# Email-retention-sequences Human Guide

## What This Is For
Generate retention/nurture email sequences (5-7 emails) to reduce churn, reinforce purchase decisions, and increase customer lifetime value using RMBC principles. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for email marketing: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Email-retention-sequences agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for email-retention-sequences.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Email-retention-sequences guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- Email 5 must address cancellation directly: "Thinking about canceling? Here's what you'd lose"
- Email 7 frames renewal: "Your next billing cycle starts [date] — here's what's coming"
- Urgency = loss aversion (what they lose), not scarcity
- Email 5 addresses buyer's remorse: "Was this the right choice? Let's look at the evidence"
- Email 7 frames repeat purchase or referral: "Know someone who needs this?"
- Urgency = results timeline (they need to USE the product to get value)
- **Subject line** (under 50 characters, warm tone — not salesy)
- **Preview text** (40-90 characters)
- **Body copy** following the email's role from the arc
- **CTA** — always a value action (use the product, read a guide, reply with feedback), never a purchase CTA until email 7
- Tone: helpful, warm, peer-to-peer. Not salesy. These people already bought.
- Short paragraphs: 1-3 sentences. Retention emails compete with inbox fatigue.

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Purpose, Inputs, Execution Protocol, Step 1 — Load Framework Context, Step 2 — Map the Retention Arc, Step 3 — Adapt for Subscription vs One-Time, Step 4 — Write Each Email, Step 5 — Validate Anti-Churn Coverage, Output Format, Retention Sequence: [Product Name].

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- | Input | Required | Description |
- Email 5 must address cancellation directly: "Thinking about canceling? Here's what you'd lose"
- **CTA** — always a value action (use the product, read a guide, reply with feedback), never a purchase CTA until email 7
- Every email must give them a reason to USE the product — not just read the email.
- Every email must include a specific action the customer can take with the product
- Subject lines must feel personal and warm — not promotional
- Email 5 must name the actual objection/cancellation reason — not a vague "still happy?"
- Social proof in email 4 must feature customers similar to the target audience

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Email-retention-sequences human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the coleschaffer/copywritingskills-rmbc skill entry for `email-retention-sequences`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# email-retention-sequences

## Purpose

Generate a retention email sequence (5-7 emails) for existing customers that reduces churn and increases lifetime value. Unlike upsell sequences, retention emails are NOT about selling the next thing — they're about making the current purchase successful. The sequence reinforces the buying decision, delivers usage value, builds relationship, surfaces wins, and prevents cancellation before it starts. RMBC principles apply differently here: Research drives personalization, Mechanism explains how to get results, Brief structures the nurture arc, Copy executes with warmth over urgency.

## Inputs

| Input | Required | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| `product_name` | Yes | The product the customer owns — name and core promise |
| `target_audience` | Yes | Who the customer is — demographics, goals, experience level |
| `key_benefits` | Yes | Top 3-5 benefits the product delivers when used correctly |
| `subscription_model` | Yes | One of: `one-time` (prevent refunds, encourage repeat purchase) or `subscription` (prevent cancellation) |
| `sequence_length` | No | Number of emails: 5, 6, or 7 (default: 7) |
| `churn_triggers` | No | Known reasons customers leave — objections, confusion points, competitor pull |
| `send_timing` | No | Days between emails (default: Day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 45) |

## Execution Protocol

### Step 1 — Load Framework Context

Read `rmbc-context/SKILL.md` to load RMBC framework definitions. Retention sequences invert the typical RMBC sales arc — instead of moving toward a purchase, they reinforce an existing one. Mechanism explains HOW to get results, not WHY to buy.

### Step 2 — Map the Retention Arc

| Email | Role | Emotional Need | Focus |
|-------|------|---------------|-------|
| 1 — Welcome/Onboard | Set expectations, quick win | Excited but unsure | Show them step 1 — reduce overwhelm |
| 2 — Quick Win | Deliver the fastest visible result | Needs early proof it works | One specific action → one specific result |
| 3 — Deeper Value | Teach an advanced use case or hidden feature | Curious, engaged | Mechanism: HOW the product works behind the scenes |
| 4 — Social Proof | Show other customers' wins | Needs validation | Stories of people like them succeeding |
| 5 — Objection Preempt | Address the #1 reason people quit | Doubt creeping in | Name the objection, resolve it directly |
| 6 — Milestone Check | Celebrate progress, survey for feedback | Wants acknowledgment | "You've been with us X days — here's what you've achieved" |
| 7 — Renewal/Advocacy | Reinforce commitment, invite community or referral | Loyal, ready to advocate | Subscription: renewal framing. One-time: referral or repeat |

For 5-email sequences: combine 2+3 and 5+6. For 6-email sequences: combine 5+6.

### Step 3 — Adapt for Subscription vs One-Time

**Subscription model adjustments:**
- Email 5 must address cancellation directly: "Thinking about canceling? Here's what you'd lose"
- Email 7 frames renewal: "Your next billing cycle starts [date] — here's what's coming"
- Urgency = loss aversion (what they lose), not scarcity

**One-time model adjustments:**
- Email 5 addresses buyer's remorse: "Was this the right choice? Let's look at the evidence"
- Email 7 frames repeat purchase or referral: "Know someone who needs this?"
- Urgency = results timeline (they need to USE the product to get value)

### Step 4 — Write Each Email

For each email, produce:
- **Subject line** (under 50 characters, warm tone — not salesy)
- **Preview text** (40-90 characters)
- **Body copy** following the email's role from the arc
- **CTA** — always a value action (use the product, read a guide, reply with feedback), never a purchase CTA until email 7

Rules:
- Tone: helpful, warm, peer-to-peer. Not salesy. These people already bought.
- Short paragraphs: 1-3 sentences. Retention emails compete with inbox fatigue.
- Every email must give them a reason to USE the product — not just read the email.
- Personalization cues: reference their purchase, their timeline, their likely stage.

### Step 5 — Validate Anti-Churn Coverage

Check that the sequence addresses:
1. Early overwhelm (emails 1-2)
2. "Is this working?" doubt (emails 3-4)
3. Active cancellation consideration (email 5)
4. Relationship deepening (emails 6-7)

If any stage is missing, revise.

## Output Format

```
## Retention Sequence: [Product Name]

**Model:** [one-time | subscription]