How to Write Your Welcome Email Sequence: Why You Need One & What to Know
The three dreaded words every business owner has heard over and over: welcome email sequence.
It’s one of those marketing buzzphrases that sort of suck your soul out of your body. Because even though we all know what a welcome sequence is, very few of us actually have them – and what’s more true is that very few of us want to write them.
Here’s the thing about email marketing, though – it’s never going to go out of style. Email still has crazy high ROI and works because it acts as a direct way to get in touch with your people without the risk of an algorithm hiding you away.
A welcome sequence is, in fact, a really big deal – and I’m very team you-should-have-one. The problem? That argument alone – the you should have one – isn’t very convincing. The bigger problem is that writing a welcome email sequence can feel just as soul sucking as saying the buzzwords.
This blog is going to explain why it’s so crucial to create a welcome sequence, but better than that, it’s going to teach you some majorly helpful tips for writing your own.
What do you say – should we dive right in?
THIS BLOG AT A GLANCE: LIL KEY TAKEAWAYS
Your welcome email sequence = your first real impression (make it count)
It’s your chance to show who you are, what you do, and why it matters
Start with messaging first, or you will get stuck halfway through writing
Map your emails so they flow like a relationship, not a random info dump
Make it about them (always) – your brand matters if it connects to their life
You don’t need a perfect formula, just a sequence that makes sense and feels natural
Give them a reason to stay (a freebie, a resource, a lil somethin’ special)
Write messy first, edit later – perfectionism will slow you way down
Why You Need a Welcome Email Sequence: Reasons Every Brand Should Have One
I’ll make this quick and efficient – if you’re a brand, you need a welcome email sequence. Asking someone to give you their email is a big deal – and it’s not just a meaningless exchange. When someone shares their information with you, they’re basically saying, “OK, here goes nothing – I’m trusting this brand to be a good fit for me.”
And from that point on, it’s your responsibility to delight, excite, and explain to them why that’s true. Without a welcome sequence, you’re not giving them the direct attention they deserve– you’re not even thanking them for trusting you with their info.
Welcome sequences can turn random people into loyal fans, connect the dots on why you’re the right fit, help rake in the cash, keep people engaged and interested in you until they’re ready to buy, and even be the red flag that turns non-ideal customers away from you (which is also a good thing).
Here are a few reasons you absolutely should invest in a welcome email sequence:
It Helps People Meet Your Brand: And decide if they like you. This is important beyond your own vanity. The Liking Principle in sales pyschology tells us that if someone likes you (as in, they’d be willing to get a beer with you, walk your dog for you, or ally with you on Survivor), they’re far more likely to trust you. And if they’re more likely to trust you, they’re more likely to invest in you (buy from you!). You can’t personally meet every single person who interacts with your brand, but a welcome sequence can be so on point and personalized it feels like you are meeting them – and it gives them a chance to see if you’re the right fit for them.
It Highlights How You Can Help Them: A welcome sequence can put your brand into the right context for them. Sure, they can get to know your brand and what you’re all about, but they also can figure out how you make sense in their life. You can clearly spell out the transformations that are possible, speak to their specific desires, and name their biggest pain points. That’s the perfect way to show them that you’re the right fit for their unique needs.
It’s a Relationship Nurturing Funnel: Your welcome email sequence is basically a relationship funnel. The top of it is wide, casting a huge net for anyone and everyone to join! Then, as the sequence progresses and you introduce yourself, talk about the problems you solve, and build trust – your funnel naturally filters out the people who are interested and the ones who aren’t. The most interested people continue moving through the funnel – all the way toward trust and investment. A welcome email sequence is the thing that helps them get there. It deepens the relationship, piques their interest, delights and excites them – it’s the funnel that establishes a relationship, nurtures it, and then gives it a chance to turn into something much bigger.
Tips for Writing Your Welcome Email Sequence
Tackle the What Stuff First: Always Start with Messaging
Writing a welcome sequence is, in my opinion, one of the toughest asks for brands. You have the challenge of juggling all sorts of things in very little room. It’s not like a blog where you have the luxury of being lengthy (ask me how I know), but it’s also not like a Thread or a Tweet where you sometimes have to bypass charm and personality to get your point across.
On top of that, even though email marketing is wildly successful, it’s also got a really low barrier to entry. That means your audience is probably getting, like, 10-30 emails a day – and yours needs to be intriguing and engaging enough to get them to click, read, and pay attention.
All of that means that it really matters what you’re saying.
Before you write anything, I always suggest mapping out the What Stuff – my cute lil name for Messaging.
Everything should have a quick messaging guide – your offers, your website, and even your welcome email sequence.
I won’t dive too deep into messaging, but I will tell you that messaging is just the What Stuff – a plan for what you’ll say about something so that it connects with the right people.
I’ve got a full list of messaging blogs that can help you get started:
Moral of the story: don’t sit down and try to write out your welcome email sequence without mapping out what you want to say in the first place.
Make sure you’re listing out the What Stuff before you write your emails – that way you have a guide you can refer back to every time you feel stumped about what to say.
Create an Email Sequence Map
There’s a reason that welcome sequences are called funnels – they take a large group of subscribers (new ones, usually) and narrow them down to a smaller, more committed group of people who are loyal, invested, and ready to invest in you.
That’s one of the biggest points of your welcome sequence (like I talked about in the intro).
All of that is pretty easy to understand – the issue is that it’s hard to visualize. How do you go from a first email that welcomes someone to your email list all the way to an email that sells them on something without being a total jerk about it?
You map it out so it’s natural, gradual, and makes sense. Usually, welcome email sequences are anywhere from 2-5 emails long. The first few emails are fun, welcoming, and give the reader a chance to get to know the brand through a context that piques their interest.
Then, the last few emails offer incentives, direct them to helpful resources, and essentially, entice them to buy!
Mapping everything out before you start writing – when you’ll start sharing about your offers, how often emails should go out, etc. – can help you get your strategy straight before your write a word.
Remember There are NO Rules or Formulas You Have to Follow
But, here’s a helpful welcome email sequence map you can use if you’re struggling to map out your own:
Email 1: The “Glad You’re Here” Intro
A quick and friendly “you’re in!” email that welcomes them to your email list. Heavily branded but short, this should be a quick peek at what they can expect from you.
Email 2: The Get to Know Us Message
A lot of brands use the second email as a chance to share their story, their background, their values – basically a “learn all about us” email.
Email 3: The How We Can Help Email
This is usually a great email to talk about services, name your audiences specific pain points, and connect the dots on how you can help them. Maybe you point them to your resources, your shop, or your services. You could always include an incentive or discount, too.
Email 4: The Proof is in the Pudding Email
This is usually a “don’t just take our word for it!” style email where brands add testimonials, client transformations, or particularly powerful before-and-afters to provide actual proof of how they can help. Many brands will reiterate that incentive in this email.
Email 5: The Final Follow Up
The last email in the sequence is a final follow up – maybe it asks, “hey, did you have any questions?” or reminds them to use that incentive or discount that was shared. It also could encourage them to reach out, book a call, etc. by giving clear directions on what next steps are.
Focus on The Person Reading the Emails – Then Focus on Your Brand
A welome sequence is very much a “Hey! Meet my brand, here’s everything you need to know!” – but some brands take that and run with it. And when they do, sometimes they go past the point of return.
It’s not that your people don’t want to get acquainted with your brand (they do! That’s one of the reasons they signed up to get your newsletter or freebie or whatever it was that enticed them to share their email with you).
But humans are naturally self-interested creatures – our brains were designed that way for survival. Self-interest is always running in the background, even when we’re not aware of it.
It’s important that you’re not just saying: hey, this is my brand! Welcome!
But that you’re saying, “Hey! This is how my brand helps and benefits you!”
That perspective flip is something I call the Me-Me-Me POV – and it’s basically shifting the focus from you to the them. The them here is always the audience on the other end of your words.
Give Them a Lil Somethin’
Handing over an email address is actually a big deal – especially in a world of spam and worthless junk emails. I always advise working something into your sequence as a big ol’ thank you.
A lot of people will share discounts or shop codes – and you absolutely can do that. But I always say that sharing something good doesn’t always mean sharing money off your expertise.
You can always share something else as a big thank you, like:
A free resource
Exclusive access to a group call
A free mini audit
A map of your brand world
A digital client thank you card
A free “gift” that pertains to your expertise
Really, the world of thank yous is your oyster. A quick thank you goes a long way – your audience will appreciate it and they’ll be incentivized to continue paying attention to your emails.
Write First, Then Edit
Our brains are powerful machines that can do a lot at the same time – unfortunately, our brains don’t always do their best work when we’re writing and editing all at once. Trying to tip-tap out the perfect version of your welcome email sequence on the first try can be the ultimate writer’s block – you’re trying to do it right the first time, but you’re so overwhelmed with perfection you don’t actually get anything out.
My biggest tip is to write first, edit second. Instead of trying to do both at once. This advice, obviously, applies to everything you write, not just your welcome sequence, but I do think it’s worth throwing this in here so you remember it.
Try tackling your first drafts of your emails without worrying if they’re perfect. Just get that content out there. Add phrases, words, and ideas that you can’t get out of your head into your Bad Words Doc so you don’t forget them, but then keep writing.
Then, after you’ve gotten your ideas flowing and you’ve given your brain space to be creative, go back through and start refining!
Need a little help with the editing process? Here are a few of my fave professional copywriter’s tips for editing your work!
Writing a Welcome Email Sequence: Boundless Can Help
Need a hand writing your brand’s welcome email sequence? Boundless is always down to tackle a welcome campaign with your sticky voice and a strategy that works! Reach out to book your inquiry call, learn more about the Boundless email marketing offers, and chat through your welcome sequence options!
