3 Essential Marketing Emails to Set Up First in 2025
If you want to start with just a few email automations for your business, make them these. They meet people at the most important moments in their journey: when they subscribe, when they almost buy, and right after they purchase. Get these running, and you’ll stop avoiding the easiest revenue in email. Campaigns can add volume later, but these flows are the engine that runs 24/7.
In the short video below, I’ll clearly explain with examples what 3 three flows are and how to use them. If you’re a fresh marketer or brand owner looking for clarity, this is the perfect place to start.
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If you learn better by watching or listening, this short video will explain the email strategy in just 4 minutes.
Why these three come first
Welcome, Abandoned Cart, and Post-Purchase hit people at the exact moments when they’re most open. A new subscriber just said “yes, talk to me”, so a quick welcome sets expectations and gives a small win. Someone who abandons a cart was already mid-decision; a simple, timely reminder (with the product they picked) helps them finish. Right after a purchase, customers want reassurance and next steps: “when does it ship, how do I use it, what should I do next?”… which is where a good post-purchase excels.
These automations outperform most newsletters because the message matches the moment. You’re responding to people’s actions, not interrupting their day. Welcome meets curiosity with clarity and value. Abandoned Cart meets intent with a friendly nudge and proof. Post-Purchase meets commitment with guidance and confidence. Let’s dive deeper into each of them.
Welcome Flow: Instant First Impression
When someone joins your list, they’re warm. They’ve taken the first step toward you, which means your first email needs to arrive quickly and deliver something useful. The goal isn’t to “sell immediately” so much as to set expectations, create a quick win, and earn trust before distractions kick in, or before a competitor greets them first.
A practical starter sequence is three emails over four to five days. The first goes out within minutes. Thank them, give immediate value (a useful resource, a simple tip, or a first-order incentive), and explain what they’ll get from you next. The second arrives a day or two later and focuses on your story: who your business helps, why it exists, and what problems you actually solve. The third lands around day four or five and provides proof: a short customer quote, a bestseller with a one-line benefit, a quick case result… anything that reduces risk and makes choosing you feel safe.
Keep each message to one promise and one CTA. If someone subscribed during checkout, skip the Welcome Flow and route them to Post-Purchase instead, as you understand the context matters. The metrics to watch here are time to first purchase, supported by healthy early engagement (clicks or replies) and low unsubscribes from the flow itself.
Abandoned Cart: recovering sales when people get distracted.
Cart abandoners rarely “decided against you.” Most likely, people were simply interrupted by a phone call, a meeting, or a child. That’s why a simple reminder, with the product image, is often enough to bring them back. Think of this flow as a polite tap on the shoulder rather than a sales push.
A two-step pattern works well. The first email goes out one to three hours after the abandon, while the item is still fresh in mind. Keep it friendly and uncluttered: show the exact product, include a single “Complete your order” button, and avoid piling on extra links. The second arrives about a day later and adds a gentle nudge: social proof, a low-stock note, or a small incentive if your margins allow.
Make sure the dynamic content pulls the right product, price, and image. Suppress the flow immediately when someone completes the purchase. No one wants a reminder to buy something again after they’ve paid. Important metrics are recovery rate (recovered orders divided by abandons), supported by click-through and revenue per recipient.
Post-Purchase: reduce returns and plant repeated sales.
Right after someone buys is when they’re most open to reassurance and guidance. Great post-purchase emails confirm the decision, set clear expectations, and help customers get value quickly. Done well, this reduces returns and support tickets and quietly sets up the next purchase by building a good experience.
Send a first message immediately with a genuine thank you and “what happens next”: shipping timelines, how to get help fast, and any quick-start steps if relevant. A few days later, follow up with tips that help them succeed: care instructions, setup, or usage ideas. A week or two later, consider a third touch only if it truly helps: a complementary product, an advanced guide, or content that deepens their results. Ask for a review only after delivery and a realistic usage window; make it easy with a simple 1-click or short form. Track repeat purchase rate over 30–60 days, the volume/quality of reviews or UGC, and whether support tickets decline for customers who received the tips.
Build steps
Start by defining the trigger for each flow and its edge cases: signup (new subscriber), cart started but not purchased (no order within X minutes), and order placed/fulfilled (use fulfilled if shipping info matters). Then set precise delays: Welcome #1 within minutes (ideally 5–10); Abandoned Cart #1 at 1–3 hours, follow-up at 24 hours; Post-Purchase #1 immediately, tips at 3–7 days, optional complement at 7–14 days.
Wire dynamic data so emails feel specific: product image/title/price, cart contents, order status, first name, relevant category. Add exits and suppressions to protect the experience: stop the cart flow the moment a purchase happens; skip Welcome if the signup happened at checkout; suppress campaigns while someone is mid-flow; add frequency caps so subscribers don’t get stacked send
Some Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just for eCommerce?
No. The logic applies to SaaS and info products too: Welcome is onboarding, Cart equals to resume signup/checkout, Post-Purchase translates into adoption and activation.
How many emails should each flow have?
Start lean: Welcome 3, Cart 2, Post-Purchase 2-3. Add more emails per flow if engagement stays high and unsubscribes remain low.
Do I need discounts in my emails?
Not by default. Many brands recover with a reminder and social proof. Add a small incentive if testing shows it lifts conversions without hurting margins.
Will this hurt deliverability?
Usually the opposite. Timely, relevant automations improve engagement signals. Keep lists clean, honor consent, and use clear sender info.
Why You Need to Start Now
Whether you’re a:
Start-up founder trying to grow sustainably
Marketer working with E-commerce or SaaS brands
Freelancer looking to offer automation services
Or a side-hustler tired of depending on platforms like Instagram or TikTok…
Email flows are the engine behind scalable, sustainable marketing.
While everyone else is trying to go viral or pay more for ads, your flows are quietly doing the hard work for you: Selling, Onboarding, Building trust, and Re-engaging
You don’t need a big list to see results. You just need the right flows.
What’s Next?
This is Video 5 of my Email Marketing A–Z series, where I break down every key concept: from welcome emails to abandoned carts, list segmentation, tools like Klaviyo, and more.
[Watch the next Video 6: Welcome Flow Explained]
Each video is 3–5 minutes, practical, and super informative. You can binge the full series or come back anytime you want to improve a specific skill.
Final Thoughts
If you're serious about growing your business or learning real digital marketing skills, email is not optional. And it’s one of the few channels where you don’t have to chase algorithms or pay for every click.
This article gave you the basics.
I constantly upload more videos on my YouTube channel to explore more and more topics on Email Marketing.
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