Email Funnel Operations Playbook

Use when

• Covers the operational mechanics of running a high-performing email list — from acquisition through welcome sequence, content-to-sales ratio, KPI tracking, and ongoing list health. Invoke when a client needs to build or repair an email marketing programme, distinct from strategy (07-email-marketing-strategy) or copy (email-copywriter). Source: Bly (2018) The Digital Marketing Handbook.
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured markdown document, plan, playbook, or strategy ready for client-facing or internal use.

References

• Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.

Required Inputs

Ask for the following before generating any output:

1. Business name — trading name of the client
2. Industry — sector and niche
3. Country / city — default is Uganda/East Africa
4. Primary goal — what the email programme is ultimately driving (sales, bookings, enquiries, event registrations)
5. Current list size — number of subscribers and platform in use (Mailchimp, Brevo, etc.)
6. Sending frequency — how often the client currently sends (if already established)
7. Lead magnet in place — yes/no; if yes, describe it (links to playbook-lead-magnet-system)

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The 90/90 Rule

Bly (2018) establishes a critical operational principle: 90% of email list subscribers who will ever purchase do so within 90 days of joining the list.

This means the welcome and early nurture sequence — the first 12 weeks — is the highest-value section of the entire email programme. Front-load the best content, the most compelling case studies, and the clearest offers into weeks 1–12. Do not save the strongest material for later; most subscribers will have made their purchase decision before they reach it.

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Welcome Sequence Structure (Weeks 1–4)

Design this sequence before the lead magnet is promoted. A subscriber who joins before the sequence is live will receive no onboarding and will disengage.

Day	Email Purpose	What to Include
Day 1	Lead magnet delivery + brand introduction	Deliver the promised resource; introduce the brand voice in 2–3 sentences; set expectations for what is coming next
Day 3	One actionable tip	A single, immediately applicable tip directly related to why they signed up — no promotion
Day 7	Genuine expertise	One case study, client result, or original insight — something the subscriber cannot find anywhere else
Day 14	Soft offer	An invitation or low-commitment next step (a free consultation, a webinar, a resource) — not a direct purchase push
Day 30	Direct ask	Ask the subscriber one question: "What is your biggest challenge with [topic]?" — replies inform future content and qualify prospects

After day 30, the subscriber transitions to the steady-state nurture cadence.

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Steady-State Cadence

After the welcome sequence, maintain a consistent sending rhythm. Frequency should be set based on content capacity and audience expectation — and held without interruption.

Recommended cadence by list size and resource:

List Size	Recommended Frequency
Under 500 subscribers	Weekly
500–5,000 subscribers	Weekly or twice-weekly
Over 5,000 subscribers	Twice-weekly, with segmented sends

Content-to-sales ratio: A minimum of 50% of all emails sent must be pure content — education, insight, entertainment, or community — with no promotional intent whatsoever. If more than half of sends are promotional, unsubscribe rates rise and list health deteriorates. The ratio enforces trust, which is the precondition for conversion.

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Six Email KPIs

Track all six from the first send. Set client-specific targets before the programme launches — do not wait for data to accumulate before establishing benchmarks.

KPI	Target	What It Signals
Bounce rate	Under 1%	List quality; high bounce rate indicates stale or purchased contacts
Opt-out rate	Under 0.1% per send	Content relevance; persistent high opt-out means content is misaligned with audience expectations
Open rate	10–15% benchmark (Bly, 2018)	Subject line effectiveness and sender reputation
Click-through rate	1–5% benchmark	Content-to-CTA alignment; weak CTR despite good open rate signals the body copy or CTA is unclear
Conversion rate	Set client-specific targets per campaign	Bottom-of-funnel effectiveness; define what conversion means before the campaign launches
Revenue per email sent	Track from first sale	The ultimate bottom-line KPI; calculated as total revenue attributed to email ÷ total emails sent in the period

Review all six KPIs monthly. Do not report open rate in isolation — open rate without CTR and conversion is vanity data.

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CTA Placement Rules

Every email must contain a call to action. No exceptions. Apply these rules:

• Minimum two CTAs per email — once after the first paragraph, once at the close
• Emails of 500+ words — include a third CTA in the middle of the body
• One CTA per placement — never include two different asks in the same CTA position; one email, one primary action
• Specific instruction required — "Click here to book a 30-minute call" or "Reply to this email with your biggest question about X" — not "Learn more" or "Get in touch"

CTAs must be written as hyperlinked text, a button, or both. In mobile-optimised emails, use a button for the primary CTA — minimum 44px height, high-contrast colour, centred.

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Mobile Email Design Standards

In Uganda and East Africa, 85%+ of emails are opened on mobile devices. Design for mobile first; check desktop second.

Element	Standard
Layout	Single-column only — no multi-column grid layouts
Body text	Minimum 14px
Headlines	Minimum 22px
CTA buttons	Minimum 44px height; high-contrast colour; centred
Image width	Maximum 600px; avoid text embedded in images
Preview text	40–90 characters; front-load the key message
Line length	50–75 characters per line for comfortable mobile reading

Test every email on a mobile device before sending. Use a real device, not only a desktop email client preview.

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Subject Line A/B Testing Protocol

Run an A/B test on every send where list size permits (minimum 200 subscribers required for statistically meaningful results). Test one variable per send only — changing two variables simultaneously makes it impossible to attribute the result.

Variables to test (one at a time):

1. Subject line length — short (under 40 characters) vs. long (60+ characters)
2. Question vs. statement — "Are you making this mistake?" vs. "The mistake most businesses make with email"
3. Personalisation — first name token vs. no personalisation
4. Emoji vs. no emoji — test with the primary audience demographic first
5. Benefit-led vs. curiosity-led — "How to double your email open rate" vs. "The counterintuitive truth about email open rates"

Record every test result in a testing log: date, variable tested, winning version, open rate differential, CTR differential. After 10 tests, identify the winning pattern and apply it as the default subject line formula.

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List Health Review

Conduct a formal list health review every month. The review covers:

1. Bounce rate — flag any send above 1%; investigate the source of new subscribers if bounce rate spikes
2. Opt-out rate — flag any send above 0.1%; review the email content and subject line for that send
3. Inactive subscribers — identify contacts who have not opened any email in the past 90 days
4. Re-engagement sequence — send a 3-email re-engagement sequence to inactive contacts before removing them: "We miss you", "Here is our best content", "Last chance — shall we remove you?"
5. Hard bounces — remove within 24 hours of the bounce notification; never send to a confirmed hard bounce

A clean, engaged list of 500 subscribers will generate more revenue than a dirty list of 5,000 unengaged contacts.

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Platform Recommendations for EA Clients

Platform	Best For	Cost
Mailchimp	Lists under 500 subscribers; beginners	Free up to 500 contacts
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)	Lists of any size; automation-heavy programmes	Generous free tier; pay per send
ConvertKit	Creator-focused businesses; tag-based segmentation	Free up to 1,000 subscribers

All platforms above include basic automation (welcome sequences, trigger-based sends) on their free tiers. Recommend the platform based on the client's technical confidence and list size, not personal preference.

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Output: Email Funnel Operations Brief

Generate the following for the client:

1. Welcome sequence — 5 emails written in the client's brand voice, one per day as per the schedule above
2. Steady-state calendar — 4-week rolling content plan with content-to-sales ratio marked for each send
3. KPI dashboard template — six KPIs with client-specific targets and a monthly review schedule
4. Subject line testing log — blank template for recording A/B test results
5. List health review checklist — monthly actions in a tickable format
6. Platform recommendation — one recommended platform with setup notes

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Quality Criteria

Output meets the standard when:

1. The 90/90 rule is applied — the welcome sequence is fully written and tested before any list promotion begins, and the first 12 weeks of content are outlined
2. All six KPIs are tracked from the first send, with client-specific targets set before launch — not after results arrive
3. Content-to-sales ratio is monitored monthly and maintained at a minimum of 50% pure content sends
4. Every email contains a minimum of two CTAs, each specific and actionable — no generic "learn more" instructions
5. All emails are tested on a mobile device before sending — mobile design standards are non-negotiable
6. Subject line A/B testing protocol is established and logged from the first send
7. List health is reviewed monthly — bounce rate and opt-out rate are within targets before the following month's sends begin

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Reference

Bly, R.W. (2018) The Digital Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Websites That Sell. Entrepreneur Press.