Email marketing includes both email campaigns and email automation, but they serve different purposes. Campaigns are generally used for planned messages, while automation sends emails automatically based on subscriber actions or conditions.
GetResponse supports both options, including newsletters, email campaigns, automated workflows, and behavior-based emails. You can learn more about its official Email Marketing features.
In this guide, we'll compare GetResponse Email Automation vs Email Campaigns, explain the main differences, and show when you should use each one.
GetResponse Email Automation vs Email Campaigns at a Glance
Email Campaigns: Best for newsletters, announcements, promotions, and scheduled emails.
Email Automation: Best for welcome sequences, follow-ups, lead nurturing, and behavior-based emails.
Best for newsletters: Email Campaigns
Best for welcome emails: Email Automation
Best for one-time promotions: Email Campaigns
Best for automatic follow-ups: Email Automation
What Is a GetResponse Email Campaign?
An email campaign is a planned email that you send to selected subscribers at a specific time.
Common examples include:
- Weekly newsletters
- Product announcements
- Special offers
- Blog updates
- Event invitations
- Seasonal promotions
For example, if you want to send your latest blog posts to subscribers every Friday, you can create a regular email campaign and schedule it for that day.
GetResponse provides email templates, a visual email editor, campaign tools, and performance tracking to help you create and manage email campaigns.
What Is GetResponse Email Automation?
Email automation allows emails to be sent automatically when a specific trigger or condition occurs.
For example:
Subscriber Signup → Welcome Email → Wait 2 Days → Helpful Email → Follow-Up
Instead of manually sending each message, you create a workflow that determines what happens next.
GetResponse's Marketing Automation features allow you to create workflows using triggers, actions, conditions, and other automation elements.
Email Campaigns vs Automation: Main Difference
The simplest difference is:
Email Campaign = You plan and schedule the email.
Email Automation = You create rules that determine when the email is sent.
Email Campaign
You decide:
- Who receives the email
- What the email contains
- When it will be sent
Email Automation
You decide:
- What starts the workflow
- How long to wait
- What happens after a subscriber takes an action
- Which email should be sent next
When Should You Use Email Campaigns?
Email campaigns are best when you want to send your audience a specific message at a planned time.
Weekly Newsletter
You can send weekly updates, helpful tips, new articles, or industry news to your subscribers.
Product Announcement
If you launch a new product or feature, an email campaign can announce it to your audience.
Limited-Time Offer
For sales and special promotions, you can schedule an email for a specific date and time.
Event Invitation
Email campaigns are also useful for promoting webinars, workshops, launches, and other scheduled events.
When Should You Use Email Automation?
Automation is better when the email should depend on a subscriber's action or activity.
Welcome Sequence
For example:
Day 1: Welcome email
Day 3: Helpful content
Day 5: Product recommendation
Lead Nurturing
You can gradually provide educational content and relevant offers to new subscribers.
Abandoned Cart
Ecommerce businesses can use automated emails to remind customers about products they added to their cart but did not purchase.
Re-Engagement
Automation can also help identify inactive subscribers and send targeted emails designed to encourage them to engage again.
GetResponse Email Campaign Example
Imagine you run a digital marketing blog.
You want to send your subscribers a newsletter every Friday.
Your email could have the subject:
5 Digital Marketing Tips to Try This Week
You select your subscribers, create the email, and schedule it for Friday.
This is a typical email campaign.
GetResponse Email Automation Example
Now imagine a visitor downloads your free SEO guide.
You could create this workflow:
Signup → Welcome Email → Wait 2 Days → SEO Tutorial → Wait 3 Days → Relevant Tool Recommendation
The emails are automatically sent according to the workflow.
This is email automation.
Can You Use Campaigns and Automation Together?
Yes. In fact, using both can create a more effective email marketing strategy.
For example:
Landing Page → Signup → Automated Welcome Sequence → Weekly Newsletter
Automation handles the initial subscriber journey, while regular campaigns keep your audience engaged with new content and updates.
This combination can help you save time while maintaining regular communication with your subscribers.
Which Is Easier for Beginners?
Regular email campaigns are usually easier for beginners.
You simply:
- Create an email
- Select your subscribers
- Choose when to send it
Automation requires more planning because you need to understand triggers, actions, conditions, and delays.
However, once an automation workflow is properly configured, it can save significant time.
Email Campaigns vs Automation for Affiliate Marketing
Both can be useful for affiliate marketing.
Campaigns
You can use regular campaigns to share:
- Software reviews
- Comparison articles
- Tutorials
- New blog posts
- Relevant affiliate recommendations
Automation
You could create a sequence such as:
Free Guide → Helpful Content → Product Education → Affiliate Recommendation
This allows you to introduce relevant products gradually instead of sending promotional messages immediately.
Affiliate emails should provide genuine value and follow the rules of the affiliate program you're promoting.
Pros and Cons
Email Campaigns Pros
- Easy to create
- Great for newsletters
- Useful for announcements
- Good for scheduled promotions
- Simple for beginners
Email Campaigns Cons
- Require regular planning
- Often involve manual scheduling
- Less personalized than behavior-based automation
Email Automation Pros
- Saves time
- Sends emails automatically
- Supports subscriber-based workflows
- Useful for welcome sequences
- Good for lead nurturing
Email Automation Cons
- Requires more initial setup
- Complex workflows can be difficult for beginners
- Requires regular testing and monitoring
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Email Campaigns if you want to:
- Send newsletters
- Share new content
- Make announcements
- Promote limited-time offers
- Communicate at a specific time
Choose Email Automation if you want to:
- Send welcome emails automatically
- Nurture leads
- Create follow-up sequences
- Respond to subscriber behavior
- Build automated customer journeys
For most businesses, the best approach is to use both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GetResponse automation the same as an email campaign?
No. An email campaign is generally a planned message sent to selected subscribers, while automation uses triggers and conditions to send emails automatically.
Can I use email campaigns and automation together?
Yes. You can use automation for welcome sequences and follow-ups while using regular campaigns for newsletters and announcements.
Which is better for beginners?
Regular email campaigns are generally easier to start with. Once you understand the basics, you can introduce automation workflows.
Is automation good for welcome emails?
Yes. Welcome emails are one of the most useful applications of email automation because the workflow can start automatically when someone subscribes.
Is GetResponse automation useful for ecommerce?
Yes. Ecommerce businesses can use automation for abandoned-cart reminders, product recommendations, customer follow-ups, and re-engagement campaigns.
Final Verdict
GetResponse Email Campaigns and Email Automation are both valuable, but they are designed for different purposes.
Use Email Campaigns for newsletters, announcements, new content, and scheduled promotions.
Use Email Automation for welcome sequences, lead nurturing, follow-ups, and behavior-based communication.
If you're a beginner, start with regular email campaigns and gradually add welcome automation, lead-nurturing sequences, and automated follow-ups.
Using both together can help you maintain consistent communication while reducing the amount of manual work involved in your email marketing.