Each template below maps to a position in the activation funnel. Triggers are behavior-based; timing is approximate. Drop emails that do not earn their place; the worst onboarding sequence is the longest one.
Replace variables before sending, keep one primary action per email, and connect each template to a specific trigger rather than a generic drip schedule.
Hi {{first_name}},
Welcome to {{ProductName}}.
One next step: {{first_action_link}}. Takes about {{duration}}.
Reply if anything is broken.
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{ProductName}}{{first_action_link}}{{duration}}{{Founder name}} Hi {{first_name}},
Noticed you got partway through setup but stopped at {{stalled_step}}.
If the path forward is unclear: {{deep_link_to_step}}. Two minutes.
Reply if it is broken.
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{aha moment}}{{stalled_step}}{{deep_link_to_step}}{{Founder name}} Hi {{first_name}},
You {{specific_accomplishment}}. That is the milestone most teams aim for.
Next outcome worth chasing: {{next_outcome}}. Direct link: {{deep_link}}.
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{specific_accomplishment}}{{next_outcome}}{{deep_link}}{{Founder name}} Hi {{first_name}},
You are using {{ProductName}} regularly. Most teams that connect {{integration}} see {{outcome}}.
Setup link: {{integration_link}}
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{ProductName}}{{integration}}{{outcome}}{{integration_link}}{{Founder name}} Hi {{first_name}},
Most {{customer_type}} on {{ProductName}} use this pattern: {{one_paragraph_use_case}}.
Setup: {{deep_link}}.
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{customer_type}}{{ProductName}}{{one_paragraph_use_case}}{{deep_link}}{{Founder name}} Hi {{first_name}},
Noticed there has not been a recent return to {{ProductName}}.
If something specific got in the way, reply with the blocker. Every reply goes to a monitored inbox.
If it just is not the right fit: {{cancel_or_pause_link}}.
{{Founder name}} {{first_name}}{{ProductName}}{{cancel_or_pause_link}}{{Founder name}} At an early stage the deciding factors are what the free tier actually covers, what the first paid invoice looks like, and how much of a founding engineer's week the setup costs. Feature depth that only matters at a million sends a month is noise until it is not.
Applied to onboarding email templates, that means weighing free tier, best published rate per 1,000, entry price, and developer experience ahead of the rest, against a waitlist, a launch announcement, onboarding email, and the first transactional sends.