Email Cadence Design Skill
When to Use
- Planning nurture, onboarding, or expansion sequences with multiple branches.
- Auditing send frequency to reduce fatigue and unsubscribes.
- Coordinating cross-channel touches (email, in-app, SMS, sales assist).
Framework
- Goal Alignment – map KPIs per stage (activation, education, expansion, retention).
- Signal-Based Timing – trigger on behavior (opens, clicks, product events), not fixed delays.
- Frequency Guardrails – define daily/weekly send caps per persona + lifecycle stage.
- Channel Mix – pair emails with supporting channels; document ownership and SLAs.
- Recovery Paths – add detours for inactivity, hard bounces, or sales handoffs.
Templates
- Cadence matrix (day, trigger, message purpose, CTA, channel).
- Fatigue model calculator (touches vs engagement trend).
- Suppression logic checklist (recent send, opportunity stage, consent).
Tips
- Front-load value but leave whitespace before high-ask CTAs.
- Reuse proven send windows per persona while testing incrementally.
- Share cadence plan with SDR/CSM teams to prevent overlap.