WELCOME EMAILS
4 welcome emails for a new signup
Send the code, guide or news your form promised. Put it near the top of the welcome email. Make the main button open it.
In this guide
1. Start with your form’s promise
Finish this line: “They joined to get ___.” It might be a code, a guide or product news. That belongs near the top of the email.
For “Get 10% off your first order,” show the code and how to use it. Say thanks next. Your brand story can wait.
For “Send me the tote size guide,” send the guide. Do not make them take a quiz or hunt for it.
2. Make the button keep that promise
Form: “Get the tote guide.” Email: “Welcome to the club.” Button: “Shop now.” The reader still has no guide.
Try “Your tote size guide” for the subject. Start with “Here is the guide you asked for.” Use “Open the tote guide” on the button.
Tap it yourself. It should open the guide, with no second signup. For a code, try it at checkout with an item that can use it.
3. Let them confirm the signup first
Some forms ask the person to confirm by email. This is called double opt-in. Shopify says that check email should not sell products. Its one job is to confirm the signup.
Send the welcome after that step is done. Check both the form and the email app. Their settings need to agree.
Source: Shopify: collecting customer contact information and marketing consent
4. Give them a place to start
A form that promises news may have no gift to send. Show one useful starting point. A notebook store could show its pocket size and link to its colors.
“Made for all of life’s moments” does not help them choose. “Small enough for a coat pocket” does, if it is true. Use a photo or fact that answers a question.
You can leave the rest of the store for later. One clear item is easier to see than twelve tiny tiles.
5. Check if they already bought
Someone may join your list at checkout. Do not pitch their first order if they just placed it. Thank them for the order and the signup. Give help for the item they bought.
A notebook buyer could get ideas for the first page. A shirt buyer could get care tips. Keep receipts and shipping updates in their own emails.
If you do not know if they bought, “Thanks for joining” is enough. Do not invent an order.
6. Keep the key words out of photos
Put the code and main link in real text. Do not hide the only copy in a photo. On a phone, show the promised item before a long store story.
A small joke can fit. “No more hunting through your inbox. Here’s your code.” Just make sure the code is there.
Read only the subject, first line and button. Do they give the reader what they asked for?
7. Join your own list once
Use a test address in the real signup form. Check the inbox, open the guide and try the offer. Look for a second welcome from another app.
Try a signup with no first name too. Use “Hi there” when a name is missing. That is better than “Hi ,”.
Then use Email Reviewer to check the words and layout. Your test signup checks a different thing: did the promised email and offer arrive?
Examples to make your own
Copy an example, then add your products, links and store name.
01 · They joined for a code
SubjectYour 10% welcome code: WELCOME10
Preview textUse it on your first notebook order.
Here’s the code you signed up for: WELCOME10.
Use it at checkout for 10% off your first notebook order at Field Notes Studio.
Need a place to start? The button below opens our notebooks. Pick your size and cover, then add the code at checkout.
Thanks for joining us. We’ll also send the product news you asked for.
Button textChoose my notebook
This example uses a made-up 10% first-order offer. Add your actual code, eligible items and any limits or end date. Test it before you send.
02 · They asked for a guide
SubjectYour tote size guide is here
Preview textCompare the bags with the things you carry.
Here’s the Everyday Edit tote guide you asked for.
It shows each bag’s size, pocket layout and a photo of what fits inside. Start with the things you carry most days: a laptop, lunch, a book or all three.
Open the guide below. You can come back to this email whenever you need it.
Button textOpen the tote guide
The link should open a guide that contains these details. No second signup. No need to shop first.
03 · They joined for product news
SubjectNew here? Start with the Pocket Notebook
Preview textTake a look at the size, pages and cover colors.
Thanks for joining Field Notes Studio.
If you’re choosing your first notebook, start with the Pocket Notebook. It’s the one for short lists, quick sketches and notes while you’re out.
See the size beside a hand, check the page options and pick a cover below. We’ll send new product news here as it comes.
Button textSee the Pocket Notebook
Use a real product and a page with the details you mention. This version fits a product-news signup, not a form that promised a code.
04 · They bought and joined the list
SubjectA few ideas for your first notebook page
Preview textThanks for your order—and for joining us.
Thanks for your order from Field Notes Studio. We’re glad you joined the email list too.
For your first page, try one of these: a list of places to go, a quick sketch of your desk, or three things to do this week.
There’s no right way to start. The ideas page below has a few more prompts if you get stuck.
Your order and shipping updates will arrive in separate emails.
Button textSee more first-page ideas
Send this only to a subscriber who placed an order. Link to an actual ideas page. A product care guide can serve the same purpose for another kind of store.