AWeber has been around since 1998, and for good reason — it’s reliable, straightforward, and powerful enough for most service businesses without the complexity (or price tag) of enterprise platforms. But the majority of AWeber users are only scratching the surface of what it can do.
Most people use it to send the occasional newsletter. What it’s actually designed for is automated, behaviour-triggered communication that runs in the background while you focus on delivering your service.
This guide walks you through setting up your first real automation in AWeber — a lead nurture sequence that activates the moment someone joins your list.
What We’re Building
A 5-email welcome and nurture sequence that:
- Delivers immediately when someone opts in
- Introduces your business and builds trust over the first two weeks
- Offers a clear next step (booking a call, accessing a resource, or making a purchase)
This sequence works whether someone opted in through a lead magnet, a contact form, a webinar registration, or a direct sign-up.
Step 1: Create Your List (or Use an Existing One)
In AWeber, everything starts with a List. If you haven’t already:
- Log into AWeber and click Lists in the top navigation
- Click Create a List
- Name it something descriptive — “Website Leads” or “Free Audit Requests”
- Fill in your sender name, email address, and physical address (required by anti-spam law)
- Click Save Settings
If you already have a list you want to use, skip to Step 2.
Step 2: Write Your 5 Emails
Before touching the automation builder, write your emails first. Trying to write and build simultaneously slows everything down.
Here’s the sequence framework:
Email 1 — Immediate: Welcome and Deliver
Send within minutes of sign-up. Deliver whatever you promised (lead magnet, audit, resource), introduce yourself briefly, and set expectations for what’s coming. Keep it under 200 words.
Email 2 — Day 2: The Problem You Solve
Describe the core problem your ideal client is experiencing — in their language, not yours. Don’t pitch yet. Just demonstrate that you understand their situation deeply. This builds trust faster than any credentials.
Email 3 — Day 4: How You’re Different
Explain your approach. What do you do differently from the typical solution? What’s your methodology or philosophy? This is where you start differentiating without overtly selling.
Email 4 — Day 7: Social Proof or Case Study
Share a client result, a short case study, or a specific transformation you’ve helped create. Keep it story-format: here’s where they were, here’s what we did, here’s where they are now.
Email 5 — Day 14: Clear Call to Action
Make a direct ask. Book a call, apply for your program, request a quote — whatever your conversion event is. Make it easy, low-pressure, and specific. “If this sounds like where you are, here’s the best next step.”
Step 3: Build the Automation in AWeber
- In your AWeber dashboard, click Automations in the left sidebar
- Click Create a Campaign
- Select Legacy Follow Up Series if you want the simplest option, or Campaigns for more advanced logic
For most beginners, the Follow Up Series is the easiest starting point:
- Go to Messages → Follow Up Series
- Click Create Your First Follow Up
- Set the interval for Email 1 to 0 days (sends immediately)
- Write or paste your Email 1 content
- Click Save & Add Another
- Set Email 2 to send 1 day after previous
- Repeat for all 5 emails with the intervals: 0, 1, 2, 3, 7 days
Step 4: Set Up Your Sign-Up Form
Your automation only triggers when someone joins the list. You need a form to make that happen.
- Go to Sign Up Forms in AWeber
- Click Create a Sign Up Form
- Choose a template or start from scratch
- Add your fields — at minimum: First Name and Email Address
- Set the Thank You Page to either AWeber’s default or a custom URL on your site
- Under Settings, make sure the form is connected to your correct list
- Click Save and then Publish
AWeber gives you an embed code you can paste into any page on your website, or a hosted form URL you can link to directly.
Step 5: Connect AWeber to Your Website (WordPress)
If your website is on WordPress, the easiest method is the official AWeber plugin:
- In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New
- Search for AWeber Email Marketing
- Install and activate it
- Connect your AWeber account when prompted
- You can now add AWeber forms directly to any page or post using a block
Alternatively, use WPForms (which has an AWeber integration) to create more visually polished forms that match your site design, and have submissions automatically added to your AWeber list.
Step 6: Test Before You Go Live
Never launch an automation without testing it yourself first.
- Use a personal email address (not your main business one) to subscribe through your own form
- Confirm you receive Email 1 within a few minutes
- Check that all links work, all merge tags display correctly (no broken {firstname} tags), and the email renders properly on both desktop and mobile
- Check AWeber’s Reports section to confirm the subscriber was added and the sequence is queued
What to Do After Your Sequence Ends
Once someone completes your 5-email sequence, they shouldn’t just go silent. Set up a broadcast list so they continue to receive your regular Insights emails — that way you stay top of mind without having to manually manage who’s received what.
In AWeber, you can do this by adding a “Move to list” action at the end of your campaign, or simply by keeping all subscribers on one master list and using tags to track where they are in the journey.
The Bigger Picture
This sequence is a starting point, not a finished system. Once it’s running, you can layer in:
- Behavioural triggers (send a different email if they clicked a specific link)
- Tagging based on interests or actions
- Integrations with your CRM so AWeber activity appears in your contact records
But get the foundation running first. A simple 5-email sequence that actually gets sent is worth more than a complex automation that never gets finished.
Need help connecting AWeber to the rest of your business systems? Book a free consultation and we’ll show you exactly how to make your email platform work as part of a complete lead-to-client system.