How To Create A Welcome Series For New Subscribers

You’ve already done the hard work: You built a stellar landing page with a killer call-to-action, your blog entries are informative, enticing, and even fun to read, and your marketing to bring new leads to see these things are working, and you’ve got new subscribers. So what’s the next step? Creating an onboarding drip campaign.

You’ve won over new subscribers already - they’re hungry for more information, and they are looking to you to be the authority. Subscribers even expect it: 74.4% of consumers expect at least one welcome email when they subscribe.

So once they sign up, why not take this opportunity to introduce yourself, get acquainted, and reaffirm your subscribers’ choice: They did the right thing by signing up. Now is your chance to turn subscribers into clients.

Does this seem like a heavy load to bear? It doesn’t have to be. It’s important to reach out to new subscribers with a welcome series to continue building your relationship with them. While this should be a thoughtful process, it doesn’t have to be a difficult one.

Why You Need a Series of Emails

So why should you build a series of emails? Why not just one, perfectly-crafted welcome email and leave it at that. Here’s some food for thought:

Sending a series of welcome emails yields a 51% higher revenue than a single welcome email.

Do I have your attention yet?

Even if your new subscribers have done a little research on your website, they are still getting to know who you are as a brand. Just like with any relationship, it takes a while for you to get to know each other. Your subscribers learn what to expect from your brand through your email series because they learn consistency.

And when your subscribers build a stronger relationship with your company? They’re more likely to become customers. 

In general, sending welcome emails increases long-term brand engagement by 33%. But a welcome series keeps your brand at the forefront of your subscribers’ minds for a longer period of time. With multiple welcome emails, you are consistently there to be the solution to the problems your subscribers have.

For example, for a client of mine, their welcome series gives a single, actionable item in each email which helps them both learn but also engage with their platform. Instead of sending them a list of things to do in a single email, which would be overwhelming, we space it out over a period of two weeks. In the end, they still get all the info they need, but this time in doable chunks.

Crafting Your Email Series

When it comes to the actual writing of your welcome series, what should each email look like? Every email should be unique from the others so they don’t turn into radio static. Additionally, each email should offer a different value or piece of information for your subscribers. 

So what should be in each email? Here’s a general guideline for your email series. Of course, you can adjust these emails to better fit your brand. But at the core of each email, you should think about how your company can solve your customer’s problem. 

Let’s take a look:

Email #1 - Welcome

This is the place to include all the metaphorical streamers and balloons to make your subscribers feel welcome - and glad that they signed up for your emails. This email should be sent out as soon as your subscribers sign up. This assures your subscribers that they’ve successfully signed up for your emails while continuing the conversation with them.

Be succinct - and personal. This is a great opportunity to not only welcome your subscribers but to thank them for signing up as well. What’s unique about your brand? This is the time to share that with your new subscribers - is it your mission to give back? Is it your ethics and your values?

Your first email (and all of your welcome emails, really) is an extension of your brand, and an invitation for your subscribers into your brand. If you’ve made an offer for new subscribers (like an informational download or a coupon), this should also be included in your first email.

Email #2 - Connect

Your second email is a great place to meet your customers where they are - and encourage them to connect with you in other ways, like inviting them to follow you on social media, or sharing more information about themselves with your company. 

As you write this email, keep in mind that your emails should always be focused on your customer. You can ask them for additional information, like their birthday, their preferences, or where they are located. 

This is also a great place to introduce your product categories, the service you offer. What’s special about who you are as a brand? That’s something you should definitely include in your second email.

You can schedule this email for 1-2 days after your first email.

Email #3 - Re-engage

Re-engage with your subscriber and invite them back to your site: Has your new subscriber purchased anything yet? If not, your third email can remind them of your initial offer. Another thing you can do to re-engage your subscribers? Share your origin story, or a problem you tackled through the creation of your company.

This is a great place to remember that your subscribers have signed up for your emails to solve a problem. How can your brand solve their problems? Share your solution with your subscribers - then invite them back to your site.

Here’s a tip: How frequently do you send out your regular marketing emails? You don’t want to overload your new subscribers with too many emails, so you may want to exclude new subscribers from your regular marketing emails until they’ve received each of the emails in your welcome series.

You can schedule this email to be sent 2-3 days following your second email.

Email #4 - Send Useful Resources

Do you have an exceptionally helpful blog post or downloadable guide that your subscribers might want? Your fourth email should be a useful guide or a resource that will continue to help your subscribers solve their problem. 

Not sure what their problem is, or what kind of information you should share? Go back to why your subscribers signed up in the first place and start there. 

And if they receive something for free, or get an unexpected value from your brand? This can become a reciprocal relationship - your subscribers will want to return the favor and do business with your company. 

When you send these valuable resources to your subscribers, you are establishing trust and building a strong bond with them. 

This email can be sent around a week after your previous email.

Email #5 - Get feedback

What do your subscribers want to see next? And how can you best help them? Your fifth email can invite your subscribers to share information with you - and to personally reach out to you and build a real relationship - which can help you boost sales.

One way to do this? With a set of trigger links in your email. Trigger links are not only a great way to track what kind of subscribers you have, but it can set up a new series of automated emails. And? You can better personally engage with your subscribers when you know more about them.

This email can be sent 2-3 days after your previous email.

Your welcome email series should be a reflection of who you are as a brand, but also should be a personal invitation for your subscribers; an invitation to let you solve their problems by doing what it is you do best. 

By reaching out and connecting with your subscribers in the days and weeks after they sign up for your emails, you are reaching them when they are most interested in your company. It’s a great chance for you to cement a strong foundation for a long-lasting subscriber relationship.