Someone just gave you their email address. They filled out a popup, signed up for your newsletter, or opted in at checkout. They’re interested. They’re paying attention.
What happens next determines whether they become a customer or forget you exist.
Most brands waste this moment. They send a single email with a discount code and then radio silence until the next sale campaign. That’s not a welcome sequence — that’s a missed opportunity.
A good welcome series turns curious subscribers into first-time buyers. A great one turns them into loyal customers who open every email you send. Here’s how to build one.
Why the welcome series matters more than any other flow
The numbers speak for themselves:
- Welcome emails have an average open rate of 50-60% — more than double any other email type
- They generate 3-5x more revenue per email than regular campaigns
- Subscribers who receive a welcome series show 33% higher long-term engagement
The reason is simple: timing. Someone who just signed up is at peak interest in your brand. Every day you wait to send them something useful, that interest fades.
The structure: 4 emails over 7 days
You don’t need 10 emails. You need 4 well-crafted ones that each do a specific job.
Email 1: Deliver and delight (send immediately)
Job: Give them what they signed up for and make a great first impression.
Subject line ideas:
- “Welcome to [brand name] — here’s your [offer]”
- “You’re in. Here’s your [discount code]”
What to include:
- The promised incentive (discount code, free guide, etc.) — prominently, at the top
- A one-sentence brand introduction (who you are, what you sell)
- One clear CTA: “Shop now” or “Browse bestsellers”
What to avoid:
- Long brand essays (save that for email 2)
- Multiple CTAs competing for attention
- Burying the discount code below paragraphs of text
Tone: Warm, excited, brief. Think “great to have you here” not “let me tell you our entire history.”
Email 2: Tell your story (send day 2)
Job: Build a personal connection. Give them a reason to care about your brand beyond the products.
Subject line ideas:
- “Why I started [brand name]”
- “The story behind [brand name]”
- “This is why we do what we do”
What to include:
- The founder story — why you started, what problem you saw, what drives you
- What makes your products different (ingredients, materials, ethics, approach)
- Photos of the founder, the team, or behind-the-scenes
Why this works: People buy from people. A genuine founder story builds trust faster than any amount of polished marketing. This is especially true for female-founded brands — your story is your competitive advantage.
Tone: Personal, honest, conversational. Write it like you’d tell a friend over coffee.
Email 3: Show the proof (send day 4)
Job: Overcome the “is this actually good?” doubt with social proof.
Subject line ideas:
- “Don’t take our word for it”
- “What our customers are saying”
- “Over [X] five-star reviews — here’s why”
What to include:
- 3-5 of your best customer reviews (with real names and photos if possible)
- Bestseller highlights — “Our most-loved products”
- Press mentions or awards (if you have them)
- UGC photos from real customers
Why this works: By email 3, they know your brand exists and they know your story. Now they need proof that other real people love your products. Social proof removes the risk of buying from a brand they haven’t tried yet.
Email 4: The gentle sell (send day 6-7)
Job: Convert. Give them a clear reason to make their first purchase.
Subject line ideas:
- “Your [discount] expires soon”
- “Picked for you: our team’s favourites”
- “Still thinking about it? Here’s a nudge”
What to include:
- A curated product selection (bestsellers or staff picks)
- Reminder of the welcome offer with a deadline
- Clear, single CTA to shop
Why this works: By now they’ve had four touchpoints with your brand. They know who you are, why you exist, and that other people love you. This email gives them the final nudge.
Timing matters
| When to Send | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immediately | Deliver the offer, make first impression |
| 2 | Day 2 | Build personal connection |
| 3 | Day 4 | Establish trust with social proof |
| 4 | Day 6-7 | Convert with curated products + urgency |
Don’t rush it. Sending all four emails in two days feels aggressive. Spacing them out keeps you present without being pushy.
The discount question
“Should I offer a discount in my welcome popup?”
It depends on your brand positioning. Here are both sides:
If you offer a discount:
- Higher opt-in rate on the popup (typically 5-8% vs 1-3%)
- Stronger first-purchase conversion
- Risk: you attract discount-seekers, not brand loyalists
If you don’t offer a discount:
- Subscribers are more qualified — they signed up because they’re genuinely interested
- Protects brand perception for premium products
- Alternative incentives: free shipping, a gift with purchase, or access to exclusive content
Our advice: for most e-commerce brands, a modest welcome offer (10-15% off first purchase or free shipping) is worth it. The lifetime value of converting a subscriber quickly almost always outweighs the margin you give up.
Mistakes that kill welcome series performance
Sending a discount code and nothing else. You had their attention and you wasted it on a coupon. The welcome series is your best chance to build a relationship — use it.
Being too corporate. Drop the formal marketing speak. “We at [Brand Name] are committed to delivering excellence in…” — nobody reads that. Write like a human.
No personalisation. At minimum, use their first name. Better: reference what brought them to your site (if you collected that data).
Generic product recommendations. If someone signed up from a specific product page, show them products related to that — not your entire catalogue.
Forgetting mobile. 60%+ of emails are read on phones. If your emails don’t look good on a 375px screen, they don’t look good.
Measuring success
Track these metrics for your welcome series:
- Open rate — target 50%+ on email 1, 40%+ on subsequent emails
- Click rate — target 5-10% across the series
- Revenue per recipient — how much revenue the series generates per subscriber
- Conversion rate — what percentage of subscribers make a first purchase within 14 days
Key takeaways
- The welcome series is your highest-leverage email flow — get it right before worrying about anything else
- 4 emails over 7 days: deliver, tell your story, show proof, gentle sell
- Don’t lead with just a discount code — build the relationship
- Write like a human, not a marketing department
- Space emails out — present without being pushy
- Measure revenue per recipient, not just open rates
Want a welcome series that sounds like your brand?
We build Klaviyo flows that feel like your brand, not a template. Every email written to match your voice and your customers.
Tell us about your brand and we’ll book your free clarity call.