Automate Your First Follow-Up

Learn how to set up a simple, event-triggered automation (a Workflow) to send a follow-up email when a lead arrives, then build on it with a multi-step email sequence (a Drip Campaign) to nurture leads over time.

Part A: Build a Simple Workflow (Event-Triggered Automation)

Goal: Create a workflow that sends a follow-up email automatically when a new lead is added to your CRM.

1. Open the Workflows builder

In the sidebar, click Workflows. The page lists all your workflows as cards. Click New Workflow to open the visual builder.

You'll see a canvas with a Trigger card at the top. This is where your automation starts.

2. Pick a trigger

Click the Trigger card to open its settings. The When this happens dropdown shows your available triggers:

  • Lead created
  • Lead status changed
  • Call created
  • Meeting created
  • Opportunity created

For this tutorial, select Lead created. This means the workflow will run every time a new lead arrives. Click outside the card to close it.

3. Add an action (send an email)

Below the Trigger card, you'll see a dashed "+" button marked "Automation ends". Click it to add your first step.

The Add an action sidebar slides in from the right, showing action categories: Suggested, Sending, Workflow, CRM, Apps. Click the Sending tab, then select Send Email.

A new Send Email card is now on your canvas, connected below the trigger. Click the card to open its settings:

  • To: Leave this empty — it will send to the lead's email address automatically.
  • Email: Click the dropdown to see your saved workflow emails (marked with "In use" badges). If you don't have one yet, click Create a new email to write a subject and body. You can use merge tags like {{lead.name}} and {{lead.company}} to personalize.

Close the settings once your email is chosen.

4. Save and activate the workflow

At the top of the canvas, click Save & Activate. A dialog may ask you to confirm—your workflow is now live and will run every time a lead is created.

5. Check that it ran

Go to Inbox or your email tracking dashboard. When a new lead is created in your CRM, a sent email will appear. You can also check the Workflows page—the card for this workflow will show an execution count increasing each time it runs.

Part B: Build a Drip Campaign (Multi-Step Email Sequence)

Goal: Create a 3-email nurture sequence that sends follow-ups over several days, and watch how open/click branching can direct leads into different paths.

6. Create a new campaign (manual)

In the sidebar, click Drip Campaigns. The page shows all your drip campaigns as cards. Click New Manual Campaign to open the builder.

You'll see a timeline layout with the question Who enters at the top. Choose:

  • Leads I enroll (manual) — you'll enroll leads one by one or in bulk
  • Every new lead (auto-enrollment on lead creation)

For this tutorial, select Leads I enroll. The builder is ready for you to add emails.

7. Add steps with delays

The first email card is already waiting on the timeline. Click it to open settings:

  • Subject: Write your subject line
  • Message: Write the email body; use merge tags like {{lead.name}}, {{lead.company}}, {{lead.city}}

Close the card. Above it, you'll see a wait field (the delay before this email sends after enrollment). You can set it to send immediately, or add hours or days. For your first email, set it to 0 days (send right away on enrollment).

Now add a second email. Click Add email at the bottom of the timeline. A new card appears with a wait field above it—set this to 2 days so the second email sends two days after the first. Fill in the subject and message.

Add a third email with a wait of 4 days (four days after the second email). Write its subject and message.

You now have a 3-email sequence spreading across one week.

8. Enroll leads/contacts

Before you activate, click Create draft campaign at the bottom to save your sequence as a draft. It won't send anything yet.

On the Drip Campaigns list, find your new campaign—it shows "Draft" status. Click the enroll icon (person icon) on the card.

A dialog appears asking how you want to enroll:

  • One lead: Pick a single lead from the dropdown and click Enroll. The first email is scheduled immediately (or after the wait you set).
  • Whole audience: Pick one of your contact Lists or Segments and click Enroll all. The system converts contacts to leads (matched by email) and shows you exactly what happened: "12 enrolled from 15 contacts · 2 already in this campaign · 1 without email skipped".

Note: Leads without an email address can't be enrolled.

9. Understand open/click branching and exit rules

While in the campaign builder, you can add branching rules so emails react to engagement. Click After this email on any card (for instance, after the first email):

  • If a link is clicked: You can continue in order, skip ahead to a later email, or End campaign — goal reached.
  • If opened, no click: The same options are available.

For example, if someone clicks a link in your first email, you could send them to step 3 instead of step 2 (skipping one), or end the campaign altogether if you believe the goal is reached. These rules appear as amber notes on the card (e.g., "clicked → end campaign").

The system has built-in exit rules:

  • A reply ends the drip — if a lead replies to any email, their active drip enrollments stop automatically so they don't keep receiving nurture emails after they've engaged directly.
  • Opted-out people are never enrolled — if a contact has unsubscribed or opted out, they cannot be added to any drip campaign.

10. Check deliverability basics

All drip campaign emails are sent through your organization's SMTP settings. Before activating, verify:

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Email (SMTP) and confirm your email provider is configured (your domain, credentials, and sending address are set up).
  2. Check the daily send limit setting—this protects your sender reputation by capping how many emails leave your account per day.

Opens and clicks are tracked per email automatically, feeding the branching rules you set and the engagement data shown on contact profiles.

Ready to activate

Once you've reviewed everything, go back to the Drip Campaigns list, find your campaign, and click Activate. Your campaign is now live—enrolled leads will receive emails on the schedule you set, and the system will handle all branching and exit rules for you.