# Triggered Email Automations: Marketing Flows and Transactional Emails Explained

*Published: 2026-02-22*

Triggered emails are some of the highest-value emails a company can send. They arrive because something happened: a user signed up, added an item to cart, requested a password reset, upgraded, canceled, or missed a payment.

In Brew, these are called **automations**.

Automations cover both marketing flows and transactional emails.

## Key takeaways

- Triggered mail starts from an event, a signup, a cart, a reset, a payment, not from a campaign calendar.
- Marketing flows nurture. [Transactional emails](/blog/transactional-emails) finish a job the user already started.
- Marketing must honor unsubscribes. A password reset can still send because the reader needs it to use the product.
- Every automation is a trigger plus a flow. Send, wait, filter, and split are the four nodes this guide uses.
- Build the moments closest to activation or revenue first: [welcome](/blog/welcome-email-sequence), [abandoned cart](/blog/abandoned-cart-emails), payment failed, then [win-back](/blog/win-back-emails).

## The two types of automations

### Marketing flows

Marketing flows are sequences designed to drive activation, engagement, and retention.

Common examples:

- Welcome flows
- Onboarding drips
- Abandoned-cart sequences
- Trial-expiration nudges
- Win-back campaigns
- Upsell and cross-sell flows

These usually include multiple emails, waits, filters, and splits.

### Transactional emails

Transactional emails are functional messages the user expects immediately.

Common examples:

- Password reset
- Email verification
- Order confirmation
- Receipt
- Payment failed notification
- Account alert

These are often single emails, but they still start from an event.

## Why the distinction matters

Marketing emails must respect unsubscribes. Transactional emails usually still send because the user needs the information to use your product.

The [FTC CAN-SPAM guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) and the [primary-purpose test in 16 CFR 316.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-316/section-316.3) are how US law draws that line.

That is why a password reset can go to someone who unsubscribed from your newsletter. It is not promotional. It is functional.

## How triggered automations work

Every automation has two parts.

### 1. The trigger event

The trigger event tells Brew when to start.

Examples:

- `user_signup`
- `cart_abandoned`
- `password_reset_requested`
- `order_placed`
- `invoice.payment_failed`
- `customer.subscription.created`

Events can come from your own backend or from a connected source like Stripe.

### 2. The flow

The flow defines what happens after the event fires.

A simple transactional automation might be:

1. Trigger: `password_reset_requested`
2. Send Email: password reset email

A marketing flow might be:

1. Trigger: `user_signup`
2. Send Email: welcome email
3. Wait: 3 days
4. Send Email: quick-start guide
5. Wait: 4 days
6. Split: clicked previous email?
7. Send a different follow-up based on the split

## The core building blocks

Most automations are built from four nodes:

- **Send Email.** Sends an email to the contact in the flow.
- **Wait.** Pauses the flow for a set duration.
- **Filter.** Checks whether the contact matches a condition.
- **Split.** Sends contacts down different paths.

This structure is flexible enough for welcome flows, abandoned cart, onboarding, and transactional notifications.

## Which automations should you build first?

Start with the moments closest to revenue or activation.

| Business goal       | Automation to build                      |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Activate new users  | Welcome or onboarding flow               |
| Recover revenue     | Abandoned cart or payment failed flow    |
| Reduce support load | Password reset, account alerts, receipts |
| Improve retention   | Usage nudges and re-engagement flows     |
| Drive expansion     | Upsell and plan milestone flows          |

## Why AI changes automation building

Traditional automation builders are powerful but slow. You need to decide the structure, write every email, design every email, wire every condition, and test every branch.

AI changes the starting point. You describe the outcome, and the system drafts the flow.

A prompt like this can become a real workflow:

> Build a three-step onboarding flow for new trial users. Trigger on `user_signup`. First email welcomes them and explains the main value. Wait two days. Second email shows the fastest path to success. Wait four days. Third email asks them to book a demo if they have not activated.

The marketer still reviews and edits. But the blank page is gone.

## Where Brew fits

[Brew](/) builds automations from prompts. It writes the emails, creates the flow, uses your brand, and lets you edit both the emails and the automation logic.

For teams that want to do more lifecycle marketing without hiring a dedicated lifecycle team, triggered automations are the highest-leverage place to start.

The longer playbook is the [email marketing automation guide](/blog/email-marketing-automation-guide). Inbox rules still apply when the trigger fires. See [email deliverability](/blog/email-deliverability) and [Gmail's sender requirements](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126). To contact us about this article, write [Brew support](/support).

## How to use this page

**A triggered email automation** is a flow that starts because an event happened.

**A marketing flow** is welcome, cart, trial, or win-back mail that still has to honor unsubscribe.

**A transactional message** is the functional note the user already asked for, such as a reset.

For example, a failed payment can start a short recovery sequence the same hour.

| Move | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| Start near revenue | Welcome, cart, and payment-failed beat a vague nurture |
| Keep the legal split | A reset that sells is still commercial |

US commercial mail still follows the [FTC CAN-SPAM guide](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) and [16 CFR 316.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-316/section-316.3). Bulk sending still has to meet [Gmail's sender requirements](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126). To contact us about this article, use the support link above.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a triggered email automation?

A triggered automation starts because something happened: a signup, a cart, a password reset, an upgrade, a cancel, or a failed payment. It is not a newsletter you scheduled on Tuesday. In this product those flows are called automations, and they cover both marketing sequences and transactional emails.

### What is the difference between marketing flows and transactional emails?

Marketing flows drive activation, engagement, and retention: welcome, onboarding, abandoned cart, trial nudges, win-back, upsell. They often have waits and splits. Transactional mail is the functional message the user already expects: reset, receipt, payment failed. Usually one email, still started by an event.

### Can I send a password reset to someone who unsubscribed?

Yes, in the split this guide describes. Marketing must honor the unsubscribe. A reset is not a promo. The reader needs it to use the product. If you sneak an offer into that same message, [16 CFR 316.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-316/section-316.3) can treat the whole thing as commercial.

### Which triggered automations should I build first?

Start with the moments closest to activation or revenue. New users get a welcome or onboarding flow. Lost checkouts get abandoned cart or payment-failed. Support load drops when resets, alerts, and receipts are automated. Retention and expansion come after those are live.

### What building blocks do automations use?

Four nodes cover most flows. Send Email delivers the message. Wait pauses for a set time. Filter checks a condition. Split sends people down different paths. A reset can be trigger then send. A welcome can be send, wait, send, wait, then a split on the last click.