A welcome email is your “formal” introduction or greeting to your email subscribers. In fact, welcome emails get 86 percent higher open rates than other emails. That means, this is prime real estate for you brand to begin a relationship with consumers.

Set expectations right away by explaining to customers:

• Why they will be receiving messages from your brand
• How often they will receive your messages
• What type of content subscribers should expect

These details will help you build a relationship that goes a long way. In fact, a welcome email can set the tone for your entire email relationship and can impact whether or not subscribers will open and click on future emails.

Pro Tip: In the case users sign up to your email list via a lead magnet or free offer, we suggest sending the welcome email and freebie offer in one email because of the high click through rate.

WELCOME EMAIL BEST PRACTICES

Thank your new subscribers The first thing you should do in your welcome email is thank your new subscriber for joining your email list. “Thanks” is one of the most effective words to use in your emails, helps build brand loyalty and gives a human touch to a brand. When subscribers know you appreciate them, they are more likely to have positive feelings toward you and your brand. Pro Tip: Try thanking the new subscriber by using first name personalization. Including a subscriber’s first name may catch their attention and increase engagement.

Set Expectations

Let subscribers know what they can expect from you on a regular basis and explain what kind of emails you will be sending them.
Questions to ask:

• Will you send a weekly or bi-weekly newsletter?
• Do you only send special offers and exclusive deals emails for subscribers only?

This will define the relationship and prevent subscribers from being taken by surprise by your email content and get them excited for what's to come.

Talk about yourself or history of the brand Introduce yourself, show off your personality and start building a connection with subscribers by explaining what your business is all about. This can help you sell your product or service in later emails, because your subscribers will already be familiar with who you are and what you do. Pro Tip: Get personal with the new subscriber by sharing an awesome story or little-known fact about your business. Share your mission and how your product or service is changing the world to connect on a deeper level with subscribers and set you apart from other similar businesses.

Ask Subscribers to Whitelist Your Emails Whitelisting is the act of subscribers adding you to their address book. The purpose of whitelisting is to improve your deliverability and make sure that your emails to subscribers don’t get filtered to spam. Several companies offer instructions in welcome emails showing subscribers how-to whitelist you. Be sure to emphasize the benefit of doing this. Let your subscribers know they won’t miss an important email with a special deal or valuable information by whitelisting your brand.

Contact Information and Links to Social Channels Make yourself accessible to subscribers if they want to reach out and include contact information in your welcome email. Deepen your connection even further with by providing links to your social channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and encouraging them to follow you.