When people sign up for your email list, then what happens? Do they get an email delivering their freebie, and that’s the end of the road? Or maybe you send out weekly newsletters to communicate, but there’s nothing else to welcome and warm them up to your brand? I’ve got news, your subscribers need a litttttle somethin’ more in the beginning…
Enter: a welcome email sequence.
A welcome email sequence is exactly what it sounds like! It’s a sequence of emails that someone receives over a period of time after subscribing to your email list that introduces them to your brand and gives them opportunities to work with you. According to Mailchimp, sending a welcome email sequence yields an average of 51% more revenue than a single welcome email. Isn’t that wild?! So that means that just by sending out a series of more than one email after someone signs up for your email list, you can boost your sales by quite a bit.
If you’re wondering how to set up your welcome email sequence quickly and effectively, I’ve got everything you need to know right here!
01. Give your email subscribers something to care about.
In your very first email, the welcome of welcomes, I want you to share your story (after you deliver your freebie or discount code or whatever they signed up for). Aka, this is where you share the reason why you started, the turning point that led you to this place.
People don’t connect with numbers or fancy branding; they connect with stories and other people. They CARE about what makes your brand different and personable… and it’s up to you to tell them.
Quick PSA: I *reallllly* don’t want you to overthink this part. It doesn’t need to be some Herculean story of the world’s greatest personal transformation. It just needs to be an honest account of what led you to this point in your business.
Even better, most people still want easy-to-skim emails that get the point across quickly, which is good news for you. You can keep all of your emails short (not just this first one) and written at a 5th-grade level so that people can consume it fast, feel the all warm-fuzzies from your story, and then move on.
Here are a few best practices for writing any brand emails, including this initial welcome:
- Keep your paragraphs to one to two sentences
- Lead with the juiciest part of the story to hook them (i.e., start with, “I totally wet my pants,” instead of, “So the funniest thing happened the other day…”)
- Don’t give away everything in the subject line (keep it semi-mysterious)
- Write how you talk (read it out loud before sending to make sure it sounds natural out loud… which means it also reads natural)
- Stay away from group pronouns (i.e., “you guys,” “y’all,” “all of you,” etc.)—it’s more impactful to speak to one person (i.e., “Have you ever felt that way?”)
02. Connect them with your free resources.
When you hear “welcome email sequence,” are you imagining 10 to 15-plus emails of intense storytelling, sales strategy, detailed resources, gadgets, and gizmos? While your sequence certainly CAN be longer and more detailed, it absolutely doesn’t need to be, especially to start out.
Some of the best welcome sequences are three to five emails long. After you share your story in email #1, I want at least one email where you connect new subscribers with valuable resources. This might be…
- Helpful blog posts
- Podcast episodes (either your own or ones you’ve been a guest on)
- Links to your social media channels—and explain the value & results they’ll get by following
- Other freebies/resources you might have: checklists, downloadable PDF guides, templates, etc.
These resource emails are SERVING emails, so it’s important to provide value at no cost so they can continue building a foundation and relationship with you! We’ll talk about selling later on.
03. Get good at calls to action.
From the jump, you want to get your subscribers eager to engage with you. That might be saying something simple like, “Hit reply if this resonates with you and tell me what you think,” or “Make sure you follow me on IG for more tips like this.”
And then, and here’s the magic part, engage with them when they take the time to engage with you! If someone replies to your email, shoot them a quick thanks. Successful brands are built on relationships, and how do we gauge a healthy relationship? Healthy communication. Communicate with your people, and you’ll be a hundred steps ahead of so many other brands who push out tons of content and strategy, yet neglect to connect with their audiences.
RELATED: 5 Unique Ways to Quickly Grow Your Email List
04. Don’t overthink your content.
Seriously. I know it’s easy to stay in “research mode” for weeks on end as you figure out your plan. But it’s so much more important to get something, ANYTHING, ready for your subscribers that start trickling in.
Map out how many emails you want in your welcome sequence, the goal for each one, and then get them drafted and prepped in your email platform. And if it’s the email platform that’s holding you up, I recommend this one to 100% of new email list builders. It’s the easiest by FAR to get up and running, and it makes sending gorgeous emails super quick and simple. If you need a kickstart to learn how to grow your email list or step-by-step tutorials to get started, check out my free mini-course on list building complete with tutorials that will help you get started easily! Don’t let perfection get in the way… just start!
Here’s a great, simple outline for a starter welcome sequence if you need one:
- Email #1: welcome them to your list, deliver freebie, and share brand backstory
- Email #2: share a blog post or podcast episode that new subscribers would find helpful
- Email #3: invite them to follow you on your most active social media channel
- Email #4: share a client/customer success story
- Email #5: provide an opportunity to purchase a product or service
05. Drop low-key invites to buy from you.
Finally, don’t wrap up your welcome email sequence without providing a chance to buy your stuff! Now, this could look like its own separate email with links to your services and products (like Email #5 above). Or it might be added on as a “P.S.” to some of your more service-oriented emails. Either way works, but the important thing to remember is that you want to serve and connect at least 80% of the time, and sell less than 20%. If you’re leading with a sales pitch in every email, that’s going to push people away and make them feel like you just see dollar signs instead of real humans on the other end of your emails.
When you DO incorporate a pitch, remember to lead with the result someone will get when they buy with you. Tell them what goodness or improvement or value they’ll experience if they purchase X, Y, or Z. Most people buy off of feeling and emotion, so if you can paint a picture of how they’ll feel, it’s going to go a long way.
Whew, you have the magic method to nailing welcome email sequences, and now it’s time to implement! What other questions do you have about email sequences? Drop a comment below to let us know!
Not sure where to start with an email list?
Catch my FREE training, How to Start (or Grow) an Email List That Lasts!
