# Build a Welcome Email Series in AcelleMail (Visual Flow Builder) > AcelleMail's automation builder ships with 12 triggers. "Welcome new subscribers" + 5 email nodes + a WAIT + a YES/NO CONDITION gives you a working welcome series in 30 minutes. Walkthrough with the actual flow canvas. - Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/building-a-welcome-email-series-in-acellemail - Author: Sofia Lindqvist, Email Marketing Editor - Category: Automation — Triggers, workflows, welcome series, drip campaigns, behavioral flows - Content type: tutorial · Difficulty: beginner - Tags: Acellemail - Published: 2026-01-08 · Last updated: 2026-08-15 - Reading time: 9 min - Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb --- ## What this is for A welcome series is the highest-ROI automation you can build. Every new subscriber gets the right introduction at the right pace, automatically — and your future-self stops doing it manually. AcelleMail has a **visual flow builder** with 5 node types (Trigger / Send Email / Wait / Condition / Operation) and branching paths. You build the welcome series once, activate it, and every new subscriber to the connected list enters the flow at exactly the right moment. This walkthrough shows the whole build: from clicking *+ New Automation* to a live 5-email welcome series with engaged-vs-not-engaged branching. ## Before you start - **A mail list with at least one Subscribed contact.** The automation triggers off list signups. - **A verified sender** — the welcome series sends real campaign emails. Confirm your sending domain has SPF + DKIM green. - **5 email designs ready (or willing to design them inline).** Each step is a real email; you'll spend most of the time on the copy, not the flow. ## Step 1 — Open the Automation section Click **Automation** in the left sidebar. URL: `/automations`. ![Automations dashboard with "Automations" header + "Build automated email workflows triggered by subscriber actions." subtitle. Banner "Put your emails on autopilot — Create automated workflows that send the right message at the right time. Welcome new subscribers, nurture leads, and re-engage contacts without lifting a finger." Stats row: 1 automations · 1 active · 0 inactive. Table with "My Sales Pipeline" automation row showing Webinar Signups list, Active status, "New subscriber" trigger, 2 Emails, Created May 16 2026, and an "Edit workflow" button. "+ New Automation" button top right.](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/help/kb/welcome-automation/01-automations-index.png) The dashboard lists every automation, the trigger that starts it, and how many subscribers are currently in the flow. From here, **+ New Automation** kicks off the build. ## Step 2 — Pick the "Welcome new subscribers" trigger AcelleMail ships with **12 built-in triggers**. You pick the trigger first — it determines what event starts the workflow for each subscriber. ![Create Automation page asking "What should trigger this automation?" with subtitle "Choose an event that will start the automation workflow. Each subscriber will enter the workflow when this event occurs." Two-tab header: Trigger (active) and Configure. 12 trigger cards in a 4x3 grid: Welcome new subscribers, Say goodbye to subscriber, Say 'Happy birthday', Subscriber added date, Specific date (highlighted), API 3.0, Weekly recurring, Monthly recurring, Tag based, Remove Tag, Contact Attribute Update, Abandoned Cart Reminder. Each card has an icon + title + short description.](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/help/kb/welcome-automation/02-create-trigger-picker.png) The 12 trigger types AcelleMail ships with — useful to know all of them since other articles cover the others: | Trigger | When it fires | Article | |---|---|---| | **Welcome new subscribers** | New signup to the connected list | **This article** | | Say goodbye to subscriber | Subscriber unsubscribes | — | | Say 'Happy birthday' | Birthday field matches today | [Birthday automations](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations) | | Subscriber added date | Anniversary of signup date | [Birthday automations](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations) | | Specific date | One-time send on a fixed date (e.g. appointment) | — | | API 3.0 | External trigger via REST API call | [API triggers](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows) | | Weekly recurring | Same day every week | — | | Monthly recurring | Same day every month | — | | Tag based | Subscriber gets a specified tag | [Re-engagement](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/re-engagement-campaigns-win-back-inactive-subscribers), [Lead scoring](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation) | | Remove Tag | Subscriber loses a specified tag | — | | Contact Attribute Update | A custom field changes to a specified value | [Advanced triggers](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/advanced-automation-triggers-and-conditions) | | Abandoned Cart Reminder | WooCommerce-style cart abandonment | [Abandoned cart](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/creating-an-abandoned-cart-email-sequence) | Click **Welcome new subscribers**, then click the **Configure** tab (top of the page) to set the audience list — pick the list whose new signups should enter the flow. ## Step 3 — Land in the visual flow builder After confirming the trigger + list, AcelleMail opens the **flow builder** — a drag-and-drop canvas where each node represents a step in the journey. ![Automation flow builder for "My Sales Pipeline" with ACTIVE status badge. Top bar: ← Back / automation name + status badge / Pause / Statistics / Settings / Fullscreen buttons. Canvas shows a vertical flow: TRIGGER node "Welcome new subscribers" at top, then SEND EMAIL "Welcome to the family", then WAIT "1d", then CONDITION "Opened Welcome to the family" with two branches — YES branch leads to OPERATION "Add tag(s): engaged customer", NO branch leads to SEND EMAIL "Just a friendly reminder" then another CONDITION "Opened Just a friendly reminder" with another YES/NO split. Bottom-left hint: "Click + to add node · drag to pan · scroll to zoom". Bottom-right: zoom +/-/fullscreen controls.](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/help/kb/welcome-automation/03-flow-builder.png) The 5 node types you'll use in any welcome series: | Node | What it does | When to use | |---|---|---| | **TRIGGER** | Entry point — every flow has exactly one, set in Step 2 | Always first, fixed | | **SEND EMAIL** | Sends one campaign email to the subscriber | One per email in your series | | **WAIT** | Pauses for N hours/days before the next node | Between emails (Day 0 → Day 2 → Day 4 etc.) | | **CONDITION** | YES/NO split based on a fact about the subscriber (opened the previous email, has a tag, has a field value) | Engagement-based branching | | **OPERATION** | Mutates the subscriber: add/remove tag, update a field, copy to another list | Tagging "engaged" / "unengaged" for future segments | To add a node, click the **+** on any existing node's downstream arrow. The picker offers all 5 node types. To edit a node's content, click the node — a side panel opens with the email template / wait duration / condition rules. ## Step 4 — Build the 5-email backbone The "right" cadence varies by audience, but this is a battle-tested skeleton for a SaaS / B2B welcome series: ``` TRIGGER → Welcome new subscribers (list: Main List) SEND EMAIL → "Welcome to [Brand]!" (sent immediately) WAIT → 2 days SEND EMAIL → "Our story (and how we got here)" (Day 2) WAIT → 2 days SEND EMAIL → "Our best resource (the one customers always thank us for)" (Day 4) WAIT → 3 days SEND EMAIL → "What our customers say" (Day 7) — social proof WAIT → 3 days SEND EMAIL → "Ready to try [Product]?" (Day 10) — soft offer ``` 5 sends across 10 days. Most welcome series under-send rather than over-send; an empty inbox after Day 1 is the failure mode. **Per-email content focus** — what to write in each SEND EMAIL node: | # | When | Job | Don't | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Day 0, instant | Confirm subscription, deliver lead magnet if any, set frequency expectations | Pitch product | | 2 | Day 2 | Brand story — what you stand for, why you exist | Be self-congratulatory | | 3 | Day 4 | Hand them your best free content (highest-engagement post or guide) | Force a signup | | 4 | Day 7 | Customer outcomes — quote, testimonial, case study | Generic *"we have great customers"* | | 5 | Day 10 | First soft offer — trial / consult / discount | High-pressure tactics | ## Step 5 — Add engagement-based branching The single biggest welcome-series improvement is **branching on opens** — different content for engaged vs unengaged subscribers. After Email 1 (Welcome), add: ``` WAIT → 2 days CONDITION → Opened "Welcome to [Brand]!" ? ├─ YES → continue to Email 2 (story) └─ NO → SEND EMAIL "Did you get our welcome?" (re-send variant) WAIT → 1 day CONDITION → Opened the re-send ? ├─ YES → join the main flow at Email 2 └─ NO → OPERATION: Add tag "welcome-unengaged" ``` The example "My Sales Pipeline" flow above (screenshot) shows exactly this pattern: a CONDITION after each email checks if the previous one was opened. **YES branch** continues to the next email + tags them. **NO branch** sends a softer re-engagement variant. Why this matters: - Engaged subscribers get the full 5-email path - Unengaged subscribers get a second chance, then get tagged out — preventing the silent treatment from compounding - The `welcome-unengaged` tag becomes a useful segment for a separate re-engagement campaign ## Step 6 — Activate the automation When your flow is ready: 1. **Save** — automatic on every node edit, but a manual save via Cmd/Ctrl+S confirms. 2. Open **Settings** (top right of the builder). 3. Confirm the **List** field shows your target list. 4. Toggle status from **Paused / Draft** to **Active**. 5. The status badge at the top of the builder flips to **ACTIVE** (green). From this moment forward, every new subscriber added to the connected list enters the flow at the TRIGGER node and walks through every step. > **Test with a fresh subscriber.** Before sharing, sign up to your own list with a never-before-used email. Walk through the flow live — every WAIT shortens to a few minutes in a *test mode*, or just be patient and check your inbox at Day 2, 4, etc. ## Monitor — who's in the flow right now? From the automation row in the index, click **Statistics** (or open the automation → top bar **Statistics**). The contacts view shows: - Every subscriber currently in the flow - Which node they're on - When they were triggered If a subscriber should have entered but didn't, the **contacts.trigger_failed_segment** message means they don't match the list's segment filter; **contacts.trigger_failed_paused** means the automation isn't activated yet. ## Common issues | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | Automation is ACTIVE but no one's entering | Confirm the **trigger event matches your audience action.** *Welcome new subscribers* fires on actual list signups — not imports. To enter imported subscribers, change trigger to *Tag based* + tag the imports. | | Subscriber went through Email 1 then stopped | Check the WAIT node between emails — it might be set to days when you meant hours, OR the CONDITION's YES/NO routing isn't wired. Click into each node to confirm. | | Emails sent but engagement is low | Audit the SEND EMAIL nodes — each one's subject + preheader. The Welcome series IS your campaign equivalent; same craft applies. See [Email Copy](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-write-email-copy-that-converts). | | Wrong list connected — subscribers from a different list are entering | Open Settings, change the List field. Subscribers already in the flow continue; new entries come from the new list. | | You added new nodes but they don't fire | Click the parent node — make sure the new node is wired to its downstream arrow. Orphan nodes don't execute. | | Statistics shows "Not triggered" for everyone | The automation was never activated. Open the builder, top-right toggle from Paused to Active. | ## What NOT to do - **Don't send 5 emails in 5 days.** The "Day 0 / 2 / 4 / 7 / 10" cadence is calibrated — too tight = unsubscribes, too loose = forget you exist. - **Don't pitch in Email 1.** The first welcome is a relationship moment. Save sales for Email 5+. - **Don't skip the WAIT nodes.** *"Email immediately, then 2 hours later, then 4 hours later"* feels like spam. - **Don't branch unless you're going to use the tag.** Branching adds complexity. Only do it if the resulting `welcome-engaged` / `welcome-unengaged` tags drive a downstream segment. ## After your welcome series is live - **Watch the contacts view weekly** for the first month — confirm new signups are flowing through. - **Check per-email reports** — open Statistics → per-node click-through rates. The drop-off between two emails is where most series lose subscribers; tighten that copy. - **A/B test Email 1's subject line.** The welcome email gets opened 4-5x your average campaign — small subject improvements compound across thousands of subscribers. - **Iterate quarterly.** Industry norms (and your audience) shift. Rebuild a fresh version every 90 days. ## Related articles - [Abandoned Cart Email Sequence](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/creating-an-abandoned-cart-email-sequence) - [Post-Purchase Follow-Up Automation](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/post-purchase-follow-up-automation) - [Re-engagement Campaigns: Win Back Inactive Subscribers](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/re-engagement-campaigns-win-back-inactive-subscribers) - [Advanced Automation Triggers and Conditions](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/advanced-automation-triggers-and-conditions) --- ## Related articles - [Automation Triggers + Conditions: Full Reference](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/advanced-automation-triggers-and-conditions): Complete reference for AcelleMail's 12 built-in triggers, the CONDITION node operators, and the OPERATION actions. Plus the multi-branch patterns power users actually deploy. - [Post-Purchase Follow-Up Automation in AcelleMail — Thank, Review, Cross-Sell](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/post-purchase-follow-up-automation): A confirmation email is just the start. Layer in a delivery-day check-in, a 7-day review request, a 30-day cross-sell, a 60-day "we miss you". This guide builds the full post-purchase flow in AcelleMail's automation builder using tags or custom events fired from your ecommerce backend. - [Lead Scoring with AcelleMail Automation — Score, Tag, and Route](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/lead-scoring-with-email-automation): Add points when a subscriber opens a campaign, clicks a key link, or fills a form. Route high-score subscribers to a sales-handoff tag automatically. This guide walks the AcelleMail automation builder + custom-field scoring, with API-driven scoring patterns for ecommerce + CRM integrations in the collapsible section. - [Birthday & Anniversary Automations in AcelleMail — Date-Triggered Sends](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/birthday-and-anniversary-email-automations): Send a happy-birthday discount on the day, a year-since-signup gift on the anniversary, a renewal reminder 30 days before expiry. AcelleMail's date-relative automation trigger handles all of these — this guide walks the setup with screenshots. - [API Triggers for Custom Automations — Wiring AcelleMail to Anything](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/using-api-triggers-for-custom-automation-workflows): Your CRM, app, or backend can fire AcelleMail automations directly — no Zapier, no manual tagging. This guide walks the UI setup (custom-event triggers + API token generation) plus a complete payload + signing reference in the collapsible developer section.