Audit And Update Your Subscription Confirmation (AKA Welcome) Email
If your subscription confirmation email has been sitting untouched since you set it up, it’s time to take a look. This week’s challenge is to audit and update your subscription confirmation email from top to bottom (literally).
Use this guide to start strong (good subject line), end with a little personality (a quick reminder about yourself), and improve everything in between.
Discovered via Really Good Emails.
Tune Up Your Description, Welcome Email, & Promotion
Josh Spector of For the Interested just published a 5-day plan to help newsletter creators grow their newsletters.
Your Opt In Challenge this week is to commit to following his instructions. You’ll be improving some critical things and learn a ton along the way, like why you can’t just drop a link to a recent issue on social media and expect to see subscriptions soar. Learn what you should do instead.
Learn Advanced Welcome Email Strategy from Dan Oshinsky
How do you welcome new subscribers to your newsletter?
Dan Oshinsky, who runs Inbox Collective, a consultancy that helps news organizations, non-profits, and brands get the most out of email, says a well-strategized welcome sequence can lay the groundwork for better relationships with your subscribers.
And he should know. He previously worked as the Director of Newsletters at both The New Yorker and BuzzFeed. He’s also the creator of Not a Newsletter, a monthly briefing with news, tips, and ideas about how to send better email. I link to his resources frequently in this newsletter.
In this video, he walks us through building out a successful welcome series, plus answers questions about his childhood ambitions to send millions of emails in his lifetime.
Note: I haven’t created an entire series of welcome emails yet for Opt In Weekly, but I am going to heed his advice now that we’re 12 issues in and update my welcome email to link to content new subscribers will find helpful.
Related: Newspaper people, check out this interview with Dan from The Fix about how email can become a newsroom’s biggest revenue driver.
Why You Should Personalize Your Welcome Message
Hey, everyone. Seth with Curated Success here.
Sending a personalized welcome message to new subscribers is a great way to connect and immediately provide valuable content.
In your welcome message, you can link to your most popular links or past issues so that new subscribers can benefit from subscribing right away.
This is also a great opportunity to start a conversation with new subscribers. Ask them a question that encourages them to respond to the welcome message, like what their biggest challenge in your topic area is. This will not only help you understand what your readers need from you, it will also be the foundation of what can feel like a 1:1 relationship with them.
If you’re looking to spice yours up, check out this roundup of welcome email advice we’ve curated for Opt In Weekly.
Here’s how you can customize your newsletter’s welcome message in Curated:
If you have any questions about setting up your welcome message, let me know!
A Breakdown Of Apple’s Plans And How They’ll Impact Your Marketing
Meet the most thorough guide to Apple’s recently announced plans (+ the way they impact marketing) I’ve seen so far. It’s basically your new tech change navigation roadmap.
Alex Bauer’s breakdown includes the major updates that will impact email marketing—like Mail Privacy Protection and Hide My Email—as well as others like App Clip Enhancements and iCloud+.
The best part? He goes beyond clearly describing Apple’s plans and explains how each will impact mobile growth.
You’re welcome.