/email-review

name: email-review
description: Pre-send email quality review and scoring across 5 dimensions (subject line, copy quality, technical/HTML, deliverability, compliance). Analyzes subject lines, body copy, HTML structure, spam triggers, and CAN-SPAM compliance. Scores 0-100 with detailed recommendations for improvement. Use when user wants to review an email before sending, check email quality, or validate marketing email best practices.
user-invocable: false
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Bash
  - Grep
  - Glob

Email Review Sub-Skill

Purpose

Reviews email content before sending and provides a comprehensive quality score (0-100) across 5 weighted dimensions. Identifies critical issues, suggests improvements, and provides a rewritten version for low-scoring emails.

When to Activate

• User asks to "review this email"
• User provides email content (subject + body) for feedback
• User requests email quality check or score
• User wants to validate email before sending
• User provides Gmail draft ID for review
• User asks about email deliverability or spam risk

Input Formats

Accept email content in any of these formats:

1. **Pasted text** - Subject line + body in conversation 2. **File path** - Path to HTML email file 3. **Gmail draft ID** - Fetch via `gmail_get_draft` MCP tool 4. **Raw HTML** - HTML email source code

Scoring Framework

Overall Score Calculation

Total score = weighted sum of 5 categories:

| Category | Weight | Focus | |----------|--------|-------| | Subject Line | 25% | Length, power words, spam triggers, personalization | | Copy Quality | 25% | Word count, CTA clarity, framework structure, readability | | Technical/HTML | 20% | Size, responsiveness, dark mode, alt text, preheader | | Deliverability | 15% | Spam signals, link count, sender reputation factors | | Compliance | 15% | CAN-SPAM, unsubscribe, physical address, RFC 8058 |

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1. Subject Line Scoring (25% weight)

**Base Score: 0-100, then weighted at 25%**

Length Check (0-25 points)

• **Optimal**: 6-10 words OR 30-50 characters = 25 points
• **Acceptable**: 5 or 11 words = 20 points
• **Marginal**: 4 or 12 words = 10 points
• **Poor**: <4 or >12 words = 0 points

Spam Trigger Detection (-5 points each)

Penalize for each occurrence:

• ALL CAPS words
• Multiple exclamation marks (!!!)
• Phrases: "FREE", "Act Now", "Limited Time", "Guaranteed", "Winner", "Click Here", "Buy Now", "Order Now"
• Excessive punctuation ($$$, ???)

Power Words (+5 points each, max +15)

Bonus for strategic use of:

• "New", "Exclusive", "Proven", "Secret", "Discover"
• "Ultimate", "Essential", "Complete", "Breakthrough"
• Industry-specific power words

Personalization (+10 points)

• Contains merge tags like `{{first_name}}` or `{{company}}`
• Behavioral personalization indicators

Emoji Usage (+5 or -5)

• **1 emoji** = +5 points (increases open rates)
• **2+ emojis** = -5 points (reduces professionalism)
• **No emoji** = 0 points (neutral)

---

2. Copy Quality Scoring (25% weight)

**Base Score: 0-100, then weighted at 25%**

Word Count (0-20 points)

• **150-300 words** = 20 points (optimal)
• **100-149 or 301-400** = 15 points
• **50-99 or 401-500** = 10 points
• **<50 or >500** = 0 points

CTA Count (0-25 points)

• **1 primary CTA** = 25 points (best conversion)
• **2 CTAs** = 15 points (acceptable)
• **3+ CTAs** = 5 points (diluted focus)
• **0 CTAs** = 0 points (no action path)

CTA Clarity (0-15 points)

Score based on:

• **15 points**: Action verb + benefit ("Get My Free Guide", "Start Your Trial")
• **10 points**: Generic action ("Learn More", "Download")
• **5 points**: Vague ("Submit", "Click Here")
• **0 points**: No CTA or unclear

Framework Structure (0-15 points)

Check if email follows proven framework:

• **PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution)**: 15 points
• **AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action)**: 15 points
• **BAB (Before-After-Bridge)**: 15 points
• **FAB (Features-Advantages-Benefits)**: 15 points
• **4Ps (Picture-Promise-Proof-Push)**: 15 points
• **No clear structure**: 0 points

Readability (0-15 points)

• Short paragraphs (2-3 lines max): +5
• Bullet points or numbered lists: +5
• Scannable with subheadings: +5
• No walls of text: +5
• Deduct -5 for each readability issue

Personalization Beyond Name (0-10 points)

• Behavioral triggers (past purchase, browsing): +5
• Location/timezone awareness: +3
• Industry/role customization: +2

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3. Technical/HTML Scoring (20% weight)

**Base Score: 100, deduct points for violations**

Total Size (-20 if fail)

• **Must be under 102 KB** (Gmail clips emails over this)
• Check HTML + embedded images (if data URIs)

Text-to-Image Ratio (-15 if fail)

• **Minimum 60% text / 40% images**
• Image-heavy emails trigger spam filters

Responsive Design (-10 if fail)

Check for:

• Viewport meta tag: `<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">`
• Media queries for mobile breakpoints
• Fluid tables or container widths

Dark Mode Support (-5 if fail)

Check for:

• `<meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark">`
• CSS with `@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark)`
• Dark mode color overrides

Alt Text on Images (-5 per missing)

• All `<img>` tags must have `alt` attribute
• Alt text should be descriptive, not just filename

Table-Based Layout (-5 if fail)

• Email should use `<table>` for layout (HTML email best practice)
• Deduct if using CSS Grid/Flexbox (poor email client support)

Font Safety (-5 if fail)

• Must use web-safe fonts with fallbacks
• Example: `font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;`
• Avoid custom web fonts without fallbacks

CTA Button Size (-5 if fail)

• Minimum **44x44 pixels** (mobile touch target)
• Check all `<a>` styled as buttons

Plain-Text Version (-10 if fail)

• Must have plain-text MIME part OR
• Text-only fallback within HTML

Preheader Text (-5 if missing)

• **30-80 character** preview text
• Located immediately after `<body>` tag
• Oft