How To Write A Welcome Email Sequence With Free Templates

Just about all professional bloggers will tell you that in order to be successful as a blogger, you have to create and build your own email list.  Not only that, you’ll actually have to keep in touch with them (don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with my free Welcome Email Sequence Templates!).
It’s an absolute must, especially if you’re planning to monetize your blog.  Your email subscriber list is your bread and butter when it comes to reaching your readers and your customers.
If you’re feeling lost when it comes to exactly how to write a Welcome Email Sequence, this post is going to help you get started.

Why You Need An Email List

If you’re new to blogging you may not even understand why you need an email list.
After all, there’s so much else you’re focusing on just to get your blog off of the ground, why add one more thing to the mix?
Actually, growing your email list should be your #1 priority.  Without a way for your audience to sign up for your list, you’re almost wasting that valuable traffic that you’re working so hard to get to your blog.

1. Email Marketing Builds Reader Loyalty

There are literally 2 million blog posts published in the Blogosphere every single day.  That means your blog can easily get lost in the sea of posts.
If you’re lucky enough to get people checking out your content, grab them while they’re interested.
If you get them on your email list, you can easily bring them back to your blog in the future.

2. You Own Your Email List

When you get subscribers on your email list, your taking control of the future of your blog and business.
Even if you have a ton of followers on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you have no control over that content or platform.
Social media platform algorithms change regularly, so at any moment you could lose your valuable audience.
Why?  Because you don’t own those platforms.  If they disappear tomorrow, where will that leave your connection with those followers?
That’s why you need to build your email list.  You own that list and use it stay connected with your audience, even if those other options fail.

3. Email Subscribers Become Loyal Customers

If you want to monetize your blog, every one on your list is a potential customer.
The people that sign up for your list already love your content or they wouldn’t have signed up.
When you monetize, your email list will be your #1 source for paying customers.  Once you build a strong connection through your nurturing your list with helpful emails, your subscribers will appreciate the opportunity to buy your helpful products and services.

How To Get Started Building Your Blog’s Email List

Now that you understand why you need an email list, let’s go over how to get started with building your own subscriber list.

Choose Your Email Marketing Tool

Choosing your email marketing tool can be another overwhelming decision to make when you are new to blogging.  There are a ton of options available, and they all claim to be the best for growing your list and connecting with subscribers.  There are free options and very expensive options.  So which email marketing tool should you choose for your blog’s subscribers?

MailChimp Is NOT The Best Free Option For Bloggers

A lot of beginner bloggers will start their email list with MailChimp.  Back in 2016 when I started blogging, that was the only free email marketing tool that I was aware of.  They do a great job with their marketing, so many bloggers think that MailChimp is the only free option for managing an email list.

However, MailChimp has a steep learning curve when it comes to setting up automated emails.  Many bloggers will give up on their email marketing because it seems too confusing – I don’t want that to be you!!
If you’re already signed up with MailChimp, you know what I’m talking about.  Don’t worry – I have a better solution at the same price – ZERO DOLLARS.

MailerLite Is The Recommended Free Email Marketing Tool For Bloggers

For beginners, I highly recommend using MailerLite as your email marketing tool.  It’s free to use for your first 1,000 subscribers and you have access to all of their awesome marketing tools from Day 1.

Related Post: How To Launch Your New Blog With A Bang

MailerLite makes it super easy to create customized pop-up forms, embeddable forms for your blog posts and beautiful custom landing pages for your lead magnets.  You’ll even get access to pre-built templates and drag-and-drop blocks, making it simple for you to get started in a matter of minutes.

They have a full library of video tutorials for every email scenario you can think of, so you’ll never feel like giving up on learning email marketing.

MailerLite also has a WordPress plugin that makes it easy to add your forms to any page or post on your website.

Yes, I use MailerLite myself for Next Level Blogging and my other websites.  It is also one of the blogging tools that I recommend to every single blog coaching client that I work with.

10 Email Marketing Features MailerLite Offers For Free

Compared to other email marketing tools, it’s kind of hard to believe all of the features that MailerLite gives you access to as part of their free plan.  Here are just ten of the best features offered free with MailerLite:

1. Email automation workflows
2. Detailed stats including email open rates, the links clicked within emails, etc.
3. Customizable landing page templates
4. Turn double opt-in on or off for each form
5. Send new blog posts automatically with RSS feeds integration
6. List segmentation based on attributes and behavior
7. Run A/B testing campaigns
8. Deliver lead magnets and other digital products easily
9. Create pop-up, embeddable and promotion forms that are fully customizable with colors, fonts, images, etc.
10. Cold-subscriber clean-up

You may not know what all of those features are if you’re new to email marketing, but trust me, you’ll want to have those features once you get started.

Create A Lead Magnet To Increase Email Signups

Getting readers to hand over their email address can be tricky.  We all get too many emails as it is.  Why should they subscribe to your blog’s email list?
Yes, you can offer them the opportunity to “join your newsletter” or “sign up for free tips”.

You’ll have a much better chance of getting their email address if you make it worth their while.

Create A Lead Magnet aka An Opt-In Freebie

If you want to really increase your email sign-up conversion, create a lead magnet, also called an Opt-in Offer, for your audience.
What is a lead magnet?

It’s a valuable digital resource or piece of content that you’ll give to your reader for free, in exchange for their email address (when they “opt-in”).
Your opt-in freebie should have the following characteristics:

1.  Specifically of interest to your target reader
2. Offer a solution to a common pain point for your target reader
3. Be easily consumable and offer a quick fix
4. Offer real value (something worth paying for, but you are giving for free)

Don’t skimp on the design of your lead magnet!  Remember, this is a representation of your blog and brand.  If a reader opts in for your freebie, make sure you are putting your best foot forward.  This is a potential future customer, so think of it that way.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton of time creating a lead magnet.  You can use Canva to create a professional, branded PDF download to use as your freebie.

What should you offer as a lead magnet on your blog?

Cheat Sheets, Workbooks, Planners, and Guides are all great options for your opt-in offer and shouldn’t take much time to create.

If you already sell your own products, you could offer an exclusive discount on their first purchase or a free sample as your lead magnet.

One of my coaching clients is a mom blogger and her target audience is millennial stay-at-home moms.  She created Reward Coupons for parents to give to their kids for completing chores.  This is a perfect example of how to get creative and offer something of value to your subscribers.  Check out her landing page for the Reward Coupons here (and sign up if you’re interested in awesome parenting tips for millennial moms!).

It can be anything that your readers will find valuable enough to give up their email address to get.

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Create Your Welcome Email Sequence

Collecting an email address is great but if you neglect to use it, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your audience.

Creating a Welcome Email Sequence is the perfect start to your email marketing strategy.  The Welcome Sequence is a series of emails that are automatically delivered to your new subscribers.
Welcome emails have an open rate around 58% !  That’s much higher than most emails, so you definitely want to make the most of what you deliver in your Welcome Email Sequence.

Your Welcome Sequence should include 5 – 7 emails  that pack value into each and every one of them.
These emails are your chance to:

• Introduce yourself and your blog
• Get readers to join you on your favorite social media platforms
• Build a personal connection with readers
• Gain your reader’s trust and confidence in your brand
• Find out what your readers need from you
• Share more content to keep them returning to your blog

Welcome Email Sequence Templates

If you’re still not sure exactly what to include in these emails, I’m going to make it easy for you!
I’ve created Welcome Email Sequence Templates that will guide you through the process of creating your own sequence.
Download the Welcome Email Sequence Templates now.
These templates will help you craft a stellar Welcome Email Series for your new email signups.
Feel free to cut, paste and fill in the blanks, or use these templates as inspiration for brainstorming your own valuable Welcome Emails.

Keep the following in mind when crafting your emails:

• • Keep emails short and to the point.  Too much text will lose your reader’s attention and cause them to miss your main objective.
  • Each email should instruct your reader to take one action, and only one. More than that can cause confusion for readers and cause them to take no action at all.
  • Get readers excited about your blog – share your enthusiasm for your content, and share links to your most popular posts.
  • BE YOURSELF!!  Your voice is what makes you unique – be personable in your emails and you’ll build connection and trust.

Get More Blog Traffic With Your Welcome Emails

If you create a lead magnet that converts well, your email subscribers will be your most engaged readers.  Nurture your subscribers with a Welcome email sequence that has them returning to your blog again and again.  The right email marketing strategy works hand-in-hand with your blogging efforts to increase traffic and put you on the path to growth and success.

Let me know what you think of the free email templates, or if you have any questions about starting your email list in the comments section below.  I’ll be sure to get back to you soon!

Happy Blogging!