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:

Pasted text - Subject line + body in conversation
File path - Path to HTML email file
Gmail draft ID - Fetch via gmail_get_draft MCP tool
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

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

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
Often hidden with CSS for HTML view

4. Deliverability Signals (15% weight)

Base Score: 100, deduct points for red flags

Spam Word Density (-5 per word)

Count occurrences of spam triggers in body:

"Free", "Winner", "Guarantee", "Risk-free", "Act now"
"Cash", "Bonus", "Extra income", "Work from home"
"Unsecured credit", "Viagra", "Pharmacy"

Link Count (warn at 5+)

0-3 links = 0 penalty
4-5 links = -5 points (warning threshold)
6+ links = -15 points (spam signal)

Image-Only Email (-20 if fail)

Emails with only images and no text are spam signals
Must have substantive text content

Unsubscribe Link (-25 if missing)

Required for marketing emails
Must be clearly visible and functional
Check for <a> with "unsubscribe" keyword

Sender Name (-10 if generic)

Deduct for: "info@", "noreply@", "admin@", "support@"
Personal or company name preferred

Link Shorteners (-10 if detected)

Penalize use of: bit.ly, tinyurl, goo.gl, ow.ly
Spam filters distrust shortened URLs

5. Compliance Scoring (15% weight)