You have a new subscriber that just joined your email list. Go you!
Maybe they signed up from a great freebie that you put out there, or they were drawn in by a pop-up on your website. Whatever the case may be, you have a premium opportunity to connect and engage with this person.
That’s because engagement is typically at its highest right after someone joins your list, which is why welcome emails tend to have the highest open rates, usually north of 55%. When you think about it, it makes sense. Someone just voluntarily opted-in saying “please send emails to me”, so chances are, they are interested in hearing what you have to say.
Which is why having a well-thought-out welcome series is so critical to any email marketing strategy. The welcome series is the series of emails that a subscriber receives after joining your list. I say series because it should be just that, i.e. several emails sent to a new subscriber over a period of time.
Your welcome series is kind of like the first date or two of a new relationship. It’s crucial that you look your best, make a good impression, and spark enough interest to see if there is a real connection or not. It’s sort of a make or break point in a new relationship!
So what goes into a great welcome series? Read on for a template you can follow to write a welcome series that not only wows, but has a high chance of converting new subscribers into customers!
Email #1: The Welcome
The first email in your series should be short and sweet. It’s your chance to welcome your new subscriber and tell them just a little bit about you, but enough to make them want to learn more. Back to the dating analogy, this might be the first time you meet someone new and ask them out. You want to start the ‘getting to know you’ process in this email, but don’t share your entire life story.
If your subscriber joined you in order to get access to a lead magnet or a discount code, you will also want to deliver on that promise in your first email. This builds value right away and trust with your new subscriber.
Remember - this will likely be the most opened email of your series, so make it count!
Email #2: Introduce Yourself
You and your new love interest hit it off the first time you met, and now it's time to take things a step further with a first date. What will you talk about?
This is your chance to really introduce yourself, share your backstory, and start to form a deeper connection. A good strategy is to focus on your why in this email - why did you start your business? What drives you? What things are you most passionate about?
Email #3: Be Helpful
This email focuses on providing value to your subscriber. This can build on previously offered value from email #1 by sharing other related tools and resources.
You want to make sure your subscriber knows at this point that you aren’t just here to sell to them, but to serve them! Common tactics include answering commonly asked questions and sharing your most-loved blogs, webinars, or free guides.
In the dating realm, this would be like getting to know the other person, asking good questions, and forming a deeper connection. In other words - you don’t want to just talk about yourself and dominate the conversation.
Email #4: Share Your Offer
It’s time to seal the deal… do they like you? Will you get a second date? This email is your chance to share more about your products or services, and highlight your breadth of experience. You can share top products or best-sellers or introduce a big offer that you’ve been leading up to in your previous emails.
The other main goal of this email, if it is the last email in the series, is to set expectations for communications going forward. How often can they expect to hear from you? What will you be sharing with them? This can be as simple as “stay tuned for helpful articles and new products delivered to your inbox each week”.
You can also include options for your audience to connect deeper with you at this point, whether that’s to schedule a free consultation, read your blog, or follow you on social media.
Other helpful tips
With the content of your welcome series complete, here are a few other helpful tips for getting started.
Length: This four email series is just a starting point, and should be tailored to suit your audience and how they joined your list. Your welcome series can be much longer than this, especially if you are leading up to a big offer.
Timing: There is no set rule for how many days to space between each email, but a general rule of thumb is to send them every 3-5 days. Shorter than that might cause your subscriber to opt-out for fear of getting spammed, while longer than that might result in loss of interest.
Flow: When drafting your emails, remember to view them as a series to ensure that the content delivered in each one goes together and makes sense in the order offered.
Tailor for different segments: If you have multiple audience types or segments, you might end up with many different versions of a welcome series. This ensures that each person joining your list is getting delivered the right info at the right time.
Are you ready to write your amazing welcome series?! If you still have questions, comment below!
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