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Common use cases for Email Automations

  • Onboarding sequences for new users or customers on different plans
  • Lead nurturing campaigns for prospects at different stages
  • Re-engagement campaigns for inactive contacts
  • Educational drip campaigns that deliver value over time
  • Event-based sequences triggered by signup, download, or purchase
  • Anniversary or milestone emails celebrating customer relationships
  • Product adoption sequences guiding users through features
  • Renewal or upgrade campaigns for subscription-based products

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How to Create an Email Automation in AutoSend

AutoSend uses a contact-based trigger system. This means automations are triggered when a contact joins a specific list or segment. Here’s how to set one up:
1

Define Your Trigger

Identify what action should trigger your automation. For example, a user purchasing a Pro plan, signing up for a webinar, or abandoning their cart.
2

Create the Corresponding Contact List or Segment

Since AutoSend triggers automations based on contact list membership, you’ll need to create a list or segment that represents your trigger condition.Example: For a Pro plan onboarding sequence, create a segment called “Pro Plan Members” that includes all contacts with the custom field plan: pro. When a user purchases a Pro plan and is added to this segment, the automation will trigger automatically.
3

Create Your Automation

  1. Navigate to Marketing Emails in your AutoSend dashboard
  2. Click on the Automations tab
  3. Click New Automation
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An untitled automation will be created. Give it a descriptive name that clearly identifies its purpose, such as “Pro Plan Onboarding” or “Welcome Series.”
4

Set Entry Condition

In the Entry card, select the contact list or segment that will trigger this automation. When a contact joins this list or segment, they will enter the automation flow and begin receiving emails.
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5

Set Exit Condition

In the Exit card, choose when contacts should stop receiving emails from this automation:
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  • When the contact has received all the automation emails - The contact completes the entire sequence and exits automatically
  • Contact is no longer a part of the list/segment - The contact exits immediately if they’re removed from the trigger list or segment
Choose the option that best fits your automation’s purpose. For example, onboarding sequences typically use the first option, while promotional campaigns might use the second to stop sending if someone cancels their subscription.
6

Add Emails to Your Automation

  1. Click Add Email to create your first email in the sequence
  2. Set the Wait For timing to determine when this email should be sent:
    • By default, the timing is set to 0 seconds (immediately)
    • Adjust the timing based on your email strategy (e.g., 30 mins, 6 hours, 3 days)
  3. Design your email content, subject line, and preview text and select the sender of this email.
  4. Repeat to add more emails to your sequence
Add Emails to Your Automation
Note: You can add up to 10 emails in a single automation. Plan your sequence thoughtfully to deliver value without overwhelming your contacts.
7

Select an Unsubscribe Group

Choose an appropriate unsubscribe group for this automation. Since automations are treated as marketing emails, they are required to include an unsubscribe link. This ensures compliance with email regulations and gives contacts control over the emails they receive.
Select an Unsubscribe Group
8

Activate Your Automation

Once you’ve configured all settings and added your emails:
  1. Review your automation flow to ensure everything is correct
  2. Send test emails to verify content and personalization
  3. Click Activate to make your automation live
Activate Your Automation
Your automation is now active and will begin triggering for contacts who join the specified list or segment.

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Best Practices for Building Email Automations

Start with Clear Goals: Define what you want each automation to achieve, whether it’s onboarding, nurturing, conversion, or retention. Map the Contact Journey: Plan the logical flow of emails from the contact’s perspective. What information do they need first? What actions do you want them to take? Time Your Emails Strategically: Balance staying top-of-mind with avoiding inbox fatigue. Consider your audience’s behavior patterns and industry norms. Test Before Activating: Send test emails to yourself, verify all links work, and ensure personalization tokens display correctly. Monitor and Optimize: Regularly review open rates, click rates, and conversion metrics. A/B test subject lines, content, and timing to improve performance. Plan Your Exit Conditions: Consider when contacts should exit an automation, such as after converting, unsubscribing from the segment, or completing the sequence. Avoid Automation Overlap: Be mindful of contacts who might qualify for multiple automations. Ensure your segments are structured to prevent overwhelming contacts with too many simultaneous emails.

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify the automation is in Active state, not Draft or Paused
  • Check that contacts are actually joining your trigger list or segment
  • Ensure your list or segment criteria are correctly configured
  • Review your Wait For settings between each email
  • Remember that timing starts from when the contact enters, not from a specific time of day
  • Check if they were removed from the trigger list/segment that you selected for the exit option “Contact is no longer a part of the list/segment”
  • Verify the automation hasn’t been paused
  • Confirm they haven’t unsubscribed from the unsubscribe group