For Email Marketing Specialists ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a Claude Project set up as a persistent knowledge base for your brand or client. Instead of re-explaining the brand voice, audience, and campaign history every time you ask for help, Claude will already know it — and every subject line, sequence, and report you generate will be brand-specific, not generic.
What you'll need
Go to claude.ai and sign in. In the left sidebar, look for Projects (or a + New Project button). Click it and give the project a name: use the brand or client name, e.g., "Apex Athletic — Email" or "Client: Bright Home Co."
What you should see: A new project page with a conversation area and a Project instructions panel on the right side (or accessible via a settings/gear icon).
Troubleshooting: If you don't see Projects in your sidebar, make sure you're on the Pro plan. The free Claude plan doesn't include Projects.
Click on Project Instructions (or the settings icon) to open the system prompt for this project. This is what Claude will know before every conversation. Paste in a customized version of this template:
You are the email marketing specialist for [Brand Name].
## Brand Overview
[Brand Name] is a [brand type] selling [products/services] to [target audience].
Founded: [year] | Location: [city/online-only]
## Brand Voice
Tone: [3-5 adjectives]
We sound like: [describe the voice, e.g., "a knowledgeable friend who happens to be an expert, not a corporate brand"]
We avoid: [list specific things to avoid]
Example of our voice: "[paste a real sentence or two from past copy]"
## Our Audience
Primary audience: [describe them — who they are, what they care about, their pain points]
Secondary audience: [if applicable]
What motivates them to buy: [list 2-3 key motivators]
## Email Program Details
ESP: [Klaviyo / Mailchimp / HubSpot / etc.]
Average list size: [number]
Average open rate: [%]
Top-performing segments: [list 3-5]
Typical send frequency: [number per week/month]
## Top-Performing Campaigns (for voice reference)
1. Subject: "[paste]" — [brief note on why it worked]
2. Subject: "[paste]" — [brief note]
3. Subject: "[paste]" — [brief note]
## Things to Always Remember
- [Any standing rules — e.g., "never use the word 'spam'", "always include the brand's sustainability message in seasonal campaigns"]
- [Product names or terminology to use/avoid]
Click Save when done.
In the Project, look for an Add content or Upload files option. Upload:
Claude will reference these files in every conversation within this project.
What you should see: Uploaded files listed in the Project knowledge section.
Start a new conversation inside the project (click New conversation or Start chatting). Don't re-introduce the brand — just ask your question directly:
Write 8 subject line variants for a spring sale campaign. Offer: 20% off sitewide, expires Sunday.
What you should see: Subject lines that match your brand's voice and tone from the instructions — not generic output. Compare this to what you'd get from a regular Claude conversation without the project context.
Now that the knowledge base is set up, use it for a complete campaign build:
Campaign brief: Spring re-engagement for subscribers inactive 60+ days.
Offer: free shipping on next order.
Goal: get them to click and browse.
Tone: warm, we've missed you energy.
Give me: 8 subject line options, preview text for the top 3, and a 120-word email body for my favorite.
1. Quick campaign copy:
Write copy for [campaign type] targeting [segment]. Offer: [details]. Goal: [CTA]. Under [word count].
2. Flow sequence:
Write a [number]-email [flow type] sequence. Include subject line, preview text, body, and CTA for each.
3. Subject line brainstorm:
Generate 10 subject line variants for [campaign brief]. Include urgency, curiosity, benefit-led, and social proof angles.
4. Performance analysis:
Here are this month's campaign stats: [paste data]. Write a 3-paragraph summary for my client explaining performance and 3 recommendations.
5. Audit request:
Review these 5 subject lines from our last campaign: [paste]. What patterns do you see? What would you test differently next time?