Atomic Emails Storyboard

Generate a pool of atomic email ideas using diverge-and-converge, then organize the best ones into a campaign storyboard.

Overview

This skill covers Steps 3–4 of the Atomic Emails method: 3. Generate ideas — Create a bigger-than-needed pool of atomic email ideas from available resources. 4. Organize into storyboard — Curate, prioritize, and sequence the best ideas into a campaign.

Key Principle: What Is an "Atomic" Email?

One email = one idea. Types of atomic emails are listed in references/email-types.md.

An atomic email must pass four tests:

1. Focused — Contains exactly one core idea. If something doesn't fit, make it a separate email.
2. Serves a strategic purpose — See the four strategic reasons in references/strategic-filters.md.
3. Has clear CTA hierarchy — Primary CTA, optional secondary CTA, optional P.S. See references/cta-hierarchy.md.
4. Customer-centric — Passes the qualifying questions in references/qualifying-questions.md.

Workflow

1. Accept input

Accept a discovery brief (from the research skill) or equivalent information. Minimum required: campaign goal, steps to success, main problems, resource inventory.

If the user provides a brief document, read it. If information is provided conversationally, organize it mentally before proceeding.

2. Diverge — Generate email ideas

Methodically work through the resources inventory. For each resource, ask: "Could this be an atomic email?"

Generate 2–3× more ideas than the final campaign needs. For a 10-email campaign, aim for 20–30 ideas.

For each idea, note:

• Title (working subject line)
• Synopsis (2–3 sentences describing the gist)
• Type (from references/email-types.md)
• Strategic purpose (from references/strategic-filters.md)
• Primary resource (the asset or engagement it draws from)

Critical: Do not only generate instructional emails. Instructions are the least effective way to influence behavior. Include emails that inspire, delight, build trust, and drive action.

3. Converge — Build the storyboard

From the pool, select emails using this process:

1. Pick 2–3 emails solving the most crucial problems on the way to the campaign goal.
2. Add 1–2 emails elevating perceived product value (cool features, integrations).
3. Add 1–2 emails that inspire (case studies, tips & tricks).
4. Add 1–2 emails driving action (promo codes, deadlines, call invites).
5. Order them to match the user journey.
6. Shuffle until the sequence feels right. Kill darlings if there are too many.
7. If an idea is hard to cut, include it as a secondary link in another email instead. Resist merging two equal emails unless framed as a list.
8. Set time delays matching the cadence guidelines in references/cadence-guidelines.md.

Keep the campaign goal in mind at every step.

4. Handle leftovers

Do not discard unused ideas. Sort them into buckets for future campaigns:

• Case studies → lead nurture
• Advanced features → customer success
• Action-driving emails → trial expiry / upgrade
• General value → re-engagement

5. Produce the storyboard

Create the storyboard as two markdown files with a table inside each:

Table 1: Campaign Storyboard Columns: Email #, Day/Delay, Title (Subject), Synopsis, Email Type, Strategic Purpose, Primary CTA, Secondary CTA, Key Resource

Table 2: Leftover Ideas Columns: Title, Synopsis, Type, Strategic Purpose, Suggested Future Campaign

Present to the user for review. Remind them this feeds into the

atomic-emails-copywriter

skill.

Guidelines

• Present the full idea pool to the user before curating, so they can participate in selection.
• If the user wants to work on multiple campaigns at once, generate one shared pool and distribute ideas across campaigns.
• The storyboard is a planning tool — synopses, not full copy. Each synopsis should be 2–3 sentences.
• Encourage the user to gather feedback from teammates or customers on the storyboard before moving to copywriting.