Send automated emails when leads are captured. Email Message automations let you instantly follow up with new leads, notify yourself or your team, or reach out to coworkers at the lead’s company. You can create multiple email automations for different purposes - there’s no limit.
This integration is available on all plans. The CC Coworkers feature requires a PRO plan.
How It Works
When a lead is captured on your site, Viewers sends an email through your configured SMTP provider. You control who receives the email (the lead, their coworkers, or yourself), what it says, and when it’s sent.
Unlike other automations that sync data to external platforms, Email Message automations send actual emails on your behalf.
Why Multiple Automations Matter
You can create as many Email Message automations as you need - and you should. Each automation can have completely different settings, recipients, timing, and messaging. This lets you build sophisticated email workflows without any external tools.
Different emails for different modules. Someone who spins your discount wheel expects a different email than someone who fills out your contact form. Create separate automations for each module with messaging that matches what they did:
- Spin to Win leads get their discount code and a playful tone
- Contact form leads get a professional follow-up addressing their inquiry
- Newsletter signups get a welcome email with your best content
Target high-value leads differently. Use the Lead Filter to create automations that only fire for enriched leads - your B2B prospects with company data, phone numbers, and job titles. Send these leads a more personalized, sales-focused email while basic leads get a standard autoresponder.
Build follow-up sequences. Create multiple automations with staggered delays to nurture leads over time:
- Immediate: Thank-you email confirming you received their message
- 12 hours later: Value-add email with a helpful resource
- 48 hours later: Soft follow-up asking if they have questions
- 5 days later: Final check-in before closing the loop
Each automation runs independently based on its own delay setting - no complex workflows required.
What You’ll Need
- An email account or SMTP service (Gmail, SendGrid, Mailgun, or any SMTP provider)
- SMTP credentials from your provider
- A clear purpose for the automation (follow-up, notification, outreach)
Step 1: Configure Your SMTP Provider
Choose your email provider and enter the required credentials.
Google (Gmail or Workspace)
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your Google account - Set up 2FA here
- Create an App-Specific Password - Create App Password here
- In Viewers, enter:
- Username: Your full Gmail or Workspace email address
- App-Specific Password: The 16-character password you generated (not your regular password)
Note: You must use an App-Specific Password. Your regular Google password won’t work for SMTP access.
SendGrid
- Log into your SendGrid account
- Go to Settings → API Keys - SendGrid API Keys
- Create an API key with Mail Send permissions
- In Viewers, enter:
- API Key: Your SendGrid API key
SendGrid is ideal for higher email volumes or if you need better deliverability tracking.
Mailgun
- Log into your Mailgun account
- Set up SMTP credentials - Mailgun SMTP Setup
- In Viewers, enter:
- Username: Your Mailgun SMTP username
- Password: Your Mailgun SMTP password
Custom SMTP
For any other email provider:
- Get your SMTP credentials from your provider’s documentation
- In Viewers, enter:
- SMTP Server: Your provider’s server address (e.g.,
smtp.yourprovider.com) - Port: Usually 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
- Username: Your SMTP username
- Password: Your SMTP password
- SMTP Server: Your provider’s server address (e.g.,
Step 2: Set Your From Email & Name
Configure how your emails appear to recipients.
From Email: The email address that appears in the “From” field. This should match or be authorized by your SMTP provider. Mismatched addresses may cause delivery issues or spam flags.
From Name: The display name recipients see (e.g., “James at Acme Co” or “Acme Sales Team”).
Step 3: Configure Email Settings
To Email
Choose who receives the email:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| New Lead | Send directly to the person who submitted their information |
| Coworkers | Send to discovered coworker emails (requires Pro plan and enrichment) |
| Myself | Send to your own email as a notification |
Use cases:
- New Lead: Automated thank-you, follow-up, or nurture emails
- Coworkers: Multi-threaded outreach to increase response rates
- Myself: Get notified when specific lead types come in
Lead Filter
Control which leads trigger this automation:
All Valid Emails: Triggers for any lead with a verified email address. Use this for broad follow-ups or notifications.
Enriched Leads Only: Only triggers for leads with company/contact enrichment data (company name, phone, website, etc.). Filters out personal email addresses like Gmail or Yahoo. Requires a PRO plan.
Modules
Select which modules should trigger this email automation:
Create targeted automations by selecting only the modules that make sense. For example, Chat leads might get a conversational follow-up, while Contact form leads get a more formal response.
Email Delay
Set how many hours to wait before sending the email after a lead is captured.
| Delay | Use Case |
|---|---|
| 0 hours | Instant response - great for “thanks for reaching out” emails |
| 1-2 hours | Feels more personal, like someone actually read their message |
| 24 hours | Follow-up if they haven’t responded to your first email |
| 48-72 hours | Second follow-up in a nurture sequence |
Building sequences: Create multiple Email Message automations with staggered delays:
- Automation 1: Instant thank-you (0 hours)
- Automation 2: Value-add follow-up (24 hours)
- Automation 3: Final check-in (72 hours)
CC Coworker Emails (Pro)
When sending to the lead or yourself, optionally CC discovered coworker emails. This can dramatically improve response rates for B2B outreach by creating visibility within the lead’s organization.
Use responsibly: Multi-threading works, but don’t spam. One well-crafted email to coworkers is better than blasting everyone you find.
Verify Variables Exist
When enabled, Viewers will not send the email if any variable in your template is empty. This prevents awkward emails like “Hi {first-name},” when no name was captured.
Recommended for: Emails that rely heavily on personalization variables.
Not recommended for: Notification emails to yourself where missing data is still useful to see.
Step 4: Write Your Email
Email Subject
Write a compelling subject line. You can include dynamic variables that get replaced with lead data.
Examples:
Thanks for reaching out, {first-name}!Quick follow-up on your {company} inquiry{first-name}, here's what you asked about
Email Message
Write your email body. This can be plain text or HTML. Use the variable inserter buttons to add dynamic fields.
Example plain text email:
Hi {first-name},
Thanks for reaching out! I saw your message:
"{question}"
I'd love to learn more about what you're looking for at {company}. Are you available for a quick call this week?
Best,
JamesVariable Reference
Use these variables to personalize your emails. They’re automatically replaced with the lead’s actual data.
Basic Variables (All Plans)
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{first-name} | Lead’s first name | Sarah |
{full-name} | Lead’s full name | Sarah Johnson |
{email} | Lead’s email address | sarah@acme.com |
{question} | Message or response the lead submitted | I’m interested in your services |
{ip_address} | Lead’s IP address | 192.168.1.1 |
{utm_source} | UTM source parameter | |
{utm_medium} | UTM medium parameter | cpc |
{utm_campaign} | UTM campaign parameter | spring_sale |
{country_code} | Country (two-letter code or name) | US |
{city} | City name | San Francisco |
{state} | State or region | California |
{zip_code} | Postal/ZIP code | 94102 |
{time_zone} | Lead’s time zone | America/Los_Angeles |
Enriched Variables (Pro Plans)
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{domain} | Lead’s email domain | acme.com |
{company} | Company name | Acme Corporation |
{job_title} | Lead’s job title | Marketing Director |
{role} | Lead’s role/function | Marketing |
{phone} | Phone number | +1 (555) 123-4567 |
{socials} | Social profile links | linkedin.com/in/sarahjohnson |
{coworker_emails} | Discovered coworker emails | john@acme.com, mike@acme.com |
Note: If a variable has no data, it will be replaced with an empty string. Use “Verify Variables Exist” to prevent sending emails with missing data, or write your emails to handle empty values gracefully.
Best Practices
Personalize with variables. Use {first-name} and {question} to make emails feel personal. Generic emails get ignored.
Keep it short. Automated emails should be concise. Save the lengthy pitch for when they reply.
Match the message to the module. A Chat lead expects a different tone than a Newsletter signup. Create separate automations with appropriate messaging for each.
Test your emails. Submit a test lead and verify everything looks right - variables populated, formatting correct, delivered to inbox (not spam).
Use delays strategically. Instant emails feel automated. A 1-2 hour delay can feel more human. Longer delays work well for follow-up sequences.
Don’t overdo coworker outreach. CC’ing coworkers can boost response rates, but use it selectively and for legitimate business purposes.
Troubleshooting
Emails not sending?
- Verify your SMTP credentials are correct
- Check that your From Email is authorized by your SMTP provider
- Make sure “Verify Variables Exist” isn’t blocking emails due to missing data
- Confirm the module is selected in your automation settings
Emails going to spam?
- Use a reputable SMTP provider (SendGrid, Mailgun) for better deliverability
- Make sure your From Email matches your SMTP domain
- Avoid spam trigger words in subject lines
- Keep formatting simple – we recommend text-only and to avoid HTML.
Variables showing as empty?
- That data wasn’t captured or enriched for the lead
- Enable “Verify Variables Exist” to prevent sending incomplete emails
- Use variables you know will always be populated (like
{email})
App-Specific Password not working (Google)?
- Confirm 2FA is enabled on your Google account
- Generate a new App-Specific Password
- Make sure you’re using the 16-character app password, not your regular password
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create multiple email automations? Yes. There’s no limit. Create as many as you need for different purposes, lead types, or timing.
Can I use HTML in my emails? No. We recommend avoiding HTML from emails to avoid spam filters.
What happens if a variable is empty? It’s replaced with nothing (empty string). Enable “Verify Variables Exist” to prevent sending emails when required variables are missing.
Can I send to multiple recipients? Not directly in a single automation. Create separate automations for different recipients, or use CC Coworker Emails to include additional contacts.
Is there a sending limit? Viewers doesn’t impose limits, but your SMTP provider might. Check your provider’s sending limits (Gmail has daily limits, SendGrid/Mailgun have plan-based limits).
Can I schedule emails for specific times? Not by clock time, but you can set delays in hours. For example, a 24-hour delay sends the email one day after capture, regardless of what time that is.
Do enriched variables work on the Free plan? No. Enriched variables ({company}, {phone}, {job_title}, etc.) require a PRO plan since enrichment is a PRO feature. Basic variables work on all plans.
Need Help?
If you have questions about setting up Email Message automations, contact us.