What Is an Email Sequence?

One of the most used methods of outreach for outbound sales is an email sequence. Here's your guide on what an email sequence is and how to write the best one possible.

An email sequence is a group of emails sent to your prospects.

They're designed, in most cases, to educate the prospect. They gradually build trust with prospects until they're ready to make a purchase. They can take as long as two weeks or up to three months for some brands. Every business has its own strategy for how long they send sequences out.

A well-written email sequence needs to have an introduction email and a campaign of follow-ups.

An introduction email is the first in your series of emails that introduce prospects to you or what they can expect from your business. This should be sent within two days after someone has opted-in on any form (e.g., website signup, webinar registration). The introduction email needs to have a call-to-action for booking a meeting with the prospect. However, the call-to-action should not be the only item of focus in the introduction email. Introduction emails need to demonstrate to the prospect what value your product will bring them. After that, you bring up the need to meet.

Depending on who you work for, you will either send out your email sequence as a drip campaign or an email automation campaign.

The difference between a drip campaign and an email automation campaign is that a drip campaign is static whereas an automation campaign is dynamic. Drip campaigns send the same predetermined emails regardless of what actions your prospects do.

Email automation campaigns, however, dynamically react to the actions of a prospect. If a prospect wants to book a meeting with you and responds to one of your emails, then the automated sequence will react to their reply.

Either way, both drip campaigns and automated email sequences are sequences of emails sent out to prospects.

Email sequences, whether automated or drip, provide prospects with ongoing value and build trust over time. This helps convert them into customers. Many prospects won't agree to meet with you after the introduction email. Even if some will, most won't. The introduction email is where things are just getting started.

The best email sequences have a plan for every stage of the sales process. This means that they have different messaging designed to address each phase of your prospects' journey.

To send out an email sequence, you need to have an email sequence template.

An email sequence template is an outline of the messages that send out over a period of time. They're used for anything, from customer retention to prospecting and lead generation.

Templates are important because they consider different needs prospects have in the buying process. You won't miss an opportunity or annoy them with repetitive messaging.

Email sequence templates should be personalized for whatever lead list you are sending them to. Sending an email sequence to product managers requires different writing than content marketers. They both have different needs and your product will serve them differently.

Most email-sending software lets users write more than one email sequence template, so you're good to go.

The best way to personalize an email sequence is to use the information you know about your prospect. What do they like? Do they prefer phone calls or emails? Is there a competitor that can serve them better than you? What value will your product bring to them?

These are all questions you must ask yourself when writing an email sequence template.

You don't want your email sequences to be flagged for spam.

To not get flagged for spam, you need to make sure you have a good sender score.

A sender score is a measure of the likelihood that your email is delivered to someone's inbox.

You can increase open rates and clicks with a higher sender score.

The way you build your sender score is by sending emails consistently over time, so don't stress about it too much!

There are three metrics that go into your sender score: spam complaints, click-through rate and unsubscribe rate.

You want to keep these as low as possible so be careful with what words you use in an email sequence and how often you send them.

You also need to write emails in your sequence templates in ways that don't seem "spammy." Written content that's spammy will get you down-ranked in the eyes of your customer. What's spammy is a matter of common sense. Read the email sequence template you wrote and ask yourself if it reads like spam.

Another way to avoid getting flagged for spam is by not using links in your email sequence templates. Putting links in your emails will get you flagged for spam much of the time.

Once you've taken care of that, you need to write subject lines that will grab the attention of the customer.

To write a catchy subject line, you need to understand what the customer's needs are.

For instance, if you're selling coaching services for a business owner who wants to hire good employees, your subject line should be something like "I can teach you how to hire top talent". It's better than a vague line such as "coaching."

Think of subject lines as what headlines are for articles but for your email sequences. You wouldn't read an article that has a boring headline. Nor would you read an email that has a dull subject line.

Apply to become an SDR with SalesPipe and we'll help you get your next job as an SDR so you can send email sequences today.