It's more than just a "thank you for signing up" email; it's a strategic sequence designed to answer questions, build a relationship, and, most importantly, drive that critical first purchase.
That's it - the main goal of yoursequence is to get that new person to make their very first purchase.
Core Purpose of a Welcome Flow
Before you build your flow, you need to understand its three main objectives:
- Answer their concerns: Think about what might be stopping a new person from buying and make sure your messages address those doubts.
- Showcase your brand: Present your company in the best light, sharing your mission and the main benefits your audience can expect.
- Build a real connection: This isn't just about selling; it's about forming an emotional bond with your audience.
6 Core Principles of a High-Converting Welcome Flow
Every successful welcome flow is built on a foundation of these six principles:
- Focus on conversion, not just engagement: Your primary aim is for them to buy something.
- Match the flow length to decision time: If your typical customer takes a week to decide on a purchase, your welcome flow should last about a week. If it's a bigger decision (like buying a boat!), it'll need to be longer.
- Consistency is crucial: The best brands send a message every single day for at least five to seven days. If you send fewer messages, you're missing opportunities and your competitors might get the sale instead.
- Go multi-channel: Don't just stick to email. If you can, add SMS messages or even push notifications to the mix.
- Present the right offer: While a 10% discount is a common and safe starting point, your offer doesn't always have to be a discount. It could be free shipping, a special product bundle, a consultation, or a welcome kit. The key is to figure out what's stopping your potential customers from buying and tailor your offer to solve that problem.
- Tell a story: Your messages should introduce your company and its main offer, then make people feel like they're part of a community or a VIP, and finally, create a sense of urgency towards the end.
- Beginning: Introduce your brand and mission.
- Middle: Present your offer and provide social proof.
- End: Create a sense of urgency to encourage action.
7-Day Welcome Flow Blueprint With Examples
Here’s a proven, day-by-day structure you can adapt for your own brand:
- Day 1 (Immediately): Send a welcome email. Make them feel like they've joined something special, like a "tribe" or "family". If they signed up for a discount, highlight it right away.
- Day 1 (4 hours later): Send another message, perhaps a plain-text email that looks like it's from a founder. This message should put your offer forward, but crucially, it's also a great way to get feedback on why people might not be buying immediately.
- Days 2-5: Continue to build value with a mix of content:
- A reminder of the offer.
- Social and scientific proof (testimonials, reviews, case studies).
- A showcase of your bestselling products or main use cases.
- Days 6 & 7: Drive urgency. Send emails with subject lines like "24 hours left" and "Last chance to claim your offer." A significant portion of your conversions will happen in these final days.
Inspiration from Top Brands
- Athletic Greens (AG1): They're great at mixing email and SMS. Their first message immediately shows their value proposition with a comparison, then they reinforce offers and provide lots of social and scientific proof.
- ClickUp: Though not e-commerce, they excelled at highlighting benefits (what you gain, not just features) and humanizing their brand by featuring different team members. This helps build a stronger relationship.
- Nike and Onit: Both these companies are masters at building a sense of community and VIP status. Nike focuses on "your Nike experience" and "insider access," while Onit welcomes people to their "tribe". It's about making people feel special, not just about the discounts. Onit also uses that feedback-gathering email for its offer.
- Hungryroot: They have a fun brand voice and make their offer super visible, often placed right near their logo in every email. They use repetition of their value and offers, plus comparison tables.
- Dose: They also make their offer highly visible and leverage those powerful urgency emails towards the end of the welcome flow.
- Hims: In a healthcare context, they had their Chief Medical Officer explain the brand's value. This builds trust and authority, which can be more important than a discount in certain industries.
By following these principles and learning from the best, you can create a welcome flow that not only converts new subscribers into customers but also turns them into loyal, long-term fans of your brand.
