Email marketing is supposed to save you time, not eat it up. If you’re still copying contacts from one tool to another or manually launching the same campaign every month, you’re doing too much work. This guide is for anyone who wants to use Mailchimp but doesn’t want to be chained to it. I’ll show you how to connect Mailchimp with Zapier and actually automate your campaigns—the right way, not the “just set it and forget it” way that ends up more trouble than it’s worth.
Let’s get your email marketing running on autopilot, so you can get back to work that actually matters.
Why Automate Email Marketing with Mailchimp and Zapier?
Before we dig into steps, a reality check: Mailchimp is great for sending emails, but its built-in automations are limited when you’re dealing with other apps. Zapier acts as the bridge, letting you trigger email campaigns based on stuff happening somewhere else—new leads, purchases, form submissions, you name it.
Here’s what you get out of Zapier + Mailchimp automation:
- No more copy-paste: Contacts move themselves.
- Timely emails: Campaigns go out exactly when you want—not when you remember.
- Fewer mistakes: Fewer manual steps means fewer “oops” moments.
- More flexibility: Trigger emails from almost any app Zapier connects with (which is, honestly, most of them).
But, be realistic. Automation doesn't mean you never check your campaigns again. You still need to monitor for weird data or edge cases. Treat automation as a helpful assistant, not a magic robot.
Step 1: Map Out What You Actually Need
Don’t automate just for the sake of it. Start by figuring out what really needs to happen. Ask yourself:
- Where do your new contacts come from? (Website forms? Shopify? Google Sheets?)
- When do you want an email sent? (Immediately? After a purchase? On a birthday?)
- What info needs to move between tools? (Name, email, order details?)
Pro tip: Sketch out your workflow on paper or a whiteboard before touching any software. This makes the next steps way less frustrating.
Step 2: Prep Your Mailchimp Account
You can’t automate what isn’t organized. Log into Mailchimp and get your house in order:
- Set up your audience/list: Make sure you have the right list(s) ready. Don’t just dump everyone into one giant list—you’ll regret it later.
- Create your basic campaign or email template: You’ll want at least a draft template ready, so you’re not scrambling when you want to trigger a send.
- Decide on tags or groups: Tags help you segment contacts, which is critical for automations that only target certain people.
Heads up: Mailchimp charges based on list size. Avoid duplicating contacts across lists unless you like paying extra.
Step 3: Create (or Clean Up) Your Trigger Source
What will actually kick off your automation? It could be:
- A new row in Google Sheets
- A new sale in Shopify or WooCommerce
- A form submission from Typeform, Gravity Forms, or another app
Make sure this source is reliable. Garbage in, garbage out. Test your forms, clean up spreadsheets, and confirm all the data you need is there.
Step 4: Connect Mailchimp and Your Trigger App in Zapier
Now, the fun part: wiring it all together in Zapier.
4.1. Sign Up and Log In
- Head to Zapier, create an account if you haven't yet, and log in.
4.2. Make a New Zap
- Click “Create Zap.”
- Choose your trigger app (e.g., Google Sheets, Shopify, Typeform).
- Set up the specific trigger (e.g., “New Spreadsheet Row,” “New Order,” “New Form Entry”).
4.3. Connect Mailchimp as the Action
- For the “Action,” search for Mailchimp.
- Pick what you want to happen. Most common: Add/Update Subscriber or Send Campaign.
- Connect your Mailchimp account if you haven’t already (you’ll need your Mailchimp login).
4.4. Map the Data
- Zapier will ask you to match fields from your trigger (like “Email Address,” “First Name”) to fields in Mailchimp.
- Double-check that the right info goes to the right place.
What to watch out for:
- Duplicates: Zapier is pretty good about not adding the same person twice if you use “Add/Update Subscriber,” but weird formatting or typos can sneak through.
- Data mismatches: If your form collects “Full Name” but Mailchimp wants “First” and “Last,” you’ll need to split it (Zapier has a Formatter tool for this).
- Delays: The free Zapier plan checks for new data every 15 minutes, so don’t expect instant action unless you pay for a higher tier.
Step 5: Test Before You Trust
You’d be surprised how often automations break or do something unexpected—especially the first time around. Always run a test with sample data:
- Trigger your “Zap” manually (e.g., fill out your form or add a test row).
- Check Mailchimp to see if the contact shows up in the right place, with the right info.
- If you’re triggering a campaign, make sure it doesn’t accidentally go to your entire list (use a test tag or segment first).
Pro tip: Set up a “test” email address you control. Use it for dry runs so you don’t accidentally spam real subscribers.
Step 6: Turn It On and Monitor
When you’re happy with your test, flip the switch and let the automation run. But don’t just walk away forever:
- Check the first few runs—did everyone get added? Did the right emails send?
- Watch for errors in Zapier (it’ll email you if something goes wrong).
- Spot-check your Mailchimp list every week or so, especially for weird formatting or duplicates.
What’s worth ignoring: Don’t get sucked into building 20 automations at once. Start with your most painful manual task, automate that, and see how it goes.
Step 7: Tweak, Iterate, and Don’t Over-Automate
The best automations are the ones you barely notice—because they just work. But if you set up something too complicated, you'll end up babysitting it all the time.
- Review every few months. Are your automations still saving you time? Or are they just as much work as before?
- Simplify where you can. Fewer moving parts = fewer headaches.
- Stay human. Automation works best for boring, repetitive stuff. For anything personal, like a thank-you note or a sensitive update, do it yourself.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
What works:
- Automating contact syncing between apps and Mailchimp.
- Triggering welcome emails as soon as someone signs up.
- Segmenting contacts with Mailchimp tags for targeted campaigns.
What doesn’t:
- Complex branching automations (“If this, then that, unless this, but only on Tuesdays”)—Zapier can sort of do this, but it gets clunky and hard to debug.
- Sending highly personalized, one-off emails—They’re better hand-written, honestly.
- Ignoring data hygiene—If you feed garbage into Mailchimp, you’ll get garbage out.
What to skip:
- Automating everything. Some things just aren’t worth the setup or the risk of a mistake.
- Daily or hourly triggers unless you really need them—they burn through your Zapier tasks and can annoy your subscribers.
Keep It Simple, Then Build from There
It’s easy to get excited about automating everything, but the real win is in picking your biggest time-waster and fixing that first. Build your workflow step by step, and don’t hesitate to shut down an automation if it stops making your life easier.
Start small, watch for hiccups, and keep it all as simple as you can. The less you have to think about your email marketing, the more time you’ll have to actually grow your business—or, you know, take a break.