Welcome Series: How Many Emails to Send and What to Say

For most ecommerce brands, I recommend a welcome series of four to five emails over about two weeks. One email is not enough to introduce a brand, and ten is more than a new subscriber will read.

For comparison, Klaviyo's welcome series guide walks through an example of three emails spread over one week. That is a fine minimum. I add one or two more because a new subscriber is at their most curious right after signing up, and there is usually more worth saying than three emails can hold.

The structure, email by email

Email 1: the welcome

This one has a single job: give people what the form promised. If you offered a code, put it at the top where nobody can miss it. Add two or three lines about what you sell and what they can expect from your emails. Keep the rest for later.

Emails 2 to 5

• Email 2, the story. Why the brand exists and what you do differently. Write it like a person, not an About page.
• Email 3, best sellers. New subscribers often do not know where to begin. Show three or four products and say who each one is for.
• Email 4, proof. Customer reviews, before and after results, press mentions, and answers to the usual objections such as shipping, returns and sizing.
• Email 5, last reminder. If there is a code, remind them it is about to expire. If there is no code, give one more clear reason to try the product.

Timing between emails

Send the first email immediately. If your list uses double opt-in, which Klaviyo's guide notes is the default for lists, the flow starts once the subscriber confirms, so the first email still arrives at the right moment.

After that, I start close together and then spread out: a day or two between the early emails, three or so days between the later ones. Interest is highest in the first few days, so that is where most of the content should sit.

While someone is in the welcome series, I hold them out of regular campaigns, or at least limit them. Otherwise a new subscriber can get a welcome email and two promotions on the same day.

Discount or no discount

Both can work. The rule that matters is consistency between the form and the flow.

• If your signup form promises a discount, deliver it in email 1 and remind people in the last email. Give it an expiry date so the reminder has a point.
• If you would rather not discount, offer something else of value: free shipping, a gift with the first order, early access, or a useful guide. Then let the story and proof emails do the selling.
• Use unique codes where you can. A single shared code tends to end up on coupon sites.

Split buyers out of the flow

Not everyone who joins your list is new. Some are existing customers who finally ticked the box at checkout or filled in a form.

Klaviyo's guide covers two splits, and I use both:

1. At the start: a conditional split on whether the person has placed an order at least once over all time. Existing customers get a short thank you path with no first-order discount.
2. Before each sales email: a check on whether the person has placed an order since starting the flow. Once someone buys, they stop getting reminders about a code they have already used, and the post-purchase flow takes over.

Where SMS fits

If you collect phone numbers, treat SMS as its own welcome. Klaviyo's guidance is to keep the email and SMS welcome flows separate, because people can subscribe to each channel at different times and a profile only enters a list-triggered welcome flow once.

Klaviyo's SMS welcome guide suggests one to three messages, triggered when someone subscribes to SMS marketing. I keep it to the lower end:

• A first text right after consent with the offer and a link.
• One reminder a few days later if they have not ordered.
• No repeating what the emails already said word for word. Texts should be short and add something, such as a deadline.

Check your quiet hours settings too, so a late night signup does not lead to a text at an odd hour.

Common mistakes

The welcome series is the only flow every single subscriber sees, so it deserves the most care.

What to do next

1. Sign up to your own list with a fresh address and read what arrives.
2. Check that the first email delivers exactly what the form promised.
3. Count the emails. If there are fewer than three, add story and proof.
4. Add the two buyer splits if they are missing.
5. Look at the flow's numbers email by email and rewrite the weakest one first.

If you want a second opinion on your welcome series, book a call and I will go through it with you.