One in every two people who click on an automated welcome or abandoned cart email ends up making a purchase. It’s a stat worth wearing on your t-shirt. If you’re not using email automation yet, you’re leaking revenue. (You want that on a tattoo!)
Because the truth is—automated emails can do the hard work for you—day and night—without you hovering over a “send” button. Even more so when you don’t have to lose sleep over what emails to send next and if you’re ghosting your subscribers for weeks.
That’s where evergreen email sequences come in.
Evergreen emails are your always-on sales team. Once you set them up, they welcome new leads, build trust, engage them with your story, and encourage them to make a purchase. And they never ask for a day off.
This blog post breaks down what evergreen sequences are and their significance for your business.
What Is an Evergreen Email Sequence?
Naomi West, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Customer.io, predicts that by 2025, more brands will hand off their welcome emails to evergreen automations.
“I expect brands to lean into these,” she says in Email Mavlers’ Email Marketing Trends, 2025 infographic, “extending their shelf life from 30 days to 6 months. With that, they can repurpose content such as blog posts, case studies, or guides to nurture their new subscribers.”
With more brands planning to stretch their welcome emails into evergreen, automated nurtures, we don’t think there is a better time than today to understand how evergreen email sequences work.
An evergreen email sequence is a pre-written, automated series of emails that gets played evergreen year-round. Neither are they required to be updated every month, nor do they fit into a specific date on a calendar.
An evergreen email flow fires up when a user takes a specific action. Joins your email list, buys a product, downloads a freebie, or clicks a link. From there, the sequence takes over. The emails are already created, loaded, and ready to go. They’re doing the work of selling, nurturing, and educating automatically.
Let’s put that into context with a B2C example:
Say your brand sells all-natural skincare products. Alice lands on your site and signs up for 10% off their first order. That triggers your evergreen welcome sequence:
Email 1: Here’s your discount + a quick story about why you started the brand.
Email 2: A skincare tip for a certain concern.
Email 3: A customer review highlighting results with your top product.
Email 4: Reminder to use their discount code before it expires.
Email 5: An intro to your best-selling skincare routine and a gentle tap that says try it.
What makes these sequences “evergreen”? The fact that this exact flow is sent to every new subscriber, regardless of when they join. And since it’s not confined to Black Friday, Mother’s Day, or “OMG New Year, New You” promos, it stays relevant 365 days a year.
Now contrast that with a broadcast email, which is more like, “Hey! We just launched a new Vitamin C serum—check it out.”
You write it, you send it, and that’s it. It’s a one-and-done message to your entire list. The difference between the two is like setting up a smart sprinkler system vs. standing in your yard with a hose every morning.
Types of Evergreen Email Sequences You Can Set Up
Here are four evergreen email workflow automations you absolutely need in your lineup:
- Welcome Sequence
Use an evergreen welcome automation to introduce your brand, highlight what makes you different, and invite new subscribers to explore your products or services.
- Onboarding Sequence
A user just made a purchase or signed up for your service. Don’t leave them guessing what to do next. A good onboarding flow would include a combination of step-by-step instructions, useful tips, and FAQs that help users get the most out of their experience.
- Re-engagement Sequence
This email sequence is for the subscribers who give you silent treatment. Before you write them off, your chance to win them back with relevant content, reminders of your value, or even a limited-time offer that rekindles action.
- Cart Abandonment Sequence
Use this one when shoppers abandon their carts mid-purchase. A well-timed reminder (and perhaps an incentive) can prompt them to return and complete their order.
Benefits of Evergreen Email Automations
- Save Time
Manual campaigns eat up time. With evergreen email automations, you build your sequence once and let it run. It’s like hiring a full-time marketer who never takes breaks or vacations, provided you train them once.
- Build a Living Library of Value
With evergreen sequences, you’re building an ongoing, non-time-sensitive series that new subscribers can join at any time. Over time, your sequence becomes a rich repository of content—tips, stories, offers—delivered automatically.
- Keep Subscribers Engaged—Indefinitely
Unlike traditional workflows that end after a set number of emails, evergreen sequences continue to run. Add a new email to your sequence, and every subscriber gets it in their turn. You never have to worry about engagement dropping off just because a workflow “ended.”
- Personalization Without The Pain
Eighty percent of marketers have seen an improvement in their email programs with personalization. Evergreen email workflows also hold the key to personalization. They can be personalized based on what your subscribers have signed up for, clicked on, or are interested in.
- Build Real Relationships Without Burning Out
Evergreen sequences help you maintain consistency. Sharing value, building trust, and becoming a familiar name in your subscriber’s inbox. That’s how loyalty starts. And eventually, conversions.
- Consistent Communication, Even When You’re Swamped
Crazy season? Launching something new? No problem. Your evergreen sequence keeps the conversation going so your subscribers still hear from you. You stay top-of-mind and don’t have to panic about losing them during your crazy weeks.
Wrapping Up
Evergreen email sequences do more than save you time – they help you build real connections. When someone subscribes, they’re telling you they’re interested. What happens next sets the entire relationship.
Most businesses mess this up. They either bombard new subscribers immediately or forget about them completely. Neither approach works.
A good evergreen sequence feels like getting advice from someone who understands your problems. It educates without being pushy, acknowledges where people are in their journey, and gives them reasons to stick around.
If you haven’t set these up yet, you’re missing out on turning interested strangers into loyal customers.
