3 automations every entrepreneur with digital products should have

The answer in 30 seconds

The three essential automations for entrepreneurs with digital products are: (1) automatic product access after payment, (2) an automated lead magnet flow from signup to follow-up, and (3) email sequences to keep customers engaged. These automations save 5–15 hours per week and increase engagement and conversion by 30–40%.

Why most entrepreneurs still work manually

You sell a digital product. That could be an online course, a membership, a digital download, or a coaching program.

Someone buys — and then you start:

• Manually granting access in your platform (Kajabi, Teachable, or your own system)

• Writing and sending a welcome email

• Adding the new customer to your CRM

• Creating a tag so you can find them later

• Checking whether the payment has come through

It takes you 5 minutes per customer. With 10 new customers a week? That’s almost an hour. With 50 customers a month? More than 4 hours of repetitive work you can fully automate. And the worst part? Your customer has to wait — sometimes hours, sometimes a full day before they get access. Right at the moment they’re most motivated to start.

I see this every week with clients. And whenever I ask why they do it manually, the answer is always the same: “I thought automation was complicated,” or “I thought it would be expensive.”

But automation is more accessible than ever. And the time you save, you earn back within a week.

Why automation is so important for digital entrepreneurs

Whether you sell a course, run a membership, offer coaching, or sell digital downloads — the principle is the same: when people pay, they want access immediately. And once they have access, you want to keep them engaged.

Here’s a confronting statistic: the average online course has a completion rate of just 10–20%. The same applies to other digital products like memberships: engagement drops quickly if you’re not actively communicating with your customers.

But products with strong automation and communication? Those see engagement and customer satisfaction increase by 30–70%, according to research from Thinkific and Harvard Business Review (2024).

The difference? Automated communication that delivers the right information at the right moment. A welcome email that arrives immediately after purchase. A check-in email after a week. Tips and support at key moments.

And the best part: you only have to set it up once. After that, it runs on its own.

Automation 1: Instant product access after payment

The problem: One of my clients granted every customer access to her digital product in Kajabi manually. It took her 5 minutes per customer: checking the payment, activating access, writing a welcome email, and adding a tag.

With an average of 40 new customers per month, she spent more than 3 hours a month on this manual work. And her customers? They sometimes had to wait up to 24 hours before they could start — exactly when their motivation was at its highest.

The solution: We built an automation using Plug & Pay, Zapier, and Kajabi:

• The customer pays via Plug & Pay

• Zapier receives the trigger

• The customer is automatically added to Kajabi with access to the correct product (course, membership, downloads, etc.)

• The customer immediately receives a welcome email with login details and instructions

• In the CRM, the customer gets the right tag (for example: “Product A – Active”)

• Optional: the customer is also added to Huddle for community access or gets access to extra materials

The result:

• From 5 minutes per customer to 0 minutes

• From 3+ hours per month to 0 hours

• Customers get access within 60 seconds

• Everything is neatly logged in the system

And most importantly? Her customers could start immediately, at the exact moment they were most motivated. No more frustration about waiting times.

Why so few people do this: Most entrepreneurs with digital products think this is:

• Too technical

• Expensive

• Difficult to set up

But in practice, setting up an automation like this takes about 1–2 hours (one-time), and you only need a Zapier account (from €20 per month for a paid plan, or free if you stay under 100 tasks per month).

Automation 2: An automated lead magnet flow

The problem: Lead magnets are one of the most powerful ways to collect leads. But sending them manually? That takes time.

One client had a lead magnet (a free checklist) to bring in leads. Every time someone signed up, she:

• Manually wrote an email with the download link (10 minutes)

• Added the lead to her spreadsheet (2 minutes)

• Sometimes forgot to send a follow-up email

With 30 requests per week, she was spending more than 6 hours per week. And the worst part? If she forgot, she lost the lead.

The solution: We built a complete lead magnet automation:

• The lead requests the lead magnet via a landing page (for example via Plug & Pay or Kajabi)

• Automatic delivery: an email with the lead magnet is sent immediately

• Email funnel starts: the lead is automatically added to a sequence of 5–7 emails sent over 2 weeks

• CRM registration: the lead is added to Airtable with the status “Lead magnet received”

Triggers for follow-up actions:

• If a lead opens the email but doesn’t click → a different sequence

• If a lead clicks the link → tag “interested” + a different flow

• If a lead does nothing after 2 weeks → tag “inactive”

The result:

• From 10 minutes per lead to 0 minutes

• From 6 hours per week to 0 hours

• No more forgotten leads

• Better conversion because follow-up always happens

Why this is so powerful: Research shows that automated email marketing increases conversion by an average of 77% — but only if you do it consistently. Manually, you do it once, maybe twice, and then you forget.

Automated? Every lead gets the same perfect experience.

Automation 3: Email sequences to keep customers engaged

The problem: This is the automation almost no one has — but it makes the biggest difference.

Your customer buys your product. Gets access. And then… silence. No check-in, no tips, no “how’s it going?” The result?

• Courses: the customer gets lost and doesn’t finish

• Memberships: the customer stops logging in and asks for a refund

• Digital downloads: the customer doesn’t use it and stays dissatisfied

• Coaching: the customer doesn’t prepare and gets less out of it

The solution: Build email sequences that guide customers after purchase.

For courses:

• Day 1: Welcome email + “Start with module 1”

• Day 3: “How’s it going? Here are 3 tips to get the most out of it”

• Day 7: Check-in email + “Have you reached module 2 yet?”

• Day 14: Motivation boost + “You’re halfway there!”

• If inactive after 10 days: “Are you stuck? Here’s help”

For memberships:

• Day 1: “Welcome! Here’s what you’ll find inside the membership”

• Day 3: “Have you checked out the new content yet?”

• Weekly: Highlights of new content

• Monthly: “What you missed + what’s coming up”

For digital downloads:

• Immediately: Download link + “How to use this”

• Day 3: “Have you used it yet? Here are some extra tips”

• Day 7: “Questions? This often helps others”

• Day 30: “More resources you can use”

For coaching:

• Before the first session: Prep email with questions

• After the session: Summary + action points

• Between sessions: Check-in and motivation

• After the program: Evaluation + next steps

The result:

• Courses: completion rates increase from 10–15% to 40–70%

• Memberships: churn (the number of people who cancel) drops by 30–40%

• Downloads: usage and satisfaction increase

• Coaching: better preparation and better outcomes

According to research from 2024, products with automated engagement sequences see their completion rates and customer satisfaction increase significantly.

Why so few people do this: They simply don’t think of it. Or they think, “I’ll do that manually when I have time.” But that time never comes. And meanwhile:

• Customers don’t finish products

• They remain dissatisfied (but don’t request a refund)

• They don’t leave positive reviews

• They don’t tell others about your product

Tools you can use:

• Mailblue or ActiveCampaign for emails

• Kajabi has built-in sequences

• Zapier or Make to connect triggers (for example: student completes module 3 → trigger the next email)

Bonus: What happens if you don’t automate this?

Let’s do the math.

Working manually:

• 5 minutes per customer to grant access

• 10 minutes per lead magnet request

• 0 minutes for engagement (because you never get around to it)

With 40 customers per month + 30 lead magnet requests per week:

Product access: 40 × 5 min = 200 min (3.3 hours per month)

Lead magnets: 30 × 10 min × 4 weeks = 1,200 min (20 hours per month)

Total: 23+ hours per month

With automation:

• 0 hours per month

That’s almost a full workweek you gain back. Every month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t automation expensive?

A Zapier account starts at €20 per month (or free up to 100 tasks). Make is even cheaper, starting at €9 per month. If it saves you 20+ hours per month, you earn it back in an hour.

Do I need to be technical to set this up?

No. Tools like Zapier and Make are no-code. You click, choose apps, and connect them. Most automations can be set up in 1–2 hours (one-time). After that, they run on their own.

What if something goes wrong with the automation?

All tools notify you if something doesn’t work. Plus, you can always run tests before going live. And in the worst case? You do it manually once and fix the automation.

Can I use this for other things too?

Yes! The same principles apply to:

• Webinar registrations

• Free trainings

• Membership sites

• Coaching programs

• Product launches

How do you get started?

Step 1: Start with the biggest time-waster

Which task costs you the most time right now? Granting course access? Sending lead magnets? Start there.

Step 2: Map your ideal flow

Write down what should happen, step by step. For example:

• Customer pays

• Customer gets access to the product/course/membership

• Customer receives a welcome email with instructions

• Customer is added to the CRM with the right tag

Step 3: Choose your tools

• For payments: Plug & Pay or Kajabi

• For automation: Zapier or Make

• For email: Mailblue, ActiveCampaign, or Kajabi’s built-in email tool

• For CRM/follow-up: Airtable, Notion, or your existing CRM

Step 4: Build the automation

Follow the steps in Zapier/Make. Test thoroughly. Go live.

Step 5: Monitor and optimize

After one week, check if everything is working. Adjust where needed. And enjoy your regained time.

Conclusion: automation isn’t a luxury — it’s essential

As an entrepreneur with digital products, you have two options:

Option 1: Keep working manually, spend 20+ hours per month on repetitive tasks, and watch customers not fully use your product or remain dissatisfied.

Option 2: Invest 2–3 hours setting up automations, gain 20+ hours per month back, and see engagement, satisfaction, and results improve significantly.

The best part: you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with one automation.

See the difference. Then build from there.

Because every minute you save on repetitive work is a minute you can spend on what really matters: creating better products, helping your customers, and growing your business.

About Britt from B-Connecting

Britt helps entrepreneurs with digital products set up their marketing and systems in a smart way. With years of experience building automations for Kajabi, Plug & Pay, Mailblue, and other tools, she knows exactly how to connect separate systems — and which automations truly make the difference.

Want help automating your digital product? Send a message and we’ll explore the options together.

Important: This article is based on my personal experience as an automation specialist and on general information about digital platforms and automation tools. Results may vary by situation. For specific questions about implementation for your product, I recommend working with a specialist.