How to Create an Email Drip Campaign with Autoresponders

Why This Matters

Email drip campaigns keep your business top-of-mind through consistent, scheduled follow-up. Autoresponders make this effortless by automatically sending your sequence of emails at exactly the right intervals—without any manual work after setup.

Whether you're nurturing new leads, onboarding clients, or maintaining relationships with past customers, autoresponders ensure everyone receives timely, relevant communication. Build your sequence once, then let it run automatically forever.

This guide walks you through creating your first autoresponder campaign from planning through activation.

Before You Begin

Plan your email sequence on paper first—decide how many emails you'll send, what each one covers, and the timing between them (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, etc.).

Write and save all email templates before building your autoresponder. You'll select from existing templates when adding steps.

Think about what should happen when someone completes your sequence—should they enter another campaign, or receive a task assignment for manual follow-up?

Decide how you'll add contacts to the campaign—manually one at a time, in bulk through Group Actions, or automatically through landing pages.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Access the Autoresponders Area

Go to Automation in your main menu and click Autoresponders.

You'll see a list of all existing autoresponder campaigns with counts showing how many contacts are currently active and how many have completed each sequence.

This is your autoresponder management hub where you'll create and monitor all campaigns.

Time: 30 seconds


2. Create a New Autoresponder

Click the Add Autoresponder button in the top right corner.

A dialog box appears asking for your campaign name. Enter a clear, descriptive name that explains the campaign's purpose. Good examples: "New Lead Nurture - 30 Days", "New Client Onboarding", "Past Client Reactivation Series".

Avoid vague names like "Campaign 1" or "Email Sequence"—specific names make campaigns easy to identify when managing multiple sequences.

Click Save.

Descriptive naming helps you and your team instantly understand each campaign's purpose when selecting which one to assign to contacts.

Time: 1 minute


3. Add Your First Email Step

The autoresponder builder opens, showing an empty sequence ready for your first step.

Click Add a Step.

A configuration panel appears with two main sections:

  • Schedule - When this email sends (Day, Week, Month, or Year)
  • Email Template - Which pre-written email to send

For your first email, set the schedule to Day 0. This means the email sends immediately when someone enters the campaign.

Click the Email Template dropdown and select your first email from the list of available templates.

Click Save.

Your first email step now appears in the autoresponder sequence showing "Day 0" and the template name.

Day 0 emails create immediate engagement by acknowledging the contact instantly while their interest is highest.

Time: 2 minutes


4. Add Your Second Email Step

Click Add a Step again.

This time, set the schedule based on when you want the second email to go out. Common timing:

  • Day 1 sends 24 hours after the contact entered the campaign
  • Day 3 sends 72 hours (3 days) after entry
  • Week 1 sends 7 days after entry

Select your second email template from the dropdown.

Click Save.

Remember: All timing is calculated from when the contact enters the campaign, not from when previous emails sent. If you schedule emails on Day 0, Day 3, and Day 7, they send on those exact days regardless of when earlier emails went out.

Time: 2 minutes


5. Complete Your Email Sequence

Continue adding steps for each email in your campaign. A typical 30-day nurture sequence might look like:

  • Day 0: Welcome Email (immediate)
  • Day 2: Educational Content #1
  • Day 5: Case Study or Testimonial
  • Day 9: Educational Content #2
  • Day 14: Special Offer or Call-to-Action
  • Day 21: Success Story
  • Day 30: Final Follow-Up

Build your complete sequence by adding one step at a time, choosing timing and templates for each.

Review your sequence to ensure timing flows logically—spacing emails appropriately prevents overwhelming contacts while maintaining consistent engagement.

Time: 10-15 minutes depending on campaign length


After someone completes your autoresponder sequence, you can automatically trigger additional actions.

Look for the Completion Assistant link (at the bottom of your autoresponder steps).

Click Completion Assistant.

A configuration panel appears with several options:

  • Start Another Autoresponder - Automatically move contacts to a new email sequence
  • Assign a To-Do Plan - Create tasks for manual follow-up
  • Add a Category - Update contact classification
  • Add a Note - Record completion in their history
  • Notify Team Members - Alert your team that someone finished the campaign
  • Assign Flags - Mark contacts for internal tracking

Choose the action(s) that make sense for your workflow. For example, you might start a new autoresponder to continue nurturing, or assign a to-do for a sales rep to make personal contact.

Click Save.

The Completion Assistant creates seamless transitions between automated campaigns and personal outreach, ensuring no contact falls through the cracks after completing your sequence.

Time: 3-5 minutes


7. Review Your Complete Campaign

Scroll through your entire autoresponder from top to bottom. Verify:

  • Timing makes sense (appropriate gaps between emails)
  • Email templates are correct for each step
  • The sequence tells a coherent story
  • Completion Assistant is configured appropriately

Read through the sequence as if you're the contact receiving these emails—does it feel natural and valuable?

This final review catches errors before contacts enter the campaign, preventing incorrect or poorly-timed emails.

Time: 3-5 minutes


8. Test Your Autoresponder

Before using your autoresponder with real contacts, test it yourself.

Add yourself as a contact in your database (use your email address). Go to your new contact record, click Actions, select Assign to Autoresponder, and choose the campaign you just created.

Watch for emails to arrive according to your timing. Verify content displays correctly, links work, and formatting looks good.

After testing, go to your contact record, click the Autoresponder tab, find the active campaign under "Active Autoresponders," and click the trash icon to remove yourself from the sequence.

Testing prevents embarrassing mistakes and ensures your sequence works exactly as planned before real contacts experience it.

Time: Variable (depending on your Day 0 email speed)


9. Assign Contacts to Your Autoresponder

Now your autoresponder is ready to use. Add contacts through any of three methods:

Method 1: Individual Contact

  • Open any contact record
  • Click the Autoresponder tab
  • Select Add to Autoresponder Campaign
  • Choose your campaign from the list
  • The sequence starts immediately

Method 2: Multiple Contacts (Bulk)

  • Go to Contacts > Contact List or use Advanced Search
  • Check the boxes next to contacts you want to add
  • Click Group Actions
  • Select Assign to Autoresponder
  • Choose your campaign
  • All selected contacts enter the sequence immediately

Method 3: Landing Page (Automatic)

  • Go to your landing page settings
  • Connect your autoresponder to the form
  • Anyone who submits the form automatically enters the sequence

Contacts begin receiving emails according to the schedule you set, starting from the moment they enter the campaign.

Time: 1-5 minutes depending on method

Questions and Answers

Q: Do I need to create all my email templates before building the autoresponder?

A: Yes. Email templates must exist before you can add them to an autoresponder sequence. Create and save all templates first, then build your autoresponder by selecting from the available templates.


Q: Can I change the timing of emails after I've already added contacts?

A: Changes to timing only affect contacts who enter the autoresponder after your edits. Contacts already in the campaign continue on the original schedule. If you need everyone on a new timeline, create a new autoresponder with updated timing.


Q: What happens if I edit an email template that's being used in an active autoresponder?

A: You can edit email template content anytime without disrupting the autoresponder—just don't change the template's name. Updated content will appear in future emails sent from that template, even for contacts already in the sequence.


Q: How do I check which emails someone has already received?

A: Open their contact record and click the Autoresponder tab. The "Sent" number shows how many emails they've received. Click it to see exactly which emails went out and when. The "Pending" number shows how many emails are still scheduled.


Q: Can someone be in multiple autoresponders at the same time?

A: Yes. Contacts can be enrolled in multiple autoresponder campaigns simultaneously. They'll receive emails from each sequence on their respective schedules.


Q: What if someone opts out of email mid-sequence?

A: The system automatically stops all pending autoresponder emails immediately. They won't receive any further messages from any campaign until they opt back in.


Q: Can I manually remove someone from an autoresponder without them opting out?

A: Yes. Go to their contact record, click the Autoresponder tab, find the active campaign under "Active Autoresponders," and click the trash icon on the right side. This stops the sequence immediately for that contact only.


Q: How do I stop an autoresponder for everyone currently in it?

A: Edit the autoresponder and look for the "Stop Campaign" button. This immediately stops the sequence for all contacts, preventing any pending emails from sending.


Q: Can I preview how my autoresponder sequence looks before sending?

A: There's no preview mode, but you can review each email template individually before adding it to the sequence. Testing by adding yourself to the campaign gives you the most accurate preview.


Q: What's the best spacing between emails?

A: This depends on your industry and audience. Short sales cycles might use Day 0, Day 2, Day 4, Day 7 spacing. Longer sales cycles might use Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, Day 30. Test different timing to find what works best for your contacts.


Q: Can I use the same email template in multiple autoresponders?

A: Yes. Email templates can be used in as many autoresponders as needed. This is useful for standard messages like welcome emails or follow-up requests.


Q: How long should my autoresponder sequence be?

A: Most effective autoresponders range from 3-10 emails spread over 2-12 weeks. Very short sequences (3-5 emails) work for quick-decision purchases. Longer sequences (7-10 emails) suit complex B2B sales or relationship building.


Q: What happens if someone re-enters an autoresponder they already completed?

A: They start from the beginning and receive all emails again on the standard schedule. If you don't want this, check the Autoresponder tab on their contact record before re-assigning to see their history.

Guide Type: How-To Guide

Estimated Time: 30 minutes