If you’re juggling leads and hate letting follow-ups slip through the cracks, you’re probably looking for ways to take some of the drudgery out of email. If you’re using Superhuman, you already know it’s a slick email client, but you might have noticed: true automation for follow-up sequences isn’t built in. This guide is for sales pros, founders, and anyone nurturing leads who wants to save time without duct-taping together five different tools—or getting sucked into the latest “AI” hype.
Let’s get practical. Here’s how to actually automate follow-up emails for lead nurturing with Superhuman, what works, and where you’ll hit walls (and how to work around them).
First, What Superhuman Can—and Can’t—Do
Before you start, it’s important to be clear: Superhuman is fantastic at fast email triage, reminders, and keeping your inbox zero dreams alive. But it’s not a full marketing automation tool or sales CRM. You can set reminders to follow up, use keyboard shortcuts, and even draft templates. But sending a sequence of automated emails when a lead doesn’t reply? That’s not built in.
Here’s what you get out of the box: - Reminders: Nudges to follow up on specific emails. - Snippets: Save and reuse chunks of text or whole email templates. - Send Later: Schedule emails to go out at a future time.
Here’s what’s missing: - No drip campaigns or true multi-step automations. - No built-in “if no reply, send follow-up” logic. - No native integrations with sales automation tools.
So, if you want full-on automated nurture sequences, you’ll need to get creative—or use external tools. Let’s break down your options.
Step 1: Decide What “Automation” Actually Means for You
Before you start duct-taping together tools, figure out what level of automation you really need.
- Just reminders to follow up? Superhuman alone might be enough.
- Personalized one-off follow-ups? You can get 80% of the way there with Superhuman features.
- Full drip sequences (multiple emails sent without manual intervention)? You’ll need to bring in another tool, or link Superhuman to something else.
Don’t overcomplicate things if you don’t have to. Most salespeople overestimate how much needs to be automated—sometimes a scheduled reminder and a good template do the job.
Step 2: Using Superhuman’s Built-In Tools for “Almost-Automation”
If you want to keep things simple and stay in Superhuman as much as possible, here’s what you can do:
2.1: Use Reminders to Never Forget a Follow-Up
When you send an email, hit Cmd + Shift + H (or click “Remind Me”) and set a reminder for, say, three days later. If your lead hasn’t replied by then, Superhuman brings the thread back to your inbox.
Pro tip: Make this a habit. It’s not automated sending, but it guarantees you don’t lose track.
2.2: Templates (Snippets) for Fast, Personalized Replies
Save your common follow-up messages as snippets. Next time, type your shortcut, tweak a few details, and send.
- Go to Settings > Snippets.
- Save your best-performing follow-ups.
- Use placeholders if you want, but don’t make it sound robotic.
2.3: Schedule Emails with Send Later
If you know when you want your next follow-up to go out, just schedule it right after you send the first message. Downside: if your lead replies before then, you’ll need to remember to cancel or edit the scheduled send.
Gotchas: - If you’re sending lots of follow-ups, you’ll have to schedule each manually. - There’s no “cancel if replied” logic—so you need to keep an eye on things.
Bottom Line
You can get 70% of the way to automation by using reminders, snippets, and scheduled emails. It’s not as hands-off as real automation, but it’s fast and keeps you in one tool.
Step 3: Integrate Superhuman with Automation Tools (If You Need More)
If you really want multi-step, hands-off email sequences, Superhuman alone won’t cut it. Here’s what you can do:
3.1: Use a Dedicated Email Sequencing Tool
Superhuman is just a client for your Gmail or Outlook account. The real “sending” happens on your mail server. That means you can use tools that work with Gmail or Outlook to automate follow-ups, even if you keep using Superhuman for your daily workflow.
Popular options: - Mailshake - Mixmax - Yesware - Reply.io - GMass - Outreach.io (pricey, but powerful)
These tools let you: - Build multi-step email sequences (with “if no reply, send X” logic). - Personalize each step. - Pause the sequence automatically if someone replies. - Track opens and clicks.
How it works: 1. Set up your sequence in one of these tools. 2. Connect your Gmail or Outlook account (the same account you use with Superhuman). 3. Start the sequence—emails will send from your address, whether or not Superhuman is open.
Caveats: - You’ll need to manage your sequences outside of Superhuman. - Sent emails show up in your Sent folder, so you can still see the history in Superhuman. - Some tools add small tracking pixels or footers—test before blasting to your best leads. - If your company is sensitive about privacy or deliverability, check with IT/legal before using third-party tools.
My take: If you’re working a big list, or you’re running structured campaigns, these tools are way more efficient. If you’re only following up with a handful of leads, the effort to set up full automation may outweigh the benefit.
3.2: Zapier or Make for Custom Workflows
If you want to get nerdy, you can use automation platforms like Zapier or Make to trigger emails or reminders based on conditions. For example:
- When a lead completes a form, auto-send an initial email.
- If no reply in X days, trigger a reminder or another email.
Reality check: - Zapier can send emails “from you,” but these won’t be as personalized and don’t come from your real outbox. - You can use Zapier to add tasks to your to-do app, or send Slack reminders to yourself, but actually sending true, personal follow-ups is clunky.
Verdict: Zapier is great for reminders or logging, but not for sending real, human emails as part of a nurture sequence.
Step 4: Don’t Ignore Manual Review—It’s Worth It
Automation is great, but it’s easy to go overboard and sound like a robot. Even if you use full-on sequences, block out time to check your follow-ups:
- Review replies before the next sequence step goes out.
- Personalize when it matters—especially in high-value deals.
- Watch for “oops” moments (like following up after a lead already replied).
The best salespeople automate the boring parts, but always add a human touch where it counts.
Step 5: What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
Ignore:
- Hype-y “AI” email automation tools that promise to write perfect follow-ups for you. Most sound generic or make embarrassing mistakes.
- Chrome extensions or plugins that don’t play nicely with Superhuman’s unique interface.
- Overly complex automation setups that break the moment Google changes an API.
Watch out for:
- Sending too many automated emails—easy way to get flagged as spam.
- Losing track of where each lead is in your sequence.
- Forgetting to pause or edit scheduled emails if a lead replies.
Pro tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet or CRM to track your sequence status if you’re mixing Superhuman with external tools.
Quick Recap: The Practical Path
- Use Superhuman’s built-in reminders, snippets, and scheduling for simple, semi-automated lead follow-ups.
- Bring in a dedicated sequencing tool (like Mixmax, Mailshake, or Yesware) if you want true, multi-step, “if no reply, send next step” automation.
- Zapier/Make are fine for reminders and logging, but not for real, human-sounding nurture emails.
- Don’t forget the manual review. A little personal touch goes a long way.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
There’s no magic “automate everything” button in Superhuman. That’s honestly a good thing—too much automation can make you sound like a spammer or make things slip through the cracks. Start with what’s built in, add tools only when you need them, and always check your work before you hit send. The best system is the one you’ll actually use. Iterate, adjust, and keep it human.