Guess which channel is the best for selling your products:

A) Social media
B) Google Ads
C) Email

When it comes to revenue, the top performer is email.

Email marketing has been shown to have one of the highest Returns on Investment (ROI). For every $1 spent, email marketing generates $36 1.

My main goal is to grow my subscribers list. Because there’s no better way to reach people’s wallets hearts than through their inbox.

But I don’t want any subscriber. I’m looking for real people who are interested in what I have to share. That’s why I’ve set up a system where new subscribers need to confirm their email. This step ensures they’re truly interested in receiving my messages which leads to higher open rates.

However, last time I checked, I was shocked to find out 40% people hadn’t confirmed their email. How did this happen? What am I doing wrong?

Growing a List is Hard. An Engaged List? Even Harder

We like to think that people that gave us their emails are going to be super interested in what you have to say.

… but the truth is, many won’t even open your emails.

You might relate if you’ve ever set up a waitlist or subscription list for your product. Only to get no replies when you tell them the product is ready.

This is what happened to Eden:

Imagine having a subscriber list that can’t wait to open your emails.

What could make your audience look forward to your messages?

The Welcome Flow

First impressions count. Your welcome email is your best chance to engage your audience.

The Welcome Flow includes the initial interactions with your customer after they give you their email. It looks something like this:

First opt-in -> Incentive email (confirmation) -> Welcome email or sequence

The welcome email has an 86% higher than normal open rate with a 196% click-through rate. You’ll never get more attention than in this moment. Your audience have just showed their interest, and they are more willing than ever to hear from you. This is the best moment to earn their trust by giving them a ton of value as soon as possible.

Welcome Flow Examples

Ramit Sethi – I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit Sethi is the entrepreneur behind the personal finance website I Will Teach You To Be Rich. His newsletter has over 300K subscribers, and an astounding 80% confirm their subscription within just five minutes.

He captures email through a quiz on his landing page and a subscription form on his blog. After the subscription, you get redirected to a welcome page asking you to confirm your subscription via email.

The confirmation includes a link with bonus resources, which is the main incentive for people to confirm: “Click Here To Get Your Free Content.”

Once you click, you get to a welcome page with his “Rich Life Insiders Kit“, which includes:

• A welcome message.
• A curated list with the best material from his website tailored to four audience needs:
• A sneak peek of his main course, “Earnable.”

Then, you receive the welcome email. Ramit introduces himself, explains what type of content you can expect to receive, and encourages a reply to boost engagement and ensure email deliverability.

Ramit builds trust by including pictures of himself and by showing he deeply understands his audience’s needs.

Codie Sanchez – Contrarian Thinking

Codie Sanchez is an investor and entrepreneur that teaches how to profit from acquiring “boring businesses.” Her newsletter has over 500k subscribers.

Codie builds credibility by displaying social proof right below the opt-in form, showing her follower count, subscriber numbers, and the amount of students subscribed to her courses.

Upon subscribing, you are directed to a confirmation page showing what you’re going to receive once you verify your email. Additionally, a form is displayed to gather insights about new subscribers, allowing her to tailor her content to her audience’s preferences.

In her welcome email, Codie shares what you can expect in terms of content and schedule. As promised, she delivers a selection of her best articles on purchasing businesses and case studies on unconventional businesses.

Jay Clouse – Creator Science

Jay Clouse is the founder of Creator Science, a platform built to help creators with advice delivered through his newsletter, podcast, memberships, and videos.

Jay uses two ways to capture emails:

1. An opt-in form on his landing page.
2. A complimentary course promoted through a pop-up: the “Professional Creator Crash Course.”

Once you submit your email, you are directed to a confirmation page urging them to verify your email. He also includes a form to get to know his audience’s interests and needs.

The next few steps are a generic confirmation email and welcome page. But the welcome email is juicy, and densely packed with insights addressing the main pain points of his audience.

What These Successful Welcome Flows Have in Common

There’s one thing that brilliant entrepreneurs do differently: they provide value right from the start.

Rather than sending a generic “thank you” or a link to a boring tutorial, they quickly share resources that solve an urgent pain point.

Here’s where knowing your audience pays off. If you know what your audience needs, you can give them a great solution to a very specific and painful problem. Don’t be afraid to give away value. Like Hormozi says, “Make your free stuff better than their paid stuff.” Make them think: “Wow, if this is what he’s giving now, I can’t imagine what’s coming next!”

Effective welcome gifts include:

• A compilation of the most popular resources from your website.
• A free eBook or guide.
• A sample from your course or book.
• Free templates.
• A sweet discount.

Avoid These Mistakes

Here’s a list of roadblocks that send subscribers stumbling around, so you can avoid these mistakes on your Welcome Flow.

1. Not sending a welcome email.
2. Sending the welcome email too late.
3. Overloading subscribers with too many emails.
4. Overwhelming your audience with content or CTAs.
5. Overfilling the welcome email with promotions or asking them to buy too early.
6. Sharing irrelevant or boring content.
7. Not setting clear expectations.
8. Having an inconsistent emailing frequency.
9. Not stating the benefits of subscribing.
10. Having a confusing subject line.

Avoid these and you should be in your way of creating a great first impression for your users.

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I hope that this article gives you more clarity to get an engaged list of subscribers. You have to prove to them you’re the right person to listen to, and the way to achieve that is by giving them a ton of value, as soon as possible.

For UpGroves, I’ve included a list of tools and the top-performing newsletter editions in my welcome email. My bet is that, by promising and providing loads of value from the start, the open rates will improve.