Some friends just get better with every visit!

Back in May 2025, Emjae Williams showed us how to write emails that feel like they come from a friend (and if you missed it, it's well worth the read).

Now she's back, and this time she's tackling the part of email most of us set up once and never look at again: the sequence.

We spent Volume 66 making the case that your welcome sequence is the most important sequence you own, and Simon Harper followed up with how to build one. Emjae picks up right where they left off, with the question sitting underneath both:

What is each of those emails actually there to do?

Emjae is a Jamaica-based content strategist and the founder of The Content Café Ja, where she helps coaches, consultants and expert-led businesses turn scattered content into intentional strategy. (She also has a very healthy appreciation for a good cup of coffee, so expect a few puns brewing along the way.)

And with BFCM and year-end campaigns about to fill every inbox to the brim, there's no better time to check whether your sequences are taking people somewhere... or just keeping to a schedule.

So, grab your favourite mug, pull up your sequence, and let's see where it's really going 👀

There's something deeply satisfying about setting up an email sequence.

You write your emails, choose the intervals, set up the automation, and switch it on. Five emails, perfectly scheduled, ready to welcome every new subscriber.

Beautiful. One more thing checked off your marketing to-do list.

But here's a question worth asking: Where exactly are those emails taking your subscribers?

Because having an email sequence isn't the same as having an email strategy.

A schedule tells you when. A strategy tells you why.

A few months ago, I worked with a client on the email campaign for her two-day, in-person writing retreat.

The starting point wasn't ideal: a list of about 400 people, an advertising budget that had run out, a registration deadline getting closer, and no one registered yet.

The obvious move would have been to send reminder after reminder, each one a little more urgent.

But there was a better question to answer first: What did people need to understand before they could confidently say yes?

For some, it was whether they were experienced enough to attend. Others might have worried about having their writing criticised, or simply wondered what actually happens at a writing retreat. And some wanted to come but couldn't afford it.

So we gave the emails different jobs. One helped readers see that they belonged, whatever their writing experience. Another explained the supportive writing method the retreat used. Others offered a writing prompt to try, explored the value of writing in community, or answered practical questions.

We also made sure readers knew about the scholarship opportunities for those who couldn't otherwise afford to attend.

And yes, some emails simply invited people to register.

We mapped out roughly a dozen emails. Not because twelve is a magic number, but because each message had a specific job to do along the journey. (I mapped the strategy and outlines; she wrote each email in her own voice and I did a final edit before they were sent.)

By the time registration closed, eight writers had confirmed their places: four full-paying participants and four scholarship recipients. And she finally hosted the retreat she'd been dreaming about for years.

The lesson wasn't that she needed more emails or cleverer subject lines.

Different emails removed different barriers between interest and an informed decision.

When planning an email sequence, it's tempting to start with the logistics.

How many emails should I send? Should they go out daily or every three days? When should I introduce my offer?

Those are fair questions, but they're not the first questions you should answer.

Before deciding what to send and when, you need to know where you're taking your readers.

Think of your sequence as a roadmap. Your subscribers are starting somewhere. They have questions, challenges, assumptions, and varying levels of familiarity with your work.

You have a destination in mind, whether that's helping them understand a problem, recognise the value of your approach, or feel confident taking the next step with you.

Each email should help them move closer to that destination.

Otherwise, you're sending postcards from the road and hoping they find their own way.

Think of each email as a stop along the route. Every stop should earn its place by doing one clear job, such as:

Notice what's not on that list: "Hey, remember I exist?"

Order matters, too. An invitation to work with you lands better once readers understand why your approach works. A stop in the wrong place can feel like a detour.

Not every reader travels the same way. A thoughtful sequence makes room for:

The shortcut: Some readers are ready sooner than you expect. Don't make them wait until the final email to find out how to take the next step.

The scenic route: Others need more time, more examples, or more reassurance before they feel ready. That's not a problem to fix. It's a pace to respect.

Detours: Sometimes there's a genuine obstacle between interest and action. Cost, timing, uncertainty, or competing priorities can change someone's route. Anticipating those obstacles helps you offer a useful alternative or an appropriate next step instead of sending another reminder.

Late arrivals: Someone might discover your campaign halfway through, or miss a few emails along the way. Make it easy to catch up, find the relevant information, and take the next step without having to retrace the entire journey.

This is also why there's no "right" number of emails. Some journeys need three stops. Others need twelve.

Open an existing email sequence (or outline the one you're planning) and list every email in order.

Beside each one, finish this sentence:

"The job of this email is to help my reader ______."

Be specific. "Provide value" is too vague. "Help readers recognise why their current approach isn't producing results" gives you something to work with.

If you can't identify an email's job, or several emails are doing exactly the same thing, you've uncovered an opportunity to improve your sequence.

Once you've identified each email's job, look at the sequence as a whole. Is there a clear destination? Are there important steps you've skipped? And what happens if someone is ready to act before reaching the final email?

But even five emails with five clear jobs can lead nowhere if they don't work together or account for the different routes readers might take.

That's where mapping the whole journey comes in.

A sequence that runs like clockwork is satisfying. A sequence that takes people somewhere is strategy.

A practical guide and workbook (with a completed example) to help you map your readers' starting point, destination, key stops and alternate routes before deciding which emails to write. It works whether you're reviewing a sequence or planning a new one.

Here's to brewing an awesome sequence!

Your friend,

Emjae ☕

Your name is on every client site, so excellence isn't optional. With Lovable, you show your client a working version in the first meeting, launch it on their own domain, and tackle bugs fast with project monitoring. $5 off your first month.