emails · email-types

Email Types Reference

A comprehensive guide to lifecycle and campaign emails. Use this as an audit checklist and implementation reference.

Contents

• Onboarding Emails (new users series, new customers series, key onboarding step reminder, new user invite)
• Retention Emails (upgrade to paid, upgrade to higher plan, ask for review, offer support proactively, product usage report, NPS survey, referral program)
• Billing Emails (switch to annual, failed payment recovery, cancellation survey, upcoming renewal reminder)
• Usage Emails (daily/weekly/monthly summary, key event or milestone notifications)
• Win-Back Emails (expired trials, cancelled customers)
• Campaign Emails (monthly roundup/newsletter, seasonal promotions, product updates, industry news roundup, pricing update)
• Email Audit Checklist (onboarding, retention, billing, usage, win-back, campaigns)

Onboarding Emails

New Users Series

Trigger: User signs up (free or trial)
Goal: Activate user, drive to aha moment
Typical sequence: 5-7 emails over 14 days

• Email 1: Welcome + single next step (immediate)
• Email 2: Quick win / getting started (day 1)
• Email 3: Key feature highlight (day 3)
• Email 4: Success story / social proof (day 5)
• Email 5: Check-in + offer help (day 7)
• Email 6: Advanced tip (day 10)
• Email 7: Upgrade prompt or next milestone (day 14)

Key metrics: Activation rate, feature adoption

New Customers Series

Trigger: User converts to paid
Goal: Reinforce purchase decision, drive adoption, reduce early churn
Typical sequence: 3-5 emails over 14 days

• Email 1: Thank you + what's next (immediate)
• Email 2: Getting full value — setup checklist (day 2)
• Email 3: Pro tips for paid features (day 5)
• Email 4: Success story from similar customer (day 7)
• Email 5: Check-in + introduce support resources (day 14)

Key point: Different from new user series—they've committed. Focus on reinforcement and expansion, not conversion.

Key Onboarding Step Reminder

Trigger: User hasn't completed critical setup step after X time
Goal: Nudge completion of high-value action
Format: Single email or 2-3 email mini-sequence

Example triggers:

• Hasn't connected integration after 48 hours
• Hasn't invited team member after 3 days
• Hasn't completed profile after 24 hours

Copy approach:

• Remind them what they started
• Explain why this step matters
• Make it easy (direct link to complete)
• Offer help if stuck

New User Invite

Trigger: Existing user invites teammate
Goal: Activate the invited user
Recipient: The person being invited

• Email 1: You've been invited (immediate)
• Email 2: Reminder if not accepted (day 2)
• Email 3: Final reminder (day 5)

Copy approach:

• Personalize with inviter's name
• Explain what they're joining
• Single CTA to accept invite
• Social proof optional

Retention Emails

Upgrade to Paid

Trigger: Free user shows engagement, or trial ending
Goal: Convert free to paid
Typical sequence: 3-5 emails

Trigger options:

• Time-based (trial day 10, 12, 14)
• Behavior-based (hit usage limit, used premium feature)
• Engagement-based (highly active free user)

Sequence structure:

• Value summary: What they've accomplished
• Feature comparison: What they're missing
• Social proof: Who else upgraded
• Urgency: Trial ending, limited offer
• Final: Last chance + easy path

Upgrade to Higher Plan

Trigger: User approaching plan limits or using features available on higher tier
Goal: Upsell to next tier
Format: Single email or 2-3 email sequence

Trigger examples:

• 80% of seat limit reached
• 90% of storage/usage limit
• Tried to use higher-tier feature
• Power user behavior patterns

Copy approach:

• Acknowledge their growth (positive framing)
• Show what next tier unlocks
• Quantify value vs. cost
• Easy upgrade path

Ask for Review

Trigger: Customer milestone (30/60/90 days, key achievement, support resolution)
Goal: Generate social proof on G2, Capterra, app stores
Format: Single email

Best timing:

• After positive support interaction
• After achieving measurable result
• After renewal
• NOT after billing issues or bugs

Copy approach:

• Thank them for being a customer
• Mention specific value/milestone if possible
• Explain why reviews matter (help others decide)
• Direct link to review platform
• Keep it short—this is an ask

Offer Support Proactively

Trigger: Signs of struggle (drop in usage, failed actions, error encounters)
Goal: Save at-risk user, improve experience
Format: Single email

Trigger examples:

• Usage dropped significantly week-over-week
• Multiple failed attempts at action
• Viewed help docs repeatedly
• Stuck at same onboarding step

Copy approach:

• Genuine concern tone
• Specific: "I noticed you..." (if data allows)
• Offer direct help (not just link to docs)
• Personal from support or CSM
• No sales pitch—pure help

Product Usage Report

Trigger: Time-based (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
Goal: Demonstrate value, drive engagement, reduce churn
Format: Single email, recurring

What to include:

• Key metrics/activity summary
• Comparison to previous period
• Achievements/milestones
• Suggestions for improvement
• Light CTA to explore more

Examples:

• "You saved X hours this month"
• "Your team completed X projects"
• "You're in the top X% of users"

Key point: Make them feel good and remind them of value delivered.

NPS Survey

Trigger: Time-based (quarterly) or event-based (post-milestone)
Goal: Measure satisfaction, identify promoters and detractors
Format: Single email

Best practices:

• Keep it simple: Just the NPS question initially
• Follow-up form for "why" based on score
• Personal sender (CEO, founder, CSM)
• Tell them how you'll use feedback

Follow-up based on score:

• Promoters (9-10): Thank + ask for review/referral
• Passives (7-8): Ask what would make it a 10
• Detractors (0-6): Personal outreach to understand issues

Referral Program

Trigger: Customer milestone, promoter NPS score, or campaign
Goal: Generate referrals
Format: Single email or periodic reminders

Good timing:

• After positive NPS response
• After customer achieves result
• After renewal
• Seasonal campaigns

Copy approach:

• Remind them of their success
• Explain the referral offer clearly
• Make sharing easy (unique link)
• Show what's in it for them AND referee

Billing Emails

Switch to Annual

Trigger: Monthly subscriber at renewal time or campaign
Goal: Convert monthly to annual (improve LTV, reduce churn)
Format: Single email or 2-email sequence

Value proposition:

• Calculate exact savings
• Additional benefits (if any)
• Lock in current price messaging
• Easy one-click switch

Best timing:

• Around monthly renewal date
• End of year / new year
• After 3-6 months of loyalty
• Price increase announcement (lock in old rate)

Failed Payment Recovery

Trigger: Payment fails
Goal: Recover revenue, retain customer
Typical sequence: 3-4 emails over 7-14 days

Sequence structure:

• Email 1 (Day 0): Friendly notice, update payment link
• Email 2 (Day 3): Reminder, service may be interrupted
• Email 3 (Day 7): Urgent, account will be suspended
• Email 4 (Day 10-14): Final notice, what they'll lose

Copy approach:

• Assume it's an accident (card expired, etc.)
• Clear, direct, no guilt
• Single CTA to update payment
• Explain what happens if not resolved

Key metrics: Recovery rate, time to recovery

Cancellation Survey

Trigger: User cancels subscription
Goal: Learn why, opportunity to save
Format: Single email (immediate)

Options:

• In-app survey at cancellation (better completion)
• Follow-up email if they skip in-app
• Personal outreach for high-value accounts

Questions to ask:

• Primary reason for cancelling
• What could we have done better
• Would anything change your mind
• Can we help with transition

Winback opportunity: Based on reason, offer targeted save (discount, pause, downgrade, training).

Upcoming Renewal Reminder

Trigger: X days before renewal (14 or 30 days typical)
Goal: No surprise charges, opportunity to expand
Format: Single email

What to include:

• Renewal date and amount
• What's included in renewal
• How to update payment/plan
• Changes to pricing/features (if any)
• Optional: Upsell opportunity

Required for: Annual subscriptions, high-value contracts

Usage Emails

Daily/Weekly/Monthly Summary

Trigger: Time-based
Goal: Drive engagement, demonstrate value
Format: Single email, recurring

Content by frequency:

• Daily: Notifications, quick stats (for high-engagement products)
• Weekly: Activity summary, highlights, suggestions
• Monthly: Comprehensive report, achievements, ROI if calculable

Structure:

• Key metrics at a glance
• Notable achievements
• Activity breakdown
• Suggestions / what to try next
• CTA to dive deeper

Personalization: Must be relevant to their actual usage. Empty reports are worse than no report.

Key Event or Milestone Notifications

Trigger: Specific achievement or event
Goal: Celebrate, drive continued engagement
Format: Single email per event

Milestone examples:

• First [action] completed
• 10th/100th [thing] created
• Goal achieved
• Team collaboration milestone
• Usage streak

Copy approach:

• Celebration tone
• Specific achievement
• Context (compared to others, compared to before)
• What's next / next milestone

Win-Back Emails

Expired Trials

Trigger: Trial ended without conversion
Goal: Convert or re-engage
Typical sequence: 3-4 emails over 30 days

Sequence structure:

• Email 1 (Day 1 post-expiry): Trial ended, here's what you're missing
• Email 2 (Day 7): What held you back? (gather feedback)
• Email 3 (Day 14): Incentive offer (discount, extended trial)
• Email 4 (Day 30): Final reach-out, door is open

Segmentation: Different approach based on trial engagement level:

• High engagement: Focus on removing friction to convert
• Low engagement: Offer fresh start, more onboarding help
• No engagement: Ask what happened, offer demo/call

Cancelled Customers

Trigger: Time after cancellation (30, 60, 90 days)
Goal: Win back churned customers
Typical sequence: 2-3 emails spread over 90 days

Sequence structure:

• Email 1 (Day 30): What's new since you left
• Email 2 (Day 60): We've addressed [common reason]
• Email 3 (Day 90): Special offer to return

Copy approach:

• No guilt, no desperation
• Genuine updates and improvements
• Personalize based on cancellation reason if known
• Make return easy

Key point: They're more likely to return if their reason was addressed.

Campaign Emails

Monthly Roundup / Newsletter

Trigger: Time-based (monthly)
Goal: Engagement, brand presence, content distribution
Format: Single email, recurring

Content mix:

• Product updates and tips
• Customer stories
• Educational content
• Company news
• Industry insights

Best practices:

• Consistent send day/time
• Scannable format
• Mix of content types
• One primary CTA focus
• Unsubscribe is okay—keeps list healthy

Seasonal Promotions

Trigger: Calendar events (Black Friday, New Year, etc.)
Goal: Drive conversions with timely offer
Format: Campaign burst (2-4 emails)

Common opportunities:

• New Year (fresh start, annual planning)
• End of fiscal year (budget spending)
• Black Friday / Cyber Monday
• Industry-specific seasons
• Back to school / work

Sequence structure:

• Announcement: Offer reveal
• Reminder: Midway through promotion
• Last chance: Final hours

Product Updates

Trigger: New feature release
Goal: Adoption, engagement, demonstrate momentum
Format: Single email per major release

What to include:

• What's new (clear and simple)
• Why it matters (benefit, not just feature)
• How to use it (direct link)
• Who asked for it (community acknowledgment)

Segmentation: Consider targeting based on relevance:

• Users who would benefit most
• Users who requested feature
• Power users first (for beta feel)

Industry News Roundup

Trigger: Time-based (weekly or monthly)
Goal: Thought leadership, engagement, brand value
Format: Curated newsletter

Content:

• Curated news and links
• Your take / commentary
• What it means for readers
• How your product helps

Best for: B2B products where customers care about industry trends.

Pricing Update

Trigger: Price change announcement
Goal: Transparent communication, minimize churn
Format: Single email (or sequence for major changes)

Timeline:

• Announce 30-60 days before change
• Reminder 14 days before
• Final notice 7 days before

Copy approach:

• Clear, direct, transparent
• Explain the why (value delivered, costs increased)
• Grandfather if possible (lock in old rate)
• Give options (annual lock-in, downgrade)

Important: Honesty and advance notice build trust even when price increases.

Email Audit Checklist

Use this to audit your current email program:

Onboarding

• New users series
• New customers series
• Key onboarding step reminders
• New user invite sequence

Retention

• Upgrade to paid sequence
• Upgrade to higher plan triggers
• Ask for review (timed properly)
• Proactive support outreach
• Product usage reports
• NPS survey
• Referral program emails

Billing

• Switch to annual campaign
• Failed payment recovery sequence
• Cancellation survey
• Upcoming renewal reminders

Usage

• Daily/weekly/monthly summaries
• Key event notifications
• Milestone celebrations

Win-Back

• Expired trial sequence
• Cancelled customer sequence

Campaigns

• Monthly roundup / newsletter
• Seasonal promotion calendar
• Product update announcements
• Pricing update communications

Source: https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/skills/emails/references/email-types.md · v2.0.0 · MIT License (c) 2025 Corey Haines.