triggers on "find reddit opportunities", "reddit marketing", "reddit automation", "reply on reddit for my product", "reddit community engagement", "reddit lead gen", or any ask to turn Reddit threads into genuine, disclosed marketing replies.
twitter-automation
101-skills/superpowers
Automate Twitter/X with posting, engagement, and user management via inference.sh CLI. Apps: x/post-tweet, x/post-create (with media), x/post-like, x/post-retweet, x/dm-send, x/user-follow. Capabilities: post tweets, schedule content, like posts, retweet, send DMs, follow users, get profiles. Use for: social media automation, content scheduling, engagement bots, audience growth, X API. Triggers: twitter api, x api, tweet automation, post to twitter, twitter bot, social media automation, x automation, tweet scheduler, twitter integration, post tweet, twitter post, x post, send tweet
twitter-automation
magentosh/superpowers
Automate Twitter/X with posting, engagement, and user management via inference.sh CLI. Apps: x/post-tweet, x/post-create (with media), x/post-like, x/post-retweet, x/dm-send, x/user-follow. Capabilities: post tweets, schedule content, like posts, retweet, send DMs, follow users, get profiles. Use for: social media automation, content scheduling, engagement bots, audience growth, X API. Triggers: twitter api, x api, tweet automation, post to twitter, twitter bot, social media automation, x automation, tweet scheduler, twitter integration, post tweet, twitter post, x post, send tweet
twitter-automation
qu-skills/superpowers
Automate Twitter/X with posting, engagement, and user management via inference.sh CLI. Apps: x/post-tweet, x/post-create (with media), x/post-like, x/post-retweet, x/dm-send, x/user-follow. Capabilities: post tweets, schedule content, like posts, retweet, send DMs, follow users, get profiles. Use for: social media automation, content scheduling, engagement bots, audience growth, X API. Triggers: twitter api, x api, tweet automation, post to twitter, twitter bot, social media automation, x automation, tweet scheduler, twitter integration, post tweet, twitter post, x post, send tweet
product-launch-video
heygen-com/hyperframes
Turn a product or marketing URL, pasted script, or brief into a product launch / promo video — SaaS promos, feature reveals, product demos, app and company launches. Use when the user wants to market, launch, promote, or reveal a product; the default for any commercial URL. Site tours / showcases of a website route here too — the brief carries the show-it-as-is intent. Unclear → /hyperframes.
twitter-automation
skills-shell/superpowers
Automate Twitter/X with posting, engagement, and user management via inference.sh CLI. Apps: x/post-tweet, x/post-create (with media), x/post-like, x/post-retweet, x/dm-send, x/user-follow. Capabilities: post tweets, schedule content, like posts, retweet, send DMs, follow users, get profiles. Use for: social media automation, content scheduling, engagement bots, audience growth, X API. Triggers: twitter api, x api, tweet automation, post to twitter, twitter bot, social media automation, x automation, tweet scheduler, twitter integration, post tweet, twitter post, x post, send tweet