What Is an Email Sequence? Best Practices & Free Templates

Sending just one email to a prospect is not enough.

It’s like throwing a single fishing line into the ocean and hoping for a good catch. Sure, you might get lucky, but the chances are slim.

The truth is:

80% of sales require five or more follow-ups before you close a deal.

That’s where an email sequence comes in.

Your first email might land in the inbox and go unnoticed.

But with an email sequence, you don’t give up after one shot. You send a series of well-timed emails that keep your message on their radar.

It’s a structured approach to get your prospects interested in your business.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at what email sequences are and how you can use them to grow your business.

Email Sequences – Table of Contents

What is an Email Sequence?
What are the Advantages of Email Sequences?
What are the Different Types of Email Sequences?
7 Best Practices You Should Follow While Creating Email Sequences
How to Create Email Sequences: A Step-by-Step Guide
Start Creating Your Email Sequence Today
FAQs

What is an Email Sequence?

An email sequence is a well-thought-out series of emails that are sent automatically to people based on their actions (like opening or not opening your email) or a set schedule.

Basically, you send someone a chain of emails, each with a purpose.

You can decide how many emails you’d like to add to your sequence and when you want to send them.

These sequences aim to build a connection, offer helpful information, and eventually lead to a specific goal, like making a sale.

Email sequences can turn strangers into happy customers who love your company.

You can use email sequences to:

Reach out to cold leads
Welcome new subscribers
Recover abandoned carts
Onboard new users
Promote your upcoming event
Re-engage inactive subscribers
Cross-sell and upsell your products/services
Send reminders for renewals

…and more!

The best part is that you only have to set them up once, and then they are automated.

That brings us to the question: What starts an email sequence?

Triggers.

Triggers are like the instructions that tell the system when to send each email. They are like the events that start your automated email sequence.

There are two main types of triggers for email sequences:

Time-Based Triggers: With these, you specify when each email should be sent.

For example, you might want to send the first email immediately when someone subscribes to your newsletter.

Then, the second email after two days, and the third one, four days after that.

Condition-Based Triggers: These are a bit more reactive. They send emails based on what your recipients do.

For instance:
- Recipient Didn’t Open the Email: If someone doesn’t open your first email within a day, you can automatically send a reminder.
- Recipient Clicked a Link: If someone clicks on a link in one of your emails, you can trigger a follow-up email related to that link.
- Recipient Abandoned their Shopping Cart: If you’re running an online store and someone abandons their shopping cart, you can send a reminder email to encourage them to complete the purchase.

What you need to do is set up your triggers and then keep your emails ready.

Then, the automated email sequence takes over.

It sends out the right email at the right time, whether that’s based on a schedule or in response to user actions.

What Are the Advantages of Email Sequences?

If you’re still not sure if email sequences are worth your while, check out these advantages of email sequences:

Efficiency: With email sequences, you can set up a series of messages in advance. You write them once, and your email automation tool helps you send them out to everyone on your list automatically.

This saves you time and effort, especially when you want to send follow-up emails.

You can schedule follow-up emails in advance, and the email sequence tool will automatically send them at the right time.

This way, you don’t have to remember who to follow-up with or when to do it – it’s all taken care of.

Consistency: Consistency is key to building trust and recognition. If you send emails at random times or forget to update your customers regularly, they might lose interest or forget about your brand.

This is where email sequences come to the rescue. You can create a series of emails that are scheduled to be sent out at specific intervals.

For instance, you can send a new product announcement every two weeks or a monthly newsletter. With email sequences, you ensure that your audience receives your messages on time, every time.

Personalization: Using email automation tools, you can make your emails feel friendly and personal, even if you’re sending them to a lot of people.

These tools can use information like a person’s name, location, or pain points to create messages that feel like they were just for them.

This personal touch grabs people’s attention and makes them more likely to read and act on your emails.

In simple terms, these tools help your emails work better by making them feel like they’re speaking directly to each individual.

A/B Testing: Email sequences give you the chance to test things out and see what gets the best results. You can try different subject lines to see which ones make people more likely to open your emails.

You can also play around with the email content to figure out what keeps people interested.

And when it comes to taking action, like buying a product or signing up for a newsletter, you can test different CTAs. With email sequences, you can keep refining your approach until you find what works for you.

Better Outreach: Email sequences warm up cold leads, gradually building trust and interest, resulting in more receptive and responsive recipients.

Instead of bombarding them with one big message, email sequences send a series of emails over time. It’s like making new friends step by step.

These emails slowly build a connection, kind of like chatting with someone at a party.

The more they get to know you, the more likely they are to trust what you’re saying and respond positively.

Effective Lead Nurturing: Email sequences are excellent for lead nurturing.

As you send a series of emails, you’re not just bombarding the recipients with sales pitches loaded in sales sequence. Instead, you’re building trust slowly, just like how you’d become friends with someone over time.

You’re giving them what they need when they need it, and this can turn these leads into loyal customers.

So, email sequences are your trust-building tool, making sure your potential customers feel confident in choosing your business.

Higher Engagement: Well-written email sequences can lead to higher open and click-through rates.

When recipients receive timely and relevant content, they’re more likely to engage with your emails, benefiting you.

Data-Driven Insights: Most email automation tools provide data and analytics on email performance. These tools tell you a lot about how well your emails are doing.

For instance, they can show if people are opening your emails (open rates) or if they are doing what you want them to do, like buying something (conversion rates).

You can also see if your emails are not reaching them and being returned (bounce rates).

By looking at this data, you can decide how to improve your email campaigns to get better results.

Scalability: Whether you have a small or large email list, you can scale your email sequences to meet your needs.

Even if your list of subscribers grows rapidly at some point, you can use the same email sequences for everyone. You can reach thousands of recipients with minimal additional effort on your part.

Increased Conversions: Email sequences can help boost conversions by winning customer trust over a period of time.

For example, your first email can say hello and share something fun or helpful about what you offer. The next email can share more helpful details, answer common questions, or show off good reviews.

And then, the third email can give them a special offer.

This way, people learn more and more about your items or services and feel comfortable and excited to buy.

By guiding people through a series of emails that educate, inform, and build trust, email sequences can increase conversion rates.

What are the Different Types of Email Sequences?

Email sequences are quite versatile; they’re perfect for warming up cold leads.

You can also use them to welcome new subscribers, nurture leads, and re-engage inactive ones.

Here are the five main types of email sequences for different use cases:

1. Cold Email Sequence

A cold email is a conversation starter with a potential customer.

In the same way, cold email sequences are a series of emails that you send to people who are not familiar with you or your business.

The aim?

You want to get people interested in your product or service.

In fact, sending follow-up emails can increase your open rates.

Cold emails that get more opens also have this feature in common: First, they focus on addressing their prospects’ needs and pain points.

Then, over a series of emails, they show how their product or service can solve their problem.

Here’s a cold email template that you can customize for your business: