How to Create an Email Autoresponder & Make $10,000+/Month on Autopilot! (Step-by-Step Guide)

You built the landing page. People are opting in. And then… nothing happens automatically. That gap between someone giving you their email address and actually buying something from you is where most online businesses quietly fall apart. The autoresponder is what closes that gap.

An email autoresponder is a sequence of pre-written emails that go out on a schedule you set once and never have to touch again. Someone joins your list and your emails start going out automatically. Day 0. Day 1. Day 3. Day 7. Every new subscriber gets the same sequence from the top, while you are sleeping, traveling, or working on something else entirely. This step-by-step guide walks you through exactly how to build one inside ClickFunnels, the same platform Alston uses to run his entire funnel operation.

What You’ll Walk Out With

A clear understanding of what an email autoresponder does and why it is the backbone of any online income stream
A step-by-step walkthrough of creating an email list inside ClickFunnels Follow Up Funnels
How to connect your existing landing page so every opt-in automatically feeds into your list
How to build an Action Funnel (ClickFunnels’ autoresponder system) from scratch
How to use ClickFunnels’ drag-and-drop email editor to design your first welcome email
The single setting that determines whether your email actually sends (most people miss it)
How to build out Day 1, Day 2, and beyond so you have a full nurture sequence running on autopilot
How to figure out what niche to build your autoresponder around using finder.platformproof.com

What an Email Autoresponder Actually Does

The word “autoresponder” sounds technical but the concept is simple. You write a series of emails. You set a schedule. And then any time someone joins your email list, they start receiving those emails automatically, on that schedule, starting from Day 0 regardless of when they signed up.

If you have a dentist office, you might send a Day 0 email confirming the free teeth-whitening guide you promised on your landing page. Day 1 might be a reminder about booking an appointment. Day 3 might be a patient story. Day 7 might be a limited-time offer. The person who signed up on a Tuesday gets the same sequence as the person who signed up on a Saturday. You only write these emails once, and they work indefinitely until the subscriber either goes through the whole sequence or chooses to unsubscribe.

This is the machine behind every “passive income” claim you have ever heard. Nobody is manually emailing thousands of people every day. They built an autoresponder, put quality emails in it, and now it runs in the background whether they are awake or not.

Why ClickFunnels for Email Automation

There are dedicated email marketing platforms out there. Mailchimp, AWeber, GetResponse, ConvertKit (now called Kit). Alston recommends ClickFunnels specifically for people who are also using it to build their landing pages and funnels, because everything is under one roof.

The big advantage is speed. When your landing page and your email automation live in the same platform, connecting them takes about 30 seconds. There is no third-party integration to set up, no API keys to hunt down, no Zapier zap to maintain. You click a few settings inside the page editor and the connection is live. Alston mentions in the video that building a five-day email sequence in ClickFunnels takes about 15 minutes once you know what you are doing. That is not marketing copy. He walks through the process live and the pacing holds up.

ClickFunnels offers a two-week free trial, which gives you enough time to build your list, create your Action Funnel, and send your first few emails before you spend a dollar. That trial link is in the description of the original video.

Step 1: Create Your Email List in ClickFunnels

Before you can send automated emails, you need a list. In ClickFunnels, go to Follow Up Funnels in the top navigation. Then click Email Lists. You will see a button that says Add New.

Give your list a name that matches your niche. Alston names his list “M Lose Weight” with the abbreviation “LW” and uses that same abbreviation as the tag. He keeps the name and the tag identical so that when he comes back to the account after a break, he immediately knows what everything is. No confusing “List 1” or “Test Group A” that means nothing two weeks later.

He recommends leaving “Smart List” unchecked for standard subscriber lists. Click Create List and ClickFunnels generates the list instantly. Anyone who opts in through your landing page can now be assigned to this list. At this point, the list is empty, but it exists and is ready to receive subscribers.

Step 2: Connect Your Landing Page to the List

Having a list means nothing if your landing page does not feed into it. Here is how to make that connection. From the ClickFunnels dashboard, hover over the ClickFunnels logo and open your funnel. Click Edit Page on your landing page step.

Inside the page editor, go to Settings, then Integrations. You will see an option for ClickFunnels and then Add to List. Click that and a dropdown will appear showing all the email lists in your account. Select the list you just created. Hit save.

That is the connection. From this point forward, every time someone enters their name and email address on your landing page, ClickFunnels automatically adds them to the list you selected. No manual export, no copy-paste, no CSV uploads. They opt in and they are on your list within seconds.

Step 3: Build Your Action Funnel

The autoresponder itself lives inside what ClickFunnels calls an Action Funnel. You access this through Follow Up Funnels again, but this time you click Action Funnels instead of Email Lists. Click Create New Funnel.

Name the Action Funnel the same thing as your email list. If your list is “LW Lose Weight,” name the funnel “LW Lose Weight” as well. Then find the tag in the dropdown that matches. ClickFunnels uses this tag to know which subscribers the Action Funnel should target. If you use different names for your list and your funnel, the wrong people can end up getting the wrong emails. Consistent naming across your list, your tag, and your funnel is a simple habit that prevents a lot of headaches later.

Once you select the right tag and click Create Action Funnel, your funnel is live but empty. Now the real work begins: adding the email steps.

Step 4: Add Your Day 0 Email

Click Add New Step. Name this step “Day 0.” This is the first email in your sequence and it goes out automatically after someone opts in. The question is how quickly.

Alston sets Day 0 to send two hours after opt-in. The reason: his landing page offers a free gift in exchange for the email address. He wants to deliver that gift fast enough to feel immediate but not so instant that it feels robotic. Two hours is the sweet spot. If you are running a different kind of offer, you might adjust the timing. A “download your free checklist” type of opt-in could fire within minutes. A “book a call” follow-up might wait 24 hours. The point is you control this timer exactly.

After setting the send timing, select a template. ClickFunnels has several pre-built email templates. Alston chooses the default one and then deletes all the placeholder content so he can build from scratch. This approach lets you see exactly how the drag-and-drop editor works without being constrained by someone else’s layout.

Click Open Editor to enter the email builder.

Step 5: Design Your Email Inside the Editor

The ClickFunnels email editor works the same way as the landing page builder you used to create your opt-in page. Everything is drag-and-drop. Everything is point-and-click. There is no HTML required, though you can add HTML elements if you want that level of control.

Start by adding your logo. Click on the logo block, select your image, and optionally link it to your website. This is the branding that appears at the top of every email you send.

Below the logo, you can add column layouts. One column, two columns, three columns, four columns. Use this to structure the body of your email. For a simple welcome email, one column works fine. For a product comparison or a multi-image layout, two or three columns give you more room.

To add content inside a section, click Add Element. Your options include text, image, button, divider, and social media links. One important thing to know: you cannot insert an image in the middle of a text block. If you have written three lines of copy and you want to drop an image after line two, you have to finish that text element first, then click the plus sign below it and add a new image element. This is a quirk of the editor that catches people off guard the first time.

Alston’s recommendation is to write all your email copy in a Word document first, map out exactly where images will go, and then build the email in ClickFunnels. If you know before you open the editor that you want a headline, then three lines of text, then an image, then two more lines, then a button, you can build that entire thing in under five minutes. If you are figuring it out as you go, you will spend three times as long backtracking.

The editor also lets you customize fonts, text size, text color, and element margins. You can change a headline to red, bump the font size to 18, and adjust the top margin so it breathes. You have full stylistic control without touching a line of code.

Not sure what niche to build your autoresponder around?

The Finder tool at finder.platformproof.com matches you to the online income path that fits the skills and time you already have, before you build a single landing page or write a single email.

Step 6: Configure Settings and Flip It Live

Writing and designing the email is only part of the job. Before the email can send, you have to fill in the settings and turn it on. This is the step most beginners skip, and then they wonder why their subscribers are not getting anything.

Inside the email editor, click the Settings tab. You will see a field called Send Name. This is the “from” name that appears in the recipient’s inbox. Put your real name or your brand name here. Subscribers are far more likely to open an email from “Alston at Platform Proof” than from “noreply@yourdomain.com.”

Next, write your subject line. This is the single most important piece of text in the entire email because it determines whether the email gets opened at all. Take the time to write a subject line that creates curiosity, makes a specific promise, or calls out exactly who the email is for. A generic subject line like “Day 1 Email” is not going to work.

There is also an option to filter recipients by how long they have been on your list. If you have subscribers who have been inactive for six months and never open anything, you can target them with a re-engagement email asking whether they still want to hear from you. This keeps your list healthy and your open rates from tanking.

Once you have filled in the sender name and subject line, click Update Email. Then look for a button that says Pause. That button is showing you the current state of the email. It is paused, meaning it will not send. Click it to flip it to Live. Then click Update one more time to save that state change. Without this step, the email sits in your sequence doing nothing.

Step 7: Add Day 1, Day 2, and the Rest of the Sequence

Once Day 0 is configured and live, go back to your Action Funnel and click Add Next Step. Name this step “Day 1.” Set the timing to one day after opt-in. Then repeat the entire process: open the editor, design the email, fill in settings, flip to live, click update.

Day 2 follows the same pattern. Day 3. Day 5. Day 7. You can build as many steps as you want. There is no limit on the sequence length. Some online businesses run 3-email sequences. Others run 30 emails over 90 days. The right length depends on your niche, your offer, and how much value you can deliver at each step without becoming repetitive or annoying.

ClickFunnels also supports video emails. Instead of a text-heavy layout, you can design an email that showcases a video thumbnail with a link that takes subscribers to a YouTube video or a hosted video on your site. For tutorial-style content or product demonstrations, video emails tend to get higher click rates than pure text.

The workflow for adding each email is identical. That is by design. Once you have built your first two emails, you know the pattern. You add a step, set the timing, open the editor, build the email, configure settings, go live, update. Rinse and repeat. By the time you finish your fifth email, the process takes less time than writing the copy itself.

A Simple 5-Email Autoresponder Framework

If you are building your first sequence and you are not sure what to put in each email, here is a starting framework based on what works for most beginner niches:

Day 0 (2 hours after opt-in): Deliver the free gift you promised on the landing page. Introduce yourself briefly. Set expectations for what future emails will contain.
Day 1: Share one useful tip related to your niche. No pitch. Just value. This builds trust with subscribers who are still evaluating whether to keep opening your emails.
Day 3: Tell a short story. It can be your own experience or a transformation story that illustrates the problem your offer solves. End with a soft mention of your product or affiliate recommendation.
Day 5: Send a case study, a frequently asked question, or a list of common mistakes people make in your niche. This positions you as someone who understands the problem deeply.
Day 7: Make your offer clearly and directly. Explain what it is, what it costs, what the subscriber gets, and what happens if they click the link. This is your first real sales email. Keep it honest, keep it specific, and give a reason to act now.

This five-email framework is not the only way to structure a sequence, but it gives you a reason for each email to exist. Every email has a job. Day 0 delivers. Day 1 teaches. Day 3 connects. Day 5 educates. Day 7 sells. After Day 7, you can branch into a broadcast email schedule or keep adding automated steps for weeks.

Honest Drawbacks of This Approach

ClickFunnels is not a free platform. The two-week trial gives you time to get started, but after that you will need a paid subscription to keep your funnels and email sequences running. If budget is a concern, there are free or lower-cost email tools available, though they will require a separate integration with your landing page builder.

The drag-and-drop email editor has some quirks. The orange and blue element borders can be tricky to click in exactly the right spot. Hovering over them once or twice usually works, but if you are in a hurry it can feel clunky. Building your email in a clean document first and then pasting it in minimizes the time you spend wrestling with the editor.

Also, the autoresponder only works as well as your landing page. If your opt-in rate is low, your list grows slowly and your autoresponder has fewer people to work on. The email sequence is the machine, but the landing page is what feeds it. Both need to be in good shape for the system to produce results.

Finally, an autoresponder does not work if you do not write the copy. The tool makes it fast and easy to build the sequence technically. The harder part is sitting down to write five to ten emails that are actually interesting, useful, and worth reading. That is where most people stall. Writing the copy in a Word document before touching ClickFunnels, as Alston suggests, is the most practical way to avoid that stall.

Find Your X

The email autoresponder is the engine. But before you can build it, you need to know what you are building it around. What niche? What free gift? What offer? If you are still working on that answer, the Finder tool at finder.platformproof.com walks you through a short set of questions and matches you to an online income path based on what you already know, what time you have, and what kind of work you actually want to do. Start there before you start building.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an email list and an Action Funnel in ClickFunnels?

The email list is where subscribers are stored. The Action Funnel is the automated sequence of emails that goes out to subscribers on a schedule. You need both. The list collects the contacts; the Action Funnel determines what gets sent to them and when.

How many emails should I have in my autoresponder sequence?

Start with five. That is enough to deliver value, build trust, and make an offer without overwhelming subscribers or burning yourself out before you launch. Once your first five emails are written and live, you can always add more. A sequence that exists and runs is better than a 30-email masterpiece you never finish.

Do I need a landing page before I can build an autoresponder?

Yes. The landing page is how people get onto your email list in the first place. If you do not have a landing page collecting opt-ins, your list never grows and your autoresponder has no one to email. Build the landing page first, connect it to your list, and then build the email sequence.

What happens if someone joins my list while I am still building the sequence?

They will only receive the emails that are set to “Live” at the time they go through the sequence. If Day 0 is live but Day 1 is still paused, they will get Day 0 and then nothing until you finish Day 1. This is one more reason to build at least your first two or three emails before you start driving traffic to your landing page.

Can I use ClickFunnels’ email autoresponder for any niche?

Yes. The same ClickFunnels Action Funnel setup works for weight loss, real estate, e-commerce, coaching, affiliate marketing, local business lead generation, and anything else. The niche changes the content of the emails. The technical setup is identical.

What should the subject line of my Day 0 email say?

Reference exactly what you promised on the landing page. If you offered a free PDF, say “Here is your free guide” or something specific to the title of the guide. Subscribers should immediately recognize this email as the thing they signed up for. Generic subject lines like “Welcome” get lower open rates because they create no expectation.

Is ClickFunnels better than dedicated email tools like Mailchimp or Kit?

It depends on what you are already using. If your landing pages are already built inside ClickFunnels, using the built-in Action Funnels saves you from managing a third-party integration. If you are building your landing pages elsewhere and only need email, dedicated tools like Kit or Mailchimp can be strong options and in some cases more cost-effective at lower list sizes.

What is the biggest mistake beginners make with their first autoresponder?

Forgetting to flip the email from paused to live. Every email step in ClickFunnels starts in a paused state by default. Until you click that button and confirm the status change, the email exists in your sequence but does nothing. Always double-check that each step is live before you start sending traffic to your landing page.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “How to Create an Email Autoresponder,” YouTube: youtu.be/nL6iRjUrxvs
ClickFunnels Follow Up Funnels documentation: Action Funnels and Email List setup
Platform Proof Finder: finder.platformproof.com