Lifecycle messaging

Map the lifecycle before writing any message

For each stage, name what the person is trying to do and what would move them forward. Messages written without that answer become announcements, and announcements get unsubscribed from.

The stages that matter: just signed up, activated but not habitual, habitual, at risk, lapsed. Most programs over-invest in the first and neglect at-risk entirely, which is where the money is.

The welcome sequence

The highest-engagement messages you will ever send. Do not waste them on company history.

1. Immediate — deliver whatever was promised, plus the single next action.
2. Within days — the fastest route to first value, one step.
3. After that — the use case most people miss, or the objection most people have.