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[SWIPE] Download The Perfect Welcome Email Template

Congratulations!  You’ve got a brand new subscriber to your email list!
Now what?
First, know that your subscriber is as excited about…

  • you
  • your brand
  • your products and services
  • your content

… as they will ever be. After all, they just gave you their email address.
According to a study by Experian, Welcome Emails are 4 times more likely to be opened and nearly 7 times more likely to get a click than other promotional mailings.
Experian Welcome Email Study
And, as if the high open and click rates aren’t enough, the transaction rate and revenue per email of a Welcome Email is over 9 times that of other promotional mailings.
Welcome Email: Revenue Per Email
At DigitalMarketer, our Welcome Email is 6 times more likely to get opened than the typical promotional email.
These are the numbers for our perfect Welcome Email:
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These numbers are astounding! Your Welcome Email presents a tremendous opportunity.
Now is the time to welcome that new subscriber. Now is the time to “wow” them.
Now is the time for Indoctrination.

What is Indoctrination?

The role of Indoctrination in your email marketing is to welcome new subscribers by telling them what they can expect and what they need to do next to get the greatest benefit from you and your brand.
It is only sent to new subscribers that have never been on your email list. After all, you wouldn’t introduce yourself to someone you’ve already met. That would be…awkward.
Keep this in mind…
Your new subscriber may not recognize your name (or your brand name) in their inbox, and they aren’t necessarily expecting an email from you.
You have no relationship with that subscriber…yet. Your Indoctrination Campaign will begin to build that relationship.
Ok, let’s get to the template…

The Perfect Welcome Email Template

The Welcome Email has 5 parts…

  1. The Subject Line
  2. The Personal Opening
  3. The Benefit Statement(s) 
  4. The Next Steps
  5. The Open Loop

Let’s have a look at DigitalMarketer’s Welcome Email. I recommend you read it all the way through the first time. Pay close attention to each part of the email.
Then, see below where I break down the nuances of each chunk of copy.
(NOTE: You’ll also find the link to download your editable Welcome Email Template at the end of this article.)
Welcome Email Body Copy
Alright, let’s analyze the copy in this email…

Welcome Email, Part 1 – The Subject Line

The subject line should be straight forward.
Welcome Email Subject Line

Welcome Email, Part 2 – The Personal Opening

Just as you would when you meet someone for the first time in the physical world, the opening should be conversational and welcoming.
Notice how Ryan (DigitalMarketer’s CEO and Co-Founder) introduces himself with an almost folksy tone.
Stay true to your brand here, and you can’t go wrong.
Introduction to Welcome Email

Welcome Email, Part 3 – The Benefit Statement(s)

In this section, we set expectations and restate the upside to being a DigitalMarketer subscriber.
They have given you their email address. What will you give them in return? When will you give it to them? Will you send them content? Will you invite them to exclusive events? Will you send them exclusive offers?
Connect the dots for your subscriber. Don’t assume they know (or remember) why being a member of your email list is beneficial to them.
Here’s how we do it:
Welcome Email Benefit Statements
Make promises and be sure to keep them. Remember, this is a relationship, and good relationships are built on trust.

Welcome Email, Part 4 – The Next Steps

We devote a sizable portion of the Welcome Email to next steps.
This is by design.
We ask the subscriber to do 2 very important things:
1.  Whitelist our emails – Notice how detailed our instructions are regarding whitelisting. First, the act of complying with our instructions to whitelist our emails is a micro commitment. These small commitments from the subscriber are important because, in the future, we will be asking them to make bigger commitments. Second, whitelisting our email (even if only one out of 10 complies) does wonders for our person-to-person email deliverability.
2.  Connect with us on social media – Again, complying with our instructions to connect with us on Facebook or Twitter demonstrates a micro commitment on the part of the subscriber. Second, each new social media connection we make from our Welcome Email represents increased reach and frequency of our marketing. Not to mention that we like our customers and subscribers, and being connected with them on social media is pretty cool in and of itself.
Here’s what this section of the Welcome Email looks like:
Welcome Email What To Expect
BONUS: Want to see the structure of a good whitelisting instructions page?  Click here to see ours.

Welcome Email, Part 5 – The Open Loop

This is optional but opening “loops” in your email in general, and your Welcome Email in particular, will do wonders for your engagement rates.

The P.S. in this Welcome Email teases the emails we will be sending over the next few days to the new subscriber.
By teasing these future emails, the subscriber anticipates them over the following days. As a result, open rates go up.
Just remember — you have opened a loop, be sure to keep your promise and close that loop. Then, consider opening another. 🙂
Welcome Email Next Steps
This P.S. also allows you to transform your Indoctrination Campaign into a true series of emails. As a result, you’ll be increasing the connection with your subscriber and driving traffic to your best content. Talk about putting your best foot forward!
For your follow-up emails, use subject lines like…

  • Free Gift (1 of 3)
  • Here’s your free gift (as promised)
  • I’m keeping my promise
  • Here’s your 3rd gift
  • Gift #3… as promised

Then, simply articulate the benefit of the content you are sending them and drop a link.
Bonus points if you use these follow-up emails to further tell the story of your company, your mission, and your core values.
Remember, the Indoctrination Campaign is about welcoming your new subscriber. It’s about intentionally building a relationship with that new subscriber and setting the stage for that new relationship.
Put it in place today, and you’ll see a welcome change in the overall health of your email list. (<< See what I did there?) 🙂
Download your Perfect Welcome Email Template

Richard Lindner

Richard Lindner

Co-Founder at DigitalMarketer, Scalable.co, Traffic & Conversion Summit and Host of the Ready to Lead Podcast

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