Complete Guide to Email Automation

Email automation is the practice of sending pre-written email sequences to prospects based on triggers, schedules, or behaviors—without manual intervention for each send.

What automation handles:

• Sending initial cold emails to new prospects
• Following up automatically if no reply
• Branching sequences based on opens, clicks, or replies
• Personalizing content with dynamic variables
• Scheduling sends at optimal times
• Removing unsubscribes and bounces automatically

A sequence (or campaign) is a series of emails sent automatically based on timing rules and prospect behavior. Here's how to build one that converts.

The anatomy of a winning sequence:

1. Email 1 (Day 0): The initial outreach. Short, personalized, value-focused.
2. Email 2 (Day 3): First follow-up. Add new value—don't just "bump."
3. Email 3 (Day 7): Social proof. Share a case study or testimonial.
4. Email 4 (Day 14): The breakup. Politely close the loop.

Email 1: "Quick question about {{company}}"
→ No reply after 3 days

Email 2: "{{first_name}}, thought this might help"
[Share relevant article/resource]
→ No reply after 4 days

Email 3: "How {{similar_company}} solved this"
[Case study/results]
→ No reply after 7 days

Email 4: "Should I close your file?"
[Polite final attempt]

When you send matters almost as much as what you send. Get the timing wrong and your email gets buried. Get it right and you're top of inbox.

Follow-up timing rules:

• Email 1 to 2: 2-3 business days
• Email 2 to 3: 4-5 business days
• Email 3 to 4: 7-10 business days
• After sequence: Pause 30-60 days, then re-engage

The biggest myth in email automation? That you must choose between personalization and scale. You can have both.

Levels of automation personalization:

• Level 1 - Basic: {{first_name}}, {{company}}, {{title}}
• Level 2 - Enhanced: {{industry}}, {{company_size}}, {{location}}
• Level 3 - Smart: AI-generated opening lines based on research
• Level 4 - Dynamic: Entire email adapts based on lead scoring and behavior

{{#if tech_stack includes "Salesforce"}}
"Since you're already using Salesforce..."
{{else}}
"Looking to integrate with your existing CRM..."
{{/if}}

{{#if company_size > 100}}
"Enterprise teams like yours typically need..."
{{else}}
"Growing teams like {{company}} often struggle with..."
{{/if}}

Automated doesn't mean robotic. Your emails should sound like they came from a human—because prospects can smell automation from a mile away.

The PAS framework for email copy:

• Problem: Identify a pain they likely have
• Agitation: Remind them why it matters
• Solution: Show how you can help

Problem: "Scaling outreach usually means hiring more SDRs."

Agitation: "But at $80K+ per hire plus ramp time, that's a 
$400K bet before you see results."

Solution: "Suplex lets your current team send 10x more 
personalized emails—without adding headcount."

CTA: "Worth a 10-minute call to see how?"

Never assume you know what works. Test everything—subjects, openings, CTAs, timing. Small improvements compound into massive results.

What to test in order of impact:

1. Subject lines: Questions vs. statements, length, personalization
2. Opening lines: Research-based vs. value-first vs. question
3. CTAs: Soft vs. hard asks, specific times vs. open-ended
4. Email length: Short (50 words) vs. medium (100 words)
5. Send times: Morning vs. afternoon, day of week

The best email in the world is worthless if it hits spam. Deliverability is the foundation of email automation success.

Deliverability checklist:

• ✓ Authenticate with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
• ✓ Warm up new sending domains gradually
• ✓ Start slow (20-50 emails/day), scale gradually
• ✓ Remove bounces and unsubscribes immediately
• ✓ Maintain list hygiene (clean invalid emails)
• ✓ Monitor spam complaints (keep under 0.1%)
• ✓ Use plain text or minimal HTML

Data tells you what's working. Track the right metrics, ignore vanity numbers, and optimize based on what moves revenue.

Metrics that matter:

• Delivery rate: % that didn't bounce (target: 95%+)
• Open rate: % who opened (benchmark: 20-40%)
• Reply rate: % who responded (target: 5-15%)
• Positive reply rate: % of interested responses (target: 30%+ of replies)
• Meeting booked rate: % who book calls (target: 2-5%)