Creating effective email sequences can significantly increase your business's engagement, conversions, and overall email marketing success. In this article, you'll find practical strategies, inspiring email sequence examples, and tips on simplifying the production process by reusing email elements across your campaigns.
What is an email sequence?
Imagine you've just signed up for a free software tool trial. Within minutes, you receive a welcome email introducing the platform's features. A few days later, another email arrives with helpful tips for getting started. Then, after a week, you receive a reminder to upgrade to a paid plan. This is an example of an email sequence — automated emails sent in a series based on specific actions, like signing up for a trial, that guide the recipient through a predefined journey.
Email sequences are delivered to prospects, users, or customers at strategic intervals. These sequences are designed to accomplish specific goals, such as nurturing leads, increasing engagement, or converting prospects into customers. Whether it's a welcome series, an onboarding sequence, or a follow-up after a sale, email sequences ensure that personalized, targeted messages consistently reach the right people at the right time.
What’s the difference between email sequences and email drip campaigns?
Another similar strategy used in email marketing is email drip campaigns. However, there is a significant difference between the two approaches.
Although both email sequences and drip campaigns are automated, email sequences are typically more personalized and goal oriented, whereas drip campaigns typically follow a preset schedule, sending emails regularly regardless of user behavior.
In addition to being triggered by specific actions or events, such as sign-ups or purchases, automated email sequences also respond to changes in the sequence, making them more targeted and relevant. This allows email sequences to closely match customer behavior, delivering personalized content at the right moment, which can significantly improve engagement and conversions.
Here’s a quick comparison to highlight the differences:
|
Feature |
Email sequence |
Drip campaign |
|
Trigger |
Based on user actions or behaviors |
Preset timing is not dependent on user action |
|
Personalization |
Highly personalized based on user activity |
Limited personalization, with personalization only at the start |
|
Goal |
Focused on achieving specific outcomes |
Follows a fixed schedule |
|
Flexibility |
Adaptable to various customer journeys |
Fixed, with little room for flexibility |
|
Use case |
Lead nurturing, sales follow-ups, onboarding |
General awareness or engagement campaigns |
11 email sequences strategies and examples
Email sequences can be used in various scenarios, such as attracting new leads to your business or building relationships with customers. Such strategies include welcome emails, sign-up, cart abandonment, or lead nurturing sequences. Here are 11 of the most popular ways to use email sequences.
Lead nurturing email sequence
Email marketers use lead nurturing sequences to build relationships with new leads by gradually introducing them to your brand, products, and services. The lead nurturing sequence is triggered when a lead provides their email address — often in exchange for valuable content like an eBook — and aims to prepare prospects for deeper engagement in the sales funnel. That's why it is also called the welcome email sequence.
Typically, this sequence includes educational content, testimonials, or case studies to build trust and demonstrate the value of your offerings. By addressing potential objections and providing social proof, this sequence helps bring leads closer to the point where they feel ready for a sales conversation without being overly pushy.
Lead nurturing email sequence example from SurveyMonkey:
(Source: Email Love)
Onboarding email sequence
An onboarding email sequence is designed to guide new customers through the initial stages of using your product or service. It can also be triggered when someone first signs up for your product, especially if you have a trial or free version. This series of emails provides important information and resources to ensure a smooth onboarding process. The goal is to help customers become familiar with the product’s features, offer tips for success, and highlight any available support or tutorials. This gets new users actively using the product and getting results from it.
Here is an onboarding email template example from the Stripo library:
(Source: Stripo template)
Engagement email sequence
Engagement email sequences are designed to generate interest and maintain strong connections with both prospects and existing customers. These emails are designed to be compelling, often creating a sense of urgency or FOMO (fear of missing out) to encourage recipients to act on the CTA (call-to-action). Engagement email sequences help sales teams track recipient behavior. By measuring engagement, companies can determine which leads are ready to move further down the sales funnel and adjust their messaging accordingly, ensuring that the right content reaches the right audience at the right time.
Remember to create emails that engage subscribers and use interactive modules and gamification, like this example from Stripo:
(Source: Email from Stripo)
Conversion email sequence
A conversion email sequence is designed to prompt a specific action from your prospects, such as booking a demo, scheduling a call, or signing up for a webinar. These emails focus on a single, clear CTA and guide the recipient toward that goal through persuasive, value-driven messaging. The sequence usually offers something in return for taking action, like a free trial, exclusive content, or a limited-time offer, which incentivizes the recipient to engage.
By aligning the emails with the recipient's interests and timing them strategically, conversion sequences can significantly boost engagement, turning lukewarm leads into eager prospects ready to take the next step.
(Source: Email from Fortinet)
Re-engagement email sequence
A re-engagement email sequence is designed to win back the attention of inactive subscribers or customers who have stopped engaging with your emails, website, or services. This series of emails uses creative tactics, like pattern interrupts — surprising email subject lines or special offers — to recapture interest and encourage renewed interaction. The content often highlights new features, personalized offers, or updates that can reignite curiosity.
(Source: MailCharts)
In Stripo, re-engagement sequences are configured separately for the reactivation of subscribers and users. Email subscribers are reactivated if they have not interacted with emails within 21 days after subscription. There is also a segment of those recipients who did not open a single newsletter during the course of a month. We start a sequence with them, with the purpose being to get recipients to return to reading emails.
There is also an email sequence for reactivating users. Based on the data, we derived a period during which, if the user does not work in the account (create emails, export, etc.), we will simply lose it. Based on this data, we planned a re-engagement email sequence.
Oleksandr Dieiev,
Follow-up email sequence
A follow-up email sequence gently reminds recipients who have not responded to previous messages that you have sent them regarding an offer, thus reinforcing the offer and motivating recipients to take action. These emails are typically sent over time, each becoming more direct and addressing potential objections or concerns. This sequence helps to maintain communication without overwhelming the recipient, gradually building urgency and motivating a response.
For example, in this email from an email sequence, MacPaw reminds us that the special offer will end soon:
(Source: Email from MacPaw)
Sales email sequence
A sales email sequence, especially an upselling or cross-sell email sequence, is a powerful way to boost revenue by encouraging customers to explore related or upgraded products. This sequence introduces complementary offerings after an initial purchase and builds momentum by creating a sense of value and urgency. Offering limited-time discounts or exclusive deals can sweeten the offer, nudging customers toward conversion.
(Source: Email from Urban Outfitters)
Renewal email sequence
A renewal email sequence is essential in the SaaS world, serving as a timely reminder for customers nearing the end of their subscription period. Trigger-based personalization ensures these emails are highly relevant, addressing the expiring specific product or service. These emails are not just transactional; they're a crucial touchpoint that encourages customers to renew their service, helping to maintain retention and strengthen long-term customer relationships.
(Source: Email from Stripo)
Educational email sequence
An educational email sequence is a powerful tool for nurturing subscribers by consistently delivering valuable, free content that educates and engages. This type of sequence ensures that prospects and customers are regularly exposed to your content marketing — blog posts, webinars, videos, or podcasts. While the goal isn't to make a direct sale, educational emails subtly guide subscribers toward your paid offers by building trust and showcasing expertise.
These emails provide value and keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. The content is often delivered logically, with each email offering deeper insights or practical tips related to the recipient’s interests or challenges.
(Source: Stripo template)
Abandoned cart email sequence
An abandoned cart email sequence is a key strategy for eCommerce businesses to recover lost sales. When a customer adds products to their cart but leaves without completing the purchase, this automated email sequence steps in to re-engage them. The goal is to remind customers of forgotten items and reignite their purchase intent. This sequence typically starts with a simple reminder email sent shortly after abandonment, which gently nudges the customer to return to their cart. From there, the emails become progressively persuasive, designed to prompt the customer back toward completing their order.
Subsequent emails in the sequence might create urgency by highlighting limited stock or offering a time-sensitive discount. To reinforce the value of the purchase, including customer testimonials or social proof can be effective in building trust and reducing hesitation.
(Source: Email Love)
Reminder or event-based email sequence
A reminder or event-based email sequence ensures that leads or customers are made aware of all important events like demos, webinars, or product launches. These emails are designed to provide gentle nudges that keep your audience informed and excited while ensuring they have all the logistical details they need to attend the events. Starting with a confirmation email after sign-up, the sequence can progress with timely reminders, each offering value, such as preparation tips or access links, to ensure everything runs smoothly.
These sequences serve a dual purpose for events: building anticipation and maximizing attendance. The first email highlights the event's significance, sharing details like speakers or agenda while offering an easy registration link. To boost attendance, adding an incentive like early-bird pricing for paid events can encourage swift action.
(Source: Email from Stripo)
You can apply all these proven strategies of automated email sequences in your email marketing to solve different problems at different stages of the customer's movement through the sales funnel. Next, we will share secrets and tricks to help you make these sequences more effective and spend less time on email production.
Steps and best practices for creating an email sequence
Creating a successful email sequence requires thoughtful planning, collaboration, and the right tools. The process begins by working closely with your sales and marketing teams to develop detailed buyer personas. These personas will help you understand your target audience's needs at each sales funnel stage, ensuring that your sequence speaks directly to their pain points and desires.
Determine the sequence’s goal and triggers
Each email sequence should have a clear, specific goal tailored to your buyer's needs and business objectives. The goal might be nurturing leads, recovering lost sales, or driving webinar registrations. Once the goal is set, you need to identify the specific, measurable trigger that will initiate the sequence — whether it's a prospect downloading content or abandoning their shopping cart.
- Set SMART goals: To ensure your sequence is effective, set SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, the goal of a lead nurturing sequence could be to build stronger customer relationships, while a cart abandonment sequence might focus on recovering a percentage of lost sales. Defining these objectives upfront will guide your strategy and keep your efforts focused.
- Personalize and segment: Personalization is key to building rapport and driving engagement. Tailor the content of each email to the recipient’s interests and use segmentation to ensure the right message reaches the right person. For example, addressing the recipient by name and offering relevant content based on their actions can significantly boost open and click rates.
- Identify triggers: Identify the actions or events that will trigger each email in your sequence, such as a content download or a purchase. From there, create a detailed plan outlining the emails' content, timing, and flow. For example, if a person downloads an e-book on “Email production guide,” you'd better trigger follow-up emails that share additional information about this topic.
Plan the email sequence
The main parameters to consider when planning email sequences are the number of emails and the time frame. These parameters should be based on the business's goals and the buyer's needs and should be limited to only what is necessary to achieve a goal.
Once you have these in place, you can plan the sequence and outline each email, carefully considering which emails will respond to specific actions from your subscribers.
To make it easier to find ideas for creating an email sequence strategy, use GenAI. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to generate a follow-up sequence plan to upsell a product. For better results, be sure to specify the exact product or category, describe the target audience, and define the purpose of the email chain.
Create the emails
When crafting emails for your sequence, the primary focus should consistently be delivering value while encouraging the prospect or customer to act. Each email should be designed to address specific needs at different stages of the buyer's journey, always aligned with the business goals. Keep your emails clear, concise, and actionable, ensuring that the message is easy to understand and drives engagement.
- The first things recipients will see are the email subject line and preheader text, so they need to grab attention quickly. Keep subject lines short and compelling, focusing on the key benefits or actions you want the reader to accept or take, respectively.
- Your CTA guides the reader toward the desired action. Every email in the sequence should include a clear, easy-to-find CTA that aligns with the email's goal. Whether downloading a resource, signing up for a webinar, or completing a purchase, make the CTA button stand out through color and placement.
- The design of your email should support your message without overwhelming the recipient. A clean, uncluttered layout with strategic use of white space helps guide the reader's eye to the most essential elements, like the CTA or critical information. Incorporate your brand's colors, fonts, and imagery to create a visually appealing and cohesive experience across all emails in the sequence.
Ways to speed up email sequence production
Many emails may be in automated sequences and may adapt according to subscribers' actions, so it is essential to optimize production, make tests, and measure the results.
Use modular design to speed up production
A modular email design is one of the best ways to streamline the creation process and maintain brand consistency across multiple campaigns. Modular blocks allow you to create reusable sections — like headers, footers, product highlights, and CTAs — that can be quickly adjusted and deployed across various sequences.
For example, you might have a product block showcasing key features, which can be easily swapped out or updated depending on the sequence. This saves time and ensures that every email reflects your brand's look and feel, regardless of the campaign.
Modular design speeds up and simplifies the process of creating scalable and personalized email sequences while maintaining consistency across campaigns. This saves time and ensures better engagement and higher conversions by delivering the right message to the right audience every time.
We reduce the time it takes to prepare each client newsletter using personal and synchronized modules in Stripo. First, the designer prepares all the blocks under the brand’s guidelines, and then the email marketers work with the ready-made blocks in Stripo. We prepare an email guideline for the client, where we draw all the necessary blocks — product cards, blocks with promotional positions, and recommendations. So, the email marketer collects the entire or part of the email without involving a designer and asks them only for the main banner or custom header.
My favorite feature in Stripo is the ability to save modules to reuse in other emails. Once you have a module saved, you simply drag and drop it into another email template when you want to use it. It means the emails look consistent, and there are no errors with spacing or sizing — all things that contribute to building trust with the recipient. It also saves a lot of time as you only have to do the hard work of building a module once!
Stefanie Mainstone,
Create master email templates or use prebuilt templates
Another way to speed up production is to use templates. For example, you can create one master email template containing all the necessary blocks and build each new email based on this template.
We’d work as much as we could on a master template and then duplicate this as required. I think now getting the master template right, even from scratch, in Stripo takes up to 1 hour. So I’d say 8 hours down to less than 1 hour for a base template for a campaign.
Stefanie Mainstone,
You can also take ready-made templates for the entire sequence and build your emails on them. Here is an example of an email template for all series:
(Source: Stripo templates)
Test and optimize
Email sequences should be tested before being sent to a large group of recipients. This can be accomplished by first sending the sequence to a small group and tracking the results. Use the findings from this test to refine the sequence and enhance its effectiveness.
A/B testing is a powerful tool that goes beyond testing content — it's equally important to test email layouts, subject lines, and CTAs. Using modular design blocks makes this process faster and more efficient. For example, you can easily swap out a CTA block, test different designs, or rearrange content without creating new emails from scratch. This approach allows for quicker iterations and more precise optimization, helping you find the best-performing version of your emails and ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates.
Measure the performance of email sequences
Email sequences should be tracked and measured to determine their effectiveness. This can be done using email automation software and analytics tools. The results of tracking and measurement should be used to refine sequences and improve their effectiveness.
Make sure to measure key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and bounce rates. It is also important to monitor unsubscribe rates to ensure that the sequence does not overwhelm recipients.
Wrapping up
Creating an effective email sequence is all about understanding your audience, setting clear goals, and optimizing every step of the process. You can craft sequences that drive results by working closely with your sales and marketing teams, leveraging automation tools, and personalizing your content. Remember to consistently test and refine your emails to stay agile and responsive to your audience's needs. With the right strategy, your email sequences will engage prospects and guide them through the sales funnel to meaningful conversions.
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