The first email after someone buys sets the tone for everything after it. It is also one of the emails customers are most likely to open. Make it warm, short and useful.
What a welcome email does
A new customer has just trusted you with their money. They have small questions: did it work, what happens now, who do I ask? A good welcome email answers all of them before they have to ask.
- Thank them, like a person would.
- Say what happens next, and when.
- Tell them how to get help, with a real name or address.
- Give one useful tip or resource.
Leave sales for later. The welcome email is not the place for the next offer.
Template: a service business
Subject: Welcome, Laila. Here is what happens next
Hi Laila,
Thank you for choosing us for your bookkeeping. I am glad to have you on board.
What happens next: I will set up your account this week and send you a short list of documents I need by Friday. Our first monthly review is on 3 November.
If you need anything, reply to this email. It comes straight to me, and I answer within one working day.
One tip for now: keep receipts in one folder as they come in, paper or digital. It saves hours at the end of the month.
Speak soon, Omar
Template: an online shop
Subject: Your order is on its way, and a quick thank you
Hi Sam,
Thanks for your first order with us. We pack every order by hand, and yours leaves our studio tomorrow. You will get a tracking link as soon as it ships.
Care tip: wash the mug by hand for the first few weeks to keep the glaze bright.
Questions about your order? Just reply, a real person reads every email.
The Hearth Pottery team
Template: a new newsletter subscriber
Subject: Welcome. Here is what to expect
Hi there,
Thanks for joining. Once a month you will get one useful tip for your garden, and news from the shop. No more than that.
To start, here is our most popular guide: the three plants that survive a forgetful owner.
If you ever want to stop, there is a link at the bottom of every email.
Make it sound like you
Automatic emails often sound like a machine wrote them. Write it the way you would speak to a customer at the counter. Use a real name. Read it aloud before you set it to send.
- Dear valued customer
- Thank you for your purchase
- Do not reply to this email
- We are thrilled to have you
"Do not reply to this email" is the worst line a welcome email can have. A welcome email should invite a reply.
What comes after
A welcome email can be the start of a short series: a tip after a week, a check-in after a month, a request for a review once they have had a good result. Keep each one useful.
For the ongoing relationship, see how to write a newsletter people read. When a customer is happy, that is the moment to ask for a Google review or a testimonial.