The Drip, Drip, Drip of Successful Email Campaigns

Originally published on June 23, 2020. Refreshed and updated October 28, 2026.

Quick answer: A recruiting drip campaign, a form of email drip marketing, is a series of automated emails, sent over a set period to candidates who have opted in, that turns passive job seekers into engaged applicants. The best ones send only to opted-in candidates, send about one email a week, use a short subject line, keep each message brief with one opportunity and one call to action, and measure campaign performance so the next campaign improves.

Recruiters face constant pressure to find new ways to attract top talent through their outreach programs and marketing campaigns, and email marketing to attract talent is still one of the most dependable. One successful strategy is drip marketing: email drip campaigns deliver consistent communication and keep your organization in front of candidates without the manual effort of writing every message by hand.

There are many conflicting opinions about how many emails to send, what they should say, and which day and time work best. This guide gives you a practical overview of best practices for recruitment email campaigns. Remember that no rule here is hard and fast, and there will always be exceptions.

What Is a Drip Campaign?

A drip campaign, also called an email drip campaign, drip email campaign, or drip marketing campaign, is a set of pre-written emails sent automatically to a contact over a pre-set period, usually one month to several months. Direct marketers use drip marketing campaigns to move people through the customer journey, or buyer journey, from interest to action. In recruiting, a drip campaign guides candidates through a similar candidate journey, turning passive job seekers into engaged candidates by contacting them several times with relevant, useful messages, much as a sales funnel moves a buyer toward a purchase.

Why Do Drip Campaigns Matter for Recruiting?

Drip campaigns matter because most candidates are not ready to apply the first time they hear from you, and steady, relevant contact keeps your organization in mind and helps you nurture leads at different stages until they are ready. The key benefits show up in the data:

• 51% of U.S. employees are either actively looking for a new job (11%) or watching for opportunities (40%), according to Gallup's Q4 2025 survey, so many of the people you want to reach are open to a message but not applying.

• 69% of organizations report difficulty recruiting for full-time regular positions, and among them 41% cite more candidate ghosting, according to SHRM's 2025 Talent Trends research. Regular, respectful communication is one way to keep candidates from going silent.

Done correctly, a drip campaign can help raise awareness of your company and your brand, attract applicants, and let you interact with potential candidates. For how drip campaigns fit a larger plan, see our guides to building a talent pipeline and candidate relationship management.

What Are the Best Practices for Recruiting Email Campaigns?

The best practices for recruiting email campaigns come down to five choices: who you send to, when you send, how you write the subject line, what the email says, and what you ask the reader to do.

Who Should You Send Drip Emails To?

Send only to candidates who have opted in, whether through your Talent Network, an event you attended, or a landing page you created. NAS can help with all three through our recruitment marketing strategy services.

• Do not buy a generic database of names and contact details. Purchased lists violate permission, put your message in front of people who never opted in, and can damage your sender reputation by triggering spam filters and spam complaints.

• Make unsubscribing simple and obvious, and honor it quickly. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, every commercial email needs a clear way to opt out, and you must honor an opt-out request within 10 business days, according to the FTC's compliance guide. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email. Turning off a candidate forever is a high price for bad timing.

What Day and Time Should You Send?

Send your first email mid-week, preferably after lunch, when candidates have a moment to spare. Avoid Monday, when recipients are working through a weekend backlog. Many recipients are also active in the evening, so a less traditional time is worth testing. Treat these as starting points and let your own open and click data decide.

How Many Emails Should a Drip Campaign Include?

There is no fixed number. Many teams start with a short series, such as three to five emails about a week apart, then move to a slower rhythm for candidates who stay engaged. One email a week is a good rule of thumb, and you can vary the day, for example Thursday first and Wednesday next, so the messages do not blend together.

How Do You Write a Subject Line That Gets Opened?

Subject lines are the most important part of an email, because a candidate who is not interested in the subject will not open it. Write one that uses a powerful verb, piques interest, and shows some personality. Add the recipient's name when you have it, and keep the line short enough to read on a phone.

What Should the Email Say?

Targeted emails built on relevant content and personalized messages feel less like mass mail. Send a compelling, relevant message or expect it to be deleted. Beyond that:

• Keep it short, and break the copy into a few easy-to-scan paragraphs.

• Describe the job as an opportunity, not a role or position, and show upward mobility instead of a lateral move.

• Do not paste a full job description.

• Add social proof, such as a testimonial from a current employee who can vouch for the company.

• Say a little about your mission and culture.

How Do You Write a Call to Action?

Include one call to action. If you truly need two, make the second a different color or put it in a different place. Place it at the bottom of the email unless the copy is long, in which case a button above the fold helps. Use a button instead of a text link, in a contrasting color with room around it, and use an urgent action word such as "now" or "today."

How Do You Build a Drip Campaign Strategy?

Build a drip campaign strategy by choosing an audience and a goal, building an opted-in list, mapping a short sequence, branching by behavior, and measuring the results.

1. Choose a target audience and a goal. Pick one of your specific audience segments, such as nurses in one market or past applicants for a role family, and one outcome tied to your business goals, such as a talent network sign-up or an application.

2. Build the list from opt-ins. Use Talent Network sign-ups, event registrations, and landing pages.

3. Map the sequence. Open with a welcome, follow with engaging content, such as an employee story or career growth content, then feature a specific opportunity, then check in, referring back to the previous email so the series feels connected.

4. Branch by behavior. Use automation tools to remove candidates who have completed the action, asked to be removed, or stopped engaging, and to move candidates who click a job into a separate workflow that matches what they did, instead of sending everyone the same message. Behavioral triggers, such as a click or a career site visit, use behavioral data and user actions to respond to user behavior, starting that workflow after a trigger event.

5. Measure and adjust. Measure engagement with key metrics such as open rate, click through rate, unsubscribe rate, sign-ups, and applications, then change the subject lines, timing, and content that underperform, so each round produces smarter campaigns.

A simple four-email welcome series looks like this, starting with a welcome email:

A repeatable sequence like this supports sustainable growth in your talent pipeline. For how to automate it in ACTIVATE® CRM and which KPIs to track, see our guide to drip campaigns and a steady flow of top talent.

Frequently Asked Questions About Recruiting Drip Campaigns

What Is the Difference Between a Drip Campaign and a Nurture Campaign?

People often use the terms interchangeably. When they are separated, a drip campaign is a fixed sequence of emails sent on a schedule, while a nurture campaign is the broader goal of building a relationship over time, which can combine drip sequences with newsletters, event invitations, and text messages.

Can You Add Text Messages to a Drip Campaign?

Yes, for candidates who have opted in to texts. Texting needs its own consent, so confirm it before you add it to a sequence. ACTIVATE® CRM can send both email and text campaigns from one place.

How Do You Know If a Drip Campaign Is Working?

Track sign-ups, clicks, and applications more closely than opens. Some mail apps preload images, which can inflate open rates, so clicks and completed actions give a more reliable picture. Watch engagement and conversion rates, compare each email's performance metrics to find where candidates stop engaging, and send re-engagement emails to inactive subscribers and inactive users before you remove them. The aim is higher engagement in the next round.

Final Thoughts on Drip Campaigns: Ready to Start Yours?

NAS offers ACTIVATE® CRM, an email marketing platform and outreach tool that lets you send email and text campaigns to candidates who have opted in through a landing page or other methods. We would be happy to show you how it works and help your organization reach more candidates more effectively. Contact us for a demo.