Build a sequence
Create a sequence, add a message and a wait, test it, and make it live.
A sequence messages people by itself as they act: a welcome after a signup, a nudge after three quiet days. You draw it as a flow of steps. About 15 minutes for a first one.
Before you start
You need a sending channel connected: see Sequences. You also need a published message template: see Write a template.
Create the sequence
Open Sequences and press New sequence. Name it for what it does, such as "Welcome new signups".
The builder opens with a trigger at the top and an Exit at the bottom.
Choose what starts it
Click the trigger and choose under Starts when. To start on a signup, choose An event happens and enter the name of your signup event.
There are seven ways to start a sequence. See Start a sequence.
Add a message
Drag Email from the palette onto the flow, or press the plus between two steps. Then set the step:
| Setting | What to choose |
|---|---|
| Template | The message to send. It must be published. |
| Send via | The connection to send through. Default uses the brand's default for that channel. |
| Kind of message | Marketing: offers and news. People who opted out are skipped. Service: news about the service they use. Opt-outs do not apply. |
Choose Service only for messages a person needs, such as a receipt or a password reset.
Add a wait
Drag For a duration below the message and set the number of days. Then add the next message under it.
See Waits and branches for the other waits, and for sending different messages to different people.
Set the goal
Press the gear at the top. Under Goal event, enter the event that means the sequence worked, such as a purchase.
With Exit condition set to On conversion, a person leaves the sequence as soon as they reach the goal, so they get no more nudges. Choose Only at the end to send every step regardless.
Test it
Press Test. Choose a test contact and press Run test. FounderHQ walks that contact through your draft and shows each step. Nothing is sent and nothing is saved.
Make it live
Open the menu on the save button and choose Publish to Live.
FounderHQ checks the sequence first. It stops and lists what to fix if, for example, a step has no template, a template is not published, or no connection exists for a channel.
Verify
- The sequence shows as live in Sequences.
- Trigger it yourself: do the thing that starts it, with your own account.
- Open Sequences → Message log. Your message is there with the source Sequence.
Change a live sequence
Edit and save as often as you like. Your edits are a draft, and the live version keeps running. Choose Publish to Live again to roll them out.
People already in the sequence stay on the version they entered. New people get the new one.
A template is published on its own. After you edit a template, publish the template too.
Pause or stop
- Pause holds the sequence. Messages wait and are not lost. Resume continues.
- Delete, in the sequence's menu on the list, stops it for good. People already in it stop receiving its steps.
Go back to an earlier version
Open the version menu. Each version shows how many people entered it and how many reached the goal. Open an old version to read it, and press Restore as draft to work from it again.
Sequence settings
The gear also holds these.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Re-entry policy | Whether a person can go through the sequence again: Never, After exit, or Always |
| Runs per contact | One at a time, or Can overlap |
| Variables | Values you pass in when a person enters, to use in messages and conditions |
| Fallback time zone | Used for a person whose time zone is unknown |
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Steps in a sequence | 100 |
| Paths out of one branch | 5 |
| Variables in a sequence | 20 |
Let Astro build it
Press Astro in the builder and describe the sequence: "Design a 4-email welcome sequence for new signups." Astro's changes arrive as unsaved changes for you to review.