Opt-In to Offboarding: Our Entire Flodesk System, Explained
Have you ever opened your email platform, stared at a template, and thought, “Why does this feel so... off?”
You want to connect. You want to serve. You want to show up. But when it comes to email, so many of the tools don’t seem built for the kind of business you’re running. You’re building something intentional — creative, human, and rooted in service. And you want your email marketing to reflect that, to feel like a natural extension of your brand.
That was our reality, too. For the longest time, email marketing felt like the part of business we were supposed to do, but secretly dreaded. The tools were clunky. The designs were lack luster. And everything that was supposed to scale left us feeling disconnected from the people we actually wanted to reach. We needed an email platform that could hold both strategy and care.
That’s when we found Flodesk. Flodesk wasn’t just the more aesthetic option. It was the first platform that actually felt aligned with how we work. It let us build emails that fit into our brand world, automate without spending hours building out systems, and create brand-aligned experiences that felt more like conversations than campaigns.
This post is a look behind the scenes of how we use Flodesk in our business — what we automate, what we write, how we stay consistent (without staying online 24/7), and why this one system has supported so much ease and growth in our brand. Let’s dive in.
This post was sponsored by Flodesk. We only share content we genuinely believe in, and all opinions are our own. This post also contains affiliate links, a unique URL which contains a tracking code. If you click on this link and purchase something, we receive a small commission, without any extra cost to you. You can find our full affiliate disclosure here.
The Reasons Why We Switched to Flodesk
We switched to Flodesk because we were tired of clunky editors, confusing systems, and spending hours designing an email that still didn’t feel like part of our brand.
We needed a tool that didn’t just send email. We needed one that helped us build a real brand experience in the inbox. That meant:
A flexible way to create welcome sequences that felt personal, not transactional
Branded opt-in forms we could embed across our site (without needing to code)
A design editor that supports our aesthetic look and feel
Automation tools that didn’t require ten-tab troubleshooting
We didn’t want to outsource our energy to our email platform. We wanted it to return our energy, to give us flexibility and space to focus on connecting with our community. Flodesk gave us that. And while switching email platforms isn’t thrilling work, Flodesk made the transition smooth, and we haven’t looked back since.
Who We Think Flodesk is Actually For:
If your business revolves around scale-at-any-cost tactics and hyper-segmented sales funnels, Flodesk might not be for you. But if you’re building something intentional — something that’s as much about trust and taste as it is about traffic — this is where Flodesk shines. It’s for:
Creatives, makers, and thoughtful service providers
Business owners with digital products, courses, or memberships
Founders who care deeply about brand experience
People who want automated tools, without the soul-suck
Small teams or solo entrepreneurs who need their tools to do more, beautifully
Whether you’re sending your first welcome sequence or mapping out an evergreen sales flow, Flodesk gives you the tools to do it in a way that feels clear, calm, and creative. It’s simple to use without being basic, powerful without being bloated, and one of the only platforms that doesn’t charge you more as your list grows. That means no guilt when your list hits a milestone.
It’s not for everyone. But if you’ve ever opened another platform and thought, ‘This makes me hate email,’ Flodesk might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Behind-the-Scenes: Our Email Marketing Systems
Here’s a transparent look at how we actually use Flodesk, from the first hello to nurturing follow-up:
Opt-Ins & Signup Forms
For every free resource we create — a Notion planner, a list-building workbook, a strategy guide — we create a custom Flodesk form.
We build each form to feel native to the page it’s on: same fonts, same feel, no code needed. Flodesk’s form builder lets us design inline, pop-up, or full-page opt-ins in, so they can suit different types of offers.
Each form can trigger its own unique workflow. So the welcome sequence someone gets after downloading a branding workbook feels totally different from the one they'd get for purchasing a product.
Welcome Sequences
Once someone signs up, they’re not added to a generic list or dropped into silence. Instead, Flodesk adds them to a curated welcome sequence (in our case, between 4-6 emails spaced out over a few weeks). Here’s what they usually include:
A personal intro
A short walkthrough of how to get the most out of the freebie
A few curated links to our most helpful posts + resources
A gentle invitation to explore more (like our templates or shop)
What we love about this process, is that we can write and schedule the whole sequence once, then let it quietly run in the background.
Product Follow-Ups
Every product we sell, from website templates to strategy tools, has its own automated post-purchase flow. These emails are designed to support the client experience, rather than just confirming the transaction. They usually include:
A branded purchase confirmation that feels like a heartfelt thank you
A guide to help them get started
A follow-up check-in with bonus tips or a reminder that we’re here if they need support
Links for them to receive a review (we link to Shapo, a simple way for customers to leave text and video reviews, and display them on your website)
An invitation to join our affiliate program
These emails are short and kind, but they make a difference in how the overall experience feels.
Monthly Newsletters
We don’t send a newsletter just because we should. When we do send something, it’s because we have something meaningful to share — a new journal post, a behind-the-scenes note, a spotlight on a client we loved working with, or a roundup of free tools and templates.
We keep the content light, with simple, supportive check-ins that feel authentic to who we are and how we work, and gives our audience something useful to take with them. That might look like:
A journal-style reflection or recent blog post
A client spotlight or lesson from a recent project
A curated list of helpful tools, links, or templates
A quiet behind-the-scenes update
Affiliate Emails
When someone joins our affiliate program, we aim to make them feel welcomed and supported, while streamlining our processes and keeping the program easy for us to manage.
When someone signs up as an affiliate through our checkout software, Thrivecart, they’re automatically added to a workflow that sends a branded welcome email with a quick hello + thank you and links to swipe copy and assets
After that, we set up follow-up emails to run with a thank-you message whenever they make a referral.
We also send occasional check-ins with any updates, new tools, or campaign details, and soft reminders ahead of launch windows, so they’re looped in early.
This setup allows us to nurture our affiliate relationships, and because it’s all handled through FloDesk automations, we can stay consistent without manually following up each time someone joins or earns a commission. It’s one of our favorite examples of how the right tools can help manage lot of the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
What We Love About Flodesk’s Features
Flodesk is the first platform we’ve used that feels like it was made for the way we work — and more importantly, the way we want our brand to feel. Here are the features we use most:
Beautiful Templates
We love good design, but we don’t always have time to reinvent the wheel. Flodesk’s drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to build beautiful layouts. We can play with fonts, adjust blocks, and bring in our own visuals (including Canva designs with the direct Canva integration). Everything stays on-brand.
Form Builder
From full-page signups to subtle pop-ups, Flodesk gives us form options that don’t interrupt the brand experience. We create different opt-in forms for different offers, like inline styles that we embed directly into blog posts, and a full-page form for our home page opt in, using them strategically.
Automation Workflows
This is one of our favorite features. We’ve set up simple workflows for things like welcoming new subscribers, delivering digital freebies, waitlist updates, launch reminders, and seasonal content. The workflow builder is visual (think flowchart, not spreadsheet), so we can visually see exactly how it will run.
Scheduling + Resends
Flodesk lets you schedule emails ahead of time — ideal for batching. It also lets you resend emails to people who didn’t open the first time, which gives your emails a second chance without spamming anyone.
Segmenting
We segment our list based on what someone signed up for, what they’ve purchased, or what kind of content they engage with most. It helps us stay relevant and thoughtful — and keeps us stay compliant with GDPR, too.
Ethical + Compliant: Why Flodesk Makes Legal Feel a Little Less Scary
Let’s be honest — the legal side of running a business (even a small one) usually makes people zone out or panic. But if you care about running a values-aligned business, legal compliance matters. What we love about Flodesk is that it makes all of this feel less scary.
Consent-First Forms
You can customize your forms with consent checkboxes, privacy-friendly copy, and clear language. It’s easy to let people know what they’re signing up for, and why it matters.
Double Opt-In
If you want an extra layer of clarity and security (especially important for GDPR), Flodesk lets you turn on double opt-in for any form. That means people confirm their subscription before they get added to your list, reducing spam complaints and giving you peace of mind.
Subscriber Autonomy
Every email includes an instant unsubscribe link and a way for subscribers to manage their preferences for clear, respectful communication.
Behind-the-Scenes Compliance
Flodesk is transparent about where and how data is stored, and offers a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) for anyone who needs it.
Flodesk helps you be the kind of business people trust, because your practices are clear and ethical.
Final Thoughts (and an Invitation)
Having the biggest email list was never on our vision board. We wanted to build a community that feels aligned, curious, and valued — and Flodesk helps us nurture that in a way that doesn’t feel salesy or overwhelming.
If you’re building a brand that’s about more than metrics, Flodesk might be exactly what you need. You can set it up in a weekend, make it beautiful in an afternoon, and know your emails are working behind the scenes while you get back to your actual work.
Use our link here to start your 14-day free Flodesk trial and get 50% off your first year.
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