When someone jumps on your list, their interest is high. They’re paying attention. It’s prime time to set the tone and drive that first purchase.
Yet so many brands squander this opportunity with a half-hearted, short, passive, forgettable welcome sequence.
Not good. Leads cost money. A “meh” welcome sequence causes you to miss out on tons of conversions, driving up ROAS and shrinking your margins.
Fix it, however, and you’ll get a lot more of those first-time sales on autopilot.
So this article breaks down 7 common mistakes that’ll kill your welcome flow… and how to fix each one.
1. Not Sending Enough Emails
A lot of brands send a quick “hello” email with their discount and nothing more. Maybe a second reminder email.
That is nowhere near enough.
See, new opt-ins are warm. They’re paying attention. Yet they might not buy off the first email.
They might need to hear more about you and your products. They need to hear more about YOU.
If you stop sending after 1-2 emails, you lose a bunch of easy sales and engagement. Which also means lost future sales if your customer retention is already dialed in.
The fix:
I recommend 5-7 emails at the bare minimum. Some brands can go longer, depending on their product. For example, higher-ticket items, or brands with a large array of products, may need more emails.
Emails in the sequence should include things like:
- Intro/brand story (more on that in a minute)
- Brand values
- Product education
- Myth-busting
- Objection-defusal/FAQs
- Social proof
Err on the side of more emails. You aren’t bugging subscribers, since they subscribe knowing they will receive emails.
2. Waiting Too Long Between Emails
You can’t space things apart too much or it kills your momentum and hampers Welcome Sequence performance.
Think about it:
The first email hits their inbox seconds after subscribing…
Then nothing for 5 days. Or a week. Or longer.
By the time email 2 arrives, the iron is no longer hot. They’re not as excited to learn more or buy. At worst, they’ve even forgotten about you.
Either way, you make fewer sales from your Welcome Flow. Your ROAS falls. Fewer leads convert into customers, resulting in fewer opportunities to secure repeat sales.
The fix:
The first few emails should send 1 day after another. Later in the flow (especially if it’s a longer one) you may add a 2-day delay here or there.
However, I’ve found with many clients that a 1-day delay between each email works perfectly fine. Even more important if your lead magnet is a discount or other incentive.
3. Failing to Make Clear Offers (And Sell In Every Email)
Imagine you walk into a suit store. Does the salesman spend the whole day “nurturing” your interest and pray you come back later so he can make an offer?
No!
Would you want him to do that?
Also no! You have a problem (you need dress clothes) and the store has a solution (the suit).
The salesman indeed gathers info on what you want and educates you on the suits, but he also tries to sell you one.
Carry this same logic to your opt-in and Welcome Sequence.
The customer has a problem. You have a solution (your product). Withholding that from them to “nurture” them only does them a disservice. They’re forced to deal with their problem longer, while your sales and cash flows suffer.
The fix:
Make an offer in EVERY email. No matter the email subject, tie it back to your products.
For example, tying your brand story back to the customer’s problem (if you invented the product because you had the same problem). Or writing a product education email that ties directly to the product.
This is a great time to remind them of their welcome gift if you offered an incentive.
As for WHAT to offer…
Generally, that’ll be your “hero product” — your bestseller/what you’re known for.
Later on, you can introduce other top sellers or categories should the customer not buy the main attraction.
4. Not Telling Your Story
Many think a Welcome Sequence is only a “front-end” sequence. That its only impact is to make 1 sale per customer.
Not so. That’s transactional thinking. Doing that will make you just another brand selling a product. Yet another “meh” email in a flooded inbox.
When you tell your brand story, you connect with the reader and start the relationship strong. The right customers relate to your story in some way and feel better buying from you.
Because when they do, they’re contributing to a mission and real people they want to support.
An example — I buy from the brand Good Ranchers specifically because they’re focused on American-raised, grass-fed meat.
Another brand could have good steaks, too. I don’t care. They don’t support the same mission as Good Ranchers, nor do they do so to the same degree!
The fix:
I usually dedicate the first or second email to writing an origin story. If it’s the first email, it’ll be a bit shorter and come AFTER offering the incentive.
Otherwise, it’s a full-on origin story in the second email — the first email simply tells them to “look out for tomorrow’s email.”
Nail the basic story elements, like:
- Problem
- Impact of problem
- Discovering solution
- Hesitations
- Success
- Life afterwards
Highlight the founder (or yourself, if you are the founder), demonstrate your values, and illustrate what makes you different.
And then, of course, tie in a pitch to your product.
No need for an impressive rags-to-riches or world-changing breakthrough story, either. If you solved a real problem, other people have that problem and will resonate with your story.
5. Not “Indoctrinating” Your Customer
Every brand has a point of view. If you don’t share yours — like if you don’t tell your origin story — your brand won’t stand out from the masses.
And even if a customer is paying attention, they won’t feel strongly about you. They won’t say “yes, this brand gets it” and want to buy from you (and support you over the long term).
That’s a recipe for a more transactional relationship, leaving you more dependent on new leads and discounting.
Hence, the need for “indoctrination.”
That’s a bad word, but it technically just means imparting a worldview uncritically.
(Comes from the Latin words “in” meaning “in” and “docere”, meaning “to teach.” Also, just think of the word “doctrine,” and then add “in” to imply putting into someone’s mind.)
That worldview is not necessarily incorrect or bad.
And if you’re an honest, ethical business owner, you aren’t teaching people to believe in bad things or buy bad products. Indoctrination is simply getting them into your world.
The fix
Your other welcome emails will do the “indoctrination.” Other welcome emails should include things like:
- Your philosophy/beliefs, relevant to your niche: For instance, Heart & Soil is all about reclaiming health with ancestral wisdom and nutrition, and is very anti-seed oil/processed food)
- What makes you different from competitors: That could be ingredients/materials, employment practices, charitable initiatives, anything that makes you unique)
- Us vs. them: Talking crap about the “Establishment” or “Big XYZ” is a good example)
- Myth-busting: Show why certain beliefs or views are false and why you have the truth.
These build on telling your origin story and get your customer to see the world the way you do.
Done right, customers have an “aha” moment — helping them think, “Ohhh, now I get it. This brand just makes sense for me.” And that belief drives repeat purchases and stronger brand attachment.
(This Email Breakdown offers a masterful example of customer indoctrination within
6. Forgetting to Set Proper Expectations
Customers generally expect to get some emails when they join an email list. However, expectations vary.
Without telling customers what to expect, they get confused when the emails start coming. Perhaps overwhelmed, too.
At best, they aren’t primed to watch for content + offers, and so they read your stuff less, if at all. That means less buying and potentially an unsubscribe.
Worse, they might flag emails as spam.
The fix:
State clearly in your first (preferably) or second email how often to expect emails and what kind of content they’ll contain.
That includes expectations for the rest of the sequence and your regular mailing.
For instance, tell them over the following few days, they’ll learn more about your brand and products. Also, let them know you mail your list 3-4 times a week with product education, tips, occasional promos, and new YouTube videos.
In your last email of the sequence, reiterate the regular broadcast schedule (in the example, the 3-4 emails a week).
Link to a preference center where they can adjust frequency. Let them know they are free to unsubscribe at any time and that you don’t mind. This bit of transparency fosters trust and respect early on.
7. Lacking Urgency and Deadlines
Solid welcome sequence copy that highlights who you are and what you believe while presenting clear offers will convert a good chunk of buyers.
However, if they don’t give a reason for customers to act right now… you’ll still lose out on some customers.
Their interest is highest when joining the list. But that window can close fast. Press the advantage. Channel that attention into action with URGENCY.
The fix:
The urgency should start low and slow at the start of the flow. Then, you ramp it up toward the end.
Use language like:
- X% off for 48 hours only
- 24 hours left to save X%
- Last chance to claim your welcome discount
Not using a discount? Expiring the discount midway through the flow? Don’t worry, you can use other forms of urgency.
One way is sufficiently prodding at the pain of not solving the problem.
For example, a gut health brand could press on the pain and embarrassment of bloating and other gut issues — “twisting the knife” on how life gets worse the longer the problem persists…
And then urging the customer to solve it with the brand’s gut health supplement.
Other ways include:
- Limited stock warnings: Phrased so it’s true and not deceptive, like “products can run out of stock.”
- Shipping cutoffs: Such as “order by X to get it by DATE” if you get a liquid date field to show the date X days from the day the customer receives the email.
- Seasonal relevance: For example, altering your welcome sequence to fit the holidays and getting gifts for others in time.
Fix These Mistakes to Convert More Leads to Customers
Your welcome sequence is the first major piece of communication most new visitors will receive.
Done right, it’s one of your highest-leverage assets, too. It sets expectations for the subscriber, builds trust, drives the sale, and starts a strong, long-term relationship.
So if your current flow is making any of these mistakes, fix them. Tighten the gaps and add what’s missing.
Remember: The moment someone joins your list is the best shot you’ll get at turning them into a buyer. Don’t waste it.
What To Do Next
- Share this article with someone who might find it helpful (or entertaining).
- Get my free eBook using the form below to learn the 5 things stopping you from turning “one-and-done” customers into repeat buyers.
- Reach out to me if you have a sizable email list and make less than 20% of your revenue through email.
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