Send automatic follow-ups to a segment

Automatic follow-ups work best for recurring situations rather than one-time sends: contacts who opened a campaign but did not click, subscribers who have not engaged in a set number of days, or customers who reached a particular stage in a segment. Because the rule runs continuously against the segment, new contacts who later match the criteria are picked up without you creating a new send each time.

This makes auto follow-up a lighter-weight alternative to a full drip campaign when you only need one well-timed message rather than a multi-step sequence. It also complements triggers, which can start a campaign or drip series from list or date events instead of ongoing segment matches.

Keep the segment definition narrow enough that the follow-up feels relevant. A segment built from “opened but did not click” combined with a recent date window usually performs better than a broad, unfiltered list, because the message reads as a timely nudge instead of a repeat blast.

Write follow-up copy that acknowledges the first email rather than repeating it verbatim; referencing the earlier subject or offer gives the recipient a reason to open a second time. Review sends, opens, clicks, and unsubscribes regularly under Auto Follow Up statistics, and pause a rule that is generating unsubscribes faster than clicks.