Email sequences are one of the easiest ways to stay in touch and engage customers without having to write every message from scratch.
Trying to welcome new customers, nurture leads, or re-engage inactive subscribers? Sequences help you reach your target audience by sending timely and relevant content.
In this guide, you’ll find:
- A breakdown of email sequences and why they’re useful for your email marketing strategy
- Six different types of email sequence examples
- A step-by-step walkthrough for setting up your first email sequence
- Tips and best practices to help your emails feel timely, relevant, and worth opening
Let’s get into it.
What is an automated email sequence?
Email sequences, also called drip campaigns, are a series of automated emails that are sent to a subscriber over a specified period. Email sequences are a type of email marketing automation strategy.
Each email in the sequence has a specific purpose, and you can decide how many emails you want to add to the sequence and when you want to send them.
These emails are usually triggered by a certain action (like someone signing up for a newsletter, downloading a freebie, or making a purchase), and they’re designed to guide your recipient towards a particular goal.
That goal can be anything: welcoming a new customer, inviting them to complete a purchase, or re-engaging with someone who’s gone quiet.
The important thing is that once the sequence starts, the messages are sent automatically, without you having to manually follow up. Because of this, automated email sequences offer three major benefits:
- They save you time. You write the emails once, and the rest is done automatically.
- They’re timely. Each message is sent at the right moment, not just whenever you remember to send it.
- They’re targeted. You can send different emails depending on what someone clicked, viewed, or bought.
Here’s an example of an email sequence. Let’s say someone signs up for your newsletter, and they get a welcome email right away. A couple of days later, you send a follow-up email with a special discounted offer to keep them engaged. If they click the offer, they get more details or a next step. If not, you send a gentle reminder or try a different incentive.
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Types of email sequences (with examples)
Email sequences serve different purposes depending on how they are positioned in a customer’s journey. Below, we’ve covered some common types of email sequences, with real-life examples of how each one works.
1. Cold email sequence
A cold email sequence is a set of emails you send to someone who hasn’t interacted with your business before.
It’s a way to reach out, introduce yourself, and see if there’s a possible fit, but without being pushy.
These emails are great for your brand’s outreach efforts, especially in B2B settings. They help you connect with people who might benefit from what you offer but don’t know about you yet.
The initial email you send should be short and to the point. Focus on who you are, why you’re reaching out, and how you might be able to help.
Remember, the goal is to start a conversation, not necessarily make a sale right away.
If you don’t hear back, send a follow-up email. You can share a resource, answer a common question, or just check in politely.
Check out this opening email example from Hey Broadband:
This email could be more personal, but the “Hey, Streamer” line is an engaging, friendly hook. It quickly introduces the brand and highlights its unique selling points, and the visual package breakdown makes it easy for the reader to compare options.
2. Welcome email sequence
A welcome email sequence is the first set of emails a person gets after signing up for your list. It’s your chance to say hello, set expectations, and give them a reason to stay connected.
A good welcome email sequence starts with a short, friendly email that thanks them for signing up and briefly introduces your business.
You might follow that up with a few more emails over the next few days, sharing what your business is about, how you can help, or a helpful resource or discount.
Note that your welcome email sequence shouldn’t be too long or complicated. The goal isn’t to immediately make a sale; it’s more about creating a good first impression and giving your subscribers a reason to keep opening your emails.
Take a look at this fun welcome email sequence by Bubble Skincare:
This email completely nails the first impression. It’s bright, friendly, and gets straight to the point. There’s no hard sell; just a warm hello and a quick peek at their most-loved products.
Plus, they do a great job of branding with the reminder that they’re all about community, clean skincare, and good vibes (plus, they’re vegan and cruelty-free).
3. Lead-nurturing email sequence
Lead-nurturing emails are usually sent to people who might have taken actions like signing up for a free resource, downloading a guide, or attending a webinar, but are not quite ready to buy yet.
These sequences help people get to know your brand better and can slowly nurture them towards becoming paying customers.
A lead-nurturing sequence usually involves emails highlighting helpful, relevant content over time. This can be a few tips, how-to articles, tutorials, or product guides; anything that helps build trust and reminds the recipient of your brand. As they click, read, or respond, you can ensure future emails match their needs more closely.
This kind of sequence works especially well for B2B marketing or anyone selling a high-ticket product that requires careful consideration before buying.
Check out this example by Readymag:
This is a great example of lead nurturing done right. The email is clean, useful, and packed with helpful information about shortcuts, project highlights, and how-to content, all without being too pushy. It helps engage the recipient while subtly showing off what Readymag can do.
4. Onboarding sequence
An onboarding email sequence helps new users get started with your product or service, contributing to high customer retention and a good experience.
While welcome emails introduce your brand, onboarding email sequences guide people through what to do next.
These emails are especially useful if someone has signed up for a free trial, created an account, or made their first purchase. Your goal is to help them reach that “aha” moment, where they understand how your product works and how it’s useful to them.
For a good onboarding sequence, start with a simple email thanking new users for joining and showing them how to get started. Something like this:
After that, you can send tips, walkthroughs, or helpful content to highlight key features and encourage them to take the next step. The next step can be using a tool, exploring your products, or completing a profile.
Each message you send should focus on reducing confusion and providing helpful information. It’s also a good idea to include some social proof, like customer testimonials or success stories, to reassure your recipients that they’re in the right place.
Here’s an example of an onboarding email sequence:
This onboarding email by Ellevest is clear, engaging, and packed with helpful next steps. From billing details to account setup tips, everything is laid out in a simple, organized way that makes it easy to get started.
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5. Abandoned cart email sequence
People abandon carts for many reasons. Maybe they were comparing prices, saved the purchase for later, got busy, or just forgot.
An abandoned cart email is your chance to bring the customer back and help them complete their purchase.
For the initial email in the sequence, send a simple reminder that the recipient left something behind.
If there’s no response, follow up on the previous email by offering a small incentive. This could be free shipping, a discount, or a limited-time offer.
Abandoned cart emails work best when you include the actual product image, name, and price of the items in the cart, so the recipient can instantly remember what they liked. And if luck has it and they simply forgot to complete their purchase the first time round, they’ll click right through to cart again.
Further on in the sequence, you can also include a product recommendation section to increase their interest, or a countdown timer to create some urgency and a little extra motivation.
Be careful not to pressure the recipient, though. The goal is to help them pick up where they left off, not annoy them with a pushy sales pitch.
Check out this abandoned cart email sequence by Brew Tea Co:
Brew Tea Co keeps it clean, friendly, and straight to the point. The subject is clear — they saved some tea — and the email gently reminds the recipient what they left behind with a product photo and a quick way to checkout.
Plus, they throw in some perks like free shipping, loyalty rewards, and a refer-a-friend offer without making it feel pushy.
6. Re-engagement email sequence
Sometimes, subscribers or customers go quiet. A re-engagement email sequence helps you check in with this crowd and remind them what they’re missing.
Send these emails to subscribers who haven’t opened your emails or made a purchase in a while (which is usually 30 days if you send a lot of emails every month).
Start off the first email with a friendly message that says, “We miss you”. This is a simple, honest way to re-engage with an old customer without jumping straight into a promotion.
From there, you can follow up with a small incentive, like an exclusive offer or discount. You can also use this moment to highlight what’s new with your business. It can be fresh content, updated features, or newly launched products, giving the subscriber a reason to come back.
Re-engagement sequences can also be a great way to keep your mailing list healthy and enhance your overall sales process. If certain recipients choose to unsubscribe, this can be a way to focus more on the people who are active and still want to hear from you.
Here’s a wonderful re-engagement email example from Belgian Boys:
Belgian Boys hit the nail on the head with their playful, warm tone and a humble acceptance that the recipient might’ve drifted away.
They also make it easy to come back with a direct call to action, and clear links to their shop and bundles to try and re-engage inactive subscribers.
How to create email sequences with GetResponse email templates
Ready to create your first email sequence? Here’s how to do it with GetResponse’s email sequence software:
1. Begin by logging into your GetResponse account. If you don’t have one, sign up for a free trial.
2. Once logged in, go to the Tools menu and select Automation.
3. From there, click on Create Workflow.
4. Next, you’ll see a page with GetResponse’s templates. GetResponse offers ready-made templates for common sequences like welcome, cart abandonment, and lead nurturing.
You can choose a template to save time, or click “Build from Scratch” if you want full control over your sequence. For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll use the “welcome new contacts” email sequence template.
5. You’ll now be taken into the workflow space.
6. The first thing you need to do is set your condition or “trigger”. For a welcome sequence, this is already done for you; the condition is that you’ve got a new subscriber.
You can adjust the condition from the Properties tab, such as which list, subscription method, or form it applies to.
7. Next, customize the message you’ll send. You can use an existing email or create a new one. Simply click “Create new message” and use GetResponse’s existing email templates to design a killer email.
8. Next, you’ll set the time condition or “delay”. This is where you choose the period after which the follow-up email should be sent.
9. Next, set up the message to send after your designated delay time. You can repeat this step multiple times if you’d like to add additional delayed emails to your welcome sequence.
10. Now, it’s time to assign a tag to your new subscriber. In the Properties panel, choose or create a tag like “new-subscriber” or “welcome-sequence-started.” This helps you segment your audience later based on whether they’ve completed the welcome sequence and avoid sending duplicate sequences to someone who’s already received them.
11. You can continue customizing your workflow. From the side panel, you can drag in more elements, such as tagging contacts, tracking link clicks, checking if an email was opened, or setting up actions based on purchases or visited pages. You’re free to make your sequence as complex or as simple as you’d like.
12. Next, click on the gear wheel “Settings” icon in the top right corner. Under Start Workflow, choose whether you want the sequence to begin immediately, on a specific date, or manually.
13. At the top of the page, click “Save and exit” to save your draft. You can come back and edit it anytime before publishing.
14. Once you’re ready to go live, click the blue “Publish” button at the top right of the screen. Your sequence will start based on the trigger and start time you’ve set.
Congratulations! You’ve just made your very first email sequence with GetResponse.
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Best practices to follow in an email sequence
Setting up an email sequence is just the start. To make sure your emails actually get opened (and acted on), it helps to follow a few tried and tested best practices.
Create a consistent sending schedule
Your email schedule should have a consistent, regular pace; not too often, and not too rarely.
A predictable schedule is good for letting your subscribers know what to expect, which builds trust and makes them more likely to convert into loyal customers.
For example, if you’re onboarding new subscribers and promise to send a daily 10 AM email, make sure to do this consistently.
Or, if you’re sending out a welcome sequence, you may send the first email right away, the next one two days later, and a third a few days after that.
The goal is to find a pacing that makes sense for your audience and stick to it. If your emails only show up once in two months, or flood inboxes for a week straight, people are more likely to skip them, or worse, unsubscribe.
Automate it
Writing emails is the first step. The next part is sending them out. If you’re aiming to send hundreds of emails at once, doing them manually is a complete no-go. This is where email marketing automation software like GetResponse comes in.
As we saw above, GetResponse allows you to automate email sequences by triggering emails based on time (like “two days after signup”) and user behavior (like “clicked a link” or “left an item in cart”).
For example, if someone signs up for a free trial, you can set up a schedule so they receive an automatic welcome message, followed by usage tips over the next few days with no manual follow-up needed.
Email marketing automation saves time, reduces manual errors, and ensures you send the right messages at the right moment. Use it.
Create personalized email sequences
Everyone knows personalization is important for sending emails that generate action. But personalization goes beyond just using the recipient’s first name.
When your emails reflect what the recipient is actually interested in, they feel more relevant and less like generic, pushy marketing.
Think about what the person has done. Did they add something to the cart? Or visit a specific page? Based on this, you can:
- Reference the specific product or service they viewed
- Recommend content based on their behavior (e.g., blog posts, videos, or FAQs)
- Use mail merge to mention location, industry, or other details you’ve collected
Even small personal touches (like suggesting the next best step based on their last activity) help you achieve higher open rates, more clicks, and an engaged subscriber base.
Use engaging email subject lines and strong calls to action
The subject line is what gets your email campaigns opened. The call to action (CTA) is what gets readers to take the next step. Both need to be clear, strong, and purposeful.
A good subject line is short, specific, and piques the reader’s curiosity. For example, instead of writing a generic “Check this out,” you could say “Still thinking it over? Here’s 10% off” or “Your guide to getting started is inside.”
For CTAs, remember to be clear and direct. Use simple language like “Start your free trial,” “Watch the demo,” or “See what’s new.”
You don’t want to include too many CTAs in one email, and keep the focus on one main action you want the reader to take.
Also, make sure your buttons and links are mobile-friendly. A huge part of your recipient base will be reading your messages on their phones.
If you aren’t sure what works, make use of A/B testing to try out different subject lines, CTAs, layouts, and send times to see what gets the best response.
Build your first email sequence with GetResponse today
That’s it for the basics of building great email marketing sequences, ones that actually get read and give you results. No matter what kind of email you’re sending, a little planning (and a bit of automation) goes a long way.
Ready to get started? Create an email sequence with GetResponse, explore our pre-made email templates, and use the detailed email analytics to run successful sequences.
