Latest / The Newsletter Podcast with Fexingo: Substack, Beehiiv, and Email Newsletter Business / Why Your Newsletter Needs a Welcome Sequence Not Just a Landing Page
Transcript
- Lucas: So you spend weeks perfecting your landing page. You tweak the headline, you A-B test the call to action button, you agonize over the color of the sign-up form. Then someone subscribes — and you send them a single 'thanks for subscribing' email and never think about it again. Luna: Oof. That hits close to home. I think a lot of newsletter writers do exactly that. Lucas: And it's a huge missed opportunity. Because the data on welcome sequences is pretty clear: the first seven days after someone subscribes are the highest engagement window you'll ever get. Open rates can be 50 to 80 percent higher than your regular sends. And if you don't capitalize on that initial burst of attention, you're leaving retention on the table. Luna: Right, because when someone just opted in, they're curious. They're giving you permission. But that attention fades fast. Lucas: Exactly. There's a concept in product adoption called the 'first run' — it's the user's initial experience after sign-up. In email, that first run is your welcome sequence. And yet, so many newsletter creators treat it as an afterthought. They put all their energy into the landing page and then the onboarding is just a single automated email with a link to their best post. Luna: I've definitely been guilty of that. So what does a good welcome sequence actually look like? Not just in theory — what's the data say? Lucas: Let me give you a specific case. There's a business newsletter I track — I'll call it 'The Pulse' — that had about 20,000 subscribers. They were gaining about 500 new subs per month, but their churn was around 8 percent monthly. That's pretty high. Their welcome email was a single message: 'Thanks for subscribing, here's our most popular issue.' Open rate on that was around 45 percent. Luna: Forty-five percent isn't bad for a regular send, but for a welcome email it's actually kind of low. Lucas: Right. Industry benchmarks for welcome emails are more like 60 to 70 percent. So they were underperforming. They decided to redesign their onboarding flow. Instead of one email, they created a five-email sequence spread over ten days. Email one: a personal note from the founder explaining the newsletter's mission. Email two: their most popular issue from the last year. Email three: a 'behind the scenes' look at how they research and write. Email four: a curated list of their top three resources for the industry. Email five: a survey asking what the subscriber wants to see more of. Luna: Okay, so they increased the number of touches. What happened? Lucas: Open rates on the sequence averaged 68 percent — up from 45 percent. Click-through rates more than doubled. And here's the big number: their monthly unsubscribe rate dropped from 8 percent to 6 percent. That's a 25 percent reduction in churn. Over a year, that meant they retained an extra 600 subscribers. Luna: Six hundred subscribers — that's real growth without any extra traffic or ads. Just by restructuring what happens after the sign-up. Lucas: Exactly. And this isn't a one-off. I've seen similar results across many newsletters. The key insight is that a welcome sequence isn't just about saying 'hi' — it's about setting expectations, delivering value immediately, and building a habit. The Psychology of the first impression is powerful. Luna: So what's the optimal number of emails? You said they used five. Is there a sweet spot? Lucas: The data suggests three to five emails is the sweet spot. Fewer than three and you're not building enough familiarity. More than six and you risk overwhelming people — especially if the emails are long. The key is to provide value in each email, not just pitch your paid products. Luna: Right, and that brings up another point: many newsletter writers try to monetize too early in the welcome sequence. They send a 'buy my course' email on day two. Lucas: That's a mistake. The welcome sequence should be about proving your worth, not asking for money. Save the monetization for later emails. The goal is retention first, revenue second. If you retain someone for 30 days, they're much more likely to become a paid subscriber later. Luna: Makes sense. So what about timing? How often should you send those welcome emails? Lucas: Most successful sequences send the first email immediately after sign-up — within minutes. Then space out the next ones: one day later, two days later, four days later, and then maybe a week later. You want to stay top of mind without being annoying. Luna: And I imagine the content should be different from your regular newsletter. Not just re-sending issues they could find on your archive. Lucas: Exactly. The welcome sequence should feel exclusive — like a personal tour. It's your chance to tell your story, share your best content, and show the subscriber why they made a great decision. Use a conversational tone, maybe even include a photo of yourself or your team. Luna: That personal touch is huge. I know some creators record a short video for their welcome email. That can boost engagement even more. Lucas: Absolutely. And one more thing: test different lengths. Some audiences prefer short, punchy emails; others want more depth. The Pulse team tested a three-email version against their five-email version and found that five performed better for their B2B audience. But a consumer newsletter might do better with three quick hits. Luna: So the lesson is: don't just copy someone else's template. Test for your own audience. Lucas: Right. And track the right metrics: open rate, click rate, unsubscribe rate, and — importantly — the conversion rate to paid if you have a premium tier. The welcome sequence can be one of your strongest levers for growing revenue. Luna: I also want to touch on something you mentioned earlier: the landing page obsession. Why do you think creators pour so much energy into the landing page and then neglect the welcome sequence? Lucas: I think it's because the landing page is visible — it's the front door. It's what you share on social media, what you tweak based on feedback. The welcome sequence is hidden. It's backstage work. But the truth is, the landing page gets people in the door, and the welcome sequence keeps them there. Both matter, but the welcome sequence has a bigger impact on long-term growth. Luna: That's a great way to frame it. So if someone listening is running a newsletter right now, what's one actionable change they can make this week? Lucas: Map out your current welcome flow. If you only have one email, add a second one. Even just a two-email sequence — a welcome and then a 'here's our best resource' — can improve engagement. Then over time, test adding a third. Start small, but start. Luna: And if you're just starting a newsletter, build the welcome sequence before you launch. Don't launch without it. Lucas: Exactly. Because your first subscribers are your most important. They're the ones who will tell their friends. Make sure their first impression is unforgettable. Luna: Alright, great advice. Next time you're tempted to spend an hour tweaking your landing page button color, maybe spend that hour on your welcome sequence instead. Lucas: I'll drink to that. Thanks for listening, everyone. We'll be back next week with another deep dive.