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.