By Florent 
I used to think email sequences were just about checking boxes: welcome email, follow-up, promo, repeat. But after noticing my open rates plateau and replies dry up, I realized something was off. My emails didn’t sound like me—they felt like a faceless bot was running the show.
The Problem: Why Emails Feel Robotic
At first, I blamed templates. Then I realized it wasn’t the structure but the lack of personal nuance. Here’s what I was doing wrong:
- Over-optimizing for brevity: Cutting all small talk made my tone transactional.
- Ignoring subscriber behavior: Sending the same sequence to everyone, even if they’d already engaged.
- No personality injections: My drafts read like a Wikipedia page—fact-heavy, zero quirks.
Simple Fixes That Actually Worked
Instead of scrapping my sequences, I tweaked them. Here’s how:
- Add a “human” line: I started each email with one informal sentence—a weather comment, a personal win, or even a relatable frustration (e.g., “Spilled coffee on my keyboard today—send help.”).
- Segment based on clicks: If someone opened my last three emails but didn’t buy, I’d swap the next promo for a casual check-in: “Hey, noticed you’ve been eyeing X. Any questions?”
- Record voice notes first: I’d dictate what I wanted to say, then transcribe it. The result? More natural phrasing than typing ever gave me.
The Tool That Saved Me Time
Manual tweaks helped, but scaling them was messy until I tried a sales funnel and automation tool with dynamic fields. Now, emails pull in subscriber actions (like last-clicked links) to feel hyper-relevant without extra work. Bonus: It auto-sends my “human” lines based on triggers, so I’m not glued to my inbox.
What Didn’t Work (And Why)
Not every experiment panned out. For example:
- Overusing emojis: They felt forced when I added them to every subject line. Now I sprinkle them only where they’d fit in a text to a friend.
- Forced humor: Jokes that landed in my head fell flat in tests. Authenticity > punchlines.
- Delaying promos: Waiting too long to pitch made subscribers forget why they signed up. Balance is key.
The biggest lesson? Robotic emails happen when we prioritize efficiency over connection. A few strategic pauses, personal touches, and tools that handle the grunt work made all the difference—without costing extra time or money.