How does it know a lead replied?

You flag it — update the lead's Status to 'Replied' in the sheet when they respond, and every subsequent step checks this before sending. The guide explains why this is more reliable than automated reply-detection.

Can I add more touches?

Yes — the wait → check → send pattern repeats cleanly; the guide shows how to add a Day 14 touch.

Lead GenerationAI-PoweredStructurally Validated

AI Lead Nurture Drip

New leads get a warm, AI-personalized welcome email immediately, a value-add follow-up on day 3 if they're still quiet, and a graceful closing email on day 7 — then the sequence stops. Every step checks reply status first, so nobody who's already responded gets an awkward follow-up.

Automation flow

Step 1

New Lead Added

Triggers the sequence for every new lead row.

Step 2

Day 0: Welcome Email (AI)

A personalized welcome goes out immediately.

Step 3

Wait 3 Days + Check

The workflow pauses, then checks reply status.

Step 4

Day 3: Follow-up (AI)

A value-add follow-up sends only if there's been no reply.

Step 5

Wait 4 Days + Check

Pauses again, checks reply status once more.

Step 6

Day 7: Final Email

A graceful closing email sends only if still no reply.

How it works

1A new row in Leads triggers the sequence.
2AI writes and sends a personalized Day 0 welcome email.
3The workflow waits 3 days, then checks the lead's Status.
4If still not Replied, AI writes and sends a Day 3 value-add follow-up.
5The workflow waits 4 more days, checks again.
6If still not Replied, a graceful, low-pressure Day 7 closing email goes out — after that, the sequence ends.

Services used

Google SheetsAI API (OpenAI-compatible)Gmail

What you'll need

An n8n Cloud or self-hosted account (Wait nodes need n8n to stay running — n8n Cloud or a persistent self-hosted instance)
A Google account (Sheets)
An OpenAI API key (or any compatible AI API)
A Gmail account

What's included

Automatically stops the moment a lead replies
3 distinct, AI-personalized touches, not one template x3
Full multi-day sequence runs unattended
Bring your own AI API key

Estimate what this could save you

Times per week

Minutes each time

Your hourly value ($)

3.6 hours/month

≈ $108/month in your time

A rough estimate based on what you enter above — not a guarantee. Actual time saved depends on your process.

Make it yours

Add a Day 14 "we're still here" touch by copying the wait→check→send pattern once more.
Instead of manually flagging Replied, connect this to the AI Support Inbox Triage template's logic if replies land in a shared inbox you're already monitoring.
Segment by lead source or company size (add a column, branch with an IF node) so different lead types get different messaging.

Works well with this automation

AI Newsletter Digest

Curate links in a sheet during the week; every Monday, AI writes and sends a full newsletter from them automatically.

$19

AI Support Inbox Triage

Every new support email gets auto-categorized, prioritized, summarized, and given a draft reply — delivered to Slack for a one-click send.

$19

Client Project Status Digest

Every Friday, AI reads all your active projects and emails a portfolio summary flagging what needs attention.

$22

Save with the complete system: Sales & Lead Gen Bundle

Instead of buying separately: $215 — System: $99

View system

Questions about this template

$25one-time

Secure checkout via Polar. Delivered by email instantly.

Structurally validated: automatically checked for valid n8n format before every deploy.

Difficulty: Advanced
Setup time: ~25 min
Integrations: 3
Node count: 14
Format: .json + guide