Email Marketing Playbook Template

Apex Supplements — Email Operations Playbook

Email
Playbook

Klaviyo

3 core sequences · A/B framework · Segmentation guide

42K

Total Subscribers

28%

Active (90-day)

31%

Revenue from Email

3

Core Sequences

Intro

How to Use This Playbook

This playbook is the single operating document for Apex Supplements' email marketing program. It covers three core automated sequences, benchmark targets, A/B testing protocols, and segmentation strategy. Everything in here is implementable in Klaviyo without custom development.

What this is not: This is not a campaign calendar. Campaign emails (promos, launches, sales) are managed separately in the Campaign Planner. This document covers automated flows only — the evergreen sequences that run 24/7 regardless of what campaigns are active.

How to Navigate

New to the email program? Read List Health first, then each sequence in order.

Understanding list health before building sequences saves you from optimizing broken foundations.

Optimizing an existing sequence? Skip to that sequence section + the A/B Testing Log.

The log captures every test result so you don't repeat losing experiments.

Setting up for the first time? Start with Welcome series, then Post-Purchase, then Win-Back.

This order matches revenue impact: Welcome drives first purchase, Post-Purchase drives LTV, Win-Back is maintenance.

Running a deliverability review? See Tech Stack Notes (last section).

Foundation

List Health Overview

42,000

Total Subscribers

11,760

Active (28%)

30,240

Unengaged (72%)

31%

Revenue from Email

Critical context: 72% of the list has not engaged in 90+ days. Sending to the full list of 42,000 is actively damaging deliverability. Gmail and Outlook use engagement signals to determine inbox placement — if 72% of recipients ignore your emails, you will eventually land in spam for your engaged subscribers too.

Immediate List Actions Required

Suppress the 30,240 unengaged subscribers from all campaign sends immediately.

In Klaviyo: create a segment of "opened or clicked any email in last 90 days" — send campaigns to this segment only.

Run a re-engagement campaign on the 90-day inactive segment before suppressing them permanently.

The Win-Back sequence (Section 6) is designed for exactly this purpose. Run it now on the unengaged 30K.

Set up automatic suppression rules going forward: any subscriber who doesn't open or click in 180 days is automatically moved to a suppressed segment.

Monitor domain reputation weekly using Google Postmaster Tools and MXToolbox during the cleanup period.

Acquisition Sources (Where New Subs Come From)

Source	Monthly Volume	Quality	Notes
Website popup (exit intent)	~400/mo	High	Offer: 15% off first order. High intent, converts well.
Checkout opt-in	~320/mo	Very High	Already customers. Highest LTV segment.
Social ads (lead gen)	~180/mo	Medium	Lower engagement rate than organic sources.
Referral program	~60/mo	Very High	Word of mouth — very high first-purchase rate.

Sequence 01

Welcome Series

Trigger: New subscriber joins list via any opt-in form (excluding post-purchase checkout opt-in, which enters the Post-Purchase sequence). Duration: 14 days. Emails: 5. Primary goal: Drive first purchase within 14 days of subscribe.

SEQ 01

Welcome Series — 5 Emails

Trigger: List Subscribe

Day 0

Welcome + Your 15% Off

Subject line: "Your discount is inside (expires in 48 hrs)"

Send immediately upon subscribe. Primary objective is conversion. Show the discount code prominently above the fold. Include 3 best-seller product images with direct "Shop Now" links. Secondary content: brief brand origin story in 2 sentences. No more — save the depth for Email 2.

Goal: First Purchase

Day 2

Why Athletes Trust Our Formula

Subject line: "What's actually in our pre-workout (and what's not)"

Trust-building email. Ingredient transparency is the primary angle. Lead with the founder's sourcing philosophy: no artificial fillers, third-party tested, NSF certified. Feature the Certificate of Analysis (COA) as a link. Include 3–5 genuine customer quotes (not generic "loved it" — specific, results-oriented). End with reminder that the 15% discount from Email 1 is still active.

Goal: Trust Building

Day 4

Customers Share Their Results

Subject line: "What 60 days on Apex actually looks like"

UGC-forward email. Feature 3 real customer transformation stories with photos. Each story follows the format: Before / What they were struggling with / What changed after using Apex / The specific product. Keep founder voice out of this email — let customers do the talking. Include star ratings per product. CTA: "Read More Stories" → Product page with reviews section.

Goal: Social Proof

Day 7

Your Discount Expires Tomorrow

Subject line: "48 hours left on your 15% — just letting you know"

Urgency email. This is the hardest push in the sequence. Use a real countdown (Klaviyo countdown timer block). Lead with the expiry. Feature the 3 products most commonly purchased by new subscribers as the default recommendation. Keep copy tight — under 100 words of body text. Large CTA button. No other links or distractions in this email.

Goal: Conversion

Day 14

Last Chance — And a Story

Subject line: "I almost quit before I found the formula that worked"

Founder story email. This is the last chance to convert before they exit the welcome sequence. Lead with a personal, vulnerable founder story about the moment Apex was born. Connect the story to the product promise. Offer one final extended discount (12%) with a new, different code so it doesn't feel like a retread. After Day 14, subscriber enters the general broadcast list.

Goal: Last Chance Convert

Sequence 02

Post-Purchase

Trigger: Order placed (Shopify → Klaviyo integration). Excludes existing customers who are purchasing again (use "placed order count = 1" condition). Duration: 35 days. Emails: 4. Primary goal: LTV increase, upsell to bundle, build loyalty.

SEQ 02

Post-Purchase — 4 Emails

Trigger: First Order Placed

Day 1

Order Confirmed — What Happens Next

Subject line: "Your Apex order is confirmed — here's what to expect"

Transactional + relational email. Confirm order details (pull via Klaviyo variables), give shipping timeline, and add value immediately: a short PDF or email section with "How to get the most from your [product name] in the first 30 days." This creates immediate perceived value and sets proper expectations, reducing refund requests from customers who don't see results because they're using the product wrong.

Goal: Delight + Expectation Setting

Day 7

How Are You Feeling?

Subject line: "One week in — quick check-in from the Apex team"

Check-in email. Human, short, warm. Ask a simple question: "How are you feeling one week in?" Include a 1-question survey (Klaviyo survey block) with 3 response options. Each response routes to a different follow-up: (1) Love it → ask for review; (2) Still figuring it out → send usage tips; (3) Not sure → trigger CS conversation. Also include usage tips relevant to their specific product purchase.

Goal: Check-in + Review

Day 21

Ready for Your Next Order?

Subject line: "Running low? Your refill discount is ready"

Refill nudge email. At 21 days, a single-product customer is approximately 60–70% through a 30-serving container. Time the nudge perfectly. Offer a 10% loyalty discount on their next order. Introduce the Subscribe & Save option (if available) with the calculated annual savings. Show social proof from repeat customers specifically: "I've been on auto-ship for 8 months."

Goal: Repeat Purchase

Day 35

Complete the Stack

Subject line: "What customers who buy [Product X] usually add next"

Upsell email. Show the product bundle that pairs best with their original purchase. Use social proof as the frame: "Customers who bought the Apex Pre-Workout most often add the Recovery Complex within 30 days." Show the combined benefits of the stack vs. individual product. Include a bundle-specific discount (8%) and a 2-minute quiz CTA: "Find your perfect Apex stack." After Day 35, moves to general broadcast list.

Goal: Upsell to Bundle

Sequence 03

Win-Back Series

Trigger: No email open or click in 90 days AND no purchase in 90 days. Duration: 10 days. Emails: 3. Primary goal: Re-engage or sunset cleanly. After Email 3, auto-suppress if no action.

SEQ 03

Win-Back — 3 Emails

Trigger: 90-Day Inactivity

Day 0

We Miss You

Subject line: "It's been a while — still into fitness?"

Soft re-engagement. No discount yet. The goal of Email 1 is to get an open and click with genuine curiosity — not a coupon grab. Lead with a value piece: a new formula update, a new flavor, or a piece of content like "The 5-minute morning routine that changed our customers' lives." Keep the ask small: "Click here to see what's new." Klaviyo: set a click trigger — if clicked, remove from win-back flow. If not, proceed to Email 2.

Goal: Soft Re-Engagement

Day 5

Here's 20% Off — Just for You

Subject line: "We saved something for you (20% off, expires soon)"

Discount re-engagement. If Email 1 didn't work, now we bring out the offer. 20% is meaningful enough to overcome inertia. Frame it as exclusive and personal: "We're giving this to a small group of customers we haven't heard from in a while." Expiry: 72 hours. Use a different discount code from anything they've received before. If clicked/purchased: remove from win-back sequence immediately.

Goal: Discount Re-Engagement

Day 10

Last Chance — Or Goodbye?

Subject line: "Should we stay in touch? (We'll respect your answer)"

Sunset email. This is the most important deliverability email in the whole sequence. Give them a clear binary: "Click here to stay subscribed" vs. "Click here to unsubscribe." People who actively choose to stay are far better for deliverability than ghosts. Those who don't click either option are automatically suppressed after this send. Keep copy honest and human — no emotional manipulation. The Klaviyo suppression should trigger automatically 24 hours after Email 3 is sent with no engagement.

Goal: Clean Exit or Reactivation

Targets

Benchmarks & KPIs

Sequence

Open Rate

Click Rate

Notes

Welcome Series

45%+

8%+

Highest-intent subscribers. If below 35% open on Email 1, audit the from-name and subject line. Email 1 sets deliverability baseline for the whole list.

Post-Purchase

55%+

12%+

Recent buyers are the most engaged segment. These benchmarks are achievable. If Day 7 check-in drops below 40%, the email is likely going to promotions tab — review from-name and preheader.

Win-Back

20%+

4%+

These are cold contacts — 20% open is the goal, not the floor. If Email 3 (sunset) generates less than 2% click, the list quality problem is likely upstream (bad lead gen sources). Investigate acquisition source data.

A/B Testing Log

All A/B tests are logged here with results. Never repeat a losing test. Use this as the single record of what we've learned.

Test	Hypothesis	Version A	Version B	Result	Winner
Welcome Email 1 — Subject	Curiosity gap drives more opens than direct offer reveal	"Your 15% discount is inside"	"Before you buy — read this"	A: 48.2% open / B: 39.1% open	Version A
Welcome Email 4 — CTA Button	Urgency-specific CTA outperforms generic "Shop Now"	"Shop Now →"	"Claim My 15% Off →"	A: 6.2% click / B: 9.8% click	Version B
Win-Back Email 2 — Offer Amount	Higher discount drives more conversions even with lower margin	15% off code	20% off code	A: 2.1% conv / B: 3.4% conv — net revenue higher for B	Version B

Testing Queue (Next 60 Days)

1. Welcome Email 2: Plain text vs. HTML design — hypothesis: plain text feels more personal, drives higher trust signal
2. Post-Purchase Day 7: Survey inside email vs. link to external survey — hypothesis: in-email survey gets 3x response rate
3. Welcome Email 1 send time: Immediate (0 min) vs. 15-min delay — hypothesis: minor delay increases open rate by reducing spam filter sensitivity

Strategy

Segmentation & Tech Stack

Core Segments in Klaviyo

Active Subscribers

~11,760 contacts

Rule: Opened or clicked any email in last 90 days

Use for: All campaign sends

VIP Customers

~1,200 contacts

Rule: Placed 3+ orders OR LTV > $250

Use for: Early access, loyalty offers

Lapsed (Win-Back)

~30,240 contacts

Rule: No open/click in 90+ days AND no purchase

Use for: Win-Back sequence only

Tech Stack Notes

Tool	Purpose	Notes
Klaviyo	Email platform + automation	All sequences built here. Use Profiles view to inspect individual subscriber journeys. Enable Smart Send Time globally.
Shopify	E-commerce (purchase trigger source)	Native Klaviyo integration — orders sync in <2 min. Ensure Klaviyo is the ONLY platform tracking purchase events to avoid duplicate triggers.
Google Postmaster	Domain reputation monitoring	Check weekly. If spam rate exceeds 0.1%, pause all campaign sends and run deliverability audit immediately.
Litmus	Email rendering QA	Run all new email templates through Litmus before activating. Required for any redesign. Not required for copy-only changes.

Golden Rule

Never send a campaign to the full list of 42,000. Always use the Active Subscribers segment. Deliverability is a compounding asset — protect it at all costs. Revenue generated from spam-folder email is $0. Revenue foregone by suppressing disengaged contacts is minimal.