Minimum automation set
- Welcome / deliverability. Instant delivery of the lead magnet + who you are.
- Short nurture. 3–5 useful emails teaching one idea; soft CTA to the offer.
- Offer follow-up. One reminder path after someone visits the sales page or abandons checkout (if your tool supports it).
- Tag or segment lightly. “Has offer” vs “nurture only” is enough at the start.
Skip branching trees until you have reply data. Complexity is not a growth strategy.
Tool shapes (research placeholders)
- Creator ESP (Kit slot): when the list is the hub — see creator email FAQ. CTA still placeholder.
- All-in-one (systeme.io slot): when automations should live next to funnels and checkout in one account. Research-labeled on the chooser.
When not to automate yet
- Fewer than a handful of subscribers and no weekly publishing habit.
- You have not written a manual welcome you would be proud to send.
- You need transactional product email or a helpdesk — different jobs; not these cycle-1 slots.