What are the most important workflows every sender should have?

If you could only build three email automations, which three would move the needle most? That's a useful question to ask, because most senders either set up one flow and call it done, or get lost building 15 automations before any of them are working well.

Here are the workflows that matter most, in rough priority order.

1. Welcome series

This is the one you build first, full stop. New subscribers are at peak curiosity right after they sign up. Open rates on welcome emails regularly hit 50% or higher. A good welcome series introduces your brand, sets expectations for what they'll receive, and gives subscribers a reason to stay. A bad one is a single "thanks for subscribing" email that leaves people wondering what they signed up for.

2. Abandoned cart flow (for e-commerce)

Someone browsed your products, added something to their cart, and then left. That's a strong buying signal. An abandoned cart workflow follows up within an hour or two, gently reminding them what they left behind. For most e-commerce senders, this is the single highest-revenue automation in their stack. If you haven't built this one yet, it's worth prioritising.

3. Re-engagement (winback) flow

Over time, some subscribers stop opening. That's normal. What matters is what you do about it. A re-engagement series targets subscribers who haven't opened in 90 to 180 days and gives them a clear choice: stay in or opt out. This matters for deliverability just as much as for engagement. Sending to a large chunk of people who never open is one of the fastest ways to train inbox providers to start filtering your emails.

4. Post-purchase follow-up (also for e-commerce)

And if someone just bought something, they're in the best possible headspace to hear from you. A post-purchase flow can confirm the order, share helpful setup tips, cross-sell related products, and eventually ask for a review. Done well, it turns a one-time buyer into a repeat customer without any manual effort on your part.

What about one-off campaigns?

Campaigns (newsletters, promos, announcements) are still valuable. But they require constant effort to plan, write, and send. Workflows run in the background on autopilot, doing their job every time someone hits a trigger. Most senders who build strong automations first find their overall results improve even before they change anything about their campaigns.

Not sure where to start? Build the welcome series first. It's the foundation everything else grows from.