Do you know the best way to engage your new subscribers?
Get them hooked with a welcome series!
Rather than ghosting subscribers after they’ve joined your list, send them a series of emails that shows them why signing up for your emails is going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to them. 😉
Creating a welcome email series is less about making money and more about building the like-know-trust factor with your audience. Once you’ve built that relationship with your subscribers, they’ll be more likely to buy from you later.
Today, we’re going to share our best tips for writing a welcome series and exactly what to include so that your subscribers stick around!
Tips for writing your welcome emails
Before we dig into the welcome email content, here are a few tips to make your welcome emails engaging:
- Write the way you’d speak to a friend. Try pretending that you’re writing your email directly to a friend so your emails come across as authentically you.
- Include one simple call-to-action. Try not to overwhelm your subscribers with options or else they might not take any action at all.
- Update your welcome email content on a regular basis. As creators, our interests, mission statements, and priorities are constantly evolving. Add a recurring task in your calendar to update your welcome series so things don’t get outdated.
P.S. Want some simple, fill-in-the-blank welcome email templates? Grab them from this article!
Email 1: Build the relationship
Let’s start with a little scenario: imagine a new neighbor has moved in across the street and you’re getting to know each other. You probably want to know why they moved and where they’ve come from. 👀
You can also do this with your subscribers in your first email.
Use this email to thank your subscribers for signing up and ask them a simple question that invites them to respond. You can ask your subscribers to tell you why they signed up, how they came across your email list, or what they’re looking to accomplish.
For example, Monica Lent asks her subscribers, “Why did you sign up? What’s your motivation for blogging?”
This is such a simple email, but it reminds the subscriber of what they signed up for in the first place and invites them to start the conversation right away.
Not only will this start 1:1 conversations, it also gives you an idea of what your subscribers truly want out of your emails.
Email 2: Give them more
In our neighbor scenario, you’ve already met your neighbor and now they’re asking you for your top recommendations in the city, like the best coffee shops, restaurants, and shops.
Here’s where you give your subscribers a round-up of the best content you’ve created (whether that’s blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, or tweets).
For example, the Real Food Dietitians welcome their new subscribers with an automated sequence that includes the top-performing content on their site:
How do you know what your best content is? Look at what’s received the most views, comments, retweets, and likes.
Don’t have much content to share? Instead of a round-up, talk about the unique philosophy behind your work, how you got started, and how you’ve overcome struggles that your subscribers might also be dealing with.
Email 3: Let them know what to expect next
In our neighbor scenario, this is the time when you invite your neighbor to a fabulous party you’re hosting.
The party = your emails!
In this final welcome email, give your subscribers the lowdown on what they can expect from your emails in the future. What kind of emails do you send? How often do you send them? This is where you give them something to look forward to.
This is also a great place to give them a surprise gift (think party favor!). If you have a free download, discount code, or exclusive content you can share with them, this email would be a great place to do it.
Next step: Grab our welcome email automation template
Ready to set up your welcome series? We’ve made things easier for you with our email automation template. This welcome template is designed to help you build a dedicated following and keep readers coming back for more.
You can copy the automation right into your ConvertKit account from the template library:
If you’re wondering how this automation works, check out this post.
How do you welcome subscribers to your list?
Welcome emails are such an important piece of your subscriber onboarding process, and we hope this article has given you a ton of resources to get your own welcome emails set up!
Don’t forget to grab the visual automation template here.
Share any tips you have for welcoming your audience in the comments below!