Most articles about email automation workflows stop at “send a welcome email” and leave you staring at an empty automation builder. This guide does the opposite. Below you will find nine sequences, each with the exact trigger condition, the delay between messages, the exit rules, and what the email on day 1, day 3 and day 7 should actually say.
Every workflow here can be rebuilt in Mailchimp, Klaviyo or Brevo without a developer. The logic is identical across tools, only the vocabulary changes (Mailchimp calls them Customer Journeys, Klaviyo calls them Flows, Brevo calls them Automations).
What an email automation workflow actually is
An email automation workflow is a saved set of instructions that sends messages based on behaviour instead of a calendar date. Every workflow, no matter how complex, is built from four blocks:
- Trigger: the event that starts the sequence (form submitted, order placed, page viewed, tag added).
- Delay: how long the system waits before the next action (minutes, hours or days).
- Condition or split: an if/then branch (has the person purchased? did they open email 1?).
- Action: send an email, add a tag, update a field, notify a team member.
The difference between a workflow that earns money and one that annoys people is almost always in blocks 2 and 3, not in the copywriting. That is why the timing tables below matter more than the subject lines.
The 9 workflows at a glance
| # | Workflow | Trigger | Emails | Main job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome | List subscription | 3 to 5 | Set expectations, first sale |
| 2 | Lead nurture | Lead magnet download | 5 to 7 | Build trust, book a call |
| 3 | Post-purchase | Order placed | 4 | Reduce refunds, drive repeat |
| 4 | Browse abandonment | Product page viewed, no cart | 2 to 3 | Catch warm intent |
| 5 | Review request | Order delivered | 2 | Collect social proof |
| 6 | Onboarding | Account created | 5 | Activation, first value |
| 7 | Re-engagement | 60 days no open | 3 | Protect deliverability |
| 8 | Win-back | No order in X days | 3 | Recover lapsed buyers |
| 9 | Birthday / anniversary | Date field match | 2 | Cheap, high-margin revenue |
Note: cart abandonment is deliberately not in this list. It is the one workflow almost everyone already has. Browse abandonment, the one nobody builds, is number 4. emailtooltester.com makes the same point with more data.
1. The welcome workflow
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: subscriber added to main list, or tag
newsletter-signupapplied. - First send: immediate (within 60 seconds). Open rates drop sharply after the first hour.
- Exit condition: purchase made (move them into the post-purchase flow instead).
- Filter: exclude anyone who already placed an order in the last 30 days.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Sample subject line |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (instant) | Deliver what was promised, one sentence on who you are, one single link. No menu, no six product blocks. | “Here is your 10% code (plus what to expect from us)” |
| Day 3 | The origin story or the method. Why you exist, what you refuse to do. This is the trust email, not the sales email. | “Why we stopped doing X (and what we do instead)” |
| Day 7 | Social proof plus a soft deadline. Two customer quotes, one bestseller, reminder that the welcome code expires in 48 hours. | “Your code expires Thursday” |
| Day 12 (optional) | Objection handling: shipping, sizing, guarantee, returns. Format as a short FAQ. | “The 4 questions we get every week” |
Tool note: in Klaviyo, add a conditional split after day 3 on “has placed order zero times” so buyers never receive the discount reminder. In Mailchimp, use a Customer Journey branch with the “has purchased” condition.
2. The lead nurture workflow (service businesses and B2B)
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: lead magnet form submitted (guide, checklist, calculator, webinar replay).
- First send: immediate, with the download link repeated twice in the body.
- Exit condition: call booked, or reply received, or tag
sales-conversationapplied. - Cadence: day 1, 3, 7, 11, 16. Tighter at the start, looser at the end.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Call to action |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Deliver the asset. Add one line: “Reply and tell me what you are working on” to generate reply signals for deliverability. | Download |
| Day 3 | The single biggest mistake your audience makes in this area, and the quick fix. Pure teaching, zero pitch. | Read the article |
| Day 7 | Case study with numbers: situation, action, result, timeframe. End with a soft offer. | See the full case study |
| Day 11 | Objection email: price, timing, “we could do this in-house”. | Book a 20-minute call |
| Day 16 | Direct ask, plain text, short. “Worth a conversation or should I stop emailing about this?” | Reply yes or no |
Send the day 11 and day 16 emails as plain text from a personal address. Heavily designed templates lower reply rates on bottom-of-funnel messages.
3. The post-purchase workflow
This is the most underused of all email automation workflows. The buyer just gave you money, which means attention is at its peak and unsubscribe risk at its lowest.
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: order placed (or “order fulfilled” if shipping takes more than 3 days).
- Important: this is separate from the transactional receipt. The receipt is sent by your store, this is the relationship sequence.
- Suppression: pause promotional campaigns for these contacts for 7 days if your tool allows it.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Reassurance. “Here is exactly what happens next” with the timeline, tracking, and a human contact for questions. | Cut support tickets |
| Day 3 | How to get the most out of it: setup tips, care instructions, a 60-second video, common first-week mistakes. | Reduce refunds |
| Day 7 | Complementary product or service, framed as “what people buy next”, not as a generic promo. | Second order |
| Day 21 | Referral or loyalty invitation now that they have used the product. | Advocacy |
4. The browse abandonment workflow
Cart abandonment catches people who nearly bought. Browse abandonment catches the much larger group who looked and left. It requires on-site tracking to be active (Klaviyo and Brevo both offer a tracking script, Mailchimp needs the store connected).
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: viewed product page, identified contact, no add-to-cart and no purchase within 4 hours.
- First send: 4 to 6 hours after the visit, never instantly. Instant sending feels like surveillance.
- Exclusions: exclude anyone in the cart abandonment or checkout flows to avoid overlap.
- Frequency cap: do not let this flow trigger more than once every 7 days per contact.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Sample subject line |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (+4h) | Helpful, not pushy. Show the viewed item plus three alternatives in the same category. | “Still comparing? Here are 3 similar options” |
| Day 3 | Proof and risk removal: reviews of that exact item, return policy, delivery time. | “What 240 buyers said about this one” |
| Day 7 | Scarcity only if true: low stock, price change coming, seasonal cut-off. Otherwise, send a buying guide instead. | “Down to the last few in your size” |
5. The review request workflow
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: order marked as delivered, plus a delay based on the product. Consumables: 5 days. Durable goods: 14 days. Services: 3 days after final delivery.
- Exit condition: review submitted, or refund requested, or open support ticket (check this one, it matters).
Day by day
- Day 1 of the flow: one question only. “How is it going so far?” with a simple 1 to 5 rating widget. Route ratings of 1 to 3 to a private feedback form and a human reply. Route 4 and 5 to the public review page.
- Day 3 (reminder): same request, shorter, different subject line, sent only to non-clickers. Mention that reviews take 30 seconds and help other buyers.
- Day 7 (optional): offer a small incentive such as loyalty points, never cash for positive reviews. Keep it compliant with the platform rules you use.
6. The onboarding workflow (SaaS, memberships, courses)
Onboarding emails should be tied to actions completed, not just to time. The strongest version uses a conditional split: if the user has completed the key action, skip ahead; if not, send the nudge.
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: account created or trial started.
- Key metric: define your activation event first (project created, first invoice sent, team member invited). The whole sequence exists to push people to that one event.
- Exit condition: activation event completed, then move to the adoption flow.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | One task. “Do this first” with a single button. Hide the other 20 features. | All new users |
| Day 3 | Branch A (activated): show the second feature. Branch B (not activated): remove the friction, offer a setup call or a 2-minute video. | Split on activation event |
| Day 7 | Customer story from a similar use case, plus the trial end date clearly stated. | All non-paying users |
| Day 11 | Power feature that only regular users reach. | Activated only |
| Day 13 | Trial ending, what they lose, one-click upgrade. | Non-paying |
7. The re-engagement workflow
This one is about deliverability before it is about revenue. Inbox providers watch engagement. Keeping thousands of dead contacts on your list pushes your active subscribers into the promotions tab or the spam folder.
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: no email open and no click in the last 60 to 90 days, and received at least 5 campaigns.
- Exit condition: any open or click.
- End action: if no engagement after the final email, apply a
sunsettag and stop sending. Suppress, do not delete, so you keep the history.
Day by day
- Day 1: the honest check-in. Plain text, short, one question: “Do you still want to hear from us?” with two buttons, yes and no.
- Day 3: the value reminder. Your three best pieces of content or most loved products from the past year, in a simple list.
- Day 7: the goodbye email. “This is the last one unless you click.” This email regularly outperforms every other email in the sequence because it is genuinely final.
8. The win-back workflow
Re-engagement targets people who stopped opening. Win-back targets people who stopped buying, even if they still open every email. Two different problems, two different flows.
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: days since last order exceeds your average repurchase cycle multiplied by 1.5. If customers usually reorder every 60 days, trigger at day 90.
- Segment first: split high-value customers from one-time low-value buyers. Do not send a 20% discount to your best clients when a simple “we miss you” would work.
- Exit condition: order placed.
Day by day
| When | Angle | Incentive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | What changed since they left: new products, improved service, new opening hours. No discount yet. | None |
| Day 3 | Personalised reminder based on their last order. “You bought X in March, most people reorder around now.” | Free shipping |
| Day 7 | The real offer, with a 72-hour expiry and a clear reason for the offer. | 15 to 20% or a gift |
9. The birthday and anniversary workflow
The cheapest workflow to build and often the highest revenue per email, because the relevance is total.
Trigger and settings
- Trigger: date property matches today plus X days. Set the first send 7 days before the date, not on the day itself, so the person has time to order and receive.
- Data collection: ask for day and month only in the welcome flow or preference centre. Never make it a required field at signup.
- Alternative: if you have no birthday data, use the customer anniversary (first order date). It works the same way and you already have the data.
Structure
- 7 days before: “Something for your birthday month” with a gift code valid for 14 days. Make the code generous, this is a gift, not a promo.
- Day of: short, warm, no hard sell, code reminder at the bottom.
- 2 days before expiry: last chance reminder, sent only to those who have not redeemed.
Which workflows to build first
If you are starting from zero, do not build nine sequences at once. Build in this order and let each one run for two weeks before adding the next:
- Welcome: touches every new contact, biggest volume.
- Post-purchase or lead nurture, depending on whether you sell products or services.
- Review request: fuels every other asset you own.
- Browse abandonment: the fastest revenue win for ecommerce.
- Re-engagement: protects everything above.
- Then win-back, onboarding and birthday.
Setup differences across Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Brevo
| Feature | Mailchimp | Klaviyo | Brevo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of the feature | Customer Journeys | Flows | Automations |
| Browse abandonment | Requires a connected store, limited on lower plans | Native and detailed | Possible with the tracking script and custom events |
| Conditional splits | Yes, journey branches | Yes, very granular | Yes, condition blocks |
| Best fit | Small lists, simple logic | Ecommerce with real volume | Budget-conscious, CRM plus SMS |
Five mistakes that break email automation workflows
- No exit conditions. A customer who bought on day 2 should never receive the day 3 “still thinking about it?” email.
- Overlapping flows. Browse abandonment plus cart abandonment plus a campaign on the same day equals an unsubscribe. Set global frequency caps.
- Everything sent at 9am. Behaviour-triggered emails should send relative to the trigger, with a quiet-hours rule between 10pm and 7am.
- Never reviewing the flows. Automations run silently for years with broken links and outdated prices. Audit every quarter.
- Measuring opens only. Judge each workflow by revenue per recipient or by conversion to the next step, not by open rate.
What to measure for each workflow
| Workflow | Primary KPI | Secondary KPI |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | First-purchase rate | Click rate on email 1 |
| Lead nurture | Calls booked | Reply rate |
| Post-purchase | Repeat purchase rate at 60 days | Support tickets per order |
| Browse abandonment | Revenue per recipient | Click to product page |
| Review request | Reviews collected per 100 orders | Average rating |
| Onboarding | Activation rate | Trial to paid conversion |
| Re-engagement | % reactivated | List health after sunset |
| Win-back | Orders recovered | Margin after discount |
| Birthday | Redemption rate | Average order value |
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common email automation workflows?
The most common are the welcome sequence, cart abandonment, post-purchase follow-up, lead nurture, re-engagement and win-back. For most small businesses, the welcome sequence and the post-purchase sequence generate the largest share of automated revenue because they reach people at the moment of highest intent.
What are examples of automated workflows outside marketing?
Automated workflows exist in recruiting (candidate outreach and interview reminders), project management (grouped notification emails when a row changes), support (ticket acknowledgement and satisfaction surveys) and finance (invoice reminders at day 3, day 7 and day 14 past due). The logic is always the same: trigger, delay, condition, action.
What is the 80/20 rule in email marketing?
The 80/20 rule means roughly 80% of your emails should provide value (education, stories, useful content, service messages) and 20% should directly ask for the sale. Applied to email automation workflows, it means your nurture and post-purchase flows carry the teaching, while your win-back and birthday flows carry the offers.
How many emails should an automated sequence contain?
Between 2 and 7, depending on the purpose. Behaviour-triggered flows with a narrow window (browse abandonment, review request) work best with 2 or 3 emails. Educational flows (welcome, nurture, onboarding) can support 5 to 7. Adding emails beyond that point usually increases unsubscribes faster than it increases revenue.
What is the difference between a workflow and a sequence?
In most platforms the words are used interchangeably. Technically, a sequence is a linear series of emails, while a workflow can contain branches, conditions, tags, delays and non-email actions. If your tool offers both (HubSpot, for example), use sequences for one-to-one sales follow-up and workflows for automated marketing at scale.
How often should I review my automations?
Check performance monthly and run a full audit every quarter: broken links, outdated pricing, expired promo codes, seasonal references, exit conditions and rendering on mobile. Automations fail silently, which is exactly why they need a calendar reminder. Source: https://campaignmonitor.com.
Ready to build these workflows?
Nine workflows sounds like a lot until you realise most of them share the same skeleton: a trigger, three well-timed emails and a clean exit condition. Start with the welcome flow this week, add the post-purchase flow next week, and you will already be ahead of the majority of small businesses in your market.
If you would rather have the whole system mapped, written and built inside your platform, get in touch with the team at Shatter Studios. We design and implement email automation workflows that keep selling long after the campaign calendar is empty.