Are you looking to onboard new subscribers and turn them into paying customers?
Congrats on subscribing to your own product. Kidding — but seriously though, subscribe sales won’t just happen by themselves.
Any subscription-based company knows this struggle all too well. The hard work truly begins after someone hits that final subscribe button.
Here’s the issue:
You throw your subscribers a single welcome email… and hope they stick around. Then wonder why half of them churn after week one.
That welcome email feels about as impersonal as it gets. Which is a problem considering first impressions matter more than ever.
Fortunately, welcome flows are changing the game. Subscription brands from every industry are using them to create genuine connections with new subscribers right from the start.
You’ll learn:
- Why That First Impression With New Subscribers is Critical
- Why Subscription Brands are Using Personalized Welcome Flows
- How to Easily Build your Own Welcome Flow
- Welcome Flow Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs
Lesson 1 — Why First Impressions Matter for New Subscribers
Let’s dig into why first impressions matter so much with your subscribers.
Pause for a sec…
When someone subscribes to your product or brand, their journey officially begins with you.
Make a bad first impression and that subscriber will look for the unsubscribe button faster than you can say “Hey welcome”.
Subscriber welcome emails boast an average open rate of 68.6%, while regular marketing emails struggle to reach 20%. That means your subscribers care about that first impression more than you think.
But here’s the kicker…
Welcome emails are becoming less effective when used alone.
It was common practice in the past to send one single “thanks for subscribing” email. One welcoming message.
Turns out, sending a series of 3 welcome emails generates 90% more orders than just one. Who knew?
Subscription businesses of all shapes and sizes are taking notice. From ecommerce businesses dropping packs on day 1. To online membership companies hooking viewers with free trial access. If you can provide value on day one you have a huge opportunity to succeed.
That’s why creating a great first impression has never been more important.
Even adult content creators are realizing the need to make a lasting first impression the moment someone subscribes and personalized welcome flows are how they do it.
Ready to learn how?
Lesson 2 — Why Subscription Brands Use Personalized Welcome Flows
Before we jump into creating a killer welcome flow of your own, let’s understand why they’re so powerful.
Important lesson coming up…
Personalization.
This cannot be stressed enough. Generic welcoming messages are so yesterday.
New subscribers want to feel unique. They want content that matters to them. And what better way to show that than through a personalized welcome flow.
A welcome flow can allow you to:
- Address subscribers by their first name
- Personalize why they signed up (source, link, offer)
- Educate them about your products/services gradually
- Show subscribers you care before trying to sell to them
Think about this…
Tom just subscribed to your newsletter. He clicked on a post link that took him to your landing page.
Sarah also subscribed today. She signed up through one of your Instagram posts.
Same day. Same newsletter. Two completely different subscribers.
Thankfully your welcome flow will recognize this and send them content that’s tailored to their behaviour and interests.
Higher open rates.
Better click through rates.
Longer-lasting relationships with your subscribers.
A personalized welcome flow does it all. If you’re able to nail that first impression with every subscriber using a welcome flow, you’re doing it right.
Lesson 3 — How to Build your Welcome Flow
Great news! Building an effective welcome flow that converts subscribers is actually easy. Simple even. Here’s how to do it…
Email 1: The Intro Email
Ok, so this email will be the very first one that subscribers receive. As such, it’s important this email goes out within minutes of them signing up. Send it too late and you risk losing all of that momentum.
Your subscribers just got done taking some kind of action to subscribe to your content. Now it’s your turn to put good content in front of them and keep that cycle going.
This email should:
- Welcome them. Say hello and thank them for subscribing
- Set expectations. Tell subscribers what they can expect coming into your newsletter
- Provide value. Whether that’s giving them access to a free gift or offering an exclusive discount
You want this email to be short, sweet, and to the point. You don’t want to overwhelm new subscribers with too much info. Give them exactly what you promised and let them eat up that welcome treat you gave them.
Email 2: The Value Email
Ok, now it’s been a couple days since your subscribers signed up. It’s time to really establish your relationship with them.
You can do this by delivering real value.
Real Value. Period.
Don’t give your subscribers a sales email as a thank you for signing up. Instead, show them you know what they’re looking for by providing amazing content.
Could be something like…
- An in-depth how-to guide
- A behind the scenes look
- A compilation of your best content
The point here is clear. Prove to your subscribers that subscribing to your content was worth their time.
Important: Don’t sell anything in this email. Your subscribers don’t know you enough yet. This email is purely for gaining trust.
Email 3: The Offer Email
Alright, you’ve got their attention. They opened your second email. They even clicked through it.
It’s time to start rolling up the sleeves and making an offer.
Not a hard sell though. Remember, you’re trying to establish trust.
Bring up a product. A premium membership. An exclusive offer. Whatever you’d like to promote.
But before you pitch it, show your subscribers you understand them by personalizing the offer. Tell them this product was selected just for them based on their interests.
Boom. Sold.
You can adjust this 3-email framework to your liking. Start with this flow and let the data guide you in the right direction for improvements.
Lesson 4 — Welcome Flow Mistakes
Alright, now that you know how to create a killer welcome flow. Let’s make sure you don’t mess it up!
Seriously, these are some of the worst mistakes you can make with welcome flows.
Emailing subscribers too late.
If it takes more than an hour for your subscribers to receive their very first welcome email you’re doing it wrong.
As mentioned earlier, momentum is everything. When you automate your welcome flow, it should trigger RIGHT when someone subscribes.
No exceptions.
Not personalizing the experience.
“Hey there, Thanks for subscribing” is lazy. Learn your subscribers name. Why did they sign up. Where they signed up from. Use that data to personalize every email in the welcome flow.
Pitching too soon.
Sale emails aren’t welcome emails.
Promoting your product in that very first email is a huge turnoff. Establish a relationship with your subscribers. Then sell to them.
Emails aren’t mobile-friendly.
Don’t assume everyone will open your welcome flow emails on their desktop. Over half of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your emails don’t look good on mobile you’re gonna lose subscribers.
Not testing keywords.
Everything. Must. Be. Tested.
Subject lines, send times, length of email. You name it. Small improvements add up over time. Test and optimize relentlessly.
Avoid these rookie mistakes and you’ll put your subscription business miles above the competition.
Wrapping Up…
Welcome flows have become the bread and butter for any successful subscription-based business. If you’re not utilizing them yet, consider yourself warned.
Here’s the formula that works…
- Create a series of emails. Not just one.
- Personalize each email based on subscriber data.
- Provide value ahead of any promotions
- Set it and forget it. Automation is your friend
- Test different variables and optimize for the best results
Your welcome flow will make or break your first impression with subscribers. Make sure you do everything in your power to make it count.
Want your welcome flow to cover more than just day 1? Not a problem!
Consider creating a “Lead Magnet Welcome Flow” to hook readers with your freebie upon signup. Then pass that lead into the 3-email welcome flow created above.
Start implementing your own welcome flows now and watch your subscriptions soar.