Automation walkthrough
Build a welcome email Automation in RouteKite.
Create a list-triggered welcome sequence with published templates, timed waits, safe personalization, and recipient-level delivery records. Learn the current limits before activation.
Reviewed October 4, 2026
Future contacts enter after activation. Existing list members do not automatically enroll.
A linear sequence with waits, not branching paths or behavior-based triggers.
Every submitted email uses the normal sending allowance. Automation analytics stays Off.
Prepare the sender, list, and templates
A welcome sequence should answer one question at each step: what does a newly subscribed contact need next? Prepare those messages before turning the sequence on.
Use a verified domain and Sending Address, complete your workspace business identity, and create an audience list for contacts with recorded marketing permission. List membership alone is not permission to send.
Publish a marketing template for each message. Keep its compliance footer and unsubscribe controls. A draft template is not available as a sending step. Use an optional topic only when it accurately describes the sequence.
Sign in to the intended workspace, then open Send, Automations. If drafting is unavailable or a prerequisite is missing, resolve the displayed blocker rather than trying to bypass it.
Draft a three-message welcome sequence
This is an illustrative recipe, not a preconfigured Automation or a promise of better conversion. Adjust the content and cadence to what the subscriber signed up for.
- Create the Automation
Choose Create automation, give it a useful name, select the verified Sending Address, and set When a contact joins to the prepared list.
- First email: welcome and one next step
Choose a published template, subject, and preview text. Set Wait before this email to 1 minute. Explain why the contact is receiving the message and give one useful action.
- Second email: help with the first task
Add an email step with a 1-day wait and a published template that removes a common obstacle. Avoid repeating the entire first email.
- Third email: point to a useful resource
Add a final step with a 2-day wait. Offer a guide or support path instead of assuming the subscriber completed the earlier action.
- Save the draft
Review order, subjects, previews, and Total wait. Saving does not activate the Automation or send an email.
Each wait is before its email. The first starts from enrollment; later waits start after the previous step is processed. This recipe has 3 days and 1 minute of configured waits, but processing or pauses can add time. Each step accepts 1 minute to 90 days. Zero-delay sending is not supported.
Resolve personalization before activation
A published design and a complete variable contract are separate prerequisites. Check every step rather than assuming a contact always has the expected data.
The builder identifies values filled automatically and values you must configure. For supported variables, choose a fixed value or a compatible contact-field mapping. Add a typed fallback when a mapped field might be missing.
For example, a custom text greeting variable can map to First name with a fallback of “there”. Required URLs should point to the real approved destination, not a preview placeholder. Use the template preview to inspect the result and fix unresolved values.
Published content stays pinned to a version, but mapped values are resolved from the contact when the step runs. Later contact changes can affect personalization. Activation checks variable completeness on the server; it is not a substitute for reviewing your copy and destinations.
Review the real-send boundary
Open the saved Automation and choose Activate automation only when the future enrollment and sending behavior is what you intend.
The review shows the trigger list, Sending Address, topic, email count, first wait, and total wait. It also states how many existing list contacts will not enroll. Activation authorizes future real emails when eligible contacts join that list.
Do not remove and re-add contacts, reimport old subscribers, or clear a suppression to force a welcome run. Use a separately reviewed campaign for an existing permissioned audience when that is the appropriate workflow.
Current permission, topic preference, suppression, list membership, workspace readiness, sender readiness, and sending balance are checked during execution. A contact can become ineligible between steps.
Monitor, pause, and publish deliberately
Automation detail shows enrollment totals, next activity, and recent per-contact history. An enrollment or completed step is not proof of inbox placement.
Inspect each linked message record for its delivery state. Delivered means the recipient server accepted the email, not that the subscriber read it. Automations do not currently collect open and click analytics.
Pause stops new entries and preserves pending steps for resume. It cannot recall an email already submitted. Review pending activity before resuming. Editing creates a draft; publishing changes applies to future enrollments, while existing enrollments retain their pinned sequence.
This workflow does not support branching, event-based cart recovery, or testing different Automation paths. The separate campaign A/B workflow compares subject and preview text, not Automation steps.