Effective Welcome Email Strategies for Authors

Your newsletter can be amazing but still fail if you mess up *this* one email: Of course, I'm talking about your newsletter welcome email. Luckily, after studying 50+ newsletters, I've come up with a simple formula to nail your welcome email (in just 6 steps). Let's break it down: Step 1: Reinforce your reader's decision to opt-in for your newsletter I like to do this by giving my readers a warm welcome & showing authority or social proof. Step 2: Remind them what's in it for them Right after welcoming the reader, make sure to explain again your value proposition. In other words, remind them how your emails will add value to their life or business. And yes - even if they just read it on your landing page. You want to constantly remind people of what's in it for them. Step 3: Set expectations for what's going to happen next Then, walk them through the logistics of how you’ll provide this value to them. You want to clearly tell people: - When - And how often You’ll be emailing them. Step 4: Ask for a reply When someone replies to your emails, they're more likely to always get your newsletters in their primary folder. That also improves your overall "sender reputation." Which in turn increases the odds that other people also get your emails in their primary folder. That's why it's so important to ask for a reply in your welcome email. Pro tip: Offer an incentive in exchange for people to respond to maximize uptake. Step 5: Make it easy for them to get instant value from you This is a step a lot of creators forget about but it’s actually super important. Luckily, there’s a few different ways to accomplish this. For example: You can share: - A free bonus resource - A curation of some of your best newsletters - Or an invite to a free group or community (if you have one) The key? Don't make people wait until your next email to start getting value. Otherwise, they might not open your next email. (Bonus) Step 6: Present them with a special welcome offer. If you have a low-ticket product for sale, you can give your reader a special (but limited) discount or bonus to grab a copy. This is another way to provide instant value to new subscribers... While also increasing their lifetime value. This is definitely a more advanced technique but definitely worth trying if possible. And that's it! Hope this was helpful. PS - I put together a swipe file with 18 welcome email examples (and templates) so it's easier to write yours. Wanna check it out? Comment "swipe" & I'll send you a copy.

I’ve generated 10,000,000+ email subscribers for clients in the past 2 years. Here’s a simple hack to take your open rate from terrible (30%) to world-class (60%): Nail your welcome email. Your welcome email is the most important email you send to subscribers. It’s your first impression. And a great first impression = better future engagement. → If subscribers take the right actions in your welcome email, your future emails will land in their primary inbox. → If not, they will land in promotions, updates, or spam. Here are two changes you need to make to your welcome email to boost the engagement of all your future emails: 1. Write a subject line that stands out and gives the reader a reason to open. Too many subject lines are uninspired, and give the reader no reason to open. Yours, for the sake of your newsletter, must give the reader a reason to open. Here are some examples you can steal: - Inverse Daily - ❗️wtf - Jon Morrow - Quick favor? - The Hustle - Look what you did, you little jerk... - Tim Bourquin - Who said you could join my newsletter? - Morning Brew - ☕️ Caution: Morning Brew coming in hot 2. Use my WE-PAC framework for writing body copy: - W - Welcome (welcome them to your newsletter) - E - Expectations (tell them what to expect from it) - P - Primary (ask them to move the email to primary) - A - Ask for reply (ask for a simple reply, explain why) - C - Click link (link to your blog, podcast, lead magnet…) Example below! (PAC = the 3 key deliverability actions to make sure your future emails land in their primary inbox.) 3. Measure against these benchmarks. Welcome email open rate: - 30%+ open rate = Very bad - 40%+ open rate = Bad - 50%+ open rate = Okay - 60%+ open rate = Good - 70%+ open rate = Great - 75%+ open rate = Excellent - 80%+ open rate = World class Welcome email CTR: - 1%+ CTR = Very bad - 5%+ CTR Bad - 7%+ CTR = Okay - 10%+ CTR = Good - 12%+ CTR = Great - 15%+ CTR = Excellent - 20%+ CTR = World class Tweak as needed. To recap: Write a great subject line, implement the WE-PAC framework, measure against the above benchmarks, and watch your engagement go up. Hope this helps!

Most welcome sequences suck. They’re either: → One generic “thanks for subscribing” email → Or a 12-email novel nobody asked for Here’s the 3-email welcome sequence that actually converts: Email 1 — “Here’s What You Just Got” Send: Immediately Purpose: Deliver value + set expectations How it works: • Deliver the freebie first (don’t make people hunt for it) • Tell them what happens next: “I send 1 email every Tuesday with X…” • Give them one action: read this, watch this, do this No pitch. No fluff. Just clarity. Email 2 — “Who The Hell Am I?” Send: 1–2 days later Purpose: Connection + credibility What to include: • A quick origin story • Your philosophy (what makes you different) • A line of social proof • End with: “Reply and tell me what you’re working on” This is the email where they decide if they like you or not. Email 3 — “Here’s How I Can Help” Send: 3–4 days after Purpose: Introduce your offer without being pushy The structure: • Call out where they might be stuck • Show the path forward • Present your offer • Make it optional: “If this resonates, here’s how to work with me…” No pressure. Just direction. ⸻ The results from using this across 4 niches: • 62% average open rate • 18% click rate • 4–7% conversion to paid Nothing crazy. No psychological tricks. Just one principle: Each email has ONE job. Email 1 → Deliver value Email 2 → Build connection Email 3 → Show the path Most people try to do all three in one email and that’s why it flops. Keep it simple. Keep it sequential. Keep it human. What does your welcome sequence look like? … I wish you a good weekend!

Across our newsletter clients, the average welcome email gets a 56% open rate and 12%+ CTR. The best hit 75% OR / 23% CTR. Here are the 3 things to focus on in welcome emails: 1. Nail your subject line Make your subject line short, direct, and clear. Examples: • tldr;sec: “Welcome! Security research coming your way” • The Rundown AI: “Welcome! 3 quick steps to get started” • Concept Bureau: “How to build your strategic mind” • The Daily Aus: “Welcome to TDA” 2. Tell people exactly what they signed up for Most newsletters skip this step or bury it under fluff. Your welcome email should answer: a) Why am I getting this email? “You signed up for [Superhuman] to learn [what’s happening in AI]” b) What will I get? “We spend 100+ hours a week researching the most important updates in AI and break them down for you.” c) How often? “You’ll get one email every weekday morning at 9AM.” Don’t assume readers remember. They’ve probably signed up for 10 other things that week. 3. Engineer your email for clicks to improve deliverability Asking readers to "move this email to your inbox" or "reply yes" is great, but almost no one does it. Instead, earn a click by delivering immediate value. I do that by including high-performing resources that people want to engage with, like: • Our 60-page paid ads playbook + walkthrough video • My teardown on how we did a $270k launch for a 15K-person newsletter • My teardown on 1440’s 40 longest running ads Why? These resources get clicks, which tells Gmail “this reader cares,” increasing the chance that the next email lands in Primary, not Promotions.