7 automations every freelancer should set up (exact triggers and emails)

The best freelance automations are boring: they send the email you would have sent anyway, at the moment you would have forgotten to send it. Each one below is written as a rule (when, wait, then), with the email text to copy. This list is part of the time and projects hub, and it picks up where the client onboarding checklist leaves off.

One test before you automate anything: you have sent this email by hand at least five times, and it barely changed. If every version is different, it isn't ready to automate. The rules below use the triggers and actions SoloWOS Automations actually has; the same logic works in any tool with similar triggers.

The seven automations at a glance

1. Thank new leads and send your booking link

Speed matters most at the first reply, and it is the reply you are least likely to send quickly when you're deep in client work. Trigger on your inquiry form only (filter by form), so newsletter or feedback forms don't get it. Add a second action that creates a task on your board, because the automated email buys you a day, not a week.

Subject: Thanks for getting in touch, {first_name}

Hi {first_name},

Thanks for your message. I got it and I'll reply within one business day.

If you'd rather talk, pick a time that works for you: {booking_link}

{business}

2. Follow up proposals nobody answered

Most unanswered proposals are forgotten, not rejected. A follow-up three days later with "only if the proposal still isn't accepted or declined" checked asks once, politely, and never fires if the client already said yes. Proposals that follow a good discovery call get answered faster; discovery call questions lists what to ask on that call.

Subject: Any questions about the proposal?

Hi {first_name},

I sent you a proposal a few days ago and wanted to check if you had any questions about it.

If anything needs changing (scope, dates or price), just reply to this email. If it's easier to talk it through, book a call here: {booking_link}

{business}

3. Send next steps when a proposal is accepted

The moment after a yes is when clients are most responsive, and the moment freelancers most often go quiet while they prepare the contract. Send next steps right away: what happens now, what you need from them, and a link to book the kickoff. The second action creates a task so the contract and deposit invoice go out the same day.

Subject: Next steps for our project, {first_name}

Hi {first_name},

Thanks for accepting the proposal. Here is what happens next:

1. Today: I'll send the contract for e-signature and the deposit invoice.
2. Once both are done, we'll hold a 30-minute kickoff call. Pick a time here: {booking_link}
3. Before the kickoff, please gather [logins / brand files / content].

{business}

4. Mark the deal won when the contract is signed

This one sends no email. When every signer has signed, it moves the contact to Won in your pipeline and creates a task to send the deposit invoice if you haven't. It keeps the pipeline honest without a weekly cleanup, which is most of what a freelance CRM needs to do.

5. Escalate invoices the reminders didn't fix

SoloWOS already emails clients automatically 3 days before an invoice is due and 3 and 7 days after. This automation is the step after that, and it is aimed at you, not the client. Trigger on invoice sent, wait 21 days, check "only if the invoice still isn't paid", then notify you and create a task: "Call {name} about the invoice". On net 14 terms that fires a week after the due date, right after the last reminder. If the call doesn't work, what to do when a client won't pay has the next steps.

6. Ask for a review a week after payment

A week after payment the work is fresh and the money question is settled. Ask for two or three sentences by reply, which is easier than sending people to a review site. Under the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials (16 CFR Part 465, in effect since October 21, 2024), don't offer anything in exchange for a review that depends on it being positive. Asking every client, happy or not, is fine. For referrals, use the scripts in how to ask for referrals instead of adding a second ask here.

Subject: Could you share a few words about working together?

Hi {first_name},

Thanks again for your payment, it was great working with you.

If you were happy with the work, a short review would help me a lot. Two or three sentences about what we did and how it went is plenty. Just reply to this email with it.

{business}

7. Check in with lost leads after 90 days

Leads go to Lost for timing reasons as often as for price: the budget wasn't approved, the project got pushed. Ninety days later is long enough that a check-in doesn't feel like pressure. Check "only if the contact is still in that stage" so anyone who came back on their own is skipped. Keep it to two sentences and no pitch.

Subject: Checking in, {first_name}

Hi {first_name},

We talked a few months ago about [project]. If it's back on the table, I have time in [month] and I'm happy to update the proposal.

{business}

How much time do they save?

The time saved is the smaller benefit. The larger one is that follow-ups happen at all: the proposal nudge you'd skip in a busy week, the review you'd never ask for. The automation ROI calculator runs the same math with your own volumes, minutes and rate.

Do automated client emails need an unsubscribe link?

Under the FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide, an email whose primary purpose is completing a transaction the recipient agreed to, or updating them on an ongoing relationship, is a transactional or relationship message and is exempt from most of the Act's requirements (it still can't have false routing information). Next steps after an accepted proposal and a note about an unpaid invoice fit that. A check-in to a lost lead with an offer reads more like a commercial message, so keep it plain, identify yourself, and stop if they ask. This is general information, not legal advice.

In SoloWOS

In SoloWOS you automate client follow-ups from 12 triggers and 4 actions (email the contact, move them to a pipeline stage, create a task on a board, notify you), with up to two actions per automation and waits of up to 90 days. Four of the seven above start from templates: Thank new leads, Follow up on proposals, Ask for a review, and Re-book no-shows for missed meetings. Emails can use {name}, {first_name}, {business} and {booking_link}. An automation runs at most 3 times per contact in 24 hours, and automated emails count toward the 1,500 emails a month on Solo (5,000 on Team). There are no multi-step sequences, branches or SMS. To connect other apps, the Zapier alternative page explains where Zapier still fits.