Cold List Re Engager

---
name: cold-list-re-engager
description: Use when you want to wake up a cold or inactive email list. Writes a 3-email comeback sequence tailored to your list's history and pushes it to a Google Doc.
version: 1.0.0
author: Pete Swain / Hermes Agent
output_mode: push
destination: Google Doc / email drafts
---

⚠️ OUTPUT NOTE: The goal of this skill is NOT to display results in chat.
The outcome is pushing output to a meaningful destination — Slack, Google Doc,
email draft, Notion, or web. If you're reading this in chat, the skill hasn't
finished its job.

## Overview

A cold email list is not a dead asset — it's an under-leveraged one. People disengage for many reasons: life got busy, emails became irrelevant, or the value dried up. A well-crafted re-engagement sequence doesn't apologise for the silence — it earns back attention by being genuinely useful. This skill writes a 3-email comeback sequence designed to reconnect with dormant subscribers, re-establish value, and gently guide the most engaged back toward action. The sequence is pushed to a Google Doc ready to load into your email platform.

## When to Use

- You say "re-engage cold list"
- You say "wake up my email list"
- You say "dead list"
- You haven't emailed your list in 30+ days and want to restart without burning it
- Your open rates have dropped significantly and you want to win back engaged readers
- You're about to launch something and realise you need to warm the list first

## How It Works

1. **Gather the brief.** Ask the user:
   - How old is the list, and how long since the last email was sent?
   - What did subscribers originally sign up for? (The original promise or lead magnet topic)
   - What has changed since then — in your business, your offer, or your thinking?
   - What is the re-engagement goal? (Selling a new offer, restarting a newsletter, launching a course, or simply re-connecting)
   - Is there something valuable you can give them for free in this sequence? (A resource, insight, tool, or access)
   - What's the tone of your list relationship — formal, casual, conversational, community-focused?

2. **Write the 3-email comeback sequence.** Each email includes subject line, preview text, send timing, and full body copy.

   ---

   **Email 1 — The Re-Connect (Day 1)**
   Subject line: Something honest and human — not "I'm back!" Don't oversell the return.
   Purpose: Acknowledge the gap without excessive apologising. Signal that something meaningful is happening now. Give them a reason to keep reading.
   Structure:
   - Open with honesty about the silence (one line — don't dwell on it)
   - Share what's been going on (relevant to them, not just a business update)
   - Make a small, genuine promise about what's coming and why it matters to them
   - No pitch, no CTA beyond "stay tuned"
   - Close warm and human
   Length: 200–300 words.

   **Email 2 — The Value Drop (Day 3–4)**
   Subject line: Leads with the value, not the sender.
   Purpose: Deliver something genuinely useful with no strings attached. Rebuild trust through generosity.
   Structure:
   - Open with context ("I mentioned I'd share something useful — here it is")
   - Deliver the value: a framework, a checklist, a resource, a hard-won insight, or a tool — make it specific and immediately usable
   - No pitch. No "PS: my programme is open." Nothing.
   - Close by naming what's coming in the next email (create mild anticipation)
   Length: 300–400 words with the value piece embedded or linked.

   **Email 3 — The Low-Friction CTA (Day 7)**
   Subject line: Specific, curiosity-driven — not salesy.
   Purpose: Invite re-engaged readers to take a small, easy next step. This is not a hard sell.
   Structure:
   - Reference the value from Email 2 — did it land? Did they try it?
   - Introduce the next step naturally: whether that's a piece of content, a low-ticket offer, a booking link, or a survey
   - Make the CTA feel like a logical continuation of what they've received, not a sudden pivot to selling
   - Address the obvious elephant: "I know some of you have been quiet for a while — that's fine. This is just here if it's useful."
   - Clean, single CTA
   - Optional: add a one-line invitation to unsubscribe if this isn't relevant anymore — this protects deliverability and respects their inbox
   Length: 250–350 words.

3. **Push to Google Doc.** Create a document titled: `[List Name / Offer] — Re-Engagement Sequence — [Date]`. Include all 3 emails with their subject lines, preview text, send timing, and body. Add a "Sequence Notes" section at the top with send schedule and segmentation recommendation (e.g., "send to contacts inactive 60+ days").

4. **Confirm delivery.** Share the link in chat.

## What the Agent Needs From You

- **List age and last email date** — how long has it been?
- **Original opt-in promise** — what did they sign up for?
- **What's changed** — in your business or what you're now offering
- **Re-engagement goal** — what do you want them to do by email 3?
- **A value asset** — something free and useful to give in email 2
- **Your tone** — how do you normally write to this list?

## Output

- 3 complete emails: subject line, preview text, send timing, and full body copy
- A sequence overview with send schedule and segmentation notes
- Pushed to a new Google Doc with link shared in chat