The welcome email is the email with the highest engagement in your onboarding sequence. It’s like the initial hook in a movie or the entry hall of an office building. Get it wrong, and you’ll leave a bad taste in your users and jeopardize your whole email communication.
We’ve already covered a ton of great welcome email examples from successful SaaS brands. Today we want to step it even further and provide you with 10 fill-in-the-blanks email templates that you can borrow for your product to engage and excite new users. Same way like the top SaaS companies do. So let’s jump in!
Contents
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.
Subject line: Welcome to your [Product] account
Body copy:
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.
Subject line: Welcome to [Product]
Body copy:
[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 generally a great choice if you’re wondering how to structure your welcome email.
Subject line: Put an end to the scheduling back-and-forth with [Product]
Body copy:
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.
Subject line: Tips from [Product]
Body copy:
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.
[Scratch the boring courtesy, try something bold and clever]
Subject line: Warm chocolate ClickUp cookies
Body copy:
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.
Subject line: See how [Product] can help you [solve the most significant problem]
Body copy:
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]
With longer videos, you can use Youtube shortcuts to highlight features throughout the video.
This is how Monday does it in their video:
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.
Subject line: Let’s make you a professional creator in the next 14 days!
Body copy:
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.
Subject line: Personal hello!
Body copy:
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.
Subject line: Pick your path
Body copy:
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 demographics attributes like industry and job position.
Subject line: A quick question
Body copy:
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]
Next: Learn how to set up a welcome email for your trial users.
Further Reading on Onboarding Emails
- 45 Effective Welcome Message Examples Analyzed
- How to Write a Killer Welcome Email Series (with examples)
- 13 Onboarding Email Templates for Busy Marketers
- 16+ Onboarding Emails You Can Steal in 2020
- The Most Effective Trial Expiration Email Templates You Can Steal Today.
- How Simple Onboarding Emails Can Help you Convert More Customers
- 17 Examples of Aha! Moments That Have Changed Product Companies Forever
