Authoring an Email Template from a Brief

This skill is framework-neutral. Once the structure is agreed, hand off to the matching framework skill (foundation-emails, maizzle, or mjml) for syntax.

1. Clarify the brief

Ask (if not already known):

• Type: transactional (receipt, verification, password reset), marketing (newsletter, promo), lifecycle (welcome, onboarding, re-engagement)?
• Primary action: what should the recipient do? One primary CTA is ideal.
• Sender identity: brand, from-name, from-address.
• Content blocks: what sections — hero, body, feature grid, testimonial, CTA, footer?
• Length: short (one screen) or long-form?
• Existing brand assets: logo URL, palette, typography, tone?

2. Structure first, syntax later

Sketch the block structure in plain language before writing any markup: