At Fiction, one of our most popular services is email copywriting. This might call to mind monthly newsletters and the occasional sales offer.
However, what’s more important (and yet often neglected) are the automated email flows and customer journeys, including the welcome journey, purchase confirmation journey, abandoned cart journey and win-back journey.
All these flows are valuable branding (and selling) touch points for your business so don’t forget about them, or leave them to the default settings of your email software.
Here, we outline the two emails you must have, at a minimum, in your welcome journey.
First, what is your welcome journey?
This journey is to welcome and nurture new subscribers and leads, with the intention to eventually convert them.
When it comes to nurturing leads, this is about giving value and building the relationship.
This can come through sharing stories on your brand, business and products (which may make their decision-making easier) as well as through sharing instructional, helpful content (which can trigger or complement a purchase).
Don’t worry – you’ll find ideas for these types of lead nurturing emails below.
Why is a welcome journey so important?
Apparently, only 39% of brands send out a welcome email so this alone should highlight how powerful this journey can be for brand differentiation.
When someone first subscribes to your email list, they’re also expressing strong interest in your brand and are considered a hot lead. Having a welcome journey helps capitalise on their engagement and keep the momentum.
How many emails should be in your welcome journey?
Here are two emails that you must set up.
The first email is to welcome and extend an offer, triggered upon a new sign up to your mailing list. The purpose of this email is to welcome them, ideally with an intro offer of a discount or complimentary gift upon purchase.
The second email is to nurture and remind the subscriber of the offer. It is to be triggered 3-4 days after the first email. The purpose of this email is to nurture the lead and remind them of their soon-to-expire offer.
Ideally, this second email is sent to a segmented list of only those who haven’t redeemed their offer.
For those who have used their offer – congratulations! You’ve converted them, they’ve completed the welcome journey and will now be receiving the emails in your purchase confirmation email flow.
Examples of these two emails
To bring this guide to life, we’ve written examples of these two emails, based on the boutique Mudgee winery, Moothi Estate.
But first, here are two basic guidelines to consider even before writing the email body copy:
- Pay a lot of attention to your subject line and preheader text. Refresh on winning subject lines that boost email open rates here.
- Then, keep your word count to under 175 words.
First email: welcome and extend offer
Subject line: Welcome to our nest in the hills.
Preheader text: 10% off sitewide
Body:
Hi [NAME],
Did you know the name ‘Moothi’ comes from the Wiradjuri language meaning ‘nest in the hills’?
At Moothi Estate, we’re passionate about the land we’re on, the people we share it with and the wonderful wines and produce that come from it.
Through our newsletter, we’ll update you on new wines and produce, our cellar door and kitchen and exclusive deals and offers.
For now, welcome to Moothi. For this week only, please enjoy 10% off sitewide on us.
[INSERT DISCOUNT CODE WITH EXPIRY DATE]
[BUTTON: SHOP NOW]
Second email: nurture and remind of offer
Subject line: Our 3 favourite wines
Preheader text: And your 10% discount.
Body:
Hello [NAME],
Amongst our range, you’ll find reds, whites, museum and reserve wines as well as mixed 6 and 12-packs.
If you’re finding it hard to choose, here are our top 3 picks amongst the Moothi team:
2021 Rosé
Featuring a beautiful pale garnet colour, bursts of fresh pomegranate and ripe raspberries and subtle traces of toffee apple. Pairs well with Mexican dishes, spicy salami and grilled pork.
2019 Shiraz
Our shiraz is rich and full-bodied with blackberry and plum flavours and a long, peppery, savoury finish. Pairs well with aged cheddar, cured meats and chargrilled beef.
2021 Riesling
Crisp and fresh with green apple and honeydew characters and excellent cellaring potential. Pairs well with oysters and spicy Asian food.
Which one has your name all over it? Don’t forget your 10% off code expires in 3 days!
[INSERT DISCOUNT CODE WITH EXPIRY DATE]
[BUTTON: SHOP NOW]
Applying this model to other types of businesses
Restaurant
First email: welcome with discount for next booking
Second email: the origin story of your restaurant as evergreen content or the inspiration behind your current menu for seasonal content
Hotel
First email: welcome with discount for next booking
Second email: a list of ‘top 3 things to do on a Melbourne staycation’ with dynamic content that caters to the subscriber’s geographic location
Spa and wellness centre
First email: welcome with discount for next purchase or booking
Second email: a suggested nighttime relaxation routine featuring in-house spa products
Skincare brand
First email: welcome with discount for next purchase
Second email: a list of your top 3 best-selling products
So what about the third and fourth emails?
Essentially, the intention of these emails are the same; to nurture the lead and build the relationship. Therefore, you can use the same structure as provided above.
Here are 5 additional ideas for emails in your welcome journey:
- Plug your social media accounts by highlighting content that’s exclusive to those platforms; for example, Instagram Lives and Instagram Stories.
- Share your most-read blog article with the headline as the email subject line. Give a truncated version in the body copy with a link out to the article to ‘read more’.
- Share a recipe, routine or how-to using your products; for example, a sangria recipe ft. your wine, a morning routine ft. your yoga mat or even how you manage your composting at your restaurant that prioritises sustainability.
- Highlight a team member in an emotionally engaging way by using their own words with some beautiful photography
- Highlight a customer testimonial (with their permission) and include the customer’s own images (which is called user-generated content, by the way) for an extra touch of authenticity.
If you would like to outsource your email copywriting to us at Fiction, get in touch for a tailored quote. We can either set you up with automation flows and customer journeys on a project basis or work with you regularly on monthly newsletters and sales offers (or both!).
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