How to Write an Effective Welcome Email Sequence: A Step-by-Step Guide
Engage your audience with a compelling welcome email sequence that motivates readers to take action.
For the first year and a half of my business, I didn’t have a welcome email sequence. Why? Because I didn’t have a way for people to join my email list, which means I was missing the opportunity to connect one-on-one with potential clients.
According to Hubspot, email marketing is one of the oldest and most effective marketing strategies. It’s also a great way to welcome and delight prospective buyers on auto-pilot.
Now that I have my Blog SEO Checklist freebie you can download, I’ve also got a welcome email sequence full of blogging tips and shortcuts.
It’s worth putting time into nurturing your list from the start (with a welcome email sequence) to help readers get to know you, your brand, and how you can help them.
This article covers why welcome sequences are a must-have for every business that uses email marketing to connect, engage, and sell.
We’ll cover…
- the benefits of a welcome email sequence,
- knowing your audience and your goals,
- the five types of emails in an email series, and
- ways to optimize your emails.
Why create a welcome sequence?
Make a Positive First Impression, Build Brand Loyalty, and Nurture Long-Term Engagement
We’re bombarded with emails every day… so how do you stand out?
Make a positive first impression.
❌ Don’t start your welcome sequence with “BUY NOW!!!! THIS EXCLUSIVE OFFER WON’T LAST LONG!!!” (yikes…)
✅ Instead, be strategic, thoughtful, and kind.
In doing so, you’re building brand loyalty. And just like when you publish a blog post, you’re engaging your audience and teaching them what they want to know, like how you can help solve their problem.
That way, you’re nurturing long-term engagement AND being super helpful.
What Are the Benefits of a Welcome Email Sequence?
✅ A nurturing welcome sequence works well for years yet you only have to write it once 🥳
✅ Welcome email sequences help build strong customer relationships by giving your warm leads a way to get to know you in a more personal way.
✅ According to invesp, “Welcome emails generate 4x more opens and 5x more clicks than regular email marketing campaigns… [and] the average open rate for welcome emails is a whopping 50% which makes them 86% more effective than standard newsletters.”
When a prospect joins your email list, they’re saying, “Hey, I want to hear from you!” because they’re interested in buying what you’re selling.
Don’t miss the opportunity to directly connect with them!
So, where do you start with creating a welcome sequence?
Have Crystal Clear Goals and Know Your Audience
Before writing a welcome email sequence, decide on your goal. What outcome are you aiming for?
Do you want to…
- increase engagement?
- introduce your brand?
- make a sale?
From there, you can start to map out a welcome sequence that aligns with your opt-in (lead magnet).
For example:
👉 If someone gives you their email address in exchange for a freebie download that lives on your website’s homepage, you could send them a series of emails aimed at helping them get to know you, your brand, and how you can fix their problem.
👉 Or, if someone purchases your recorded masterclass, you could send a similar series of emails, but with a deeper dive into the course topic and an invitation to work 1:1 with you.
Remember: always stay mindful of your goal (and where your audience is coming from) so that you craft a thoughtful and successful email sequence that turns readers into buyers.
5 Types of Emails in a Compelling Welcome Email Sequence
Not sure about the order of your email sequence and what to include? This handy guide will give you some ideas for each email in your sequence:
Feel free to adapt this guide so it works best for you. For example, you can condense the five types of emails into 2 – 3 emails or expand them into 7 – 8.
Email #1: The Welcome Email — Introduce Yourself
Get the ball rolling with a warm, friendly email thanking the subscriber for opting in – then deliver the content they signed up for (this could be a checklist, a guide, or a discount code).
You don’t want to cram too much into the first email, but it’s a good time to briefly introduce yourself and your story. Just be you!
You can also add cred, like your educational background, certifications, publications you’ve appeared in, and more. Your readers are looking for opportunities to build trust with you, and this is one impactful way to do it.
At this stage, you should also set the expectations for what’s to come (so potential customers don’t immediately unsubscribe thinking they might get bombarded with emails).
Set the stage for how often they can expect to hear from you, what type of content you share, and where they can connect with you online (like your blog, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other platforms).
Email #2: Introduce Your Brand
Now your audience knows who you are, it’s time to introduce your brand.
Share your brand’s story and show what makes you different from competitors.
You could include team photos or a welcome video to help readers better connect with you (seeing and hearing you is a powerful fast track to trust because it shows you’re real).
Email #3: Give Value and Take Readers Behind the Scenes
In your third email, share something valuable or provide a quick win, like a roundup of blog posts they’ll find most helpful.
Write about how you can help your reader go from their desire (or pain point) to your solution.
Lay out the steps in your process so they already know what it’s like to work with you and what they need to do when they’re ready to take action.
Email #4: Social Proof and Trust-Building
Go ahead and brag — use social proof to build trust.
In this email, share reviews, case studies, feedback, and testimonials.
These are all compelling ways to show that your work has had a positive impact on people.
And social proof is a huge credibility booster because if your product or service works for other people, it can work for your reader, too.
Email #5: Make an Offer
Now that your audience has gotten to know you, send them a clear call-to-action (CTA) for the next step you want them to take.
AKA sell!
At this point, your audience knows who you are, what you do, how you help, and the results your clients have gotten.
Plus, you’ve given them extra value by sharing educational and relatable content that helps them easily solve a problem, like ways to get their invoices paid on time, every time.
Now invite your readers to work with you by telling them more about your offer — and include a link to book a call, purchase a course, join a membership, etc.
Optimize Your Welcome Sequence
Once your emails are rocking and rolling, keep an eye on how they’re doing so you can refine and optimize.
- Decide on a time and frequency between your welcome emails (feel free to experiment with this).
- Consider A/B testing for subject lines, content, visuals, and CTAs.
- Track key metrics including open and click-through rates and conversions.
Keep these in mind as you review your email analytics. Then you can refine as you go, so you enhance your sequence’s performance over time.
Final Thoughts
An effective welcome email sequence includes an introduction to you and your brand, value-adds (like a blog post roundup), CTAs, social proof, and an offer.
But you can’t just create it and run…
You need to keep an eye on your analytics so you know where to optimize your sequence for higher conversion rates.
Is there a spike in drop-offs on the fourth email? Tweak and repeat.
With a welcome email sequence, you’re helping your readers know, like, and trust you, so the right-fit people are excited to work with you and stick around.
Welcome sequences are the perfect way to connect with ready-to-invest clients 1:1 so your vision of success becomes a reality.
Did you find this article valuable? Feel free to share it! (We can all benefit from well-crafted welcome sequences in our inboxes.)
Want Your Welcome Sequence Done for You?
Having a high-converting welcome email sequence means researching, brainstorming, planning, writing, AND analyzing.
(The same goes for other types of emails, like an onboarding email sequence, a re-engagement email sequence, an abandoned cart email sequence, and more.)
It can all be a lot of work, so I'd love to help you.
Get in touch, and I’ll craft the perfect welcome sequence for your brand, audience, and goals.
