Email onboarding drip sequence with behavioral triggers

# Onboarding Email Sequence: CloudBoard (Project Management SaaS) **Activation metric:** User creates their first board with 5+ tasks **Sequence:** 7 emails over 14 days with behavioral branching --- ## Flow Diagram ``` Sign up │ ├── [Immediately] Email 1: Welcome + quick win │ ├── [+1 day, if NO board created] Email 2: Create your first board │ └── [If board created] → Skip to Email 4 │ ├── [+3 days, if board has < 5 tasks] Email 3: Add your tasks │ └── [If 5+ tasks] → Skip to Email 5 │ ├── [+5 days, if activated] Email 4: Pro tips for power users │ └── [If NOT activated] Email 4b: "Is something blocking you?" │ ├── [+7 days] Email 5: Invite your team │ └── [If already invited team] → Skip │ ├── [+10 days] Email 6: Feature spotlight (integrations) │ └── [+14 days] Email 7: Upgrade nudge / feedback ask └── [If on paid plan] → Send "thank you" variant instead ``` --- ## Email 1: Welcome + Quick Win **Trigger:** Immediately after sign-up **Subject:** Welcome to CloudBoard — let's set up in 60 seconds **Alt A:** Your first project board is waiting **Alt B:** You're in! Here's your one next step **Body:** Hey [first_name]! 👋 Welcome to CloudBoard. You just joined 12,000+ teams who ship faster by keeping everything in one place. Your first step is simple: **create a board.** It takes 60 seconds. Here's what to do: 1. Click "New Board" on your dashboard 2. Give it a name (your current project works great) 3. Add 3-5 tasks you're working on this week That's it. Once you have tasks on a board, everything else (collaboration, tracking, automation) clicks into place. [Create my first board →] If you need inspiration, here are 3 templates our users love: - Product Launch Tracker - Sprint Board - Client Project Pipeline Talk soon, [Name] from CloudBoard **CTA:** "Create my first board" button **Skip logic:** If user already created a board during sign-up, skip to Email 3. --- ## Email 2: Create Your First Board (Nudge) **Trigger:** 24 hours after sign-up AND user has NOT created a board **Subject:** Still thinking about it? Here's a shortcut **Alt A:** Your empty dashboard is lonely **Alt B:** 60 seconds. That's all it takes. **Body:** Hey [first_name], I noticed you haven't created your first board yet. No worries — most people browse around first. Here's the fastest way to start: **use a template.** Click any of these and you'll have a fully structured board in 10 seconds: → [Product Roadmap template] → [Weekly Sprint template] → [Personal Tasks template] You can customize everything later. The important thing is getting your first tasks out of your head and onto a board. [Pick a template →] Fun fact: Users who create their first board within 48 hours are 4x more likely to still be using CloudBoard a month later. **CTA:** "Pick a template" **Skip logic:** If board created before this sends → skip entirely --- ## Email 3: Add Your Tasks **Trigger:** 3 days after sign-up AND board exists with < 5 tasks **Subject:** Your board has [X] tasks — here's why 5 is the magic number **Alt A:** Almost there — add [5 - X] more tasks to unlock the magic **Alt B:** Your board is working. Let's make it work harder. **Body:** Hey [first_name], Great start — you've got [X] tasks on your board! Here's something we've learned from watching thousands of teams: **5 tasks is the tipping point.** Below 5, a board feels like a list. Above 5, it starts to feel like a system. At 5+ tasks, you unlock: - **Priority sorting** — drag tasks to reorder what matters most - **Status tracking** — see your progress at a glance - **The satisfying "done" column** — trust us, it feels great Add [5 - X] more tasks and your board transforms from a list into a workflow. [Add tasks to my board →] **Hint:** Don't overthink it. Dump everything on your plate this week. You can organize later. **CTA:** "Add tasks to my board" **Skip logic:** If 5+ tasks already → skip to Email 5 --- ## Email 4: Pro Tips (Activated Users) **Trigger:** 5 days after sign-up AND user has 5+ tasks (activated) **Subject:** 3 tricks that save our power users 2 hours/week **Alt A:** You're officially a CloudBoard pro — level up **Alt B:** The features 90% of new users miss **Body:** Hey [first_name], You've got a working board with real tasks — you're ahead of 70% of new users. Here are three features that'll save you serious time: **1. Keyboard shortcuts** Press `?` anywhere to see them all. The big ones: `N` = new task, `D` = set due date, `Space` = toggle task detail. **2. Quick filters** Click the filter icon on your board → filter by assignee, due date, or priority. Saves you from scrolling through 50 tasks. **3. Slash commands in comments** Type `/assign @name` or `/due friday` right in a comment. Manage tasks without opening the detail panel. [See all keyboard shortcuts →] --- ## Email 4b: "Is Something Blocking You?" (Non-Activated) **Trigger:** 5 days after sign-up AND user has NOT reached 5 tasks **Subject:** Honest question — is CloudBoard working for you? **Alt A:** We noticed you haven't finished setting up **Alt B:** Quick question, [first_name] **Body:** Hey [first_name], I'll be real — we noticed you signed up but haven't fully set up your board yet. I wanted to check in. Is anything blocking you? Common things I hear: - **"I don't have time right now"** → Reply "later" and I'll check back in 2 weeks - **"It's not what I expected"** → Reply with what you were hoping for — I read every response - **"I'm confused about how to start"** → Here's a 2-minute setup video: [link] - **"I'm comparing tools"** → Fair! Here's how we compare to [top competitor]: [link] No pressure either way. Just want to make sure you're not stuck. [Reply to this email — I'm a real person] --- ## Email 5: Invite Your Team **Trigger:** 7 days after sign-up (all users) **Subject:** CloudBoard is 10x better with your team **Alt A:** The feature that turns "my tool" into "our tool" **Body:** Hey [first_name], You've been using CloudBoard solo for a week. Here's what changes when you invite your team: - **Real-time updates** — see when teammates move tasks or add comments - **@mentions** — loop someone in without leaving CloudBoard - **Workload view** — see who's overloaded and who has bandwidth Invite 2-3 teammates and your board becomes a living dashboard instead of a personal to-do list. [Invite teammates →] P.S. Everyone you invite gets their own free account. No credit card needed. **Skip logic:** If user already invited teammates → skip --- ## Email 6: Feature Spotlight **Trigger:** 10 days after sign-up **Subject:** Connect CloudBoard to the tools you already use **Body:** Hey [first_name], Quick one: CloudBoard connects to the tools your team already uses. **Popular integrations:** - **Slack** → Get board updates in your channels - **GitHub** → Link PRs to tasks automatically - **Google Calendar** → See due dates on your calendar - **Figma** → Embed design links in task descriptions Setting up takes about 2 minutes per integration. [Browse all 30+ integrations →] --- ## Email 7: Upgrade or Feedback **Trigger:** 14 days after sign-up **Variant A (free user):** **Subject:** Your free trial ends in 7 days — here's what you'd lose **Body:** Summary of what they've accomplished (X tasks completed, Y hours tracked) + what Pro unlocks (unlimited boards, integrations, AI Assist). Soft upgrade CTA. **Variant B (already paying):** **Subject:** Thanks for being a CloudBoard customer 💙 **Body:** Thank you + ask for a quick NPS survey (1-10 rating). Offer to feature them as a case study if they score 9-10.