Email Flow

An email flow is an automated series of emails triggered by a user's behavior, like signing up, abandoning setup, or going quiet. Once someone enters a flow, each message sends automatically based on timing and what they do next. Some platforms call these flows, others call them automations, sequences, or workflows; Loops calls them workflows.

Common email flows for SaaS

Welcome flow. Triggered by signup: the welcome email plus a follow-up or two pointing at the first action.

Onboarding flow. Walks new users through setup milestones, skipping steps they finish on their own, see our onboarding email examples.

Trial conversion flow. Value recaps and an upgrade ask timed to the trial clock.

Re-engagement flow. Triggered by inactivity: what changed since they left, one clear way back in.

Billing flows. Renewal reminders, failed-payment recovery, and receipts, these are transactional and run regardless of marketing consent.

Email flows vs campaigns

A campaign sends once, to a segment, on a date you pick. A flow is always on: each person enters when they trigger it and moves through at their own pace. Campaigns announce, flows respond. A healthy program runs both from the same contact data.

How to set up email flows

• Start with the two highest-leverage flows: welcome and onboarding

• Trigger from product events, not list joins, behavior is the signal that matters

• Add branch logic so completed steps skip their reminder emails

• Set exit conditions: conversion, unsubscribe, or sequence end

• Review flow analytics monthly, flows silently decay as the product changes

Email flows in Loops

Loops workflows are flows built on contact events: pick a trigger, add emails and delays, branch on behavior, and set exits. Marketing flows respect consent and suppression automatically, and transactional sends run through the email API.

FAQ

What are email flows?
Automated email series triggered by user behavior. Each contact enters individually and receives the messages based on timing and their own actions, no manual sending involved.

Which email flows should I set up first?
Welcome and onboarding. They reach every new user at peak attention and compound: improvements there lift every metric downstream.

What is the difference between a flow and a drip campaign?
A drip campaign runs on a fixed schedule. A flow reacts to behavior, branching and exiting based on what each person does. Drips are the simplest kind of flow.

Related: Email automation, Drip campaign, Autoresponder, Welcome email.