An email funnel (sometimes called an email sequence) is a fancy marketing term for a series of emails, written and ordered very strategically, that are designed to get the reader to take a certain action. Often this is a ‘soft action’ like signing up for a freebie, webinar, etc. or a ‘hard action’ like purchasing your product or service.

Email funnels are really important for the growth of an online business. They take the lead on a journey from ‘kinda sorta interested in you’ to ‘wait, I need to spend thousands of dollars on what you’re selling me.’ They are a bedrock of many, many successful marketing strategies.

One particular type of funnel is called an email welcome sequence. It is a lead’s first introduction to your brand. The purpose is to get them excited about your brand, familiar with opening your emails instead of hitting ‘delete’, and prime them to buy from you down the road.

In this post, I’m going to break down the five types of emails you need in a successful (re: lucrative) email welcome sequence. I’ll talk about the three things you need to do in each of these emails to increase your open rates, click rates, and conversion rates. You ready? Let’s dive in!

Email One – Deliver the Freebie

1. Acknowledge how they got there—probably from a freebie. Make sure you’re delivering it in this first email and give them a reason to use the freebie right away.
2. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. People are excited to dive into the freebie, so don‘t go on and on about your life story in this email.
3. Mention you’ll be back soon and allude to why they’ll want to open email number 2—again, give them a reason to look forward to your next email.

Email Two – Tell your Brand Story

1. Tell your brand story. Most subscribers will never be more excited about your brand than they are right now, so this email should be the longest email in your sequence.
2. Help them self-identify so they know they are in the right place. You can do this by using phrases like “Chances are you’re here because…” or listing a few common traits of your ideal clients.
3. Give them another free resource, such as a blog post, podcast episode, or download. This tells them you care about serving them, not just selling to them.

Email Three – Add Free Value

1. Educate on a certain topic that’s applicable to their business. For example: the value of branding, the importance of brand strategy, or how to know when to outsource vs. DIY.
2. Give them or lead them to 3-5 MORE free resources like your blog, your social channels, freebies, etc. This shows that you really are about adding value to their life and business.
3. Tease your paid services. Say something like, “Keep your eyes peeled for my next email, where I’m sharing about ways to work with me 1:1 to nail your brand strategy.”

Email Four – Sell Your Services

1. Tell them how they can work with you! Outline your products or services and give them the info they need to make an educated decision.
2. Introduce a sense of urgency and exclusivity. This can some sort of email-only discount or promotion with a time limit.
3. Demonstrate social proof through testimonials, screenshots, stories, etc. to build authority and trust.

Email Five – Summarize + Set Expectations

1. Tell them what you told them. Summarize all the goodness you‘ve shared over the last four emails.
2. Reinforce a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Restate the email-only discount or promotion you shared in the previous email.
3. Reinforce a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Restate the email-only discount or promotion you shared in previous emails.

And there you have it! Follow this general flow, and you will have an email list full of subscribers who are excited about your brand and ready to keep hearing from you. PLUS, you’ll be absolved of the entrepreneurial guilt of not sending them anything after they download your freebie…win win. 🙂

If you need help visualizing the layout, download this email welcome sequence template I created:

If you have any questions about this outline, drop them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to get to them! You can also check out the video series I made on this topic over on my Instagram if you’re more of a visual learner.