If you’re spending hours writing and sending manual emails to every new lead or customer, there’s a better way. Email automation isn’t just a productivity hack it’s how smart businesses grow. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to automate your email campaigns in just 10 minutes using Brevo, one of the best tools out there for beginner-friendly email marketing. This tutorial breaks it all down step by step, using real examples and tools anyone can use, even if you’ve never touched email marketing software before.
Why Brevo?
Brevo is an all-in-one email marketing platform designed for simplicity. It comes with a drag-and-drop email editor, pre-built automation templates, and smart segmentation tools. Unlike clunky systems that take forever to learn, Brevo makes it easy to set up powerful campaigns fast.
Starting from $8.08/month
Get 50% off with our coupon code: STARTUPWISE
Key Features
Multichannel Marketing Automation: Engage customers through email, SMS, and push notifications within a single platform.
Pre-built Automation Workflows: Utilize ready-made workflows like welcome series and cart abandonment to streamline customer engagement.
Advanced Segmentation: Target specific customer groups based on behavior, preferences, and purchase history for personalized campaigns.
Why We Recommend It
Brevo offers an all-in-one solution for businesses to streamline their marketing and customer relationship management. Its user-friendly interface and automation tools make it suitable for businesses aiming to enhance engagement and drive growth.
Pros & Cons
- Versatile Communication Channels: Manage emails, SMS, WhatsApp, and chat in one place.
- User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design simplifies campaign creation and management.
- Affordable Pricing: Competitive plans suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.
- Limited Advanced Features: Some sophisticated functionalities may be lacking compared to specialized platforms
- Integration Constraints: Fewer third-party integrations than some competitors
There’s a free plan, and if you’re ready to upgrade, you can use our code startupwise to get 50% off your first 3 months on the Starter or Business plan.
Watch our video for a visual walkthrough on how to automate email campaigns with Brevo in 10 minutes:
Step 1: Create a Free Brevo Account
Go to Brevo’s homepage and create a free account. The sign-up process only takes a few minutes. You’ll be asked for basic info like your email, company name, and industry.
Once you’re in, you’ll land on your dashboard where you can start importing contacts and building campaigns.
Step 2: Import and Segment Your Contacts
No email campaign works without a list. Your first job is to upload your contact list. Brevo accepts CSV files and also lets you connect to platforms like Shopify or WordPress. After importing, segment your contacts. Segmentation helps you send targeted messages based on things like purchase history, location, or behavior. Brevo has smart filters built in to help you organize your audience fast.
For example, you can create a segment for:
- New subscribers
- Customers who bought in the last 30 days
- Contacts who haven’t opened your last 3 emails
The more relevant your email is, the more likely it’ll get opened.
Step 3: Create Your First Email Campaign
From the dashboard, click “Campaigns” and create a new email. Brevo will walk you through:
- Choosing your recipients
- Writing the subject line
- Picking the sender’s name and address
Then you can launch the drag-and-drop editor, which is where the magic happens. Choose a template or start from scratch. You can add:
- Text
- Buttons
- Images
- Product listings
- Social media links
It’s all customizable and mobile-responsive.
Step 4: Build Automations With Triggers and Actions
Now it’s time to set up your automation. This is where Brevo shines.
Go to the “Automations” tab and click Create a New Workflow. Brevo uses simple if-this-then-that logic.
Here’s what that means:
- Trigger: What starts the automation (e.g., a user joins your email list)
- Action: What happens next (e.g., send them a welcome email)
- Rule: Optional logic to customize the flow (e.g., add a delay or split the path based on conditions)
You can add multiple steps. For instance:
- Day 1: Send a welcome email
- Day 3: Send your top-selling product
- Day 5: If they click, send a discount email; if not, send a testimonial
You’re literally building a mini sales machine.
Step 5: Use Brevo’s Automation Templates
If you don’t want to build from scratch, Brevo has you covered with ready-to-use templates for:
- Abandoned cart reminders
- Welcome sequences
- Post-purchase follow-ups
- Anniversary or birthday emails
These templates already include triggers, actions, and delays you just plug in your content. This is perfect if you’re new or short on time.
Step 6: Monitor Your Automation Performance
Go to the “Activity” tab to track how your workflows are doing. You’ll see:
- How many contacts entered the workflow
- Open and click rates
- Drop-off points
- Time delays performance
This lets you refine and improve over time. You’ll start to see what content performs best and where people lose interest.
Bonus Tips to Improve Email Performance
- Keep it short: 50–125 words is the sweet spot for most emails.
- Send at the right time: Tuesday through Thursday mornings typically get higher open rates.
- Add follow-ups: 50% of replies come after the first follow-up. Automate it.
- Personalize: Use their name, location, or past behavior in the content.
- Test subject lines: Brevo is releasing A/B testing for automations soon.
Why Brevo Over Other Tools?
Brevo is a great fit for freelancers, coaches, and small business owners because:
- It’s budget-friendly (starting at $0/month)
- It offers more than just email (SMS, chat, CRM tools)
- You don’t need a designer or coder to make your emails look great
- You can scale your automations as you grow
If you’ve been avoiding email marketing because it feels complicated or expensive, this is your sign to start.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to spend hours writing emails manually or worrying about what to send next. With Brevo, everything from onboarding to sales follow-ups can be handled on autopilot.
Sign up for your free Brevo account today and try it out for yourself. If you want to unlock the paid features, don’t forget to use our code startupwise for 50% off your first 3 months on Starter or Business.