Take your welcome series to the next level with these 9 content ideas

First impressions are important. It’s very difficult to recover from a crappy first impression, so you’re going to want to make that initial touch point count.

For ecommerce stores, a great opportunity to make a first impression is with a welcome series.

Once someone signs up for your newsletter, send them a series of emails welcoming them to your product.

But what exactly should this welcome series look like? Good question.

It all depends on your company’s goals, style, and writing style so some of these ideas might apply to everyone.

And what if you want to take bits and pieces from a couple different ideas? Great! Some of the best welcome series I’ve seen has incorporated multiple ideas into their series.

Here are 9 content ideas you can use to make a good first impression during your welcome series.

1. Offer something special

Offering a discount to your subscribers is a nice way to say thank them for joining your newsletter. Not only is it a good way to get people to join your newsletter, but it’s a good way to turn them into first time buyers right off the bat. You can extend this into a series and offer a larger discount the longer they go without buying.

(Pinterest: The Company Store)

2. Write a personal letter

A personal letter goes a long way with subscribers. It makes them feel like they’re not just one of the hundreds of people that subscribe a week. It doesn’t have to be anything too detailed, just a few words from someone of importance at the company.

(Pinterest: Aesop)

3. Learn more about your subscriber

Who doesn’t like receiving relevant emails? By asking for more information about your subscribers you can send email relevant to each person. Adding a couple questions or a link to a preference page will help your subscribers update their information with just a couple clicks.

(Pinterest: Kate Spade)

4. Tell your story

If you have a story to tell than this is the place to tell it. This works well for startups or companies that have a cool backstory. And if you donate part of your sales to a good cause, even better.

(Pinterest: Patagonia)

5. Keep it simple

Some companies like to keep their email design simple. In my eyes, there are two ways you can do this:

1. A simple design that just thanks them for joining the newsletter list and that’s it. Simple as that.

(Pinterest: Jimmy Choo)

2. Send a welcome email in the form of your generic email. This will give your reader the impression that the email was sent to them personally. I don’t recommend this type of welcomes series because it makes it difficult to add social links and collect more information on your subscriber.

6. Lay it all on the table

What do I mean? I mean that lay out everything your organization does right there on the table. If they’re interested in receiving your emails, then they’re most likely interested in learning more about what you have to offer.

(Pinterest: Karen Millen)

7. Outline next steps

They just signed up— great! What next? Tell them what they’re going to be receiving. If you need them to take a further action, then let them know. Rather than leaving them in the dark, get ahead of their questions and answer them in your welcome series.

(Pinterest: Warby Parker)

8. Make it fun

There’s nothing better in my eyes than an email that makes me laugh. Getting creative by making your welcome series fun and entertaining will have your readers looking forward to their new relationship with your brand.

(Pinterest: Boden)

9. Show off your happy customers

Rather than telling your new subscriber how awesome you are, let your happy customers do it for you. Throw in some great reviews in there to show your new reader that they made the right decision when signing up for your newsletter.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Your welcome series is your new subscribers’ first interaction with your organization. Make the most of it.

The 9 content ideas above should give you a head start in design your welcome series.

If you’re still not sold on why a welcome series is a good idea, then check out why welcome emails matter.