Onboarding Email Sequence

Context

Use this when signups are healthy but activation and retention lag in the first 14 days.

Procedure

1. Define first-value event and milestone steps.
2. Map user intents and blockers by segment.
3. Draft sequence emails with one CTA each.
4. Add branching for completed vs incomplete milestones.
5. Add recovery emails for inactivity and friction.
6. Document send windows and suppression rules.

Output Format

# Onboarding Sequence

| Email # | Trigger              | Subject | Objective | CTA | Success KPI |
| ------- | -------------------- | ------- | --------- | --- | ----------- |
| 1       | Signup + 0h          |         |           |     |             |
| 2       | +24h                 |         |           |     |             |
| 3       | Milestone incomplete |         |           |     |             |

## Branch Logic

- If milestone A completed:
- If milestone A incomplete:

## Measurement

- Activation Rate:
- D7 Retention:
- Reply Rate:

QA Rubric (scored)

• Milestone alignment (0-5): sequence maps to activation path.
• Clarity (0-5): each email has one objective and action.
• Behavioral logic (0-5): useful branching and suppression.
• Outcome orientation (0-5): KPI ownership is explicit.

Examples (good/bad)

• Good: “Email 2 asks user to complete one setup action with a direct deep link.”
• Bad: “Email 2 repeats brand story with no actionable next step.”

Variants

• PLG variant: in-product assist + short copy.
• High-touch variant: calendar CTA and onboarding specialist handoff.