How to Build Your First Workflow

Workflows are the core of email automation in FlowNurture. They let you build multi-step sequences that run automatically when contacts meet a trigger condition.

This guide walks you through building your first one.

What you'll build

A simple 3-step welcome workflow:

1. Send welcome email — immediately after enrollment
2. Wait 2 days — give them time to read the first email
3. Send follow-up email — share a valuable resource or next step

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A verified sender email (Settings → Sender)
• At least one contact or a form capturing new contacts

Step 1: Create the workflow

1. Go to Workflows
2. Click Create Workflow
3. Choose Start from scratch (or pick a template if one fits)
4. Name it something descriptive, e.g. "Welcome Series"

Step 2: Add the first email step

1. In the workflow editor, click Add Step
2. Choose SEND_EMAIL
3. Enter the subject line: "Welcome to [your product]"
4. Write or paste the email body

Keep the first email short and focused:

• Thank them for signing up
• Tell them what to expect
• Include one clear CTA (e.g. "Complete your profile" or "Watch the quick-start video")

Step 3: Add a delay

1. Click Add Step again
2. Choose DELAY
3. Set the duration: 2 days

Delays create breathing room between emails. Without them, contacts receive multiple emails in rapid succession — which increases unsubscribes.

Step 4: Add the follow-up email

1. Click Add Step one more time
2. Choose SEND_EMAIL
3. Write a follow-up that delivers value:
   • Share a guide, template, or resource
   • Answer the most common question new users have
   • Offer a low-friction next step

Step 5: Review and activate

Before activating:

• Check all email content for typos and broken links
• Verify the delay timing makes sense for your audience
• Confirm your sender is verified
• Preview how the emails will render

When you're ready, click Activate. The workflow moves to ACTIVE status and begins processing enrollments.

Step 6: Enroll contacts

You can enroll contacts in three ways:

Manual enrollment

Go to the workflow and click Enroll. Select individual contacts or enroll all contacts.

Segment-based enrollment

Select a segment and enroll all matching contacts at once. The workflow will skip contacts who are already enrolled, unsubscribed, or suppressed.

Trigger-based enrollment (coming with workflow triggers)

Set a trigger so contacts are automatically enrolled when they submit a form, receive a tag, or enter a segment.

Step 7: Monitor performance

After enrollment, click Monitor on your workflow to see:

• Enrollment counts by status (Active, Completed, Failed)
• Step-by-step completion rates
• Email open and click rates

What to build next

Once your welcome workflow is running:

• Add a condition step — branch based on whether they opened the first email
• Build a re-engagement workflow — target contacts who go quiet after 30–60 days
• Set up lead scoring — so your workflows can react to engagement signals