Email Sequence Vault
Wisdom formed under pressure. A pearl grows from a single grain of grit.
Welcome, launch and win-back sequences, ready to adapt to your list.
Three sequences every list needs
A welcome sequence turns a new subscriber into a reader. A launch sequence turns readers into buyers. A win-back sequence finds out who is still listening. Each one below gives you the send day, the job of every email, subject lines to adapt and a body outline. One email in each set is written in full so you can hear the voice.
Write in plain text, one idea per email, one link per email. Short paragraphs. Sign with your first name.
The welcome sequence
Starts the moment someone joins. Five emails over ten days.
| Day | Job | Subject line ideas | Body outline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Deliver and set expectations | "Here is your [freebie]" / "[Freebie] inside" | Link to the freebie. What to do first with it. What they will get from you and how often. |
| 1 | Your story, short | "Why I care about [topic]" / "The mistake that started this" | The moment you hit their problem yourself, what you learned, why it matters to them. |
| 3 | Quick win | "Try this today" / "A ten minute fix for [problem]" | One tactic they can use in under fifteen minutes. Ask them to reply with how it went. |
| 6 | Shift a belief | "Why [common advice] keeps failing" / "[Topic] is not about [what they think]" | The real cause of their problem. Plant the idea your offer is built on. |
| 10 | Offer | "Want help with [result]?" / "The next step" | Recap what they learned. Introduce the offer as the faster route. One link. |
Day 3, written out
Subject: Try this today
[First name],
Open your last ten sales emails. Read only the first line of each.
If most of them start with "I" or your company name, that is the problem. Your reader decides in one line whether this email is about them. Start with "you" or with their situation, and the rest gets read.
Rewrite the opener of your next email that way and hit reply to tell me what changed. I read every one.
[Your name]
The launch sequence
For opening a cart, a cohort or a limited offer. Seven emails over eight days. Send two on the final day.
| Day | Job | Subject line ideas | Body outline |
|---|---|---|---|
| -3 | Warm up | "Something new on [date]" / "A heads up" | Name the problem the offer solves. Say something is coming. No pitch. |
| -1 | Story and proof | "What happened when [person] tried this" | A real result, told as a short story. End with tomorrow's opening. |
| 0 | Open | "It is open" / "[Offer] is here" | What it is, who it is for, what is included, price, deadline, link. |
| 2 | Objections | "Is this right for you?" / "The question I get most" | Answer the three questions people actually ask. Link. |
| 4 | Mechanism | "Why this works when [alternative] did not" | Explain the method behind the offer and why it is different. Link. |
| 5 | Last day, morning | "Closes tonight" | Short. What they get, when it closes, link. |
| 5 | Last day, evening | "A few hours left" | Three lines. Deadline, link. |
Day 2, written out
Subject: The question I get most
[First name],
Since [offer] opened, one question keeps coming in: "Will this work if I [common worry]?"
Short answer: [honest answer]. Here is why. [One or two sentences on how the offer handles that situation.]
If that was what was holding you back, the doors are open until [day and time].
[Link]
[Your name]
The win-back sequence
For subscribers who have not opened or clicked in a set period you choose. Four emails over ten days, then remove anyone who stays silent.
| Day | Job | Subject line ideas | Body outline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Check in | "Still want these?" / "Quick question" | Notice they have been quiet. Ask one easy question they can answer by reply. |
| 3 | Best of | "The three emails people saved most" | Links to your most useful pieces. No pitch. |
| 6 | Reason to return | "Something just for you" | A useful freebie or a reader-only offer, if you have one. |
| 10 | Breakup | "Should I stop emailing you?" | Tell them you will remove them unless they click one link to stay. |
Day 10, written out
Subject: Should I stop emailing you?
[First name],
You have not opened anything from me in a while, and that is fine. Inboxes get full.
I only want to write to people who want to hear from me, so I am going to remove you from this list on [date].
If you want to stay, click here: [link]. That is all it takes.
Either way, thanks for reading.
[Your name]
Subject line formulas
| Formula | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Curiosity gap | "The [thing] nobody mentions about [topic]" |
| Direct benefit | "[Result] in [time], without [pain]" |
| Question | "Are you making this [topic] mistake?" |
| Personal | "I was wrong about [topic]" |
| Plain label | "[Offer] closes tonight" |
| Reply bait | "Quick question, [first name]" |
Before you switch them on
- Each sequence has an exit rule: buyers leave the launch emails, returners leave the win-back.
- Send yourself every email and read it on a phone.
- Every email has exactly one link, and it works.
- The sender name is a person, not a company.
- Your sending domain is authenticated with your email provider, so mail lands in the inbox.
- Every email has an unsubscribe link and your mailing address.
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