How to Build an Email Drip Campaign in N8N with Google Sheets

In the world of digital marketing, email drip campaigns are a powerful way to nurture leads, onboard customers, and boost conversions. But manually sending these emails is time-consuming and prone to error. That’s where n8n comes in—a no-code automation platform that lets you build personalized email flows using tools like Google Sheets.

In this blog, you’ll learn step-by-step how to automate a complete email drip campaign in n8n using Google Sheets as your contact database. No coding. No expensive tools. Just smart automation.

What is an Email Drip Campaign?

An email drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent to contacts over a specific timeline. It’s called a “drip” because the messages are sent out slowly, like water dripping from a faucet, based on user behavior, time intervals, or triggers.

Use cases include:

Re-engaging cold subscribers

Onboarding new users

Educating leads

Sending reminders

Promoting products over time

Why Use N8N for Email Drip Campaigns?

Here’s why n8n + Google Sheets is a powerful combo:

Easily integrates with Gmail, Mailgun, SendGrid, and more

Real-time automation based on spreadsheet updates

No-code builder that anyone can use

Custom email messages with personalized fields

Free to use (especially if self-hosted)

Step-by-Step: Build Your Email Drip Campaign in N8N

Step 1: Prepare Your Google Sheet

Create a spreadsheet with the following columns:

Name	Email	Step 1 Sent	Step 2 Sent	Step 3 Sent

Fill in a few test rows with email data. Use TRUE/FALSE flags in “Step Sent” columns to track progress.

Step 2: Trigger – Google Sheets Node

• In N8N, add the Google Sheets node
• Choose the operation: Read Rows
• Connect your sheet using Google OAuth
• Fetch rows where “Step 1 Sent” = FALSE

This will fetch only new contacts for the first email.

Step 3: Send Email Node

• Add an Email node (e.g. Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun)
• Set it to send a personalized welcome email
• Use dynamic fields like {{$json["Name"]}} and {{$json["Email"]}}

You can design your message in HTML or plain text.

Step 4: Mark Email as Sent

• Add another Google Sheets node
• Set operation to Update Row
• Change “Step 1 Sent” to TRUE for that contact

This prevents re-sending the same email.

Step 5: Add Delay Between Emails

Use the Wait node to add a delay (e.g. 2 days) before sending the next drip email.

• Drag the line from the first email → Wait node → second email → update sheet

Repeat this structure for all email steps.

Step 6: Loop or Schedule

To keep the campaign running daily:

Connect it to the full workflow, so new rows are checked each day

Add a Cron node that triggers every 24 hours

Benefits of Using N8N for Drip Campaigns

Benefit	Description
Cost-Effective	Free for self-hosting, low-cost for cloud
Customizable	Full control over timing, content, and data
Data Privacy	Keep data on your own server if needed
Performance	Handle large contact lists without limits
Integration	Works with CRMs, APIs, spreadsheets, and more

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I send emails using Gmail in my N8N drip campaign?

Yes. You can connect your Gmail account to N8N and use it as your email service provider for sending drip emails

2. What’s the best way to store and track contacts?

Google Sheets is a great starting point. You can use columns to track each email step sent and update the sheet after every action in N8N.

3. How many emails can I send per day using N8N?

It depends on your email service (e.g., Gmail allows ~500/day). For higher volume, use services like Mailgun or SendGrid, which are built for email campaigns.

4. Do I need coding skills to set this up?

Not at all. N8N offers a visual builder. However, a basic understanding of logic and how APIs work will help you scale your automations further.

5. Can N8N handle advanced email sequences like conditional flows?

Yes! You can use IF nodes, switch nodes, and webhook triggers to build conditional, behavior-based email sequences.