As a health and wellness copywriter, the welcome sequence is one of my favorite ways to increase revenue for my clients. Sometimes called a welcome series email flow or welcome automation, this is a set of emails you send to new subscribers the first time they interact with your brand. Whether you’re selling products or programs, you need a welcome sequence.
I see a lot of wellness professionals get tripped up with this particular set of emails. They put it off (because they don’t know what to say) or they don’t have it set up correctly. But I would strongly urge you to make this project a priority.
Why?
Well, it’s important to engage with your new-found friends the moment they sign up for your email list. This is when their excitement about you is the highest — which means they’ll be likely to spend money on the solutions you offer them during this time. The welcome sequence is the best tool for this job of engaging your people.
If you do it right, the welcome sequence could just be the highest-grossing set of emails you ever send.
And here’s the really great thing about a powerhouse welcome sequence: it’s completely automated, so it brings in revenue on auto-pilot. File under: realized passive income dream.
Let’s take a look at what goes in a welcome sequence, and how a health and wellness copywriter would tackle the project.
When Do I Need A Welcome Email Series?
There are a few instances when you need to make sure you’ve got an automated welcome sequence teed up and ready to go:
When someone fills out the form on your website to join your mailing list.
After a prospect downloads your “freebie” or lead magnet, or gives you their email in exchange for a discount.
When a client applies to work with you or makes an appointment with you.
Having your email service provider (ESP) ready to deliver a set of perfectly crafted, tailored-to-your-ideal-client emails after any of these actions occurs makes sense for your business. For one, it’s just good manners — and if you get this right, these emails will increase your authority and sell your stuff at the same time. So it’s really a must. A no-brainer. A super simple way to add to your bottom line.
So let’s look a little closer at the anatomy of a welcome sequence.
How Many Emails Should Be In My Welcome Sequence?
Here’s the thing: there’s no one way to create a welcome sequence. Ideally, you’d start with a minimum of 3 emails, but longer automations (like 7-10 emails) can really increase your sales and make your life easier — because once they are up and running, you don’t need to touch them again.
But also, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the process, just start with one single email. A welcome email is better than none. You can always add to the automation later. As with all things in business, baby steps are totally OK to make.
If you’re hiring someone like me, a health and wellness copywriter, to write your welcome emails for you, I’d suggest going for at least 7+ emails in your initial series. That way you can get everything set up and start testing what works best for your audience.
What Goes In A Welcome Sequence?
Again, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to your welcome series email flow. This is one of the first interactions a potential customer has with your brand — so it’s important that it feels like you.
Here are some strategies to consider when it comes to crafting your welcome sequence:
If they’ve downloaded a freebie or asked for a discount, the first email needs to deliver the said item.
FYI — copywriters usually number this email #0. This email will be the email with the highest open rates you will probably ever get. That means it’s a great opportunity to make sure you deliver the goods with a spectacular email.
You can make this one short and sweet, and put all the focus on downloading and opening the lead magnet you’ve worked so hard on. Try to put a little personality into this email. After all, a lot of people will just be reading this email because they want the free stuff or the discount — but some will read this email…and because you’ve piqued their interest…they will want to read your *next* email, too.
In this initial email, you can also ask for a reply or a confirmation that they received your email. This ultimately helps your deliverability, and it helps people feel like there is a real person on the other end of your emails…which is great for your brand’s goodwill.
2. For the next email in the series, you can tell your company’s origin story. Here’s where you ramp up the know, like, and trust factor. Try making this story as colorful and interesting as you can.
3. In email three, you can make this one about the main problem your products or programs solve. Bonus points if you can throw rocks at a common enemy.
For example, if one of the things you sell is a women’s hormone-balancing supplement, you could make your email about hot flashes, cramps, night sweats, and acne — and then talk about how traditional hormone “remedies” like the pill don’t work.
4. In email number four, I like to dig into your traditional sales arguments here. Highlight the features and benefits of your product or program. This is a more straightforward kind of pitch…but remember, always lead with the benefits. Make your reader understand what’s in it for them.
5. In the fifth email (or in 1-2 emails tucked into the welcome sequence somewhere) I like to use a story that helps the reader picture their dream life after using your product or program. An email or two that helps trigger a sense of “I want to be like that!”
For example, if you sell a program to help tighten and tone the pelvic floor, you could write an email about women who are secure in their sexuality and exude confidence and explain how that confidence comes from having a pelvic floor that’s strong.
6. In email six, here’s where you can start to overcome objections. You probably know your audience well. And you know what sales objections you’ve heard in the past. It may seem counterintuitive, but go ahead and bring those objections to light — then counter them. You can use social proof here to great effect.
For example, say you sell a coaching program that helps people lose weight…and one of the main objections you hear is that “I don’t have time for this right now.” Well, feature a success story from one of your other students who was afraid they weren’t going to have time for the program but found it super easy to fit into their schedule.
7. Down in email seven, it’s a great idea to throw in a full-blown success story. An email that showcases how an ideal client got the results they craved by working with you or buying your product.
8. Once you hit emails 8-10, it’s time to start pulling the urgency and scarcity triggers. Maybe you can offer an increased discount if they haven’t purchased yet. Or you start to talk about how you may be raising the price of your product soon.
Here’s the thing. Every email of your series should give your prospect a reason to buy now. But if they’ve gotten this far into your sales pitch and they haven’t purchased…it’s time to give them a rock-solid reason to. And remember, many times, people have to see your offer 7 or more times before they buy! So don’t be afraid of sending this many emails.
Welcome Series Best Practices
When it comes to the welcome sequence for your wellness business, it’s best practice to send an email every day in a row after a prospect signs up to join your list. Send email #0 (where you deliver the freebie or discount) immediately and then the next email 1-36 hours later. Sometimes, e-commerce stores tend to lean closer to the 1-hour mark, and other businesses go for the next day.
You may be afraid of overwhelming your prospect, but in all honesty, the welcome sequence is where you create a true relationship with your customers. This is where they become followers and clients for life.
Once the welcome series is over, your customers should be switched to your nurture email or ‘newsletter’ list. Try sending a broadcast email like this at least once a week to help keep your audience feeling appreciated (and primed for purchase).
And don’t forget: leave claims out of your copy when you’re writing emails for your wellness practice. Click here for ways to avoid that mistake.
Feeling Overwhelmed Creating Your Welcome Sequence?
Crafting a welcome sequence can feel like a big job. Writing 10 emails at once is no joke. But, the good thing about this project is — it’s one and done. Once the emails are written, you load them up into your ESP and then they work on auto-pilot for you. You may need to tweak the sequence here and there a bit based on the data you get after sending out the series several times. Subject lines and CTAs are easy to change up if you see that something’s not quite resonating with your list.
Want to get your welcome sequence done in a week without having to touch a keyboard or think up a hook for an email? Check out my VIP Experience here.