Similarly to how movies attract viewers, if you fail to hook your email subscribers in the first 10 minutes of your email communication, you’re through.
The success of your email onboarding sequence largely depends on your first email — also known as the welcome email or welcome message.
Contents
What is a welcome email?
The welcome email or a welcome message is the first email you send to your new subscribers, trial users, or customers when they signup for your product, newsletter, download a lead magnet on your website, or make an order for the first time.
What is the goal of an effective welcome email?
The purpose of the welcome email is to set the right expectations and introduce people to your software, product, or service.
The main goal of a welcome will depend on the type of your business and the stage of the customer journey.
With a welcome email, you can:
- Tell new users what to do next, so they can reach an Aha moment in your software faster.
- Nudge people to complete the next action in your onboarding flow, in case they haven’t been active.
- Get people to login into your app and service as a confirmation email.
- Prompt people to finish sign-up. Especially in a 2-step signup process, the welcome email could be used as a follow-up.
- Prompt people to download your eBook or another type of content if it’s the welcome email of a lead nurturing sequence.
- Collect feedback from new email subscribers in order to personalize your emails.
- Provide a video walkthrough of your product
Why you need to nail down your welcome email?
Welcome emails have excellent performance across the board:
- The average open rate for welcome emails is 50% — MarketingSherpa.
- Welcome emails see 3X the transactions and revenue per email over regular promotional mailings.— InboxArmy
- Subscribers who receive a Welcome email show 33% more engagement with the brand — Invesp
- 74% of people are expecting to receive a welcome email immediately after they subscribe to your list
- Based on our experience, you could expect anywhere between a 40% and 60% open rate for your welcome email. Compare that with the minuscule average open rates of all emails across all niches, which hovers at around just 20%.
Yet…
Only 57.7% of brands send Welcome emails to their newly subscribed users.
It just goes to show that you, as a company, have a smashing opportunity to increase engagement and convert your new users with the welcome email.
In this post, we’re going to dissect 45 welcome emails — some of them are excellent, but others are not so. In the first chapter, we’re going to review SaaS welcome emails, and in the next one eCommerce welcome emails.
With that out of the way, let’s jump in and check some email examples.
SaaS welcome emails
1. GatherContent
Subject line: Welcome to your GatherContent account
GatherContent is a content creation, workflow, and collaboration platform.
They’re taking a rather standard approach to their welcome email with a birds-eye view of the onboarding process.
Apart from giving the 4 onboarding steps, they supplement each step with helpful materials.
While this approach is excellent as far as providing a top-level overview and setting the expectations for what comes next in the onboarding flow, it’s a bit overwhelming.
The main goal of the welcome email is to remind people of your product’s value and nudge them to take the next step. One could argue that providing so many links could distract users from taking the next step or even put them in paralysis by analysis.
Takeaway
So how do you welcome someone in an email?
In your welcome message, consider if you want to familiarize users with your onboarding process from start to end OR give them a single call to action that nudges them to take the next most relevant action
2. Squarespace
Subject line: Welcome to Squarespace
Squarespace, the popular website builder platform, takes a pragmatic approach with their welcome message.
Squarespace has some excellent emails in their onboarding sequence, but this is not among the best ones.
A day later, they’re sending a second take on their welcome message that contains much more helpful information:
Saving your website’s URL is important, but they’ve lost a significant opportunity by occupying precious estate with a pre-mature CTA — the upgrade now button. Asking someone to upgrade their account in the welcome email is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. Even if they say yes, they’re probably not going to be a great fit for you.
I would send the checklist email immediately after signup and slow down with the aggressive asks.
Takeaway
Do not sacrifice value giving for pragmatism in your welcome message. In the case of Squarespace, no user will save their website URL anyway if they don’t find the website valuable in the first place.
3. Jira
Subject line: Get started on something amazing
Jira, a project management tool for software development, are relying on the ubiquitous “back to app” button to, well, get users back to the tool.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the back-to-app button, Jira have been a bit lazy with their welcome message.
As email marketing expert Val Geisler says:
“The important thing to remember is that your new customer is not yet quite convinced that they truly need your product. Continuing to convince them of that is an ongoing process.”
Considering the simplicity of this email, it’s clear it was made to do one thing — get me back to Jira. By making the email so minimalistic, they’ve missed educating me on the problem or the solution.
The hyper utilitarian approach with this email doesn’t take into consideration the user/product fit
Driving action is just one of the key techniques that it brings to bear. The others are showcasing the product and, most importantly, educating users on the problem.
— Yohann Kunders
A stellar user onboarding flow recognizes that some users are fully aware of the problem they want your product to solve, and some users aren’t. And it balances education, showcasing, and action differently to suit each need.
The lack of any other onboarding emails apart from an aggressive trial expiration email towards the end of my trial doesn’t alleviate the confusion.
If there’s one smart thing that this “transactional” email does is to reduce the support overhead by including a forgotten password link. I guess the Jira team has been forced to do so after getting a ton of password requests to their welcome message.
Takeaway
Do not be cynical with your welcome email expecting people to know what your product does and what problems it solves. A user is not won until they extract value from your product.
4. TunnelBear
Subject line: TunnelBear – email confirmation
TunnelBear, a VPN proxy tool, doesn’t really have a welcome message. Instead, they’re asking you to verify your email to start using their software.
Email verification as part of the onboarding flow is often seen in SaaS companies, so I had to address it in this post.
I’m not a big fan of the email verification onboarding process. It leads to a drastic drop-off of users at a very fragile stage of your sales funnel — before people have tried your tool.
We must note the brilliant illustrations TunnelBear uses in their emails and everywhere else, which makes for a memorable brand identity.
Takeaway
If you absolutely need to verify people’s emails as a part of your onboarding flow, you can hold off on that step until people have logged into your app. For example, you can ask people to verify their emails before they activate the service, connect an integration, invite a team member, etc.
5. Figma
Subject line: Welcome to Figma!
Figma, a collaborative interface design tool, relies on the user to get familiar with the plethora of resources they list in their welcome email.
To make things even harder for Figma users, the next action in the onboarding is not clear at all.
Besides, I’m not sure about the purpose of the purple masthead image — it feels like a lot of important estate is lost, especially on mobile phones.
At least they have a back-to-app button that stands out pretty clearly in the email design.
Takeaway
The resource type of emails has a place in your onboarding sequence, but the welcome message needs to have a clear next step.
6. Calendly
Subject line: Welcome to Calendly!
This is my favorite welcome email from the list we have thus-far!
Calendly, the popular online meeting scheduling app, have done a great job with their welcome message, so let’s dive in and see what they did.
Calendly leaves the user with no room for interpretation as far as what the tool does and what are the benefits of using it. The email starts with a solid result-oriented introduction:
What does the tool do?
“…puts an end to the scheduling back-and-forth…”
What are the results?
“…save 4 hours a week, or more than 45 minutes a day…”
Then, they ask the user, “you’re ready to start saving that type of time yourself?”
This question is very effective when your prospect has a desire or goal, and you naming it easily incites the awareness of it.
Continuing down the email, Calendly gives us a low-friction call to action to use any of their pre-made, ready-to-use scheduling links. No list of steps or resources here, just a super simple way to get up and running with their pre-populated meeting events.
The welcome email ends with two helpful links in case you have any questions or you’re not ready to start scheduling meetings.
Takeaway
Do not assume that users know the benefits of your product just because they’ve signed up for it. Use the welcome message as an opportunity to remind trials of the results they can get with your SaaS.
7. Deputy
Subject line: Congratulations, your Deputy account is now active!
Deputy is a tool that helps you schedule staff and simplifies timesheets.
They send you a welcome email once you activate your account.
They make great use of the top section of the email by highlighting the benefit – no more paper schedules and timesheets, while also using phone mockups to indicate that their software works on mobile.
Using their logo twice is a bit redundant, and surely that space could’ve been used wiser to make the headline or screens even more prominent (for example).
The CTA in that email is the app store links at the end. It would’ve been more effective if Deputy segments their audience and personalizes the email based on what phone they use instead of linking to both the Apple AppStore and Google Play.
They provide a link to a “helpful article,” but if you look closely, this link has no distinctive styling, which makes it almost invisible.
Takeaway
Make sure your links are correctly formatted and are distinguishable in your email copy.
8. Notion
Subject line: Tips from Notion
Notion, the all-in-one workspace tool, takes an unconventional approach to their welcome email with a walk-through of unusual features.
They have decided to focus on features. This email with a minimalistic design almost works as an in-app onboarding tour.
I like that they ask users to log in back into the app in each feature section.
I wouldn’t root for a welcome email that boasts features instead of benefits or use cases, but I think it works pretty well with Notion considering their unique product and flexible set of features.
9. Monday.com
Subject line: Hey Sarah — build your first board, and get your team started!
The project management tool Monday.com is the first product in that post that actually uses personalization in the subject line.
It’s also the first one that relies on video to onboard users. Monday has a high-level production video channel and their intro video has accumulated almost 100k views so far. This is no surprise — the video does a great job of showing different use cases for the product as well as real product demonstrations.
It’s really clever how they’ve used video shortcuts to highlight features:
Takeaway
Use video to onboard your customers.
When you paste a video link in the Encharge email editor, Enchage will automatically turn it into a placeholder image that looks the same as the one in the Monday.com welcome email — with the handy-dandy YouTube play button that entices people to click on it.
10. Podia
Subject line: Welcome to Podia! 👋
Emojis, GIFs, social proof, onboarding guide, personal demo — the welcome email by the online course platform Podia has it all.
The email starts with a low-key social-proof trigger:
“If you’re anything like the other 14,000+ Podia customers, you’re a busy creator..”
…while naming their target market at the same time.
It goes on to set the right expectations:
“Since your trial with us is completely free until Jul 11, 2019, now’s the time to get our product setup…”
“For the next few days, my team and I will be walking you through how you can make the most of your Podia account…”
Then, it provides a link to a helpful getting-started guide and the option to book a demo call.
And all this is sent from Spencer, which is a great little touch to make us feel like we’re talking to a real person and not a software robot.
All in all, Podia has an excellent welcome email.
11. FullStory
FullStory, a live session recording tool, takes a more intimate approach with their “sales-touch” welcome email.
Sales-touch emails are personal emails that you send to your trial users in order to engage them in a conversation with you. And this is exactly what FullStory does with their plain text welcome email sent by Luis, a key accounts team member at FullStory.
I would make a few tweaks to Louis’ email:
- It’s great that he lists some of the powerful features of FullStory, but I’ll also make sure to mention some of the use cases or maybe share a customer success story in that email.
- “Do you have a moment to chat on Wednesday or Thursday in the afternoon?” Uhh… you mean your afternoon or mine afternoon? I’m a little bit surprised Luis is able to schedule any calls with that call to action. I bet it takes him a lot of back and forth to nail down a meeting. Save yourself from that pain and use Calendly or another scheduling app instead.
12. Trello
Subject line: Welcome to Trello!
Nothing super fancy in the welcome email of the popular Kanban tool Trello. (By the way, do you notice the repeating pattern of the “Welcome to [Product]” subject line?)
They’re using a super prominent back-to-app button combined with a list of helpful resources.
Towards the end of the welcome email, they’re also preparing us for their future emails.
13. Universe
Subject line: Welcome to Universe
Universe, the simple website builder, sends a personal welcome email from Joseph Cohen, the founder.
Joseph talks about kaizen (?) and also prompts users to check their subreddit community. Then, he goes on to blab a bit about their goal to “build the web”. And finishes by asking users to leave a review of the tool (in the welcome email, really?)
The personal approach is great, but this welcome email fails pretty much everywhere else:
- It distracts me from the tool by talking about a “Japanese term for continuous improvement”.
- It asks me to join a Reddit community, assuming that I’m a Reddit user and I would care about becoming a part of a community of a tool that I just signed up for.
- It talks about their goals, but not my goals. And what is “building the web”?
- It asks me to leave a review. In the very first email.
- It doesn’t provide any educational information.
- It doesn’t indicate what’s the next necessary action I need to take to get value from Universe.
14. Litmus
Subject line: Welcome to Litmus! Here’s how to get started
Litmus, the popular email testing tool, sends a neat welcome email with a clear call to action.
I appreciate how they allude to the “costly mistakes” one could end up making if they’re not using Litmus:
Litmus is the easiest way to build and test email so that you can be confident it’s free of costly errors and ready to send to your subscribers.
I also like their CTA to “Explore” the tool, which is a fresh take on the “Get started”/“Go to product” button.
15. BrowserStack
Subject line: Welcome to BrowserStack
BrowserStack is a development testing platform that allows users to test websites on different operating systems without actually installing any of them.
In their welcome email, they’re guiding the user through the basic features of the software.
This email is on the text-heavy side and also lacks a clear CTA. “Start testing now” links are invisible, and the line height of the text is just too small.
This is supposed to look like a plain-text personal email but is actually sent from the “BrowserStack Team” which is disappointing.
Takeaway
Email is not the most design-friendly medium out there, but make sure to follow the basic rules of legible typography:
For legible body text that’s comfortable to read, a general rule is that your leading value (author note: the vertical space between lines) should be anything between 1.25 and 1.5 times greater than the font size.
Keep your lines short, with generous vertical spacing.
16. Asana
Subject line: Get started with your Asana Premium trial
Asana, the project management platform, has 2 different welcome emails:
- For trial users (screenshot above)
- And for invited users (screenshot below)
The welcome email for trial users doesn’t assume you know what’s the next step. Instead, it helps you build momentum with a frictionless CTA to “Use a Template” — the next most crucial action in the value chain of Asana.
Beautiful illustrations of the app bring more context to the features: Company Goals, Event Planning, Product Launch templates. Compare them to the meaningless illustration in the Figma welcome email, and you’ll know why they work.
Takeaway
Use illustrations in your email only when they provide contextual value.
17. Dropbox Business
Subject line: Welcome, Sarah!
Dropbox Business uses the rule of three to guide users to start with their product.
“If you want something stuck in someone’s head, put it in a sequence of three.”
— Brian Clark, Copyblogger
That’s what Dropbox does with their steps — get the ball rolling with three easy steps: download the app, set up folders, and invite the team.
Moreover, the vibrant CTA makes it clear what is expected of the user to do next.
18. ActiveCampaign
Subject line: Your ActiveCampaign Account – Thanks!
The marketing automation tool ActiveCampaign gives users a quick-start guide on setting up their account.
With a prominent button color and a clear focus on their email-sending features, ActiveCampaign does a great job in nudging people to start sending emails with their platform.
I would play around with the layout of this email, and separate the steps into four rows to make the visual flow more manageable for the eye.
They also prompt trialing users to download their Getting Started Checklist, an unconventional way to help people on board, but I like it.
19. Grammarly
Subject line: You + Grammarly = Ready for Action
It’s no surprise the Grammarly team has a way with words — “millions of users rely on Grammarly every day to make their messages, documents, and social media posts clear, mistake-free, and impactful.”
Both funny and personal, the subject line of the Grammarly welcome message stands out from the crowd.
The email is quite lengthy, but it works well for Grammarly, as they’ve separated the email body into multiple sections using visual clues and headlines.
If we have to pick up on them, the primary call to action “Visit the all-new Grammarly editor” is quite pale and could benefit from a change in the visual treatment.
Also, I could argue that the welcome message is not the best place to talk about “Email Preference Settings”.
At the end of the email, you’re going to notice the Grammarly Premium section. In this post, I’ve argued that the welcome email is a terrible place and time to prompt users to upgrade, but that’s not the case with Grammarly’s welcome email. Since Grammarly is a Freemium tool (they have a generous free version), it’s fine to educate freemium users about premium features from the get-go. Studies show that freemium users usually upgrade faster than free Trial users.
Takeaway
If you have a SaaS with a freemium model, do not hesitate to ask users to upgrade in your welcome email.
20. Wix
Subject line: Welcome to Wix
Wix, the popular website builder, has a welcome email that aligns well with their vibrant, visual brand.
The primary CTA which prompts users to “Start Creating” their website is focused and contrasts the overall email design as it
At the end of the email, Wix encourages users to explore example websites, helping them visualize success with the tool.
21. Typeform
Subject line: Pick your path
With a catchy subject line, the Typeform welcome message definitely stands out from the rest.
I love the way Typeform takes into consideration the buyer’s journey, and segments users based on their choice:
- I’ve got this — for users that are happy to explore Typeform without help.
- I seek guidance — sends users down a quick-start email sequence.
When you combine the smart segmentation with their witty copy “Your personality. Our interface” and beautiful visuals that help their brand recognition, this welcome is a spot on.
Takeaway
Increase your email engagement by using segmentation in your welcome email to send users on a personalized onboarding path. With Encharge, you can create personalized email sequences based on what links people have clicked.
22. ClickUp
Subject line: Warm chocolate ClickUp cookies
The project management platform ClickUp has a welcome email with a bold and clever subject line, but that’s not the only special thing about this email.
There are tons of project management tools out there, and ClickUp has definitely done a good job of addressing that objection in their onboarding email:
- “ClickUp is the fastest growing project management platform…”
- “Our core focus is releasing improvements every week…”
- “We’re so different.” — then they go on to highlight some of their unique features and prompt users to click to “see what makes ClickUp unique”
The email ends with a funky little blurb that says: “Feeling hungry? Click here for the best chocolate chip cookies” and links to a recipe for a chocolate chip cookies 🙂 The little things make all the difference.
Takeaway
How do you welcome your customers?
People trialing your product are in the evaluation phase of the customer journey. At this stage, it’s your job to render any objections neutral and harmless. The welcome message is a good opportunity to address and answer any common prospects’ objections.
23. Intercom
Subject line: Welcome to Intercom
Intercom is relying on a super simple, plain-text welcome email to nudge people to do a couple of things:
- Set up their team. They’re literary using “here’s your next step” CTA.
- Watch their product tour videos — in case you want to learn more about Intercom.
At the end of the email, there’s, also, a little “Log in to Intercom” button.
Nothing super fancy in this welcome message, but it does the job.
24. Airtable
Subject line: Welcome to Airtable!
Airtable, the database platform that has been ramping up growth in the last couple of years, uses a video to welcome their users.
I like that they’re offering a dive-deep video and a quick 2-minute video for busy people — talk about being considerate of your users’ time!
This email could benefit from a little pinch of personalization. I mean, guys, you already know my name, put those liquid tags to good use!
Encharge supports liquid tags that you can use to personalize your emails.
For example:
Hey {{person.firstName | default:"there"}} will use the person’s first name or substitute it with “there” if it’s not available.
25. Buffer
Subject line: Verify your Buffer email address 🙂
This is another email verification email, but there’s a little bit more to it.
First, the email is sent from Joel, one of the co-founders of Buffer, which automatically turns an annoying transactional email into a more personal one.
Second, there’s a brief P.s. that alerts users about future communication and provides a handy FAQ link.
Pro tip: People tend to read P.s’s more than they do the body copy of an email. Including relevant information and next steps in the P.s. is a sneaky way to get people to read it.
26. InVision
Subject line: Welcome to InVision
The design collaboration tool InVision welcomes us with a beautifully illustrated email that feels like an extension of their product.
The masthead of the email uses personalization and social proof (“a design community 5 million strong”) to makes you feel at home.
The email goes on to introduce users with their products:
- InVision Studio
- InVision Cloud
- InVision DSM
Each product is accompanied by a prominent CTA and a quick-tour video that helps you get familiar with the software.
27. Wistia
Subject line: Hey there. Welcome to Wistia!
The voice of Wistia’s welcome email radiates their entertaining and colorful brand.
Wistia uses a poem-like message to introduce us to their side product Soapbox and their library of resources for the ones that are curious to learn more.
My only pet peeve with this email is the bland “Learn more” CTA that doesn’t resonate with the funny brand or imply any added benefit.
28. YNAB
Subject line: Are you making this big budgeting mistake?
YNAB, the personal budgeting software for Windows and Mac, takes an entirely different approach with their long-form welcome message.
The email almost works as an article.
What I like about this email is that instead of screaming, “try this feature, try this feature!” YNAB educates its users. And the copy is quite bright — they employ a story to illustrate the use case of their budget adjusting feature.
What I dislike is that the email is a bit hard to read. Breaking down those lengthy paragraphs into smaller chunks, and using larger font size and line-height could go a long way in making the email less scary to read.
Takeaway
The best welcome message balances education, showcasing, and action differently to suit the customer’s needs. Do not be afraid to use a longer copy in your email copy to share a story and teach your users how to approach the problem that your product solves.
29. Drip
Subject line: Welcome to Drip! 👋
Drip is another company that uses the rule of three to help users starting with their product:
- Install Javascript snippet.
- Join an upcoming webinar.
- Invite your team.
The email ends by setting the expectation on what to expect from the Drip team in the next few days:
“This is the first of 6 Drip welcome emails. In the next installment, we will install a workflow into your account.”
30. Basecamp
Subject line: Welcome to Basecamp 3!
Basecamp, the mainstream project management tool, is taking a similar safe approach for their welcome email.
They provide the user’s login link for quick reference, links to download mobile apps, and a link to the support docs. Nothing fancy, but not bad for a welcome email.
eCommerce Welcome Messages
31. AVI-8
Subject line: Welcome to AVI-8! Your 15% OFF code is inside
It’s common for eCommerce brands to bribe prospects for their email by offering a discount code. When you leave your email, watch brand AVI-8 greets us with striking product photography and a 15% off discount code — what do you want more?
At the bottom of the email, we can see a list of objections-handling triggers:
- Free worldwide shipping
- Hassle-free returns
- Two-year warranty
Takeaway
Use discounts to bribe website visitors into leaving their email.
32. TOPSHOP
Subject line: Your inbox just got better! Enjoy 10% off your first order
Another store that relies on discount codes to grow their email list is the famous clothing brand Topshop.
In their welcome email, we can also notice the bottom navigation, which helps us explore their most popular product categories: New in, Shoes, Clothing, etc.
Takeaway
Use your welcome email to provide customers with an easy way to explore your store products.
33. H.Samuel
Subject line: 🙋 Welcome to H.Samuel!
One more online store that offers a discount code when you sign up for their newsletter.
However, the H.Samuel welcome email doesn’t end up there. If you scroll down in your email client, you can see they give us:
- Reasons to buy from them.
- A list of their top brands.
- A memo to whitelist their email address to make sure we don’t miss any news (I don’t know if people are that tempted about news, but they sure don’t want to miss discounts!)
- A big-ass footer with navigational links that lead to product categories, help, and other information.
Takeaway
Your welcome email is a great place to train people to open your emails. For starters, an effective way to do is to ask people to whitelist your email address by adding it to their address book. That way, your emails will not end up in their junk folder.
34. MOO
Subject line: Fantastic. You’re in!
Custom printing shop MOO welcomes us with a gorgeous photo that has a balloon, bread, slippers and a cock in it! Well, I can only guess what the photographer was thinking when taking this photo, but it definitely invokes “Whaat?”
The rest of the email is pretty standard: a little bit about their product quality, CTA to shop now, a blurb about their support, and last but not least the MOO promise.
Takeaway
Don’t be shy to go overboard with your welcome email. Try to invoke emotion in your customers by using a crazy picture or words; see how they react.
35. Barnes & Noble
Subject line: Welcome to B&N – Discover What’s In Store (and Online) for You
Barnes & Noble are trying to achieve a lot of things with their welcome email:
- Get you to visit a store or buy online.
- Get you to download their bookstore app
- Or join the B&N Membership
- Or maybe buy their eReader Nook?
Considering the broad audience of B&N, I don’t blame them, but if you’re a smaller player, you might want to keep things a bit more focused in your welcome email.
36. Ghost Bed
Subject line: GhostBed Luxury Sheet Sets Now Available! Complete your sleep set
Mattress brand Ghost Bed are going hard with their welcome email! There are no pleasant words or discounts here — just a straight-up sales email that pushes you to buy their luxury bed set.
37. eBay
Subject line: Kalo, thank you for joining eBay!
A big company with a big welcome email, eBay is doing a lot in their welcome email.
Once they prompt you to change your username (apparently a big step in the onboarding process for eBay), they seem to handle a few objections and myths related to eBay.
Did you know that 80% of the items listed on eBay are new? Neither did I.
The rest of the emails caters to both shoppers and sellers. As a two-sided marketplace, I’m a bit surprised eBay doesn’t have separate welcome emails for buyers and sellers, as segmentation should help in this case.
Takeaway
The welcome email is a great place to destroy myths and prejudice about your product or service.
38. Fancy
Subject line: Welcome to Fancy! Please confirm your account
In their verification email, global product curation community Fancy does what they do best — help you explore great products.
Instead of keeping their verification email all transactional and boring, Fancy relies on beautiful product photography to entice you to verify your email and dive into the world of quirky products.
39. Teepublic
Subject line: It’s Time: The Sale is On
This email is probably the longest welcome email on our list! Teepublic’s welcome email is a vibrant, colorful mishmash of funky t-shirts and cups. Beautiful illustrations and low prices entice you to visit the Teepublic website. I bet this email gets a good click-through rate!
40. Soylent
Subject line: ⚡TODAY ONLY: 25% off a new Soylent subscription.
Supplement nutrition brand Soylent pushes the envelope a bit further with their discount code for new customers by using urgency in their welcome email.
With the help of dynamic merge tags, they’re indicating the expiration date of your discount code:
“Offer expires 11:59 PM PT on 4/12/18”
Pretty clever!
Bonus: Other Welcome Messages
41. Udacity
Subject line: Welcome to Udacity, User! Let’s discover what your future holds
For-profit education marketplace Udacity, uses a welcome email to walk new users through the success journey:
- Your journey begins!
- Enjoy the Udacity advantage.
- Earn your credentials and land interviews with our hiring partners.
- Achieve your career dreams!
Udacity is literary illustrating how success looks with their platform.
And to push you over the edge, if you still have any doubts, they’re giving you 10% off of your first program AND a testimonial from a happy student hired at Google. Well, if that doesn’t convert you, I don’t know what could…
42. Blinkist
Subject line: Hooray! Your personal reading assistant awaits
Book summary website Blinkist takes an unconventional approach with their welcome email. Rather than pushing you to try a book summary, they ask you to join their Facebook group.
Takeaway
If community is a big part of your brand, why not invite people to join your Facebook group or Slack channel in your welcome email?
43. Booking.com
Subject line: Your next trip just got cheaper!
Popular booking site Booking.com goes straight to the point with a subject line that emphasizes discounts and offers.
In the masthead, users are enticed to “Reveal deals!” as Booking.com boasts thousands of discounted properties.
Scrolling down, Booking reveals a bullet-point list of reasons to use them, as well as a gallery of places to check and a starting price for each location.
44. Instacart
Subject line: Kalo, prepare to be amazed + free delivery!
Grocery delivery platform Instacart keeps things simple. It starts with a brief description of their service — they don’t assume people know how Instacart works just because they left their email.
Then, they go on to offer free delivery if you order in the next seven days (urgency).
In the second section of the email, they provide three reasons (the rule of three) to entice you to use Instacart.
A benefit trigger — Save time (and money) by shopping on Instacart — and a contrasting CTA to use your free delivery.
All in all, a well-rounded welcome email!
45. Uber
Subject line: Welcome to Uber, Kalo!
Witty copy (“You’re going places. We’ll get you there.”), beautiful app screens and a prominent call to action — “Take a ride” — logistic giant Uber has it all in their welcome email.
Uber uses their welcome email to explain how their app works with simple app illustrations and concise, focused copy:
- Set your destination
- Hop in
- Roll out
As simple as that, you can go places in just seconds!
10 Welcome email templates
To step it even further we created 10 fill-in-the-blanks welcome email templates that you can borrow for your product to engage and excite new users. Same way as the top SaaS companies do.
1. The 3 steps to successful onboarding — welcome template
Inspired by GatherContent
The purpose of this welcome email template is to provide your trial or freemium users with the top 3-5 steps they need to complete in order to get value from the product and reach an Aha moment. Do not encourage irrelevant activities, as this can dampen your onboarding experience.
Hey Lisa,
Welcome to your [Product] account! 🙌
[Explain the main benefit]
You can now organize, structure, and manage your content at scale and with confidence.
Follow these 3 steps to get up and running:
[Step 1 + link]Create your first project. – [Explain the step in 1 sentence]. Get started by creating a new project. Then you can create new content or import existing works.[Step 2 + link]Set up your templates – Templates provide structure for your content pieces and help create consistency throughout the project.[Step 3 + link]Customize your workflow – Customize your workspace to reflect the stages required to manage your content production progress. Setting due dates will help your team stick to project milestones.
[CTA Button to step 1]
Scale your content work by creating your first project
2. The checklist — welcome email template
Inspired by Squarespace
This template is similar to the previous one, but here we frame the steps as to-do items. People love to complete tasks. A little dopamine spike is created every time we check an item on our to-do list. You can even use visual clues, such as checkboxes and checkmarks, to emphasize this feeling.
[Main benefit]
Create your website in 3 steps
Follow our quick checklist to build your site.
[Address objection — complexity, time to execute]
The road to a website is shorter than you think. Use this checklist to bring your website to life.
[Checklist item 1]Learn the tools
Get started with our step-by-step video series.[Checklist item 2]Create your content
Replace the placeholder content in your website template with your own creations.[Checklist item 3]Style your website
Make the most of your template and customize the fonts and the colors to match your brand.
[CTA Button to step Checklist item 1]
Watch our video series now
3. The core value — welcome template
Inspired by Calendly
This template will help you explain the core value of your product clearly and concisely. It’s easy to write and execute and is generally a great choice if you’re wondering how to structure your welcome email.
Hey Lisa,
Welcome to [Product]!
[Explain the main problem that your tool solves]
We’re glad you decided to put an end to the scheduling back-and-forth!
[Quantify the value]
On average, [Product] users save 4 hours a week or more than 45 minutes a day! Sounds great, right?
[Name the main goal or desire to incite the user’s awareness of it]
Well, you’re ready to start saving that type of time yourself!
[Provide the shortest path to your core value with pre-populated content, placeholder images, use case examples, and templates]
To make getting started easy, we provide you three ready to use meetings.
[Explain how your product works. Try to keep it simple by using the rule of 3.]
Just choose the one that makes sense, copy the link, and send it to set up your next meeting. It’s that easy.
[Get started CTA]
4. Unconventional features — welcome email template
Inspired by Notion
This template works best if you have a product with a highly unique and innovative set of features. Rather than listing every single feature, this template focuses on what makes you different. This approach is especially useful if you compete in a saturated software market.
Hi Lisa,
How’s it going with the new tool? We packed a lot of unconventional features into [Product] — so here’s a quick walkthrough. I recommend you open a blank [Product] project and try as you go.
[Feature 1]. Drag to arrange anything. This is the most special thing about [product]. Extremely useful for organizing your thoughts on the fly. [CTA] Give it a try.
[Feature 2]. Organize into columns. Great for visual thinkers. [CTA] Give it a try.
[Feature 3]. Markdown commands. For keyboard lovers, commands let you quickly add new blocks. [CTA] Give it a try.
Hope that helps!
[Your name],
Founder [Product]
5. The standout welcome email
Inspired by ClickUp
Every product sends a welcome email, and they all pretty much have the same subject line. Imagine a prospect that is currently evaluating five different project management systems. The prospect will get the same boring “welcome to Yet Another PM system” email five times.
This email template relies on a quirky and funny copy to stand out in the crowd of welcome emails. Do not steal it word for word, or you’ll fall in the same trap. Instead, play around with your imagination and come up with something outrageous and different.
Welcome, Sarah!
[You still need to add the benefit!]
Our mission is to make you more productive.
[Non-pushy friendly CTA]
Play with [Product]
[Add social proof. Mention how you’re different — is that your community, your feature release velocity, or something else.]
[Product] is the fastest-growing PM platform for a reason — and that’s YOU! Our core focus is releasing improvements every week to make your life on [Product] more enjoyable.
[Get users hooked by keeping them in the loop]
Notifications?
By default, we’ll send you notifications to all of your devices. You can customize what we send and where we send it to.
[Provide help]
We’ve got you covered with Docs, Videos, Blogs, and world-class 24/7 customer service.
[What makes you stand out?]
We’re so different.
Assigned comments, Me vs. Team dashboards, Multitask Toolbar, 3 views: these are just some of the little things that make a huge difference.
[Use the email as an opportunity to sprinkle some of your personality. Share your favorite office recipe, tell the story of your office dogs, or just share a photo of your team doing something stupid.]
Feeling hungry? Click here for the best chocolate chip cookies.
6. The video welcome email
Inspired by Airtable
Already have a well-executed video walkthrough of your product? Brilliant, Don’t be shy. Show it in your welcome email.
You want to include two videos. A quick product overview for people that are just getting their feet wet with your software and a longer deep-dive video for the users that are ready to evaluate your product thoroughly and want to learn the nuts and bolts of the tool.
Welcome to [Product]!
Thanks for signing up. It’s nice to meet you.
[Include a placeholder video image that leads to the quick overview video]
[Make sure to mention the length of both videos]
Not sure where to start? Become a [Product] pro in 12 minutes by watching our step-by-step video guide to creating your own project. (In a hurry? Take the 2-minute quick video tour instead.)
[Video CTA]
Watch now
[Offer an alternative for people that prefer a different medium]
Not in a video-watching mood? That’s fine, too. Just remember, if you ever get stuck, you can visit our support center for answers to your most pressing questions or drop us a line at [email protected].
7. Setting the expectations welcome email
Inspired by Podia
Apart from getting people to take action, the welcome email has the important task of setting the right expectations for your future email communication. Are you going to send any more emails, how often, what are they going to be about? Setting the expectations up front will avoid any unpleasant surprises and train your trial users to engage with your emails more regularly.
Hey Lisa,
[Identify your target market, let them know that this is going to be relevant to them]
If you’re anything like the other 10,000 [Product] customers, you’re a busy creator with not a lot of spare time on your hands.
That’s exactly why we built [Proudct] to make easy [solving the biggest problem for your users.]
[Explain how the trial works — how long it is, when is the trial expiration date, what features are available or not available]
Since your trial with us is completely free until [Trial expiration date], now’s the time to [complete a critical step required to experience value within the product].
[Set the expectation for your email communication]
For the next couple of weeks, my team and I will be walking you through how you can make the most of your [Product] account, including some ways others are putting [Product] to use in their businesses.
If you need a quick resource to get going immediately, our user guide should do the trick!
Talk to you soon.
[Your name],
Customer success at [Product].
8. The personal tour welcome email template
Inspired by Fullstory
This welcome template takes a more intimate approach with a sales-touch. The goal is to initiate a conversation with your trial users. This works exceptionally well if you have a complex high-touch onboarding process.
Hi Lisa — I wanted to thank you for trying out [Product]!
I’m reaching out because there are a lot of features left to discover that are incredibly relevant to your role/industry (to list a few: custom variables, integrations, saved segments, page insights, and more).
[Mention why they should jump on a call with you. What’s the reward vs. the risk of losing 30 minutes with you.]
We’ve seen that a quick tour of the product catered to you can help you maximize your trial and [stress the main benefit of the product] help you improve your UI for better conversions.
[Clear CTA to book a slot on your calendar]
Do you have a moment to chat this week or early next week?
Cheers,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]
Key Accounts Team | Request/Schedule a quick call here
9. The path choice welcome email
Inspired by Typeform
As SaaS marketing expert Kate Harvey says:
“Gone are the days of sending emails based solely on the number of days they’ve been trial users. Heavily engaged users may be up and running within a few days, while other users may not have logged in since signup. Sending all users the same email at the 3-day mark will alienate users because it is obvious you aren’t in touch with their needs and use of the product.”
This welcome email template gives control back to your trial users and allows them to choose an onboarding path that works best with their customer pace and product knowledge. It asks users to select the path that best describes their experience with the product. Once their preferred path is selected, your marketing automation tool will put them in the right email flow.
Welcome to [Product]
[Mention biggest benefit of your product]
Get to know your audience, one person at a time.
[Let users choose the best path for them.]
Now pick your path:
[Path 1]I’ve got this
Happy to explore[Product]without our help for now? We’ll check in on you later.[CTA]Start flying solo[Path 2]I need guidance
We’ll send you useful tips so you can[achieve the primary outcome of your software].
[CTA] Start my training
10. The segmentation welcome email template
Inspired by Sleeknote
Depending on how broad are the use cases for your product, you might want to create a different email onboarding experience for the different types of users you get. The welcome email is an excellent opportunity to segment your trial audience into different buckets based on their biggest challenge or demographic attributes like industry and job position.
Hi there, Lisa!
Thanks for signing up for [Product]. It’s great to have you on board.
I know you’re busy, so I’ll cut to the chase:
My goal is to provide the best experience with [Product] that is relevant to your needs.
But for me to do that, I need to know more about you.
Which one of the following best describes you and your business? Click on the ONE answer that best describes you:
[Give your users links to click on. Each link leads to a specific landing page that lists some of the product benefits that are relevant to the particular segment.]
- I own or work at an eCommerce business.
- I own or work at a SaaS startup.
- I own or work at an agency.
- I’m new to online marketing.
Click on one of the above links, and you’ll be taken to a landing page with more information about your particular use-case and what you can look forward to in these emails.
Then, I’ll personalize an onboarding experience that best suits you.
Looking forward to helping you grow your business with [Product]!
Best,
[Your name]
Co-founder [Product]
Read next: Learn how to set up a welcome email for your trial users.
Creating an Excellent Welcome Email — Cheatsheet
Here’s a cheat sheet that will help you craft a welcome email that converts subscribers into customers:
Here’s a cheat sheet that will help you craft a welcome email that converts subscribers into customers:
- Illustrate the success journey with your product.
- Do not expect people to know what your product does and what problems it solves — explain it in your welcome email.
- Remind people of the benefits of your product.
- Handle any common objections.
- Use segmentation in your welcome email to send users on a personalized onboarding sequence. With Encharge you can create personalized email sequences based on what links people have clicked.
- If you absolutely need to verify people’s emails as a part of your onboarding flow, you can hold off on that step until people have logged into your app at least once.
- Use merge tags to personalize your emails. Encharge supports liquid merge tags that you can use to create powerful dynamic tags.
- Use illustrations in your email only when they provide contextual value. (See Asana and Uber above.)
- Follow the basic rules of legible typography: big font, short sentences, small paragraphs, big vertical space between lines.
- Make sure your links are correctly formatted and are distinguishable in your email copy.
- Use a video to onboard your customers. If you have a complex product — provide a product dive-deep video (15-60 min) and a quick-tour video (2-minute). When you paste a video link in the Encharge email editor, Enchage will automatically turn it into a placeholder image.
That’s all, folks!
I hope this post gave you enough inspiration to create the perfect welcome email and improve communication with your customers!
Let me know what your favorite welcome messages are in the Disqus comments below?
