Mailchimp vs. ActiveCampaign: How to Build a Webinar Email Sequence That Drives Registrations

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Sophia Willson blog

Use ActiveCampaign if your webinar depends on behavior-based follow-up. Use Mailchimp if you want a simple registration push without a maze of tags, goals, and branches. Email still pulls serious weight for webinars, with GoToWebinar reporting that email drives a large share of webinar registrations [source: GoToWebinar].

TLDR: Mailchimp is easier for a basic webinar sequence. ActiveCampaign is better when you want smart follow-ups, like sending a different email to people who clicked but did not register. For example, a small coaching brand with 2,000 subscribers might get 120 registrations from a simple 6-email Mailchimp flow, but could push that to 150 or more with ActiveCampaign by targeting warm clickers. If your webinar has a pitch at the end, pick the tool that helps you follow behavior, not just dates.

First, what should your webinar sequence do?

A webinar email sequence has one job.

Get the right people to register.

Not everyone. Not random people. The right people.

That means your sequence should do five things:

  • Explain the result. What will people learn?
  • Build trust. Why should they listen to you?
  • Create urgency. Why register now?
  • Handle doubt. Will this be worth their time?
  • Remind them. People forget. A lot.

Both Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign can send these emails. The real difference is how smart the system gets after someone clicks, ignores, registers, or attends.

Mailchimp: best for a clean and simple webinar push

Mailchimp is great when you want speed. You can build a landing page, create a form, write emails, and send a campaign without needing a whiteboard and a snack break.

It works well for:

  • Solo creators
  • Small service businesses
  • Newsletter owners
  • Simple one-time webinars
  • Teams with limited tech help

The email builder is friendly. The templates look polished. The reporting is easy to read. You can see opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and basic audience activity without squinting.

The annoying part? Once you want more advanced behavior paths, things can feel clunky. For example, setting up separate paths for “clicked but did not register” and “registered but did not attend” takes more fiddling than it should. It is not impossible. It is just not as smooth.

ActiveCampaign: best for smart webinar funnels

ActiveCampaign is stronger when your webinar is part of a sales funnel. It is built for automation. Tags, conditions, goals, scores, and triggers are the fun stuff here.

It works well for:

  • Online courses
  • SaaS demos
  • Consulting offers
  • Sales webinars
  • Evergreen webinar funnels

You can build a flow that reacts to user behavior. If someone clicks the registration link twice but does not sign up, send a sharper email. If someone registers, stop the promo emails. If someone attends, send the offer. If they miss it, send the replay.

That is where ActiveCampaign shines.

Honestly, it feels like overkill at first. The dashboard has a lot going on. You may spend 20 extra minutes finding the exact setting you need. But once the automation is built, it can save hours later.

The ideal webinar email sequence

Here is a simple sequence you can use in either tool.

  1. Announcement email: Send 7 to 10 days before the webinar.
  2. Problem email: Send 5 to 7 days before.
  3. Proof email: Send 3 to 5 days before.
  4. Objection email: Send 2 days before.
  5. Last chance email: Send the morning of the webinar.
  6. Final reminder: Send 1 hour before.

Keep each email short. People do not need your life story. They need a reason to care.

Use this basic structure:

  • Subject line: Clear benefit.
  • Opening: Name the problem.
  • Body: Show what they will learn.
  • CTA: Ask them to register.
  • P.S.: Add urgency or a bonus.

Example CTA:

“Save your seat for Thursday’s free training.”

Simple. Clear. No circus tricks.

How to build it in Mailchimp

In Mailchimp, start with your audience and tags.

Create a tag called Webinar Interest. Then create another tag called Webinar Registered. If you use a Mailchimp landing page, connect the signup form to that tag.

Then build your emails.

  • Create a campaign or customer journey.
  • Add your registration link.
  • Send only to people who have not registered.
  • Remove registered users from promo emails.
  • Send reminder emails to registrants.

Mailchimp is best when the sequence is straight. Send email. Wait. Send next email. Stop when the person registers.

If you want to resend to non-openers, Mailchimp makes that fairly easy. Change the subject line. Send again after 24 to 48 hours. Do not abuse this. Nobody likes inbox whack-a-mole.

How to build it in ActiveCampaign

In ActiveCampaign, start with tags and triggers.

Use tags like:

  • Webinar Invited
  • Webinar Clicked
  • Webinar Registered
  • Webinar Attended
  • Webinar Missed

Then create an automation.

  1. Trigger it when someone joins your list or gets the invite tag.
  2. Send the announcement email.
  3. Wait one day.
  4. Check if they registered.
  5. If yes, move them to reminders.
  6. If no, send the next promo email.

This is where ActiveCampaign beats Mailchimp. You can add an if/else path for clickers. Clickers are warm. They showed interest. Give them a better nudge.

Try this email:

“Saw you checked out the training. Want me to save you a seat?”

It feels personal. It is not creepy if you keep it light.

What should the emails say?

Do not make every email say, “Register now.” That gets old fast.

Give each email a job.

  • Email 1: The big promise. “Learn how to cut your ad costs by 20%.”
  • Email 2: The pain. “Why your leads are not converting.”
  • Email 3: The proof. “How one client got 43 more bookings.”
  • Email 4: The myth. “You do not need a huge list.”
  • Email 5: The clock. “We start today.”
  • Email 6: The tap on the shoulder. “Starting in one hour.”

Short emails often win here. Aim for 100 to 200 words. One idea. One button. One clear next step.

Registration tracking: do not skip this

If your tracking is messy, your sequence will annoy people.

Nothing makes a subscriber roll their eyes faster than getting “Register now” after they already registered. It drives me crazy that many webinar funnels still do this.

In Mailchimp, double-check your tags and segments before launch. In ActiveCampaign, test every path. Register with your own email. Click links. Miss the webinar on purpose. Attend with a test profile if you can.

Use a tiny checklist:

  • Does the register button work?
  • Do registrants stop getting promo emails?
  • Do reminders send at the right time?
  • Does the replay email go to the right group?
  • Does the sales email skip non-attendees if needed?

Which tool should you pick?

Pick Mailchimp if your webinar is simple and your list is not heavily segmented. It is easier to set up. It feels lighter. It is good for newsletters, workshops, and community events.

Pick ActiveCampaign if your webinar has a sales goal. It gives you better control after people click, register, attend, or ignore you. That matters when every lead has value.

Here is the plain version:

  • Fast setup: Mailchimp wins.
  • Advanced automation: ActiveCampaign wins.
  • Beginner comfort: Mailchimp wins.
  • Behavior-based follow-up: ActiveCampaign wins.
  • Webinar sales funnel: ActiveCampaign wins.

The best simple strategy

If you are stuck, start simple.

Build a 6-email promo sequence. Add 2 reminder emails. Add 2 follow-up emails after the webinar. That is enough for most launches.

Then improve it later.

Mailchimp helps you get moving. ActiveCampaign helps you get smarter. The best tool is the one you will actually use before your webinar date sneaks up and ruins your week.

Final pick: for a basic registration campaign, choose Mailchimp. For a webinar sequence that reacts to clicks, signups, attendance, and sales intent, choose ActiveCampaign.