Once someone has taken the first step - a newsletter signup, a guide download or a case study view - your email nurturing takes over. This is where early curiosity becomes real engagement. A good email drip doesn’t try to sell immediately; instead, it helps people learn, builds trust and gently moves them from Bronze to Silver, and from Silver to Gold.
At WebStudio Marketing, we use smart, simple drip sequences to warm up new contacts. You don’t need complicated tools or expensive systems to get started. HubSpot Starter gives you enough automation to build effective nurturing flows, and HubSpot Pro takes things even further with interactive, behaviour-based workflows. But even with the basic tools, you can create sequences that move people closer to becoming marketing qualified leads (MQLs).
Why email nurturing matters
Most visitors aren’t ready to enquire on their first visit. That’s normal. People research quietly. They look around anonymously. They come back days or weeks later. Email nurturing fills the gap between their early interest and their eventual decision.
Good nurturing helps people:
- understand what you do
- learn the basics before speaking to you
- build trust in your expertise
- see examples of your work
- move closer to contacting you
This is how Bronze and Silver leads gradually turn into Gold.
Simple drips you can build with HubSpot Starter
HubSpot Starter gives you around ten workflow actions - plenty for a short, clean sequence that builds trust and shares value.
A simple Starter-level nurturing sequence might look like this:
- Email 1: Deliver the download immediately
- Wait 2–3 days
- Email 2: A quick introduction to who you are and what you offer
- Wait 3 days
- Email 3: A helpful piece of content (FAQ, blog, guide)
- Wait 4 days
- Email 4: A case study or real example
- Wait 7 days
- Email 5: A light next step (book a call, get a quote, read a service page)
This type of sequence works extremely well for early-stage leads because it warms them up without overwhelming them.
What happens when you move to HubSpot Pro
HubSpot Pro adds behaviour-based automation. This means your emails become responsive to how people interact with your website and content.
With Pro, you can:
- trigger emails when someone returns to the site
- send different emails based on which page they view
- adapt the drip depending on whether they open earlier emails
- increase lead scores automatically as they take action
- move leads to sales when they reach MQL status
It becomes a living system. But it’s important to emphasise that you do not need Pro to start seeing results. The Starter plan already gives you everything you need for the basics.
The goal: move people from early curiosity to genuine interest
Drip emails aren’t designed to close deals. Their job is to:
- educate
- reassure
- answer common questions
- add value
- highlight what makes you different
When this is done consistently, people trust you long before they ever contact you. By the time they fill in your contact form, they’ve already made up their mind that you’re credible.
Use your Bronze / Silver / Gold system inside your nurturing
Your lead scoring system fits naturally into this process.
- Bronze leads receive simple education-focused drips
- Silver leads get more detailed content and case studies
- Gold leads are moved to sales quickly because their intent is high
Every email and every page visit increases your understanding of where they are in the buying journey. HubSpot then updates the lead score automatically as people engage.
Write your emails in a natural, friendly tone
Email drips only work when they feel human. People delete generic emails instantly. The WebStudio approach is simple: write as if you’re talking to someone directly.
Good drip emails:
- open with a friendly line, not a sales pitch
- use short paragraphs and clear language
- focus on one helpful point per email
- offer a small next step, not a pushy CTA
- send people to useful pages on your site
Think of them as helpful nudges rather than marketing blasts.
Use your website content inside your drips
Your content engine and SEO work pay off here. Your blogs, guides, FAQs and case studies become the perfect links for your drip emails. They show your expertise and help build trust.
Good email content includes:
- a blog post explaining a common misconception
- a short FAQ answering a key question
- a case study showing a real example of success
- a simple guide that helps people take the next step
Drips become more than emails - they become part of a bigger education system.
How drip nurturing turns leads into MQLs
Lead nurturing isn’t just about sending emails. It’s about understanding behaviour. Every open, click, download and page view is a signal.
When someone:
- opens multiple emails
- reads important service pages
- downloads more than one guide
- returns to the site repeatedly
- views pricing or contact pages
their lead score increases. Once they reach the right threshold, they become an MQL - a marketing qualified lead - and can be passed to sales.
A simple plan for building your first drip sequence
To get started, create a short, friendly sequence:
- write five simple emails
- set up your workflow in HubSpot Starter
- use waits of 2–5 days between emails
- link to helpful content instead of pushing sales
- track opens and clicks to see who’s engaged
You don’t need a huge system to get results. A small, well-written drip will outperform almost any sales-heavy email.
Next, we’ll explore how lead scoring helps you identify who’s genuinely interested - and who isn’t.
