You spent hours (months?) pouring your blood, sweat, and more than a few tears into your website words. But how do you know if your copy is working or not?
The answer isn’t as cut and dry as one might think. There are several factors to consider outside of your writing (design, site speed) but one thing is for certain…
In order to figure out if your site is compelling enough to convert browsers into buyers, you have to consistently funnel people to your site so you have enough data to assess whether your copy is doing its job or not.
There are two types of traffic to look at; new users and returning users.
Most people spend the majority of their marketing resources trying to attract new users, but returning users are a GOLD MINE.
Returning users know who you are, they are familiar with your offers, and when they opted into your freebie, they signaled that they are into what you’re putting out into the world and want to try a sample before committing to more.
In a perfect world, your reader:
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Searches for the service or solution they want
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Clicks over to your site
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Reviews your offerings
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Immediately makes a purchase or requests to work with you
[::record-scratch::] This is not how we make buying decisions, IRL, especially multi-figure investments.
Typically we do a lot of research and compare features and deliverables before pulling out our credit cards and handing over our hard-earned dollars. Your audience needs to be nurtured to make a purchase.
A welcome sequence fast-tracks the buying process AND gives you valuable insight into whether your copy is compelling enough to convince them to act.
A welcome sequence (sometimes called a welcome series) is the only tool you have to engage with your audience once they’ve left your site. One of the best ways to turn a new user into a boomerang returning user is to deliver their freebie and continue to serve them for 5-7 days via this welcome email sequence.
Here’s how to create a compelling welcome sequence:
It sounds counterintuitive, but the key to creating a welcome sequence is to continue to serve value and guidance, rather than selling to them. Each email in the series aims to accomplish different things. In my opinion, you should never perform a hard sell until the very end of the sequence.
A great welcome sequence feels a lot like answering the door at a party and it’s none other than the person you’ve been crushing on.
Email #1:
First, you welcome them inside. (I call this, my Fancy-Seeing-You-Here email.)
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Give a quick intro to yourself and your business’ purpose.
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Give them an idea of the type of content they can expect from you.
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Tell them the big-picture value of sticking around.
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Tell them what’s coming down the pipe.
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Give them your “brand promise.”
Email #2:
You take their coat and get acquainted, but real casual-like. (The Who are you, really? email.)
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Serve them up your best resources or most valuable piece of content.
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Find some way to let them self-select their interests or incentivize them to take a survey.
Email #3:
Okay, by now, you’re definitely interested in what each other has to say (it’s a two-way convo and you want them to tag their interests) so you start throwing out connection points. (The You’re In Good Company email.)
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Reassure them that they’re in the right place.
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Give them something actionable to do that will help them solve a problem.
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Nudge them to tag themselves or take the survey if they missed it the first time.
Email #4:
You’re both having a great time so you know it’s safe to open up and share a story that makes your crush says, “Wow, I didn’t know that. That’s so interesting!” (Remember, they want to like you.)(The Let’s Get Real email)
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Tell them your brand story and how it’s relevant to what they’re looking to accomplish.
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Tell them how you can help them succeed (but remember, no hard sell!)
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Invite them to reply to you directly or ask them an open-ended question.
Email #5:
As the evening comes to a close you both make a decision to make future plans together. You take the initiative to make them an offer and you’re off to the races! (The final Where We Go From Here email.)
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Show them some love for making it to the end of the sequence.
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Reiterate your goals and value.
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Let them know when/how they will hear from you again.
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Lay out your products/services/offers and invite them to take the next step!
It sounds counterintuitive, but the key to creating a welcome sequence is to continue to serve value and guidance, rather than selling to them. Each email in the series aims to accomplish different things. In my opinion, you should never perform a hard sell until the very end of the sequence.
A great welcome sequence feels a lot like answering the door at a party and it’s none other than the person you’ve been crushing on.
Welcome sequences pitfalls:
There are many welcome sequence templates out there, and I subscribe to a LOT of newsletters in the interest of “research”. Frankly? I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been compelled to purchase a product or click a link in a welcome sequence. And it’s weird because I get all excited about someone’s website and eagerly await their first email only to discover:
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They are boring as heck.
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They launch into a sale before even knowing what you’re interested in.
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They don’t tell you anything about the person behind the brand.
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They spin operatic tales that feel fake. (Calm down girl, you’re not performing heart surgery.)
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They don’t tell you what to do next.
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They feel transactional. (Like, whoa, I do not want to join your $10K coaching course, I just met you.)
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There isn’t a single visual element to help you connect a human face to the copy. (I understand the deliverability argument for text-only emails but come on. I’m terrible with names and without a face, I’m not going to remember who you are in two days.)
✅ Test your copy and messaging.
✅ Increase returning visitors.
✅ Turn internet strangers into warm leads.
✅ Prime your readers for your high-ticket services and offers.
The Template Pack Includes:
📣Quickie Brand Voice Primer
So you can insert some personality into your emails without it sounding over-the-top, inauthentic, or as boring as a communion cracker.
✅ Email Prep Checklist
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How To Get Your Emails Read
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Audience Segment Selector
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Resource Roundup Grid
💌The Complete Welcome Sequence Template Pack (+ subject line ideas)
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The Fancy-Seeing-You-Here welcome email
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The Who are you, really? email
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The You’re In Good Company email
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The Let’s Get Real email
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The final Where We Go From Here – Ready, Set, Go!
💌The Cold Subscribers List Cleaning Email Templates
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The Hey, Stranger email
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The Before We Bid Adieu email
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The Last Dance email
⚙️Step-by-Step ConvertKit Sequence Set-Up Guide
Which can be used as a reference for any email service software like Mailchimp, Flodesk, etc.
🧹How To Clean Your Email List in 10-Steps
Done for you in ConvertKit but can be adapted for any email service provider.
📈Quarterly Email Metrics Tracker
Dubbed the UP&TR (Up And To The Right ) tracker.
❓How is this Welcome Sequence different from other templates?
Have you ever subscribed to a list and it’s immediately apparent that you’ve been flung into an automated sequence that sounds generic and reeks of “I’m about to sell you something”? Yeah, no we don‘t do that here. I teach you how to truly connect with your audience by letting your authentic personality shine through your copy without sounding cheesy, unprofessional, or “a bit much”.
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