Prompt: Write a Full Automation Email Sequence
For Email Marketing Specialists
Level 1 — Free chatbot (ChatGPT or Claude) | Time: 5-10 minutes
The Prompt
Write a complete email automation sequence for the following use case:
Sequence type: [welcome series / abandoned cart / post-purchase / re-engagement / onboarding / win-back]
Trigger: [what action triggers the sequence — e.g., "user signs up for free trial"]
Goal: [what you want subscribers to do by the end — e.g., "convert to paid plan within 14 days"]
Audience: [describe who they are and their relationship to the product/brand]
Number of emails: [how many — typically 3-7]
Timing: [e.g., "Email 1: immediately; Email 2: day 3; Email 3: day 7; Email 4: day 12"]
Discount or incentive: [yes/no, what it is, when to introduce it]
Brand voice: [tone descriptor]
Product/brand: [brief description]
For each email, provide:
- Subject line (+ 2 alternatives)
- Preview text
- Opening line
- Body copy (100-150 words)
- CTA text and where it links
- Timing note (when to send relative to trigger)
How to Use This
This prompt works best when you give it the full arc upfront rather than generating email by email. The AI can maintain narrative consistency (not repeat the same selling points in every email) and build proper progression (awareness → consideration → urgency → decision).
After getting the full sequence:
- Review for tone consistency across all emails — they should feel like they came from the same person
- Remove any duplicate messaging between emails (AI sometimes repeats the same benefits)
- Add specific product screenshots or social proof at the email where it mentions them ("see below")
- Double-check timing against what your ESP supports — AI assumes generic timing, your flow logic may differ
One session = one full sequence. If you need multiple sequences, start a new conversation for each — mixing multiple sequences in one chat confuses the AI.
Example: SaaS Trial Onboarding
Input:
Sequence type: Trial onboarding
Trigger: User completes account signup (free trial)
Goal: Convert to paid plan within 14-day trial
Number of emails: 5
Timing: Day 0, Day 2, Day 5, Day 10, Day 13
Discount: Yes — 20% off first month, introduced at Day 10 only
Brand voice: Helpful, peer-to-peer, no corporate speak. Like a colleague who knows the product well.
Product: Project management tool for marketing teams. Main value: replaces chaotic Slack threads with organized project tracking.
What the sequence should accomplish:
- Day 0: Welcome + single action to take right now
- Day 2: Feature spotlight — the thing most users miss
- Day 5: Social proof / use case story
- Day 10: You're halfway through — here's your discount
- Day 13: Trial ends tomorrow — last chance
Sequence Templates by Type
Abandoned Cart (e-commerce, 3 emails):
Trigger: Added to cart, no purchase after 1 hour
Email 1 (1 hour): Cart reminder — product details, no discount, low pressure
Email 2 (24 hours): Follow up — address objections, light urgency
Email 3 (72 hours): Last chance — introduce discount if policy allows
Goal: Recover purchase
Welcome Series (content/media brand, 4 emails):
Trigger: Newsletter signup
Email 1 (immediately): Welcome + what to expect + most popular content
Email 2 (day 3): Best of the archive (3-5 top articles)
Email 3 (day 7): Community or social proof (readers like them)
Email 4 (day 14): Soft pitch — premium tier or product
Goal: Establish reading habit and move toward conversion
Re-engagement (60-day inactive subscribers, 3 emails):
Email 1 (day 0): "We miss you" — personal, low pressure, spotlight what's new
Email 2 (day 7): "Last chance to stay" — give them a reason or let them opt out
Email 3 (day 14): Sunset confirmation — "We're removing you from our list" (high open rate due to finality)
Goal: Re-engage or cleanly remove disengaged contacts
Works with: ChatGPT (free), Claude (free) — Claude handles long multi-email outputs better for very long sequences