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FrenoCorp/plans/FRE-650-email-platform-setup.md

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Email Marketing Platform Setup - FRE-650

Issue: FRE-650
Priority: High
Owner: CMO
Status: In Progress
Created: 2026-04-26

Executive Summary

Setting up email marketing infrastructure for Scripter. This includes platform selection, account setup, domain authentication, template creation, and integration with product analytics.

Budget Constraint: $0/month (company-wide constraints)
Recommended Platform: Mailchimp Free Tier (sufficient for launch)

Platform Selection

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Weight Mailchimp Customer.io SendGrid
Cost (free tier) High ✅ 500 contacts ❌ No free tier ✅ 100 emails/day
Automation High ✅ Basic ✅ Advanced ⚠️ Limited
Templates Medium ✅ 100+ ⚠️ Custom ⚠️ Custom
Analytics Medium ✅ Basic ✅ Advanced ✅ Basic
Ease of use Medium ✅ Very easy ⚠️ Learning curve ⚠️ Developer-focused
Scalability Low ⚠️ Paid at 500+ ✅ Enterprise ✅ Enterprise

Decision: Mailchimp Free Tier

Rationale:

  • $0 cost fits budget constraints
  • 500 contacts sufficient for pre-launch (current waitlist: ~200)
  • Built-in templates reduce design time
  • Easy to migrate later when budget allows
  • Already documented in existing marketing materials

Upgrade Path: Mailchimp Essentials ($13/mo) at 400 contacts, Standard ($20/mo) for advanced automation

Setup Checklist

Phase 1: Account & Domain Setup (Day 1)

  • Create Mailchimp account

    • URL: mailchimp.com
    • Company: FrenoCorp
    • Industry: Software/Technology
    • Plan: Free Tier

  • Verify sender information

    • From name: "Scripter Team"
    • From email: hello@scripter.app (or current domain)
    • Reply-to: same as from
    • Physical address: [Company address]

  • Domain authentication (Critical for deliverability)

    • Add SPF record to DNS
    • Add DKIM record to DNS
    • Add DMARC record (optional but recommended)
    • Verify domain in Mailchimp

  • Set up dedicated sending domain (optional for now)

    • Use subdomain: mail.scripter.app or send.scripter.app
    • Isolates email reputation from main domain

Phase 2: Audience & Segmentation (Day 1-2)

  • Create primary audience: "Scripter Users"

  • Set up custom fields:

    • PLAN_TYPE (Free/Pro/Premium)
    • SIGNUP_DATE (Date)
    • USE_CASE (Feature Film/TV/Student)
    • LAST_ACTIVE (Date)
    • TOTAL_SCRIPTS (Number)

  • Create segments:

    • Waitlist - Pre-launch subscribers
    • Free Users - Active free tier
    • Pro Users - Paying customers
    • Trial Users - Currently on Pro trial
    • Inactive 30d - Haven't logged in 30+ days
    • Power Users - 10+ scripts created

  • Import existing waitlist (from /marketing/waitlist-export.csv)

    • Map fields correctly
    • Tag with WAITLIST_ORIGINAL
    • Suppress duplicates

Phase 3: Template Design (Day 2-3)

  • Create base template (matches brand guidelines)

    • Logo header
    • Single column layout (mobile optimized)
    • Brand colors: #518ac8 (primary), #1a336b (text)
    • Footer with unsubscribe + address

  • Build transactional templates:

    • Welcome email
    • Password reset
    • Collaboration invite
    • Comment notification
    • Export complete

  • Build marketing templates:

    • Newsletter (weekly)
    • Feature announcement
    • Upgrade offer
    • Win-back campaign

Phase 4: Email Sequence Setup (Day 3-4)

Based on /marketing/email-marketing-strategy.md:

  • Waitlist Sequence (5 emails)

    • Email 1: Immediate - "You're on the list! 🎬"
    • Email 2: Day 3 - "Why we built Scripter"
    • Email 3: Day 7 - "Sneak peek inside Scripter"
    • Email 4: Day 10 - "Final Draft vs Scripter"
    • Email 5: Day 14 - "48 hours early access"

  • Onboarding Sequence (5 emails)

    • Email 1: Immediate - "Welcome to Scripter!"
    • Email 2: Day 1 - "Your first screenplay in 5 minutes"
    • Email 3: Day 3 - "Pro tip: Auto-formatting magic"
    • Email 4: Day 7 - "Write together with collaborators"
    • Email 5: Day 14 - "Unlock Pro: Write without limits"

  • Free-to-Pro Conversion (4 emails)

    • Email 1: Day 7 - "Loving Scripter? Go Pro."
    • Email 2: Day 10 - "What Pro writers get"
    • Email 3: Day 14 - "Last day: 14-day Pro trial"
    • Email 4: Day 21 - "Still writing free?"

  • Trial Conversion (6 emails)

    • See email-marketing-strategy.md for full sequence

Phase 5: Analytics & Tracking (Day 4-5)

  • Enable Mailchimp analytics

    • Open tracking (default)
    • Click tracking (default)
    • E-commerce tracking (for conversions)

  • Set up UTM parameters

    • All links get: ?utm_source=email&utm_medium=[campaign]&utm_content=[content]
    • Example: ?utm_source=email&utm_medium=onboarding&utm_content=day1-tutorial

  • Integrate with product analytics (FRE-585)

    • Track email-driven signups
    • Track email-driven conversions
    • Attribute revenue to email campaigns

  • Create dashboard (Google Sheets or Mailchimp reports)

    • Daily sends
    • Open rate trend
    • Click rate trend
    • Conversion rate
    • Unsubscribe rate

Phase 6: Compliance & Testing (Day 5)

  • GDPR compliance

    • Double opt-in enabled for EU subscribers
    • Privacy policy link in footer
    • Data processing agreement with Mailchimp

  • CAN-SPAM compliance

    • Physical address in footer
    • Clear unsubscribe link (Mailchimp auto-adds)
    • Accurate subject lines

  • Testing

    • Send test emails to team
    • Check mobile rendering (iOS, Android)
    • Check desktop rendering (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail)
    • Test all links in each template
    • Test personalization merge tags
    • Test unsubscribe flow

  • Spam testing

    • Use Mailchimp spam checker
    • Test with mail-tester.com
    • Aim for 9/10 score

Technical Implementation

DNS Records (Add to domain registrar)

SPF Record:

Type: TXT
Name: @
Value: v=spf1 include:spf.mailchimp.com ~all

DKIM Record:

Type: TXT
Name: k1._domainkey
Value: v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=[Mailchimp-provided-key]

DMARC Record (Recommended):

Type: TXT
Name: _dmarc
Value: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@scripter.app

Mailchimp API Integration (Future)

For automated transactional emails and event-based triggers:

// Example: Add subscriber via API
POST https://usX.api.mailchimp.com/3.0/lists/{list_id}/members

{
  "email_address": "user@example.com",
  "status": "subscribed",
  "merge_fields": {
    "FNAME": "John",
    "LNAME": "Doe",
    "PLAN_TYPE": "Free"
  }
}

API Key: Store in environment variables (never commit)
Docs: https://mailchimp.com/developer/

Migration Path (Future)

When we outgrow Mailchimp Free Tier (500 contacts):

Option A: Mailchimp Paid

  • Essentials ($13/mo): 50k contacts, basic automation
  • Standard ($20/mo): Advanced segmentation, A/B testing
  • Premium ($350/mo): Unlimited sends, phone support

Option B: Customer.io (Recommended at Scale)

  • Cost: $150/mo starting
  • Benefits: Advanced automation, behavioral triggers, better deliverability
  • Migration: Export segments, recreate workflows, update DNS

Option C: Hybrid (Transactional + Marketing)

  • SendGrid for transactional ($50/mo for 50k emails)
  • Mailchimp for marketing (free up to 500)
  • Benefit: Better deliverability, dedicated IP for transactional

Success Metrics

30-Day Targets (Post-Launch)

Metric Target Measurement
Subscribers 1,000 Mailchimp audience count
Open rate 25%+ Mailchimp analytics
Click rate 5%+ Mailchimp analytics
Unsubscribe rate <0.5% Mailchimp analytics
Spam complaints <0.1% Mailchimp analytics
Email-driven signups 100 UTM tracking in analytics
Email-driven conversions 20 Pro users Revenue attribution

90-Day Targets

Metric Target
Subscribers 5,000
Open rate 28%
Click rate 6%
Email revenue $2,000 MRR

Budget

Initial Setup (Month 1)

  • Mailchimp Free Tier: $0
  • Domain setup: $0 (existing domain)
  • Total: $0

Projected Costs

Month Contacts Plan Cost
1-3 0-500 Free $0
4-6 500-2,000 Essentials $13/mo
7-12 2,000-10,000 Standard $20/mo
12+ 10,000+ Customer.io $150/mo

Note: Upgrade only when hitting contact limits. Free tier sufficient for launch.

Risks & Mitigation

Risk Impact Mitigation
Low deliverability High Proper DNS setup, warm-up period, list cleaning
Spam complaints High Double opt-in, clear unsubscribe, quality content
Platform lock-in Medium Export contacts monthly, document workflows
Budget constraints Medium Free tier sufficient for 500 contacts, upgrade at traction
Integration complexity Low Start with manual imports, add API later

Timeline

Phase Tasks Duration Owner
1. Account & Domain Mailchimp setup, DNS records 2 hours CMO
2. Audience Segments, import waitlist 2 hours CMO
3. Templates Base + transactional templates 4 hours CMO + Designer
4. Sequences Build all email automations 6 hours CMO
5. Analytics UTM setup, dashboard 2 hours CMO + CTO
6. Testing QA, spam testing, compliance 2 hours CMO
Total 18 hours

ETA: 3-5 days (depends on designer availability for templates)

Dependencies

  • FRE-577: Marketing website (signup form integration)
  • FRE-585: Analytics dashboard (email metrics tracking)
  • FRE-627: Pre-launch execution (waitlist emails)
  • Domain access: DNS records for authentication

Next Actions

  1. Immediate (Today):

    • Create Mailchimp account
    • Add DNS records for domain authentication
    • Set up sender information

  2. Tomorrow:

    • Create audience segments
    • Import waitlist contacts
    • Design base template

  3. This Week:

    • Build all email sequences
    • Set up UTM tracking
    • Test all flows
    • Launch waitlist sequence

Resources

Status: Ready to execute
Last Updated: 2026-04-26

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