A welcome email is the first communication you send to new subscribers. It introduces them to you and your brand, explaining what you’ll send and how often.

But many businesses treat their welcome email as an afterthought. That’s like showing up to a first date wearing sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt. As the saying goes, you only get one first impression. What kind of impression does a generic Covertkit “thanks for subscribing” notification give new subscribers?

You want your welcome email dressed to the nines. The kind of email that excites your subscribers when future emails land in their inboxes. (Because a great welcome email is the first step in ensuring your emails hit the inbox, not spam or promotions.)

But what sort of email should you send? What do people expect to see? In this guide, you’ll find nine ideas for types of welcome emails that leave your subscribers engaged and eager to read every email you send.

Why You Need a Welcome Email

Fun fact: only 57.7% of brands send out a welcome email. Which is shocking when you consider that said emails can average 320% MORE revenue than regular emails. If that fact alone isn’t enough, here are a few more interesting welcome email statistics.

• Your customers expect one. 74.4% of people expect a welcome email within minutes of signing up.

• Welcome emails generate 4x more opens and 5x more clicks than your average email. Those result in a high rate of engagement with your brand.

• A welcome email gets 42% more reads than average emails. People who read it are also more likely to read your other emails for the next 180 days.

Are you calling your marketing team and asking, “Why don’t we have a welcome email?” yet?

Your welcome email impacts all your future communications with your customers. So, let’s move on to different options for that crucial first email.

Ideas for Your Welcome Email

Hello

A welcome email doesn’t need to be long or complicated. Sometimes, a short “hello” is the best choice. It shows new subscribers you care that they’re here. But the shorter format does mean you need to nail your branding with only a few sentences.

Thank You

A “thank you for subscribing” email is another simple but effective welcome email to send. However, don’t use the basic one that comes with your email service. That gives the impression that you don’t care about your email list. Write and design a unique one to match your brand.

Discount

Offering a discount is a classic way to get sign-ups. People love savings, encouraging them to open the email and click the links. Discounts can have their own email or included with any email on this list.

Get Started

A “get started” email is perfect for service-based businesses or products that need instructions. After thanking the customer for signing up, walk them through completing their account, using your product, or the next steps. Break them down into three steps for optimal engagement.

Introduce Yourself

People connect with stories, so use your welcome email to tell yours. Why did you create your business? What drew you to XYZ? What obstacles have you overcome? You can even include a personal note from your CEO or founder for a personal touch.

Introduce Your Products

Your welcome email can also introduce your goods to curious leads. Tell them about your top product’s features or the differences between models. Share your best-selling products, accessories, or bundles. And then include that discount so they have no excuses not to buy.

Popular Content

For information-based businesses, try sharing your best content in your welcome email. Your top blog posts, YouTube videos, or social media posts. The highest quality free resource you have. A unique PDF only for subscribers. Sharing value before asking for anything helps build a strong customer relationship.

Why Us?

With higher-priced items or services, converting leads takes a lot of work. Show them why they should choose you over the competition with strong social proof. Include your best reviews in your welcome email to show leads that other customers love your product.

A Video

Take your introduction a step further by including a video in your welcome email. Videos introduce subscribers to the real people behind your company so they can connect with you more personally. Your video could be anything, from your founder's thirty-second “thank you” to an explanation of your product or service.

Things to Remember

I hope you know what to do with your welcome email by now. Before we close, here are a few things to remember while writing it.

• Include a CTA. Two big mistakes with welcome emails are not including a call to action or including too many. You need to tell the customer what action you want them to take. Make it so obvious that they can’t miss it.

• Set expectations. How often will you be sending emails? What kind of content will they receive? How do they unsubscribe? Make sure to include a paragraph answering all these questions to avoid irritated customers later.

• Write an enticing subject line and preview text. Make your subject line sound so exciting that they have to open it. Then, use the preview text to expand on the subject line and hint further at what’s inside.

A welcome email takes time to craft and perfect. Keep testing and tweaking until you get the results you want. And always remember to be human and helpful before anything else.

Welcome emails are often an underutilized tool in the marketer’s wheelhouse. But by following these best practices, you can take it and make it your strength.

Do you need someone to create the perfect welcome email for your company? Or are you looking for help with email marketing in general? I'd love to help! Fill out this form to set up your free discovery call and get great copy ASAP.