Email sequence writing

A list is not an asset until something is sent to it

Most businesses collect email addresses diligently and then send nothing, because writing the first message is easy and writing the fifth is not. A sequence solves that by being written once: it has an order, a job per message, and an exit point, and it works every time somebody joins without anybody remembering to run it.

Each email is built around one action. Five links competing in one message is how a good list stops converting, and it is the single most common thing we remove.

• A map first: how many emails, in what order, and what each one is for
• One action per email, with the rest of the message serving it
• Subject lines written last, after the message they have to earn a click for
• Two subject-line variants per email, so month one teaches you something
• Setup notes precise enough that whoever builds it does not have to guess

Cadence, and the cold list

There is no universal sending rhythm, only one that fits the decision your buyer is making. A three-week considered purchase and a same-day booking need different sequences, and the map is where that is decided rather than assumed.

Reactivating a list that has gone quiet is a different piece of writing from welcoming a new subscriber, and it is in the largest size for that reason. Sending a welcome sequence to a two-year-old list mostly generates unsubscribes.