7 Ways You Can Trigger an Email

Whether it’s a welcome message, a confirmation, or a follow-up, sending emails at the exact moment a user takes action can dramatically increase engagement and conversion rates.

But for many marketers, setting up these kinds of real-time emails feels complicated — especially if you’re stuck with clunky automation tools or workarounds that delay delivery. This can be because they don’t know when to send these emails or don’t know how to automate them.

If you’re one of them, you’re at the right place. We’re going to discuss a few triggers you can set up for your automated emails and when to use them.

What does it mean to trigger an email?

Triggering an email means sending an email automatically based on a specific user action or system event.

For example:

• A user submits a form → they receive a thank-you email

• A lead moves to a new CRM stage → they get a follow-up resource

• A support ticket is closed → a feedback request is sent

While traditional automation methods are useful for newsletters and updates, they’re ineffective for real-time communication. On the other hand, triggered emails are personalized and event-driven — making them highly relevant and time-sensitive.

7 ways to trigger your emails

Multiple ESPs offer triggers for emails but all of them don’t have the same level of integrations and options available. We’ll explore multiple ways to trigger emails in Mailmodo. So, let’s get started.

1. API

An API trigger lets you send emails programmatically from your backend or app when specific actions occur. In Mailmodo, you can create a trigger campaign and call the Mailmodo API with contact data whenever your system detects a qualifying event.

2. Webhooks

Webhooks listen for incoming data from other platforms when certain events occur. If your external platform supports outgoing webhooks, you can send event data from that platform directly to Mailmodo to trigger an email.

3. Form submissions

This trigger sends an email when a user submits a form on your website or landing page. Mailmodo integrates with form tools like Webflow, Typeform, and Jotform. Once connected, submissions from those forms automatically trigger the selected email.

4. CRM triggers

CRM triggers are activated when contact records change in the CRM, such as a new lead is added or the stage is updated. With Mailmodo’s integrations for CRMs like Zoho, Freshsales, and LeadSquared, you can trigger emails based on these real-time updates easily.

5. Customer support triggers

Emails can be triggered after support-related events, like when a ticket is closed or a live chat ends. By integrating Mailmodo with platforms like Intercom or Zendesk, you can automatically send post-support surveys, follow-ups, or thank-you emails.

6. Product or engagement triggers

These are behavior-driven triggers based on user actions within your app or website. Mailmodo connects with tools like MoEngage, CleverTap, and Customer.io, enabling you to send emails based on lifecycle events such as onboarding, inactivity, or feature adoption.

7. Trigger emails from Facebook Lead Ads

This trigger sends emails as soon as someone submits their information through a Facebook Lead Ad. You can connect your Facebook account to Mailmodo, map form fields, and ensure leads receive instant follow-ups directly from the ad experience.

How to use triggers in Mailmodo

Here’s a quick step-by-step on how you can set up your first trigger campaign:

1. Create the email template you want to send

2. Go to Campaigns → Trigger tab and click on Create trigger campaign

3. Choose the email template you want to send and then click Next

4. Fill up the other details of the campaign and hit Next

5. Select the trigger you want to use and hit Next.

6. In the, review and enable campaign step, and follow the instruction under Trigger details. It may ask you to enable the campaign to define the trigger.

7. Enable the campaign. You’ll now have fully automated emails firing at just the right moments in your user journey.

Final thoughts

Triggering emails isn’t just about automation — it’s about reaching out in the moments that matter. With Mailmodo, you can meet your users right where they are and in the right moments, without technical headaches or workflow delays.

So, set up your trigger email with Mailmodo today.