In SendGrid, automated emails and email sequences can be configured to run when a user is added to a list or a segment. To setup and manage your automations in SendGrid, click Marketing > Automations.
With SendGrid’s Automation Tools, you can create recurring, user-behavior triggered email campaigns, also known as a drip series. Once you are familiar with SendGrid in general as well as the basics of Newsletter Creation, be sure to read through SendGrid’s article on Getting Started with Automation.
Before configuring your Automation, consider what you are trying to accomplish. Here are some common scenarios for when an Automation might be useful:
- Onboard new users:
- Welcome new contacts when they register with a warm message and introductory tips.
- Send a welcome drip series to new subscribers, perhaps with fulfillment details related to a specific subscription perk or with customized information for different subscription levels.
- Welcome new contacts when they register with a warm message and introductory tips.
- Send a welcome drip series to new subscribers, perhaps with fulfillment details related to a specific subscription perk or with customized information for different subscription levels.
- Run a campaign for lapsed subscribers to encourage them to resubscribe. (Consider coupling this with a promotion – contact the Lede team for help with this setup!)
- Send a survey to subscribers who have cancelled their subscription to understand why they cancelled.
Once you have determined what you are trying to accomplish, make sure you have created a segment targeting the audience you’d like to send the automation to. (Click here for more information on configuring segments.)
1. Create an Automation
First, click to Create an Automation and select whether you want to use a pre-built Welcome automation or create your own Custom automation. Unless you are setting up a Welcome automation for all new registered users, select Custom.
2. Edit Automation
Next, configure the automation options.
Automation Name: This is an internal only name that is not recipient-facing. Use this to clearly label your Automations.
Entry Criteria: Select when contacts will enter the automation – when they are first added to either a list or a segment.
Exit Criteria: Select when contacts will exit the automation:
- When they have received all emails in the automation (this is likely the option you will want to select for most automations you create)
- When they no longer meet the entry criteria
- When they meet specific criteria that you specify
Unsubscribe Group and Categories:
- Add the relevant unsubscribe group for this automation. Unless this automation is in the context of a specific newsletter, use “Global Unsubscribe”
- Select a category for the automation, which is an internal only, optional designation that is used for organizational purposes.
Emails: Set up the emails you want to include in the automation – you can set up a single email, or a series of emails – and the timing for sending each email in the sequence.
- Choose whether the initial email goes out immediately once a user meets the entry criteria, or a certain number of hours or days after the user meets the entry criteria.
- Add the Email Content for each email in the sequence, using the Design or Code Editor.
- Establish the timing for the rest of the emails in the sequence – you can choose how many hours or days after the preceding email each subsequent email is sent. For a drip series, you likely want to space things out a bit to not inundate your users with many emails all at once.
3. Set Your Automation to Live & Monitor Performance!
After you have finished configuring your automation, including setting up all emails in the sequence, you’ll be ready to click Automation Options > Set Live.
Automation Tips
- You can save an automation as a draft before taking it live, so you can draft the email content and return to it later.
- Automations can be disabled or duplicated from the Automation Options button. Automations can only be disabled once they have been set live.
- View Automation Stats on the Automation to gauge what’s working or what should be changed to drive better engagement.