Drip campaign
Definition
A drip campaign is a sequence of pre-written emails sent automatically over a period of time, triggered by a specific event or a subscriber entering a particular state. The name comes from “dripping” information steadily, rather than sending it all at once.
Drip campaigns are one of the foundational automation types in email marketing. Every platform from Mailchimp to ActiveCampaign to Klaviyo supports some form of drip campaign, though the sophistication varies by plan tier and platform.
Concrete example
A SaaS company signs up a new trial user. The drip campaign might look like:
- Day 0: Welcome email + onboarding video
- Day 1: Feature spotlight 1 (key use case)
- Day 3: Feature spotlight 2 (second key use case)
- Day 5: Case study from a similar company
- Day 7: “Have you tried X?” + trial expiry reminder
- Day 9: “Your trial ends in 2 days” + upgrade CTA
- Day 11: Last chance + discount offer
This sequence fires for every new trial user automatically, without manual intervention. The trigger is “new trial signup.” The workflow engine checks for that trigger and starts the sequence.
Drip campaigns vs one-off campaigns
| Type | Trigger | Timing | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drip campaign | Event (signup, purchase, form submit) | Automatic, pre-set intervals | Onboarding, nurturing, winback |
| One-off campaign | Manual send | Chosen by sender | Newsletters, promotions, announcements |
Both types co-exist in most email programmes. The drip campaigns run in the background; the one-off campaigns are scheduled and sent manually (or semi-manually).
Platform differences in drip campaign capabilities
Brevo (free/Starter): Basic linear drip sequences — email A after 1 day, email B after 3 days. No branching. Sufficient for simple welcome series.
MailerLite (free): Multi-step drip sequences with basic conditional splits included on the free plan. Better than Brevo at the same price tier for automation.
ActiveCampaign (Plus): Full drip campaign builder with conditional splits, goal conditions, wait steps tied to behaviour (not just time), and CRM integration. The B2B standard.
Klaviyo: Ecommerce-specific drip sequences (“flows”) with abandoned-cart workflow, post-purchase, and predictive-timed sends. Best for Shopify.
Why it matters for platform selection
The sophistication of a platform’s drip campaign builder is one of the key purchase-decision factors for automation-focused buyers. Evaluate:
- Can I set up conditional branches (if contact clicks link A → send email X; if they don’t → send email Y)?
- Can I set goal conditions (if contact converts / purchases → exit the drip sequence automatically)?
- What triggers are available — time-based only, or event-based (site visits, purchases, API events)?
- How many active drip sequences can I have simultaneously?
If the answers to questions 1–3 matter to your business: look at ActiveCampaign, GetResponse (Business tier), or Klaviyo.
If you just need a 3–5 email welcome sequence: Brevo, MailerLite, or Mailchimp’s Essentials plan all suffice.
→ Take the decision wizard to find which platform’s automation tier fits your actual needs.
→ Read: Email marketing automation — the 5 workflows every business should ship first