LeadDripprA drip campaign is a series of pre-written emails sent automatically to a contact over time, triggered by a specific action: signing up, downloading a resource, filling out a form, or entering a CRM.
The word "drip" comes from the idea of water dripping steadily: not a flood, not a drought, but a consistent, measured flow of communication.
How they work
- A lead takes an action (the trigger)
- They enter a sequence
- Each email in the sequence fires after a set delay (day 1, day 4, day 10, etc.)
- The sequence ends when the lead replies, converts, or reaches the last step
The emails are written once and sent automatically. You do the work upfront; the sequence runs while you focus on other things.
Drip campaigns vs. newsletters
These are often confused. The difference is simple:
| Drip Campaign | Newsletter | |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Individual action | Manual send to a list |
| Timing | Relative (day 1, day 4…) | Absolute (every Tuesday) |
| Content | Same for everyone in the sequence | Same for everyone at the same time |
| Goal | Convert a specific lead | Maintain relationship with an audience |
Both have their place. Drip campaigns are better for converting leads who've shown specific intent. Newsletters are better for staying top of mind with a broad audience.
When to use a drip campaign
Drip campaigns work best when:
- You have a defined trigger. A lead filled out a demo request, downloaded a pricing guide, or was added to a CRM list.
- Your sales cycle is longer than a day. If most leads need time to research and decide, a drip keeps you in front of them during that window.
- Your message can be personalized by segment. Leads from different industries, roles, or sources should hear different things.
- You can't manually follow up at scale. If you have more than 20–30 new leads a week, manual outreach becomes a bottleneck.
When not to use one
Drip campaigns are not a fit for:
- One-off announcements or time-sensitive offers (use a broadcast instead)
- Leads who need immediate human contact (high-ACV deals, enterprise prospects)
- Situations where every conversation is genuinely unique
A simple starting sequence
If you've never run a drip campaign before, start here:
- Email 1 (day 0): Acknowledge the trigger. Deliver what they signed up for. No pitch.
- Email 2 (day 3): One relevant piece of value: a case study, a stat, a short tip.
- Email 3 (day 7): A soft ask. "Is this something worth exploring?" Not a hard sell.
- Email 4 (day 14): A break-up email. "I'll stop reaching out after this, but if you ever want to revisit, I'm here."
Four emails. Two weeks. One clear goal at each step.
LeadDrippr is built specifically for drip campaigns. Connect a Google Sheet as your lead source, write your sequence, and you're live in minutes. Try it free.