email-marketing
This Claude Code skill guides email marketing strategy for AI and SaaS products, covering EDM versus newsletter approaches, five content types (onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, and blog), and technical deliverability requirements (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Use it when planning email campaigns, newsletter strategy, email automation, cold email outreach, or addressing deliverability and content strategy questions.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills /tmp/email-marketing && cp -r /tmp/email-marketing/skills/channels/owned/email-marketing ~/.claude/skills/email-marketingSKILL.md
# Channels: 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 project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for audience and content strategy. See **content-marketing** for content types and formats across channels. Identify: 1. **Goal**: Retention, conversion, brand reach, or SEO synergy 2. **Content mix**: Onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter 3. **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 1. **Content mix**: Allocate onboarding, campaign, announcement, features, newsletter 2. **Select articles**: Pick retention, ToFu, MoFu from blog; prioritize SEO target pages 3. **Cadence**: Stable frequency (weekly/biweekly/monthly); avoid over-sending 4. **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**: 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
When the user wants to analyze Google Search Console data, use the GSC API, or interpret search performance. Also use when the user mentions "GSC," "Search Console," "indexing report," "Core Web Vitals," "Enhancements," "Insights report," "search performance," "search queries," "search performance report," "URL inspection," "impressions," "CTR," "average position," "index coverage," "GSC data analysis," "Search Console API," or "searchanalytics.query." When the user wants to rewrite title tags (not only report on them), use title-tag. For meta description rewrites, use meta-description.
When the user wants to build an SEO data analysis system, monitor indexing/traffic/keywords/backlinks, or set up benchmarks. Also use when the user mentions "SEO data analysis," "SEO monitoring," "article database," "traffic benchmark," "penalty recovery," "SEO work document," "SEO dashboard," "keyword tracking," "ranking monitoring," "indexing report," or "backlink monitoring." For GSC API, use google-search-console.
When the user wants to track AI search traffic in GA4 or GSC. Also use when the user mentions "AI traffic," "ChatGPT referral," "Perplexity traffic," "AI Overviews," "GA4 AI sources," "AI search analytics," "track AI referrals," "AI search traffic," "Claude traffic," or "how to track AI traffic." For AI SEO strategy, use generative-engine-optimization.
When the user wants to analyze website traffic sources, attribution, or dark traffic. Also use when the user mentions "traffic sources," "dark traffic," "direct traffic," "UTM parameters," "traffic attribution," "channel attribution," "attribution optimization," "channel analysis," "traffic analysis," "traffic diversification," "natural traffic benchmark," or "organic vs paid traffic." For GA4 setup, use analytics-tracking.
When the user wants to set up, audit, or optimize analytics tracking (GA4, events, conversions). Also use when the user mentions "Google Analytics," "GA4," "event tracking," "conversions," "attribution model," "gtag," "data layer," "GA4 setup," "conversion tracking," "event setup," "User ID tracking," or "CTA attribution." For traffic insights, use traffic-analysis.
When the user wants to promote via forums, communities, or invite users to join a community. Also use when the user mentions "forum promotion," "Indie Hacker," "Hacker News," "community growth," "Discord promotion," "vertical community," "brand encyclopedia," "Wikipedia," "Quora," "Reddit community," "community building," "forum marketing," or "community invite." For Reddit copy, use reddit-posts. For strategy, use integrated-marketing.
When the user wants to submit a product or app to directories, curated lists, launch platforms, or app stores—and needs ready-to-paste copy per platform. Reads project-context.md when present. Also use when the user mentions "directory submission," "get listed," "app store listing," "submit to directories," "curated list," "best tools list," "Taaft," "Product Hunt," "directory ads," "newsletter feature," "directory campaign," "tailor description per platform," "Shopify App Store," "Chrome Web Store," "navigation site," or "product directory." For Product Hunt launch day tactics (hunter, first comment, timing), use product-hunt-launch. For full 0→1 channel planning, use cold-start-strategy.
When the user wants to launch on Product Hunt, prepare a PH submission, or plan launch day (hunter, first comment, timing, upvotes). Also use when the user mentions "Product Hunt," "launch on Product Hunt," "PH launch," "Product Hunt submission," "hunter," "Product of the Day," "upvotes," or "Product Hunt first comment." For multi-platform directory listings and paste-ready copy beyond PH, use directory-submission.