Drip campaign
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An automated email sequence that sends pre-written messages on a schedule. The simplest form of marketing automation.
A drip campaign is a sequence of pre-written emails sent automatically at set intervals. Sign up for a free trial? You get email 1 on day 1, email 2 on day 3, email 3 on day 7, and so on. The emails 'drip' out over time.
Drip campaigns are the simplest form of lead nurture. They do not adapt to behavior. They fire on a schedule regardless of what the recipient does. More sophisticated nurture programs are triggered by behavior (visited the pricing page, opened the last email, completed a product action), but drip campaigns are a good starting point.
The most effective drip campaigns are short (5-7 emails), focused on one goal (activate, convert, educate), and provide genuine value in every email. Do not drip promotional messages. Drip useful content that moves the recipient closer to a decision.
Examples
A free trial onboarding drip.
Day 0: Welcome and quickstart guide. Day 1: Tutorial video for core feature. Day 3: Tips from power users. Day 5: Case study of a similar company. Day 7: Check-in (how is the trial going?). Day 12: Offer to schedule a walkthrough. Day 14: Trial ending reminder with upgrade CTA.
A post-event drip campaign.
After a conference: Day 1: Thank you and session slides. Day 4: Related blog post. Day 8: Customer story from the event. Day 14: Invitation to a follow-up webinar. 15% of event leads who complete the drip request a demo.
A drip campaign with poor results.
Every email in the drip says 'Schedule a demo.' Open rates drop from 35% to 8% by email 5. Unsubscribes spike. The team rewrites the sequence to lead with value (technical content, customer stories) and saves the demo ask for the final email. Open rates stabilize at 22%.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a drip campaign and a nurture campaign?
A drip campaign sends pre-set emails on a fixed schedule. A nurture campaign adapts based on recipient behavior (what they click, what they download, what pages they visit). Drip campaigns are simpler to build. Nurture campaigns are more effective but require more sophisticated automation.
How many emails should a drip campaign have?
5-7 for most purposes. Onboarding drips can be longer (7-10 emails over 14-30 days). Re-engagement drips should be shorter (3-4 emails). If your drip exceeds 10 emails, consider whether it should transition to an ongoing newsletter instead.
Related terms
A series of automated communications that guide leads through the funnel over time. Building trust and intent until they are ready to buy.
Software that automates repetitive marketing tasks: email sequences, lead scoring, campaign management, and lead routing.
The percentage of sent emails that actually reach the recipient's inbox. The foundation of every email marketing program.
The percentage of delivered emails that recipients opened. A proxy for subject line effectiveness and sender trust.
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