Your Showit website can attract visitors around the clock, but without email automation in place, most of them leave and never come back. Email automation turns one-time visitors into long-term subscribers and eventually into paying clients, all while you focus on the work you actually do best.
This guide covers everything you need to know to set up email automation for your Showit website: choosing the right platform, connecting it to your pages, building your first opt-in form, and creating automated sequences that run without any ongoing effort from you.
What Email Automation Actually Means for a Showit Business
Email automation is a system of pre-written emails triggered by specific actions your website visitors take. When someone fills out a form on your Showit site, the automation system takes over, delivering a welcome email, a freebie, a nurture sequence, or a sales sequence based on what they signed up for, without you ever pressing send manually.
The results are significant. Automated emails drove 37% of all email-generated sales in 2024 while accounting for just 2% of total email volume. That kind of efficiency is exactly what a service-based creative business needs to scale without adding more hours to the workday.
Since Showit does not have a built-in email capture or automation system, you connect a third-party email marketing platform to your website using code snippets. That platform handles everything from form design to subscriber management to automated delivery. Your Showit site is the front door. The email platform is the entire system running behind it.
Step 1: Choose the Right Email Platform for Your Showit Website
The first decision is which email marketing platform to use. The platform you choose determines how forms embed on your site, what automation capabilities you have, and how much you pay as your list grows. Several platforms work seamlessly with Showit through its embed code widget and page head HTML settings.
Flodesk
Flodesk is the most popular choice among Showit users for one clear reason: it is built for design-focused creative businesses. It produces beautiful on-brand emails with a flat pricing model at $38 per month regardless of list size, making it predictable as your audience grows. Its workflow feature makes automation setup visual and straightforward.
Flodesk is the right choice if visual consistency between your website and your emails is a priority and if your automation needs are relatively straightforward, such as a welcome sequence, a freebie delivery, or a simple nurture series.
For a step-by-step guide to connecting Flodesk specifically to your Showit site, the Flodesk form embedding guide for Showit walks through the full process.
MailerLite
MailerLite offers a strong feature-to-price ratio for Showit users who want more data and flexibility. It includes automation workflows, A/B testing, subscriber segmentation, click maps, and landing pages. The free plan covers up to 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, making it a practical starting point before committing to a paid tier.
MailerLite is a strong choice for businesses that want to track detailed subscriber behaviour and run more targeted sequences based on list segmentation. The MailerLite and Showit setup guide covers the full integration process.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Kit is built specifically for creators and service providers who need advanced tagging, segmentation, and automation logic. It lets you tag subscribers based on what they signed up for, which pages they visited, and which links they clicked, and then send targeted emails that feel personal rather than broadcast. Automation in Kit is rule-based and highly flexible, making it a strong choice for businesses with multiple offers or complex subscriber journeys.
GetResponse
GetResponse is a full-featured platform with unlimited emails, landing pages, advanced automation workflows, and webinar hosting built in. Its Starter plan begins at $19 per month for up to 1,000 contacts. It suits Showit users who want a comprehensive system covering list growth, automated sequences, and webinar or course delivery inside a single platform.
For a full walkthrough of connecting GetResponse to your Showit site, the GetResponse and Showit integration guide has the complete step-by-step process.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
| If you prioritise… | Consider… |
| Beautiful design-first emails | Flodesk |
| Free tier + strong analytics | MailerLite |
| Advanced tagging and creator tools | Kit |
| All-in-one with webinars and landing pages | GetResponse |
No platform is universally correct. Match the platform to where your business is now and where you want it to go within the next year.
Step 2: Set Up Your Account and Subscriber List
Once you have chosen a platform, create your account and set up at least one subscriber list or group. Every email platform uses slightly different terminology, but the concept is the same: a list is the container that holds your subscribers, and your opt-in forms feed people into it.
Name your lists descriptively so they reflect the source and intent of each subscriber. “Website Newsletter Signup,” “Freebie Download,” and “Services Inquiry” are clear examples that make segmentation and targeting far easier later on.
If you plan to offer multiple lead magnets or serve multiple audience types, create separate lists for each from the beginning. Merging messy lists later is time-consuming. Organising them correctly at setup costs almost nothing.
Step 3: Create Your Opt-In Form
Your opt-in form is the bridge between your Showit website and your email platform. Visitors see it on your page, submit their information, and that action triggers the automation.
Every major email platform includes a form builder. For Showit integration, you will typically build one of two form types:
Inline embedded forms appear directly on the page canvas as a permanent, always-visible element. These work well in footers, dedicated opt-in sections, landing pages, and within blog content.
Pop-up forms appear over the page based on a trigger you configure, such as a time delay after page load, a scroll depth threshold, or exit intent when the visitor moves their cursor toward the browser bar. Pop-ups capture visitors who might otherwise leave without converting, and they consistently outperform passive inline forms for first-time subscriber acquisition.
Design your form to match your Showit brand as closely as possible. Set the form background to transparent if your email platform supports it, which makes the form sit flush with your page design rather than appearing as a separate block. Design the headline, subheadline, and surrounding copy using Showit’s own tools so you have full typographic and layout control, and let the email platform handle only the functional fields and button.
Step 4: Connect the Form to Your Showit Website
Every email platform that works with Showit follows the same two-step embed process. The exact labels differ, but the logic is identical.
Step one places a JavaScript tracking snippet into the head section of your Showit pages. This snippet connects your website to the email platform’s system and is required for forms and pop-ups to function. It goes into the Custom Head HTML field found in the Advanced Settings tab of each Showit page.
Step two places the actual form embed code into a Showit canvas using the Embed Code widget. In the Showit design app, hover over the Element icon in the bottom toolbar, select Embed Code, drag the box onto your canvas, double-click it, and paste your form’s embed snippet.
If you are using a pop-up form, only step one is required. Pop-ups are triggered entirely by the JavaScript snippet in the page head and do not need an embed element on the canvas.
If your forms appear on multiple pages of your Showit site, use the Global Custom Code option in Showit’s Site Settings to apply the tracking snippet across all pages at once rather than adding it individually to each one. The Showit custom code snippets guide walks through every method for adding head and body code to your pages in detail.
Step 5: Create a Lead Magnet Worth Opting In For
Your automation system can only grow your list if visitors have a compelling reason to hand over their email address. A generic “subscribe to my newsletter” call to action rarely works in 2025.
A lead magnet is a free resource you offer in exchange for someone’s email address. It should directly solve a specific problem your ideal client is already experiencing, which means they are predisposed to want it before they even see it. Effective lead magnets for Showit businesses include downloadable guides or checklists, templates or swipe files, mini email courses, free audits or assessments, and on-demand workshop recordings.
The more specific and immediately useful the lead magnet, the higher your conversion rate will be. “10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer” converts better than “Free Wedding Photography Guide” because the specificity signals exactly who it is for and what they will get. If you need help designing a lead magnet opt-in page inside Showit, the Showit sales and opt-in page guide covers how to build pages that convert.
Step 6: Build Your Welcome Automation Sequence
The welcome sequence is the first thing a subscriber experiences after opting in. It is the most important automation you will build, and it shapes the entire future of the subscriber relationship.
Welcome emails are four times more likely to be opened and five times more likely to generate clicks than other marketing emails. That engagement window is open the moment someone signs up and begins closing within hours. A properly timed welcome sequence takes full advantage of it.
Email 1: Deliver and Welcome (Send immediately)
The first email should send the moment someone subscribes. If you promised a lead magnet, deliver it here. Include a clear download link or direct access and confirm what they signed up for.
Keep this email short and warm. Welcome them personally, confirm what is coming next, and set expectations for how often they will hear from you and what kind of content you will share. This is not the email for a full sales pitch.
Email 2: Your Story (Send 2 days after Email 1)
The second email introduces who you are beyond the transactional interaction of the freebie. Share your background, why you do the work you do, and who you most love helping. This email builds the personal connection that turns a subscriber into someone who remembers you.
Avoid making this email entirely about credentials. Focus on the transformation you help your clients achieve and why you care about it. Subscribers connect with mission and values, not just a list of qualifications.
Email 3: Value and Insight (Send 3 days after Email 2)
The third email delivers something genuinely useful with no strings attached. This might be a practical tip, a case study from a past client, an answer to a question your audience asks frequently, or a resource that helps them move closer to what they want.
This email builds trust. It shows that your content is worth opening even when there is nothing to download and nothing to buy. Subscribers who open Email 3 are forming a real reading habit.
Email 4: Soft Introduction to Your Services (Send 4 days after Email 3)
The fourth email can introduce your offerings in a natural, non-pressured way. Frame this as pointing toward a resource rather than making a sale. Something like “If you want to go deeper on this, here is how I work with clients” signals availability without demanding action.
Include a clear link to your Services or Work With Me page so interested subscribers can take the next step in their own time.
Email 5: Open Loop and Next Step (Send 5 days after Email 4)
The final email in the initial welcome sequence creates an open loop that keeps subscribers engaged after the sequence ends. This might be a question you invite them to reply to, a preview of what you typically send in your regular newsletter, or a relevant resource like a blog post that continues the conversation.
This email transitions subscribers from the welcome sequence into your ongoing regular communication naturally.
Step 7: Set Up Additional Automation Triggers
A welcome sequence is the foundation, but a complete email automation system for your Showit website includes additional workflows triggered by other actions visitors take on your site.
Freebie-specific sequences send different content to subscribers who downloaded a specific resource, following up on the topic of the freebie with related content and a relevant service offer.
Re-engagement sequences target subscribers who have not opened an email in 60 to 90 days, sending one to three emails designed to rekindle interest. Subscribers who do not engage should be removed from the list to protect deliverability rates.
Post-inquiry follow-ups in platforms like Kit or GetResponse can trigger based on form submissions from your Showit contact page, sending acknowledgment emails, pricing guides, or booking links automatically after someone reaches out.
For more on setting up specific email platform integrations with your Showit site, the Showit integrations overview covers how different tools connect with Showit’s embed system.
Step 8: Place Opt-In Forms Strategically Across Your Showit Site
A single opt-in form hidden at the bottom of your contact page will not grow your list meaningfully. Strategic, multi-placement opt-in positioning is what drives consistent subscriber growth from your Showit website.
The most effective placement locations are your homepage mid-section or footer area, the footer that appears on every page of your site, dedicated landing pages built around specific lead magnets, within and at the end of blog posts, and on your services page as a secondary option for visitors who are not ready to book.
Each placement should have copy tailored to the context. A homepage opt-in can speak broadly to your audience. A blog post opt-in should offer something directly related to the post’s topic. A services page opt-in should offer a resource that helps visitors make a more informed decision about working with you.
For best practices on designing sections around embedded forms in Showit, the guide to creating a high-converting Showit homepage covers how to integrate conversion elements without breaking the visual flow of your design.
Step 9: Track Performance and Improve Over Time
Email automation is not a set-and-forget system. It performs best when you review it regularly and make small improvements based on what the data shows.
The three metrics that matter most for a welcome sequence are open rate, click-through rate, and unsubscribe rate. If your open rate on Email 1 is high but drops sharply by Email 3, the content in the middle of the sequence needs attention. If your unsubscribe rate is elevated, the sequence may be sending too frequently or the content is not matching what subscribers expected when they opted in.
Test one variable at a time. Subject line changes often produce the most visible impact on open rates. CTA copy and placement changes tend to move click-through rates. Make one change, let the sequence run for two to three weeks, and then evaluate the result before changing anything else.
Most email platforms provide automation analytics dashboards where you can see performance for each individual email in a sequence. Check these monthly and update any email that shows a declining trend.
Common Email Automation Mistakes to Avoid on Showit Sites
Not testing the integration before publishing. Always submit a real test entry through your live form and confirm the subscriber appears in the correct list and the automation fires correctly before driving traffic to the page.
Designing the form but not the automation. Many Showit users set up a form that collects emails and then send no automated follow-up. Every opt-in should trigger at least a welcome email. A subscriber who receives nothing after signing up will forget they subscribed.
Using the wrong code placement. JavaScript tracking snippets go in the page head, not the canvas. Pasting the snippet into a text element or the wrong section of Showit’s settings is the most common technical error and prevents forms from rendering.
Making every email a sales pitch. An automation sequence that pushes offers in every email trains subscribers to stop opening. At minimum, three of the first five emails should deliver value with no direct sales ask. Build the relationship before making the request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Showit have built-in email automation?
No. Showit is a website design platform and does not include email marketing or automation tools. You connect a separate email platform such as Flodesk, MailerLite, Kit, or GetResponse using Showit’s embed code widget and page head settings.
What is the easiest email platform to set up with Showit?
Flodesk is widely considered the most straightforward for Showit users due to its clean interface, visual automation builder, and design-first approach that aligns naturally with Showit’s aesthetic focus.
Can I use multiple email platforms on the same Showit site?
Technically yes, but it is not recommended. Multiple platforms complicate your subscriber data and make it harder to track performance. Choose one platform and build your entire system within it.
How long should my welcome sequence be?
A sequence of four to six emails spread over seven to ten days works well for most creative service businesses. Research shows that the average length of a welcome email series is 6.45 emails, though this encompasses a range from two to fourteen emails depending on business model and strategy.
How do I know if my automation is working?
Submit a test signup through your live Showit page and check that: the subscriber appears in the correct list in your email platform, the first email arrives promptly, and each subsequent email in the sequence sends at the correct interval.
Email automation is the system that makes your Showit website work for your business around the clock. It takes visitors who might otherwise leave without a trace and turns them into subscribers you can reach, nurture, and convert on your own terms.
Set up the integration, create a compelling lead magnet, build a thoughtful five-email welcome sequence, and let the system do the work. Your future clients are already visiting your site. Automation is what turns those visits into something lasting.
