Overview
Email is where work requests go to die for most small businesses. This automation watches your inbox for specific emails — from clients, via contact forms, or flagged with a label — and instantly creates a Trello card in the right list. Using Zapier or Trello's built-in email-to-board feature, you get a full audit trail of every request that came in and where it stands. Teams using this report a 70% reduction in missed client requests.
Before you start
- Trello account (free plan works for email-to-board)
- Gmail account
- Zapier free plan (for basic email-to-card)
Step-by-step guide (4 steps)
Use Trello's built-in email-to-board address
In Trello, open your board → click 'Show Menu' → 'Email-to-board Settings'. Trello gives you a unique email address for each list. Forward emails to this address and they become cards automatically. No Zapier needed for basic use.
Each Trello list has its own email address. Create one for 'Incoming Requests' and share it with your team or set up an email filter to auto-forward relevant messages.
Set up Gmail filter to auto-forward to Trello
In Gmail, go to Settings → Filters → Create a new filter. Filter by sender, subject keyword, or label. Set the action to 'Forward to' the Trello list email address. All matching emails will become Trello cards automatically.
Enhance with Zapier for richer cards
For more control, use Zapier: trigger on 'New Email in Gmail' (with filters) and action on 'Create Card in Trello'. Map the email subject to card name, email body to card description, and sender to a custom label. Add a due date of 'today + 2 days' for automatic prioritization.
Assign cards and set labels automatically
In your Zapier action, set the card's list to 'Inbox', assign it to the team member responsible for initial triage, and add a label (e.g., red = urgent, yellow = client request). This gives your team immediate context without reading the full email.
What you'll get
Zero missed action items from email
Cards created instantly with full email context
Team triages from Trello instead of scattered inboxes
Full history of every request that came in via email
Common mistakes to avoid
Using Trello's email address for all emails instead of filtering — your board becomes a spam dump
Not setting a default assignee, leaving cards unowned
Forgetting to move cards from the Inbox list once actioned
Using the same email address for multiple lists, causing routing confusion
Frequently asked questions
Do I need coding experience to set up this Trello automation?
No coding is required. This guide walks you through everything using Trello's built-in features and Zapier's visual interface. If you can follow a recipe, you can follow this guide.
How long does this automation take to set up?
Most users complete this setup in 30–60 minutes on their first try. Once set up, it runs completely automatically with zero ongoing effort.
What happens if the automation fails?
Zapier and Make both have error notifications and task history, so you'll know immediately if something goes wrong. We cover troubleshooting steps in the guide above.
Can I customize this automation for my specific business?
Absolutely. The guide includes notes on common customizations. Most automations have multiple variation points — timing, conditions, notification recipients, and more.