Welcome Flow Non-Negotiables

Hey it's Max from The Inbox Newsletter.

I've audited hundreds of welcome flows this year, and after a while, you start to notice a pattern.

Your welcome flow is the first email sequence every new subscriber goes through.

It's where first impressions get made and first purchases happen, so it should be the most dialed-in flow in your entire account.

But for some brands, it's not…

That’s why today I'm walking through 7 non-negotiables to have in every welcome flow so that you convert more first-time buyers, build stronger customer loyalty, and stop letting subscribers slip through the cracks.

Let's get into it.

1) Turn Off Double-Opt In

Double opt-in is that confirmation email that goes out asking someone to click a link to confirm they actually want to subscribe.

Turn this bad boy off so that no one needs to jump through an extra hoop and they can smoothly start receiving your welcome sequence from the moment they sign up.

2) First Email Fires Immediately

We don't want the first welcome email going out any later than we absolutely have to, so no one minute or five minute or ten minute delay on this…

Set the very first email in your flow to fire immediately upon signup.

The second someone signs up is the exact moment they're most likely to open your email since they were just on your site and are still thinking about your brand.

So any kind of delay pushes that open into a moment where they're likely distracted, doing something else, or already past the impulse to check their inbox.

3) Minimum of 3 Emails

The biggest welcome flow mistake I see is brands running a 1-2 email welcome flow and calling it a day.

Which is a shame because your welcome flow is doing more work than any other flow in your account, and shortchanging it means you're leaving your highest-intent audience hanging.

The more touches a new subscriber gets, the more chances you have to catch them on the right day, in the right mood, with the right angle that finally lands and gets them to convert.

3 emails is the absolute bare minimum and for us our standard is 4-5!

4) Emails Spaced 1 Day Apart

If you're an aggressive brand you can send 2 emails on day 1 (the welcome email at signup and a second one around 4 hours later) and widen the delay to 2 days at the tail end of longer flows.

But the general rule of thumb is to make sure your emails are spaced 1 day apart for the majority of the sequence.

5) Welcome Discount In The Hero Sections

Every single email in your welcome flow needs to have the welcome discount right in the hero section so that the moment a subscriber opens the email, they see the offer that's the primary reason they'll buy in the first place.

Welcome flows aren't like your regular campaign sends where you're doing brand education or building emotional connection.

They are conversion emails, and the offer needs to lead in each send so the subscriber never has to hunt for it.

6) At Least One Text-Based Email

Somewhere in your welcome flow, drop in a text-based email that comes across as a personal note from either the founder or someone on the support team.

Text-based emails crush because they feel like a real human just wrote you a message instead of a branded marketing send.

That human touch is often what gets a hesitant subscriber to finally convert.

7) Last Chance Urgency At The End

The final email(s) in your welcome flow have to make the discount feel like it's actually going away.

Urgency is what closes the sales that the first 3-4 emails couldn't, because when a subscriber has ignored a few discount pitches already, the fear of losing the offer entirely is often the thing that pushes them to finally use their code.

You can frame the last email around "your discount expires tonight" or "final chance to redeem your code before it disappears".

Conversion rate on that email will spike compared to every other email in the flow.

And that's the full list!

Take 10 minutes this week to run through your own welcome flow against these. Anything that's missing is the first thing you should get dialed in.

And if you want my team to build your welcome flow for you, book a call with us here »

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Brand:
Crucial Four

Email Design:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cP_uvw06aflWB0msWptowbSBMvReIv9_/view?usp=drive_link

Notes:

Founder-led monthly AMA. Great way to build authority and trust while answering common questions!

Reply to this email if you have any questions or further content you want covered.

Cheers,

Max Sturtevant

P.S
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