What is a drip campaign?
A drip campaign is a series of pre-written messages, usually emails, sent automatically on a schedule or in response to something a person does. It guides leads or customers step by step toward a goal such as a purchase.
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How a drip campaign works
You write the messages ahead of time and set the rules for sending them. A trigger, such as signing up or abandoning a cart, starts the series, and each message goes out after a set delay.
Common uses
Teams use drip campaigns for welcome series, onboarding, lead nurturing, event follow-up, and win-back messages. The same idea works over SMS or other channels.
A drip can be a fixed schedule for everyone, or it can branch based on whether someone opens, clicks, or buys.
Keeping a drip campaign effective
Give each message one purpose and make the series stop for people who already took the action you wanted. Review open, click, and unsubscribe rates for each step, and rewrite the ones that lose people.
Common questions
How does a drip campaign work?
A trigger enrolls a person, and then messages are sent automatically on a preset schedule. Many drip campaigns adjust the path based on what the person does.
What's the difference between a drip campaign and a newsletter?
A drip campaign is a planned sequence started by an action or sign-up, and each person gets it from their own starting point. A newsletter goes to the whole list at the same time.
How many emails should a drip campaign have?
It depends on the goal and how long your buying cycle is. A welcome series might be a few messages, while a long nurture track may run longer, so review the data and trim what doesn't help.
What tools do you need for a drip campaign?
You need an email or messaging platform that supports automated sequences and triggers. Most marketing automation tools include this.
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