AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
When I started working with a B2B SaaS client, we faced the same challenge every SaaS company struggles with: getting client testimonials. You know the drill - your product works great, clients are happy in calls, but getting them to write it down? That's another story.
I set up what I thought was a solid manual outreach campaign. Personalized emails, follow-ups, the whole nine yards. Did it work? Kind of. We got some reviews trickling in, but the time investment was brutal. Hours spent crafting emails for a handful of testimonials - the ROI just wasn't there.
Like many startups, we ended up doing what we had to do: strategically crafting our reviews page to look more populated than it actually was. Not ideal, but we needed social proof to convert visitors.
Here's where things got interesting. I was simultaneously working on an e-commerce project - completely different industry, right? Wrong. That's where I learned my most valuable lesson about automated drip campaign software.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why most B2B companies are using drip campaigns completely wrong
The cross-industry solution that tripled our review collection rate
My step-by-step automation workflow that works for any business
How to avoid the "aggressive email" trap while still getting results
Platform comparisons based on real implementation experience
This isn't about following best practices - it's about finding what actually works, even if it means borrowing solutions from completely different industries. Let's dive into why conventional drip campaign wisdom fails and what I did instead.
Industry Reality
What every SaaS founder has been told about email automation
Walk into any marketing conference or browse any SaaS blog, and you'll hear the same advice about automated drip campaign software:
"Keep it professional and subtle." The conventional wisdom says B2B audiences hate aggressive emails, so you should craft gentle, "value-first" sequences that slowly nurture leads over 6-8 touchpoints.
"Personalization is everything." Every email should feel handwritten, with custom fields, personal details, and industry-specific messaging. The more personalized, the better the results.
"Focus on education, not asks." Provide value in every email before making any requests. Share case studies, industry insights, and helpful resources to build trust.
"Timing is critical." Send emails at optimal times (Tuesday 10 AM, avoid Mondays and Fridays), space them 3-5 days apart, and always respect the recipient's time zone.
"Less is more." Keep sequences short (3-5 emails max) to avoid being labeled as spam. Quality over quantity is the mantra.
This advice exists because B2B buyers are supposedly more sophisticated than consumers. They need to be educated, not sold to. They value relationships and trust over quick wins.
The problem? This approach assumes you have unlimited time and resources to craft perfect sequences for every use case. It also assumes that "professional" automatically means "effective." In my experience, following these rules religiously often leads to polite emails that get polite non-responses.
When everyone follows the same playbook, you end up with the same mediocre results. Sometimes the most effective approach comes from breaking the rules entirely - and looking at what works in industries that have already solved the automation puzzle.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
Here's the situation I found myself in: working with a B2B SaaS client who desperately needed customer testimonials to improve their conversion rates. Their product was solid, customer satisfaction was high, but their reviews page looked like a ghost town.
My first approach was everything the industry tells you to do. I created a sophisticated 5-email drip sequence with personalized subject lines, value-driven content, and carefully spaced intervals. Each email was crafted to feel personal and non-pushy.
Email 1: "Thank you for choosing [Company] - here's what's next"
Email 2: "3 ways to get the most out of [Product]" (educational content)
Email 3: "Case study: How [Similar Company] achieved [Result]"
Email 4: "Quick favor - would you mind sharing your experience?"
Email 5: "Last chance - help other businesses discover [Product]"
The results were... underwhelming. We got maybe 2-3 responses per 100 emails sent. The time investment was massive - each sequence took hours to craft, and we needed different versions for different customer segments.
But here's where the story gets interesting. At the same time, I was working on an e-commerce project for a Shopify store. In e-commerce, reviews aren't nice-to-have; they're make-or-break. Think about your own Amazon shopping behavior - you probably won't buy anything under 4 stars with less than 50 reviews.
E-commerce businesses have been solving the review automation problem for years because their survival depends on it. They can't afford to send 5 gentle emails hoping for a response. They need systems that work at scale.
That's when I discovered Trustpilot's automated review collection system. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, their automated emails are more direct than what B2B "best practices" recommend. But here's the thing - their email automation converted like crazy.
The lightbulb moment: What if I applied this aggressive-but-effective e-commerce approach to my B2B SaaS client? What if "professional" was actually just code for "ineffective"?
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
So I did something that went against everything I'd been taught about B2B email marketing: I implemented the same Trustpilot-style automation for my SaaS client. But I didn't just copy-paste their approach - I adapted it intelligently.
Step 1: Platform Selection Based on Aggression Tolerance
After testing multiple platforms, I realized most automated drip campaign software falls into two categories: "polite B2B tools" and "aggressive e-commerce tools." I chose Zapier combined with Klaviyo because it gave me the control to build something in between.
Step 2: The 3-Email Aggressive Sequence
Instead of 5-7 educational emails, I created a direct 3-email sequence:
Email 1 (Day 3 after onboarding): "How's your experience with [Product] so far?"
Email 2 (Day 7): "Quick request: 2 minutes to help other businesses like yours"
Email 3 (Day 12): "Final ask: Your review helps us serve businesses better"
Each email was direct, honest about what we wanted, and included specific instructions on where and how to leave a review. No fluff, no educational content, no pretending it wasn't about getting reviews.
Step 3: The Friction Reduction Hack
Here's where I borrowed directly from e-commerce: I included direct links to pre-filled review forms. Instead of asking people to "find us on Google and leave a review," I created unique links that took them straight to a review form with their name and company already filled in.
Step 4: Trigger Optimization
Rather than sending emails based on signup date, I triggered the sequence based on actual product usage. Using our AI workflow automation, emails only went to users who had logged in at least 3 times and completed key onboarding actions.
Step 5: The Human Touch Twist
Each email came from the founder's personal email address, not a generic "noreply" address. The signature included his direct phone number and a note: "Call me if you have any issues - this isn't automated customer service."
Step 6: Response Handling Automation
I set up automated responses for common reply patterns: "Too busy" got a follow-up in 30 days, "Having issues" got forwarded to customer success immediately, and "Happy to help" got a thank you with additional review platform options.
Trigger Timing
Instead of time-based triggers, use behavior-based triggers. Only email users who've actually engaged with your product meaningfully.
Direct Ask Strategy
Skip the educational fluff. Be honest about wanting reviews while explaining the mutual benefit clearly.
Cross-Industry Learning
E-commerce solved review automation years ago. Adapt their aggressive-but-effective tactics to B2B contexts.
Platform Flexibility
Choose tools that let you build custom workflows rather than rigid "best practice" templates.
The results spoke for themselves. Within 30 days of implementing this system, we went from getting 2-3 reviews per month to getting 15-20 reviews per month - a 600% increase in review collection.
More importantly, the quality of reviews improved. Because we were only emailing engaged users, the reviews were more detailed and authentic. People who took the time to respond were genuinely satisfied customers with real stories to tell.
The time savings were equally dramatic. What used to take 5-6 hours per week in manual outreach and follow-up now took about 30 minutes per week to monitor and optimize. The automation freed up time to focus on product development and customer success.
But here's the unexpected outcome: the direct approach actually improved customer relationships. Instead of feeling like they were being "nurtured" with educational content they didn't ask for, customers appreciated the honest, straightforward request. Several replied saying they were happy to help because the ask was clear and the process was simple.
The review collection became a touchpoint for customer feedback beyond just testimonials. We started getting feature requests, bug reports, and expansion opportunities through the same automation system.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons I learned from applying e-commerce automation tactics to B2B review collection:
Aggressive doesn't mean rude. Being direct about what you want while making it easy to comply is actually more respectful than pretending you're just "checking in."
Cross-industry solutions work. The best innovations often come from applying successful tactics from one industry to another. Don't limit yourself to "B2B best practices."
Behavior trumps demographics. Engaged users are engaged users, regardless of whether they're buying widgets or SaaS. Focus on actions, not assumptions.
Friction kills conversion. Every extra step between intent and action reduces completion rates. Make it ridiculously easy to do what you're asking.
Platform choice matters more than content. A flexible automation platform that lets you build custom workflows will always outperform rigid templates, no matter how well-written.
Frequency beats perfection. Consistent, simple asks work better than sporadic, complex nurturing sequences.
Personal emails still matter. Even in automation, having a real person's name and contact information in the signature makes a huge difference in response rates.
The biggest mistake I see with automated drip campaign software is treating it like a newsletter tool instead of a conversion tool. Your goal isn't to educate or entertain - it's to get specific actions from specific people at specific times.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups implementing this approach:
Trigger emails based on product usage milestones, not signup dates
Keep sequences short (3 emails max) but make each one count
Include direct links to review platforms with pre-filled forms
Use founder's personal email address for authenticity
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores adapting this framework:
Trigger review requests after delivery confirmation, not purchase
Include product-specific review links for multi-product purchases
Offer incentives (discount codes) for completed reviews
Automate follow-ups for photo/video review submissions