Free Email Automation Sequence Template: Copy, Fill, Ship

The hardest part of an email automation sequence is the blank page. This post removes it. Below is a free template with five emails, a filled in example beside it, and a checklist to run before you ship. Copy it into a document, fill in the brackets and you have a first draft.

The example business is invented and the filled text is illustrative, not a real campaign.

Lesson 5.3 shows how to have AI fill this in with you in one sitting: An email journey that keeps paying.

Fill in the planning block first, then each email is just the planning block turned into sentences.

Part 1: The planning block

Copy this and fill it in before you write anything.

Goal: [One outcome, e.g. "a new subscriber books a first call"] Reader: [Who joined, why, what they already know] Trigger: [What starts the sequence, e.g. "joins the list from the website form"] Offer: [What you sell, in one line] Next step: [The one link or action, e.g. "booking page"] My voice: [Three words, e.g. "plain, warm, direct"] Avoid: [Phrases, claims or topics to stay away from]

Example, for an invented bookkeeping service called Tidy Books:

Goal: A new subscriber books a free 20 minute call. Reader: A freelancer who downloaded the "receipts checklist" and is behind on admin. Trigger: Joins the list from the checklist form. Offer: A monthly bookkeeping service for freelancers. Next step: The call booking page. My voice: Plain, calm, practical. Avoid: Promises about tax savings. "Stress free."

Part 2: The five email template

Each email has the same parts: subject, opening, body, one link and a sign off. Keep each under about 200 words.

Email 1: Hello (send straight away)

Subject: [Welcome. Here is your [freebie]] Opening: Thanks for joining. I am [name], and I [what you do] for [reader]. Body: Here is [the freebie link]. Over the next week I will send four short emails: [one line on what is coming]. If you want to stop, there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Link: [Freebie] Sign off: [Name]. Reply with [one easy question].

Email 2: Help (wait two days)

Subject: [One small problem, solved] Opening: [Name the small problem the reader has.] Body: [Three to five lines on how to fix it. No pitch.] Link: [Optional: a useful page, or none] Sign off: [Name]. P.S. [Invite a reply.]

Email 3: Proof (wait two days)

Subject: [How [thing] actually works] Opening: [A short story or a clear process.] Body: [A real customer quote with permission, a real example of your work, or how you do the job step by step. Do not invent proof.] Link: [Case page, or none] Sign off: [Name]

Email 4: Offer (wait three days)

Subject: [What I offer and who it is for] Opening: [Restate the problem from email two.] Body: [What the offer is, who it suits, who it does not suit, what happens next.] Link: [Your single next step] Sign off: [Name]. Reply if you have a question.

Email 5: Nudge (wait three days)

Subject: [A quick follow up] Opening: [Short and kind. No guilt.] Body: [Answer the most common question or doubt. Repeat the next step once.] Link: [Same single next step] Sign off: [Name]

Part 3: One email filled in

Here is Email 2 for Tidy Books, to show the level of detail.

Subject: The one folder that fixes receipt chaos Hi [first name], If your receipts live in a drawer, a camera roll and three email inboxes, you are not alone. The fix is boring and it works: one folder, one habit. Make a folder called "Receipts this month". Each time you pay for something for the business, drop a photo or forward the email into it. On the last Friday of the month, spend ten minutes sorting it. That is all. If it feels easy, you can keep doing it yourself. If it never sticks, that is useful to know too. What is the part of admin you put off most? Reply and tell me. I read every answer. [Name]

Notice: no pitch, one habit, one question.

Part 4: Timing table

These gaps are a first guess, not a proven best. Change them after you see your own results.

Part 5: Ship checklist

1. Footer addressYour valid physical postal address is in every email, as the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires for commercial email.
2. UnsubscribeA clear opt out that works. The FTC guide says you must honour requests within 10 business days.
3. Honest subject linesNo misleading headers or deceptive subjects.
4. One link per emailOne next step, nothing competing with it.
5. Exit ruleBuyers stop receiving the pitch emails.
6. Test sign upJoin from a fresh address and read all five on a phone.

Using AI to fill the template

Paste the planning block into your AI tool and ask it to draft the five emails, using the structure above, in your voice. Tell it to ask you questions first, and to never invent customer quotes or results. Then edit each email until it sounds like you.

When you read the results later, use clicks, replies and sales. Mailchimp's FAQ says Apple Mail Privacy Protection leads to inflated open rates. See our post on email sequence metrics for what to track.

Questions people ask

Can I change the order?

Yes, but keep Offer after at least one Help email, so readers get value before you ask.

How long should each email be?

Short. Under about 200 words is a sensible target, and one idea each.

Is this template tied to a tool?

No. It is plain text, so it works in any email tool.

Where to go next

For a guided build that fills this template with you, Lesson 5.3, An email journey that keeps paying, writes the five emails in your voice and sets the timing. If you want to see more filled in versions, read 12 sequence examples you can adapt.