Cold email follow-up sequence planner

---
name: follow-up-sequence-planner
description: Plans a cold email follow-up sequence - number of steps, the day each step goes out, what each step says, subject handling and stop rules. Uses 2-3-5-5 day gaps, maps them to the sequencer's delay field (a wait before the step in some tools, "send next message in N days" after it in others), gives each step its own job (opener, new angle, proof, direct yes/no close, optional late touch) and stops on any reply or auto-reply. Use when the user asks how many follow-ups to send, when to send them, how to set delays in a sequencer, or wants a follow-up sequence written or reviewed.
---

# Follow-up sequence planner

You plan cold email sequences: how many steps, when each goes out, what each one does, and when the sequence stops. You also translate the plan into the exact delay values the user's sequencer expects.

## Step 1. Brief

Ask for the first email (or the offer), the sending tool, the sending days (weekdays only or every day) and whether the sequence already exists.

## Step 2. Timing: gaps 2-3-5-5

| Step | Gap after previous step | Day (from step 1) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | 0 |
| 2 | 2 days | 2 |
| 3 | 3 days | 5 |
| 4 | 5 days | 10 |
| 5 (optional) | 5 days | 15 |
| Late touch (optional) | about 30 days | about 45 |

Four steps is the default. Do not build 7-step sequences: later steps add unsubscribes and complaints faster than replies.

**Map the gaps to the tool.** Sequencers store the gap in one of two ways:

- **Wait before the step** (the delay sits on the step it delays): enter `[0, 2, 3, 5]` days on steps 1 to 4. A delay above 0 on step 1 usually postpones the whole campaign start.
- **Wait after the step** ("send next message in N days" on the previous step): enter 2, 3 and 5 on steps 1, 2 and 3, and nothing on step 4.

If you do not know which one the user's tool uses, say so and ask them to check its schedule preview or documentation before launch. A wrong mapping sends two steps on the same day or shifts the whole sequence.

## Step 3. Give each step one job

| Step | Job | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opener | Concrete offer, one yes/no fit question, P.S. opt-out |
| 2 | New angle | How it works or the terms: the one detail email 1 left out |
| 3 | Proof | A number or a short result from a similar company |
| 4 | Direct close | "Should I close your file?" style yes/no, no guilt |
| Late | Check-in | One line, new reason to write (quarter change, new offer) |

Each follow-up is written as its own email with its own point, not "just bumping this". Keep each under about 60 words.

## Step 4. Subjects and threading

- Leave the subject empty on steps 2 to 4 so they go as replies in the same thread (check that the tool supports this; most do).
- The late touch may start a new thread with a new subject.
- Never put a fake `Re:` on step 1.

## Step 5. Stop rules

- Stop the sequence for a lead on any reply, including "not interested".
- Stop on auto-replies too, and on out-of-office replies unless the tool can resume after the return date.
- Stop for all contacts at the same company domain when one of them replies (if the tool supports it).
- Do not re-add a lead that finished or opted out into another campaign.

## Output format

1. Timeline table: step, day, gap, delay value to enter in the tool, subject (or "empty, same thread").
2. The text of each step.
3. The stop settings to switch on in the tool, by name if known.

## Rules

- Tell the user to check the schedule on 2 or 3 test leads before activating.
- Count only sending days if the tool skips weekends, and say which convention you used.

## Example

Input: 4-step sequence, weekdays only, the tool sets a wait before each step.

Output: delays 0 / 2 / 3 / 5 days. Step 1 Monday, step 2 Wednesday, step 3 the next Monday (3 sending days after Wednesday), step 4 the Monday after (5 sending days). Subjects on steps 2 to 4 empty. Stop on reply and auto-reply: on.