Do. Not. Ghost. Your. List.
Joining your email list is the online business equivalent of swiping right.
You've got someone who is actively interested in what you've got to say and might even be looking for a little more...
Don't waste that opportunity!
If all you're doing is delivering your freebie and saying peace out, your email list isn't going to be nearly as effective as it could be.
This is true for email marketing in general, but especially when you're trying to get more subscribers from Pinterest.
It's possible that this is the first time a user is encountering your content. They land on your freebie landing page, decide to opt-in and... 🦗🦗🦗 *crickets*
Sure, they're on your email list now and you can send them sales emails or your weekly newsletter, but why would they care? You show up hot and pushy in their inbox without even a "hi, hello, what are you looking for here?" and that's a one-way trip to unsubscribe town.
That's where a welcome sequence comes in.
A welcome sequence is ESSENTIAL to introduce new subscribers to you and your brand. Like the name implies, it welcomes a subscriber to your list.
Your welcome sequence's exact structure, contents, and length will vary depending on your goals, how the subscriber opted in, how much introduction your brand needs, etc.
But here's a very basic framework you can follow for your own welcome sequence:
1. Deliver the freebie
Keep it short and sweet, most people are just grabbing the freebie and going.
2. Introduce yourself/your brand
Who are you, why are you qualified to educate about the topic, and what can they expect from you?
This is a good time to give subscribers a heads up that you might be emailing them more frequently now, but your regular cadence is XYZ.
3. Show off your expertise and sell
This email can take a lot of different forms, but by now, your new subscriber is a little bit more primed and ready for a soft sell.
One way of doing this that I love is to link specific resources, both free and paid, that would be relevant to your subscriber on their journey.
4. Say thanks and close out the sequence
I told you we're keeping this framework verrrry basic.
You've given them what they signed up for, introduced yourself, and gave them some options to keep learning. Thank them for joining & reading, remind them how frequently they'll hear from you in the future, and say your goodbyes (for now)!
And with that, you've turned what could've been a simple "wham, bam, thank you for the freebie ma'am" interaction into a lead-nurturing, connection-fostering, automated process.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention? With most email service providers, you can set up your welcome sequence to be an automated workflow that kicks off whenever someone downloads your freebie.
Efficiency!!!
Creating a welcome sequence can be an intimidating and overwhelming process.
I would know, I'm currently in the middle of updating mine!
And since my expertise is just email-marketing-adjacent, I want to share a few resources from some other talented email experts in my circle...