Short answer: A drip campaign is a short series of emails that go out on their own when someone does something, such as joining your list or asking for a quote. Choose what starts it and what stops it, write a few short emails, space them out and test the sequence before you turn it on.
What a drip campaign is
In this guide, a drip campaign is a set of emails sent one by one on a schedule, starting when a person does something. Each person gets their own series, at their own pace.
Mailchimp calls them automation flows. A trigger is the event or action that adds a contact to a flow. Steps are the rules and actions that follow, such as a time delay or sending an email, and an exit condition removes a contact from the flow.
Drip campaigns a small business can use
| Sequence | What starts it | What it sends |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Someone joins your email list | A thank-you right away, then who you are and your best offer over a week |
| Quote follow-up | A quote goes out | A check-in two days later and a last note after a week |
| Appointment reminder | A booking is made | A reminder the day before, with the address and what to bring |
| Review request | A job is finished | A thank-you with the review link a day or two later |
| Win-back | No purchase in a few months | A short note with something new, then a last one if there is no reply |
Our own examples. Adjust the timing to how your customers buy.
The welcome sequence works best with a list people chose to join, as our guide to building an email list explains.
How to set up a drip campaign
- Pick one moment that starts the sequence, such as a sign-up or a quote.
- Decide what ends it: a reply, a booking or a purchase.
- Write each email with one message and one thing to do.
- Send the first one right away and leave a few days between the rest.
- Build the flow in your email platform: the trigger, then the delays and the emails.
- Send a test to your own address and click every link.
- Read the replies and the unsubscribes after the first weeks and adjust.
The steps are our own. In Mailchimp, choosing a trigger is the first thing you do when you build a flow from scratch, and some plans allow up to three. Its triggers only apply to actions or events that happen after the flow is activated, so a welcome flow won’t reach people who signed up before. How many steps you can add, and which tools you get, depends on your plan.
Rules an automated email still follows
An email sent by a flow is still a commercial email. Our CAN-SPAM guide covers what each one needs, from the opt-out to your address.
Mailchimp’s flows can also send text messages, but only with an approved SMS Marketing program. Texts have their own consent rules, which our SMS marketing guide covers.
Before you turn a sequence on
- One clear event starts it, and another one ends it.
- Each email has one message and one thing to do.
- The emails are spaced out, not sent all at once.
- Every email carries the opt-out and your address.
- You sent a test to yourself and clicked every link.
- Someone reads the replies the sequence brings in.
RememberA drip campaign sends each person a short series of emails when they do something. Start it with one event, end it when they reply or buy, and test it before it goes out.
Our automation service sets up lead follow-up: a first reply goes out on its own, then three follow-ups over seven days. AI drafts the work and a person approves it before it goes out.
Common questions about drip campaigns
What is the difference between a drip campaign and a newsletter?
A newsletter goes to your whole list on a date you choose. A drip campaign sends each person their own series, starting when they do something, such as signing up or asking for a quote.
How many emails should a drip campaign have?
As few as it takes to make the point. Our examples use one to three, and the sequence should stop as soon as the person replies, books or buys, so nobody gets an email that no longer fits.
Will people already on my list get a new sequence?
Only if they do the triggering action after you activate the flow. Mailchimp’s triggers only apply to actions or events that happen after activation, so a welcome flow won’t reach people who signed up earlier; send them a regular campaign.
Can a drip campaign include text messages?
Mailchimp’s automation flows can send SMS, but only with an approved SMS Marketing program. Texts also have their own consent rules, which our SMS marketing guide covers.
What takes someone out of a sequence?
In Mailchimp, an exit condition: an event or action that removes a contact from a flow. Use one for the thing you were waiting for, such as a reply or a purchase.
Sources
Sources read on November 6, 2026: About Marketing Automation Flows and Create a Marketing Automation Flow (Mailchimp Help).