# Automation recipes

> The six ready-made automation templates, from welcome and birthday emails to bounce alerts and forwarding, with their steps and what to fill in.

When you create an automation, you can start from one of six templates instead of a blank canvas. Each template sets up the trigger and steps for a common job. This page explains what each one does and what you need to fill in before you start it.

## Use a recipe

1. **Create the automation.** Go to **Email Marketing → Automations**, select **New automation**, pick the context and then the template.

2. **Name it** and select **Create**. The automation opens as a draft with the template's steps.

3. **Fill in the gaps.** Templates leave the email templates and addresses empty. Open the **Editor** tab, select each step and complete its settings, as described for each recipe below.

4. **Save and start.** Select **Save**, fix any highlighted steps, then select **Start**.

Every recipe uses 3 credits per run, plus 1 credit for each email it sends or forwards. Create the email [templates](/docs/templates/) you'll need before you start.

## Contact recipes

### Thank you for subscribing

Sends a welcome email when someone joins an audience.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Added to audience** | Any audience | Pick the **Audience** to welcome people to, or leave it empty for all audiences. |
| **Send email** | Subject override "Thanks for subscribing!" | Pick the **Email template**. Change or clear the **Subject** override to use your own. |

The welcome goes to people added from the dashboard, the API or the **Add to audience** bulk action. Imports and [subscribe URL](/docs/audiences/subscribe-url/) sign-ups don't start it. See [Added to audience](/docs/automations/triggers/#added-to-audience).

### Wishing Happy Birthday

Sends a birthday email every year on each contact's birthday.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Date anniversary** | No field | Pick the **Date field** that holds birthdays, for example a Date custom field with the key `birthday`. |
| **Send email** | Subject override "Happy Birthday!" | Pick the **Email template**. |

You need a Date [custom field](/docs/contacts/custom-fields/) with birthdays filled in, in `YYYY-MM-DD` format. Runs start once a day, in UTC, for every contact whose date matches today's month and day. In the current beta, also set the trigger's `date_field` with the API, as described in [Date anniversary](/docs/automations/triggers/#date-anniversary).

In the email template, use Temple to personalize it, for example `Happy birthday, {{first_name}}!`.

### Three day onboarding sequence

Sends three emails over three days to people who join an audience.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Added to audience** | Any audience | Pick the **Audience**. |
| **Wait / Delay** | 1 hour | Adjust if you want the first email sooner or later. |
| **Send email** | No template | Pick the first email's template. |
| **Wait / Delay** | 1 day | |
| **Send email** | No template | Pick the second email's template. |
| **Wait / Delay** | 1 day | |
| **Send email** | No template | Pick the third email's template. |

To stop the sequence for people who no longer qualify, add a **Condition** step before a send, for example on a custom field that marks customers who already upgraded, and connect only the **No** branch to the next email.

## Email recipes

### Prevent suppression of an email

Keeps one important address deliverable: when an email to it is suppressed, the automation removes the address from the suppression list and forwards the suppressed email to it.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Email suppressed** | Filter: **To** **Equals** (empty) | Enter the address to protect as the filter value, for example `ops@acme.com`. Until you do, the automation never runs. |
| **Remove from suppressions** | | Nothing to set. Removes the email's recipient from the suppression list. |
| **Forward email** | **Forward to** empty | Enter where the copy should go, usually the same address. |

The original email stays suppressed. The forward is a new email with the subject "Fwd: " plus the original subject. Only protect addresses you control: addresses are suppressed for a reason, such as bounces or complaints. See [Suppressions](/docs/suppressions/).

### Forward received email

Forwards every inbound email to another address, for example your support inbox.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Email received** | No filter | Optionally add a filter, for example **To** **Equals** `support@inbound.acme.com`, to forward only some addresses. |
| **Forward email** | **Forward to** empty | Enter the address to forward to. |

You need [inbound email](/docs/inbound/set-up/) set up on a domain first. See [Forward with automations](/docs/inbound/forward-with-automations/).

### Notify me of any bounces

Emails you whenever an outgoing email bounces.

| Step | Setting in the template | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Email bounced** | No filter | Add a filter to narrow it down, for example **From** **Equals** `billing@acme.com`. Also add **To** **Not equals** your alert address, so a bounced alert can't trigger another one. |
| **Send email** | Subject override "An email bounced" | Pick the **Email template** and enter your address in **To (recipient)**. |

In the alert template, use Temple to include details of the bounced email from the event, for example:

```html
<p>The email "{{payload.object.subject}}" to {{payload.object.to}} bounced.</p>
<p>Email ID: {{payload.object.id}}</p>
```

## Related

  - [Triggers](/docs/automations/triggers/): Every trigger and its options.
  - [Steps](/docs/automations/steps/): Every step and its settings.

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Source: https://emailit.com/docs/automations/recipes/