You don't need a newsletter. You need these five automated emails running every day. They compound quietly — while broadcast newsletters spike once and die.
1. Welcome
Triggered on signup or first purchase. Set expectations (what to expect, how often), deliver the promised asset, and plant the first CTA. Highest open rate you'll ever earn — do not waste it on a logo header.
2. Abandoned cart / abandoned form
Recovers 8–15% of lost revenue with a 3-email sequence over 72 hours. Email 1: reminder at +1h. Email 2: proof/reviews at +24h. Email 3: incentive at +48h. Kill the sequence when the user completes.
3. Post-purchase
Onboarding + review request. The highest engagement email you'll ever send. Split into two: a product-use tip on day 3, a review ask on day 10. Never on day 1 — the box hasn't arrived.
4. Win-back
60 days inactive → discount, new-feature ping, or a 'we miss you' with the last thing they looked at. Suppress after 2 ignored win-backs to protect deliverability.
5. Referral
Trigger after a 5-star review or repeat purchase. Give both sides value — a bare 'refer a friend' with no incentive converts under 1%. Two-sided offers convert 6–12%.
Bonus: the deliverability floor
None of this works if your emails hit spam. Authenticate SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warm new domains slowly, and prune anyone who hasn't opened in 180 days. Sunset policies protect your sender score.