9 Effective Tips for Your Welcome Email

For bloggers email marketing is the number one way to connect with your tribe. That connection begins with the first email you send them after they sign up for your list. Does that first email make you nervous? Or are you confident you have an email that is engaging and building a relationship right from the start? If you aren’t sure here are a nine elements your welcome letter must have to build a relationship from the start.

1. Greeting

Even before you begin writing your welcome letter picture one of your subscribers. This person is a real person, with problems and a life. They aren’t a nameless, faceless email address. There is a person on the other side of the @ symbol.

I think this is good to remember when starting your welcome email. So many welcome emails are polished and stuffy and well boring. This isn’t a corporate email. This is one real person talking to another real person. Start with a simple greeting like “Hi Jen,” or “Hey Jen.” Your welcome email should be informal so don’t start with “Dear Jen.” It sounds unnatural and doesn’t build a connection. Take the time to be genuine and yourself!

2. Thank You

I start every welcome email I send with a simple “Thank you for subscribing to my email list. I promise not to go crazy in sending you emails.” Why? Because I am grateful that someone was willing to give me their email address in exchange for my freebie. We get so much email that we guard our email addresses with our life. If someone is taking the time to give me their email address I am thanking them for it. Plus it’s just a nice way to start an email!

Here’s what my greeting and thank you look like:

3. Question

The next thing I do in my welcome email is ask people a question about themselves. I do this for two reasons. First I do it to engage my subscribers. I want to get to know them and make a connection right off the bat. Too often we are stuck behind social media not making any real connections. But on email that is different. On email we slow down and we can have a one-to-one conversation. I have heard some of the best stories by doing this!

So I ask a question and take it one step further. I also answer the question for myself in the welcome email. This breaks the ice and makes it more inviting for the subscriber to email me back their answer.

The second reason I ask a question and ask for a response is more strategic. When the person replies, their email inbox (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) now sees me as a friend. As a friend I am far less likely to have my emails go to the spam folder. It’s a win-win all around!

Here’s what my get to know you looks like:

4. Opt-In Offer Link

Once I have thanked the person and asked a get-to-know-you question, I give them a link to my freebie. I never, ever put this link on the thank you page after they fill out my landing page form. If you do that someone could give you a fake email address and still have access to your freebie. By including a link to the freebie in your email you have a better chance of working with a real subscriber.

Here’s what my opt-in offer looks like:

5. Invitation

After the opt-in offer link I extend an invitation into the Women Winning Online Facebook group. I want to connect both over email and give them the support that our Facebook group provides. Extending this invitation makes people feel even more valued and not just like another email subscriber.

What if you don’t have a Facebook group? You could take this opportunity to invite them to read different blog posts that will help them. Or share one of your favorite tools or tips. The more value you can provide in your welcome email, the more your new subscriber will trust you.

Here’s what my invitation looks like:

6. What to Expect

After the freebie I include a “what to expect” blurb. This is the area where I set expectations for emails going forward. I think this is important because you need to tell people this isn’t a one time thing. You will be emailing them going forward. Let them know what you are going to send them after this initial message. Give them something to get excited about when they see your email in their inbox.

Also reiterate here that you won’t overdo the emails. You won’t send them 5 emails a week. Set the expectation about when you send your messages. I let my subscribers know they can expect at least one email from me every weekend with marketing tips to help them grow their blogs. I think by doing this up front you set the tone for a respectful relationship. Then you also don’t feel like you are spamming them when you send emails. You set the expectation and people will look forward to your messages.

Here’s what my what to expect looks like:

7. Don’t Forget

Next I begin the closing section of my email. I briefly thank the person again for joining my list. Then I remind them about the question I asked them in the beginning. I ask them to please send a response. I also let them know I respond to every email I get.

Here’s what my don’t forget and closing looks like:

8. Closing

Finally I close my email with the same informal tone I used in the beginning. I sign off with “Take Care, Jen.” I know others will use “Cheers” or “Talk Soon” or something similar. Use a phrase or a word that feels right to you. I stay away from “Sincerely,” “Best Regards,” or “Regards.” That feels to corporate and formal to me. I want to leave them with a friendly feeling!

9. P.S.

I love using P.S. in emails! We loved them when we were kids and passing notes in class and that love affair with the P.S. continues into adulthood. Use the P.S. field to invite people to check out your course. Use the P.S. field to invite people into your Facebook group.

Or just use the P.S. to remind people that you would love to hear the answer to your question. I think this one is the best P.S. to use and will really build that relationship with your new subscriber!

Email marketing is the best way to get to know your followers. To start the relationship off on the best foot create an engaging welcome email. Take the time to get to know your followers and ask them questions. Be informal in your tone and let them know what to expect. This will build a connection and turn a subscriber into a loyal follower!