Email Sequence vs Drip Campaign

The terms overlap. An email sequence is any planned series of emails; a drip campaign usually implies messages delivered progressively over time.

Updated September 2026

Sequence is the broader concept

A sequence describes ordered messages. The timing can be fixed, triggered, behavior-driven or manually controlled.

Drip emphasizes scheduled delivery

Drip campaigns usually describe a predefined cadence: send, wait, send again.

Use the terminology your tool uses

Email platforms label these features differently. Do not let product vocabulary obscure the underlying design: trigger, conditions, messages, delays and exit points.

Choose the simplest logic

If a timed series solves the problem, use it. Add branching only when subscriber behavior should genuinely change the next message.