Most SaaS onboarding sequences fail the same way: they send generic emails on a fixed schedule regardless of what the user actually did. This workflow produces a 5-email sequence timed to behavior, with content that matches where the user actually is in their journey.
Content plan (5 emails × specific goal)
Goal: 5-email sequence with a specific goal per email, mapped to a journey stage.
Product: [describe]. Target user: [describe]. Draft a 5-email onboarding sequence content plan — for each email specify: (1) goal, (2) primary CTA, (3) trigger (day-N or behavior-based), (4) success metric. Don't write the emails yet, just the plan.
Draft each email
Goal: Draft all 5 emails, each ≤120 words, in the same voice.
Draft the 5 emails from the plan above. Each ≤120 words. Same voice throughout — [describe your voice, e.g., 'warm, honest, direct, no marketing exclamation points']. One clear CTA per email.
Timing + fallbacks
Goal: Trigger conditions + what happens if the user isn't active.
For each email above: what's the trigger condition (day-N vs behavior)? What's the fallback if the user hasn't done the prior CTA? Don't send email N+1 assuming they did email N — write the branching logic.
Repeatability, not cleverness.
What lives where when the workflow finishes.
Wire the sequence into your email tool (Customer.io, Postmark, or wherever). Measure per-email opens, CTA clicks, and downstream retention. Revise any email under 20% CTA click rate.
The same shape, different jobs.
- Trial-user version: same structure, add a conversion push around Day 12 for products with a free trial.
- Team-onboarding version: sequence goes to a team admin about setting up seats + admin controls, separate from per-user onboarding.
Try this workflow once. Then decide if it earns a recurring slot.
The value compounds after the third run, not the first.