Improving Your Welcome Email

GM! Paperboy here 🗞️

This edition has a lot of images so you may need to open it in your browser. There’s a “read online” button in the top right. I promise this isn’t a trick to get you to improve my CTR. Or is it?

Today’s Golden Nugget: Text-Based Email Swipe File

I’m building an internal text-based emails swipe file. It’s a work-in-progress. Click the accordion ▶️ button to open the emails.

It contains emails that are text-only (or mostly text), and some brands that have a text-first strategy.

I’ll keep this document public for 1 or 2 weeks. Let me know if there’s any good brands I should add to it (I’ll give you unlimited access in return).

Today’s Issue: Tactical Elements of a Welcome Flow

I was speaking to a friend running a business yesterday about improving his email account.

He showed me his welcome flow so I could take a quick look.

Discount being called out? Check.

Brand story being told? Check.

Clear call to action to website? Check.

Most of the strategic elements I suggest were shown, but the email still felt like it could benefit from a little more…

Something for the readers who craved more content. Wanted to learn more about the brand. Wanted to see more products. Had more questions. You get it.

So in this email I’ll go beyond the strategy of a welcome flow, and cover tactical elements you can add to your welcome email to improve performance.

Don’t just throw on every element I list.

Instead, ask yourself:

• What elements would add to the overall shopping experience?

• Is there something more I can show shoppers to inform their shopping decision?

• What key objections usually come up before customers hit buy?

• etc.

Let’s jump in to the elements:

⚠️ Warning: you might want to open this email in your browser - there’s a lot of images that load. Click here to open in browser. If this link does nothing there’s a “read online” link in the top right of this email.

Shop Best Sellers

Shop by Collection

Founder Story

Questions?

Testimonials

Product Spotlight

Nutrition

Shopping Perks

Clinical Studies

Free Consultation

PR Logos

Note to big brands: AB test linking vs. not linking to the real PR. Might hurt CVR.

Comparison Charts

Build Your Own Bundle

Obligatory sponsor shoutout to Foxsell - they make these

Subscribe and Save

Shopping Perks

FAQ

Final CTA or Collection Nav

If you have more than 2 elements on this list, remember to add a callout at the end reminding people about your offer (if any) & making it easy to shop now.

You can also direct them to start shopping by category (for bigger stores).

Either way, the newsletter should flow like a story. By the time they’ve seen all the content, they’ve either clicked a link OR they reach the end and click your last CTA.

AVOID: Social Media Buttons

All it takes is one Instagram notification to derail your whole funnel. You’re paying so much money to get the user to your site and on your list.

Why risk it?

Just leave out the social links. Keep them for the post-purchase flow.

AVOID: Unnecessary Slop

Leave the AI copy out.

Leave the huge PR sections out.

Leave the big billboard image from the fancy photoshoot you did out.

Don’t flex on your customers.

Welcome them like you would welcome someone into your home.

Show them around, tell them your story, let them know where things are.

You know most of the questions they will ask. Answer them as simply as possible with these elements.

If you need more examples, reply to this email. I have lots more stored in the vault 😉

Meme of the Week

That’s all for now,
Paperboy 🗞

p.s. Did you like the newsletter? Hate it? Reply and tell me why! I read and reply to every message.

Newsletter Sponsors

AfterSell - Upsells that drive AOV without hurting CVRs

Alia Popups - Engaging popups that grow your list

FoxSell Bundles - Build loyalty and AOV through bundling

I use all these sponsored tools for 7 and 8-figure brands at my agency. I would never promote a product I don’t personally use.