Imagine setting up a sequence of perfectly timed emails that feel like helpful nudges instead of pushy sales pitches. That’s the magic of drip email marketing in action!
Good drip marketing campaigns feel like friendly guides — delivering useful insights when they’re needed most. Instead of coming on strong, drip emails help build trust, answer questions, and nurture leads in a way that feels organic, not obnoxious.
Whether you’re a seasoned email marketer or brand new to the game, effective drip campaigns can elevate your customer relationships.
In today’s guide to drip email marketing, we’re exploring how and why these email sequences are so impactful, along with 13 of the best email drip campaign examples.
Let’s get started!
Main takeaways from this article:
- Drip email marketing is a strategy used to nurture subscriber relationships over time.
- Drip marketing campaigns use a series of automated emails to encourage conversions.
- Drip marketing helps ensure email messages are personal, relevant, and timely.
- Email drip campaign examples include welcome, upsell, event, and post-purchase emails.
- Drip email campaigns should use strong CTAs, personalized content, and A/B testing.
What is drip marketing?
Drip marketing is an email marketing strategy designed to nurture customer relationships over time through a series of automated, targeted messages.
Rather than sending new leads or disengaged customers one big pitch, drip email marketing delivers bite-sized bits of information that help guide subscribers toward conversion.
Drip marketing is all about staying relevant, building trust, and engaging email subscribers with timely messages that keep your brand top of mind.
What is an email drip campaign?
An email drip campaign, sometimes called an autoresponder cycle, is a sequence of automated emails sent to a subscriber over a period of time.
Automated drip campaigns are triggered by specific actions — like sign-ups and purchases — and often include tracking user behavior, so you can target subscribers based on their behaviors. For example, someone who doesn’t open an email might be sent a different series of messages than what a person who opened the email receives.Drip email marketing messages are sent one after the other on consecutive days using an email autoresponder software, like GetResponse.
Why do you need a drip campaign?
Drip marketing campaigns make it easy to build a connection with your audience over time — keeping each message personal, relevant, and right on schedule.
Marketers use email drip campaigns because multiple targeted messages are more effective at generating a result than sending a single email. This can explain why half of small businesses use automated drip email marketing to drive conversions.
With a steady flow of personalized messages, drip campaigns boost your brand’s presence, encourage more engagement, and, ultimately, lead to higher sales.
Types of email drip campaigns that engage users
From the classic welcome email sequence to product launch and post-purchase drip marketing, take a look at the best drip campaigns to engage your subscribers.
1. The welcome email drip campaign
Welcome emails introduce new subscribers to your company, typically over a series of three emails sent over a couple of days.
They should cover the who, what, where, when, and how of your company history to inform and nurture leads, like the welcome email drip sequence from a travel company you see below.
The first welcome email should set expectations about the type of content you’ll deliver, while the second and third should contain a link to your best blog post, a video, or other exclusive content that they’d find useful.
Try to make sure that each time you send a new welcome email, you provide a link to a different resource in your marketing strategy.
2. The birthday drip campaign
Birthday email drip campaigns are a great way to form deeper connections with your audience while generating extra revenue from exclusive coupons.
You have two options for launching a birthday drip campaign: gather a subscriber’s date of birth through an opt-in form or collect it once they’re already on your list, like in this Lee drip campaign.
The advantage of Lee’s approach is that you have an established relationship with your readers by the time you ask for their date of birth.
Once you’ve collected their information, keep your birthday email campaign short and sweet, sending the first email on the person’s birthday around noon (ideally with a discount coupon) and a follow-up email the next day to let them know that their coupon will expire soon.
3. The special offer drip campaign
Speaking of coupons, special offer drip campaigns with exclusive discounts can influence new customers and previous shoppers alike to purchase products.
People might purchase your product for rational and emotional reasons, including price points, pain points, and fear of missing out (FOMO).
You can see that each of the three emails in the above drip campaign builds on the different reasons that might influence your audience to purchase a product, closing with a time-sensitive offer.
4. The upsell email drip campaign
A natural outcome of email promotion is an upsell drip campaign, especially for customers who have already made it through your sales cycle once before.
Run a one- to two-email upsell sequence within one day of a person purchasing a product on your site, and aim to make both messages time-bound.
The email sequence you use for an upsell should be similar to the one you’d use for a promotion. However, it’s important to recognize that the person you are emailing has recently purchased something from you.For example, you might say, “We just wanted to let you know your surfboard was dispatched yesterday. As an existing customer, you’re now eligible for a limited-time discount on all our summer beachwear.”
5. The cart abandonment drip campaign
Around 75% of customers abandon an online purchase, but when brands follow up with at least three abandoned cart emails, they see 69% more orders than those that don’t.
Send the first automated email six hours after the shopper abandoned their cart, mentioning that you have limited stock or that this item sells out regularly.
Follow up 24 hours later with more personalized content, like a time-sensitive special offer for the customer that lasts for 48 hours.
Send your last email sequence 72 hours later with the greatest discount — either a dollar or percentage discount — to help generate additional sales.
Related: Autoresponders vs. Marketing Automation
6. Re-engagement drip campaigns
A re-engagement drip campaign is a strategic approach to reconnect with customers who haven’t opened your emails for several months or visited your store for an extended period. Use a platform like GetResponse to automate the detection of these inactive subscribers.
A re-engagement email sequence is designed to boost engagement and reignite interest in your brand, product, or service.
Re-engage customers with an enticing incentive, like exclusive content or early access to a new product, to lure them back in. Or, you can simply tell them about some products or features you have added since they last checked your store like what Captions does in the example below.
Your second email should continue to emphasize the value you provide, by sharing success stories or customer testimonials, and the third email can create a sense of urgency and present a final offer.
7. Feedback drip campaigns
A customer feedback sequence allows you to gather useful insights on previous interactions with your customers, enabling you to improve your products or services and demonstrate that you value their opinions.
Here, you want to start with a warm and polite request for customer feedback. Provide a clear and accessible link or button to your feedback survey form, like in this example from Dairy Queen.
Your second and last email serves as a friendly reminder. Send this to customers who did not respond to the first one and emphasize the importance of their feedback and how it’ll help you serve them better.
Your second and last email serves as a friendly reminder. Send this to customers who did not respond to the first one and emphasize the importance of their feedback and how it’ll help you serve them better.
9. Event drip campaigns
Event drip campaigns aim to create buzz around an upcoming event and get your subscribers, along with people who attended a previous event and people who visited your event page but did not buy a ticket, to register.
Schedule this email sequence to run four to eight weeks before your event. The first email in this drip campaign can be a teaser: short, engaging, and intriguing.
The second email can reveal the theme and purpose of your event, while your third builds anticipation and excitement — introducing speakers and other notable attendees who will be part of the event — with a prominent, time-bound CTA to register immediately.Here’s a good example of event drip campaigns from GitHub:
10. Product launch drip campaign
Product launch drip campaigns are strategic email sequences designed to generate excitement and demand for a new product or service.
For this drip campaign strategy, start with a teaser email with a captivating subject line and a brief message about your upcoming product. Include engaging graphics or an image related to the upcoming product, just like the example below.
Follow up the teaser with an official announcement and a countdown that tells potential customers about the product name, key features, and benefits.
In your third sequence, promote an exclusive offer or early access opportunity for those who opt in early. On launch day, send a final celebratory email to officially introduce your new product or service with a direct link to your product page.
11. Post-purchase email drip campaign
Post-purchase drip campaigns help brands stay connected with customers after a sale, enhancing loyalty and increasing the chance of repeat purchases.
By sharing tips, how-tos, and personalized recommendations, a post-purchase drip campaign keeps customers engaged and excited about their recent orders. These emails can also direct shoppers to informative content on your website, like in this example from Pulp & Press, to boost web traffic.
Post-purchase drip campaigns are a great way to gather feedback and encourage positive reviews, improving brand reputation along the way.
12. Post-demo email drip campaign
Post-demo drip email campaigns provide timely, relevant follow-ups essential for moving leads through the sales funnel.
These campaigns keep subscribers engaged in their customer journey by sharing helpful resources, answering common questions, and highlighting how your product meets their needs.
They also include the next steps, like when the subscriber can expect to hear from your sales team, as displayed in the email below.
Each message in these drip email campaigns is crafted to build trust and address any lingering concerns, helping nurture leads and turn interest into commitment.
13. Unsubscribe email drip campaign
Unsubscribe email drip campaigns aim to retain customers by offering them alternatives before they fully opt out.
These campaigns often include options to adjust email frequency, update preferences, or select content that better fits their interests.
For example, this drip marketing campaign from Cuisinart allows subscribers to either unsubscribe or update their preferences to receive more relevant content, giving them control over their experience.
By providing options, unsubscribe campaigns can reduce opt-outs and help brands maintain stronger connections with their audience.
Note: Use this tactic carefully, as part of your re-engagement process. You don’t want to disturb people who decided to unsubscribe from your lists.
How to create an email drip campaign with GetResponse
It’s never been easier to launch a drip marketing campaign than with GetResponse drip email campaign software.
First, head to the GetResponse dashboard and select Autoresponders from the Tools tab.
From here, you can choose to prepare the copy and images that will go into the sequence and decide how often and at what intervals you want to send them, or you can use the AI Email Generator to speed up the process.
The automated generator will ask you to specify the key points you’d like to highlight in the sequence — like welcoming new subscribers or inviting them to an event — and then have you select details like your industry, target audience, and type of campaign.
GetResponse Autoresponders offers several types of drip email campaigns, including welcoming, nurturing, course, custom, and more.
Next, you’ll add details like your desired tone, pick your preferred layout and color scheme, and customize the email copy.
Once complete, update the settings for the drip campaign, including when you’d like to send it and to who. You can even optimize your subject line with our AI subject line generator.
Click ‘Save and publish,’ and that’s it! Your message will be scheduled to be sent to your subscriber list, and you can add as many follow-up messages as you’d like through the Autoresponders tab.
How many emails should be in an email drip campaign?
The number of messages in a drip email campaign depends on your goal or the type of lead-nurturing campaign you want to run.
For instance, if you’re developing an online course on a complex topic, you may want to divide relevant content across several messages over multiple weeks. However, if your primary objective is to convert new leads into sales, deliver three to four emails with a shorter interval between them.
Data from the Email Marketing Benchmarks report reveals that the average engagement metrics, like open rates and click-through rates, slowly decline as drip email campaigns become longer — so, aim to cap your sequence at seven emails max.
Email drip campaign tips & best practices
Want to enhance your email marketing strategy and boost campaign performance? Follow these helpful hints for successful drip email marketing.
Know when to remove users from your email drip campaigns
If a subscriber doesn’t respond to your drip marketing after several emails, it might be best to respect their decision and remove them from your mailing list.
This helps you maintain a healthy sender reputation. The goal is to persuade users to connect with your brand in a meaningful way, not force them to engage.
With drip campaign software like GetResponse, you can monitor unengaged subscribers to make informed decisions about when to remove them from a campaign.
Collect their information early on
Collecting contact information early on is essential to maximize the impact of your drip email campaigns, both for new leads and current customers.
By capturing this information upfront, you can tailor your messaging from the beginning, guiding each subscriber through a personalized journey that speaks directly to their needs.
With a well-timed drip campaign, you can nurture contacts consistently, building engagement and increasing the likelihood of conversions and repeat purchases.
Use a strong CTA (call to action)
Adding a strong call to action (CTA) is critical to the success of drip marketing campaigns, as it directs your subscribers toward the next step you want them to take.
Remember to adjust your CTAs according to each subscriber’s stage of the customer journey:
- For new leads: Use CTAs like “Learn More” or “Start Your Free Trial” to encourage exploration.
- For engaged customers: Try CTAs such as “Shop Now” or “Get Your Discount” to drive immediate purchases.
- For loyal customers: Implement CTAs like “Refer a Friend” or “Get Early Access” to foster community and reward their engagement.”
Use personalization
Personalized email content, like tailored subject lines and customized body copy, can make a drip campaign feel like a one-on-one conversation, not a ‘set it and forget it’ marketing strategy.
With GetResponse Marketing Automation software, you can easily incorporate email personalization into every message — segmenting your audience, automating responses, and adjusting content based on customer behavior.
This kind of personalized approach ensures that each email resonates with your subscribers, keeping your messages relevant and fostering loyalty for your brand.
A/B test
A/B testing is essential to refining any drip campaign, helping you see what content, timing, and subject lines resonate best with your audience.
You can A/B test directly in drip email campaign software like GetResponse, comparing two versions of an email to learn which drives more engagement.
This process gives you valuable data to continually improve your campaign’s performance and impact.
Determine the best day to send your emails
Speaking of timing, you’ll also want to determine the best day to send your emails to encourage higher open rates.
The Email Marketing Benchmark report found average engagement rates remain stable across the workweek; however, Tuesday and Thursday boasted the best click-through rates.
Likewise, emails sent early in the morning (4-6 AM) and late in the afternoon (5-7 PM) earn higher engagement.
Measure your success
No successful drip campaign is complete without measuring campaign performance. You’ll want to keep an eye on key performance indicators (KPIs), such as:
- Open rate: The percentage of subscribers who open your email, giving insight into how catchy your subject line is.
- Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click a link in your email, showing how engaging your content is.
- Conversion rate: The percentage of subscribers who take a desired action, like making a purchase or signing up.
- Unsubscribe Rate: The percentage of recipients who opt out of your emails, indicating if your content or frequency needs adjusting.
Create email drip campaigns that convert with GetResponse
Think of drip email marketing as your secret weapon for success in subscribers’ crowded inboxes. It’s an essential tool for nurturing leads and increasing conversions, making it a must-have in any marketer’s toolkit.
By leveraging automated marketing emails that are personalized and timely, you can launch impactful drip campaigns that guide your audience through the customer journey and build lasting relationships.With GetResponse, you can create effective drip campaigns with ease. GetResponse offers a suite of drip email marketing features to streamline campaign creation and automation, so you can convert with confidence.