Email sequence

Step 1 goes out when the contact is enrolled, step 2 a few business days later if there is no reply, and so on. Follow-ups often thread under the first email so the prospect sees the history, and variables fill in each contact's name, company and custom lines. In HubSpot, a sequence holds up to 10 email templates plus any number of task reminders.

Sequences exist because one email rarely gets a reply on its own: people miss it, mean to answer later or need a second reason. A good sequence adds something at each step, such as a customer result, a different pain point or a simpler ask, instead of just bumping the thread.

For example, a four-step sequence goes to 800 HR directors: an intro naming one problem on day 1, a customer result on day 4, a different angle on day 9 and a short close-out on day 16. Of 36 replies, 15 come from step 1, 11 from step 2, 6 from step 3 and 4 from step 4, so 58% arrive after the first email.

A sales sequence differs from a marketing drip campaign in purpose and exit rules. A drip campaign nurtures many leads with content over weeks; a sales sequence aims for one reply from one person and ends when they respond. HubSpot, for example, unenrolls a contact by default when they reply or book a meeting. Outbound teams test step count, timing and copy per segment and track replies and meetings per step.