Build your first workflow
Go from nothing to an active, running workflow in under ten minutes. You’ll use the creation wizard, the step builder, and the Activate button — no code required.
What you’ll build
A welcome series for new signups — the most common workflow pattern:
- Trigger: every time a contact is added to your “New signups” group, they’re enrolled automatically.
- Step 1 — Send: a welcome email goes out immediately.
- Step 2 — Delay: the workflow waits 3 days.
- Step 3 — Condition: if the contact opened the welcome email, the sequence ends. If not, a follow-up email goes out.
This example covers all three step types — Send, Delay, and Condition — so you’ll know how to combine them in your own sequences.
Before you start
You’ll need three things in place before building:
- A verified sending domain. All outbound email requires one. See Verify your sending domain.
- Two email templates — one for the welcome email, one for the follow-up. See Pick a sample template or Customise a template.
- A recipient group to use as the trigger. For this tutorial, a group called “New signups.” See Add recipients for how to create one.
Step 1 — Create the workflow
From the sidebar, open Workflows and click New Workflow. A 4-step wizard opens.
Basics
Give the workflow a name and an optional description.
- Name:
Welcome Series - Description:
3-step onboarding sequence for new signups.
Click Next.
Trigger
Choose how contacts enter the workflow:
| Trigger | When contacts enter |
|---|---|
| Manual | You click Enroll Contacts and pick them yourself |
| Schedule | A recurring schedule enrolls everyone in a chosen group automatically |
| When added to group | Any contact added to the group is enrolled the moment it happens |
Select When added to group, then choose your New signups group from the dropdown.
Click Next.
Budget (optional)
Toggle Enable Budget on to cap the total number of messages this workflow sends before pausing. Leave it off for an uncapped workflow.
Click Next.
Review
Check the summary. When everything looks right, click Create Draft Workflow.
The workflow is created in Draft state and the step builder opens automatically.
Step 2 — Build the step graph
The builder shows a visual canvas. A Start node sits at the top. The Step Palette on the right lists the three step types you can add to the canvas.
Add a Send step — the welcome email
Click Send in the palette. A configuration panel opens on the right.
- Channel: Email
- Template: select your welcome email template
- Sender Address: choose the verified address the email should come from
Save the step. A Send node appears on the canvas connected to Start.
Add a Delay step — wait 3 days
Click Delay in the palette.
- Delay Type: Fixed Duration
- Duration:
3 - Unit: Days
Save the step. The Delay node connects to the Send node.
Add a Condition step — did they open it?
Click Condition in the palette.
- Condition Type: Engagement
- Reference Step: the Send step you just added
- Operator: Opened
Save the step. The Condition node appears with two branches: Yes and No.
Wire up the branches
- Yes branch — connect it to the End node. Contacts who opened the welcome email need no further action.
- No branch — add one more Send step. Configure it with your follow-up email template and sender address.
The finished graph runs: Start → Send → Delay → Condition → (Yes: End | No: Send → End)
Step 3 — Activate
Click Activate in the top bar.
If there are unsaved changes on the canvas, they save automatically before the workflow transitions to Active. A confirmation dialog appears — once active, the step graph locks. To edit steps later, you’ll need to pause the workflow first.
What happens next
With a When added to group trigger, enrollment runs silently in the background from the moment the workflow is active. Every contact added to New signups — manually, via import, or via API — is enrolled immediately. Step 1 fires at once. Three days later the delay resolves. The condition checks their engagement and routes them to the right next step.
To watch it in action, open the workflow and go to the Enrollments tab. Each row shows a contact and where they currently sit in the sequence. The Overview tab shows aggregate totals: enrolled, active, completed, and failed.
Pausing and editing
To make changes after the workflow is active:
- Click Pause — the trigger goes silent and in-flight enrollments freeze where they are.
- Edit the steps.
- Click Resume — the trigger re-arms and frozen enrollments pick up exactly where they left off. Nothing is lost.
What’s next
| You want to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Understand triggers and step types in depth | What is Workflows |
| See enrollment stats and step engagement | Workflow analytics |
| Send a one-shot campaign instead | What is Spark |
| Manage recipient groups | Add recipients |
Your welcome series runs itself. You move on.
No credit card. No commitment. 9,000 emails a month, free — plenty to run your entire onboarding sequence.