How to write a welcome email sequence (with a 5-email template)
A welcome email sequence template for creators: 5 emails over 7 days, with subject lines, timing, and example copy for each. Plus mistakes to skip and how to measure it.
A good welcome email sequence is 3 to 5 emails over about a week. Send the first one right away and deliver what you promised. Then send a quick win the next day, your story on day 3, proof on day 5, and one clear offer on day 7. Each email does one job and has one link. Below is a 5-email template you can copy for a free lead magnet, with subject lines and example copy for each.
This guide is for creators who give away something free (a guide, template, or lesson) and want new subscribers to become buyers. Full disclosure: we make Eden, which has ready-made welcome sequences, but the template works in any email tool. Plan details were checked on each company's site in October 2026.
What a welcome sequence is for
Someone just gave you their email for a free thing. That's the moment they care most. A welcome sequence uses that moment to do three jobs, in order:
- Deliver. Give them what they signed up for, fast.
- Build trust. Show them who you are and that you can help.
- Make one offer. Point them to the paid next step.
Skip the first two and the offer feels pushy. Skip the offer and you trained them to expect free stuff forever.
How many emails, and how far apart
Five emails over seven days works for most creators. It's long enough to build trust and short enough that they still remember signing up.
| When | Job | One link to | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right away | Deliver the freebie | The freebie |
| 2 | Day 1 | A quick win | The freebie |
| 3 | Day 3 | Your story | Your best free post |
| 4 | Day 5 | Proof | The paid offer |
| 5 | Day 7 | The offer | The paid offer |
Short on time? Send emails 1, 3, and 5. That's the minimum that still delivers, builds trust, and asks.
After the sequence ends, move people to your regular emails. Don't let them hear nothing for a month.
The 5-email welcome sequence template
Swap the parts in brackets. Keep each email short enough to read on a phone in under a minute.
Email 1: Deliver the freebie (right away)
Subject: Here's your [freebie]
What goes in it: The link, one line on how to use it, and one question they can reply to. Nothing to sell.
Hi [first name],
Here's [freebie]: [link]
Start with [the one part that helps most]. It takes about 10 minutes.
Quick question: what made you grab this? Hit reply and tell me. I read every one.
[Your name]
The reply question does two things. You learn what people want, and replies tell inbox providers your emails are wanted.
Email 2: A quick win (day 1)
Subject: Did you try [the one part] yet?
What goes in it: One small action they can finish today, using the freebie.
Hi [first name],
Most people download a guide and never open it. Let's fix that.
Do this one thing today: [small, specific action]. It takes 10 minutes, and you'll see [result] right away.
[Link to the freebie]
[Your name]
Email 3: Your story (day 3)
Subject: Why I made [freebie]
What goes in it: A short story of the problem you had, what you tried, and what worked. This is where they start trusting you.
Hi [first name],
A few years ago, I [the problem your reader has now].
I tried [the common advice]. It didn't work, because [the real reason].
What finally worked was [your method in one line]. That's what [freebie] is built on.
If you want more, this is the post people tell me helped most: [link]
[Your name]
Email 4: Proof (day 5)
Subject: What [customer name] did with this
What goes in it: One real result from a real person, and a first mention of your paid offer.
Hi [first name],
[Customer name] started where you are: [their starting point].
They used [your method] for [time], and [specific result].
The full version of what they used is [paid offer]. I'll tell you more about it in a couple of days. If you're curious now, it's here: [link]
[Your name]
Only use real results, with permission. If you don't have one yet, use your own result. See how to collect testimonials.
Email 5: The offer (day 7)
Subject: The next step after [freebie]
What goes in it: What the paid offer is, who it's for, what it costs, and one button.
Hi [first name],
[Freebie] gives you the first step. [Paid offer] gives you the whole thing: [what's inside, in one line].
It's for you if [who it's for]. It's not for you if [who it's not for].
It's [price]. [Link]
Questions? Just reply.
[Your name]
If you want a deadline, add a discount code that ends in 72 hours. Keep the deadline real.
Common mistakes
- Waiting to deliver. Email 1 should go out the minute they sign up. A late freebie feels like a bait and switch.
- Selling in email 1. They haven't even opened the free thing yet.
- Too many links. One job, one link. Three links means no click.
- Pitching people who already bought. Nothing kills trust faster than "last chance to buy" after someone bought. Remove buyers from the sales emails.
- Writing like a brand. Write like you'd write to one friend. Plain text often does better than a heavy design.
- Never ending. A sequence that runs for 30 days of pitches trains people to unsubscribe.
How to measure it
Look at each email, not just the whole sequence.
- Clicks per email. The best signal of interest. If one email gets far fewer clicks than the rest, rewrite it first.
- Replies. A good email 1 gets replies. Read them. They tell you what to write and sell next.
- Unsubscribes per email. A spike on one email means it missed.
- Sales from the sequence. The number that matters. Count how many people who finished the sequence bought.
- Opens, carefully. Some email apps open emails on their own, so opens are a rough guide, not a fact.
Change one email at a time, then wait for a few hundred new people to go through it before you judge.
How to do it with Eden
Eden's email marketing is built into your store, so your sequence knows who claimed your freebie and who bought your offer.
- 01
Make your freebie a free product
Add your lead magnet as a free product in Your store → Products. Someone who claims it gets access right away. Or add a newsletter block to your page if you just want signups.
- 02
Pick a ready-made sequence
Open Your store → Email marketing → Sequences → New sequence. Free to paid is 4 emails over 10 days that offer a paid product. Welcome is 3 emails over 7 days that help new buyers use what they got.
- 03
Choose what starts it
Start it when someone claims your free product, or when someone signs up on your page. Each email has its own wait time.
- 04
Set what it sells
In the sequence's Settings, pick the paid product under what it sells, with a discount code if you want one. Anyone who buys it leaves the sequence, so buyers stop getting pitched.
- 05
Draft, test, and turn it on
Click Write with AI (10 credits) to draft every email from the product it sells, then edit. Click Send me this one to test an email. Flip the switch and click Turn on. You can add people from the last 30 days too.
Each email can also skip people who own a product, clicked an earlier email, or have a tag. Each email's button can go to the offer, the product that started the sequence, or any link. Results show sent, opened, clicked, and money earned for every email.
Sequences need Eden's Pro plan ($79 a month). Starter ($29 a month) includes broadcasts only. See the email marketing help article for every setting.
If your list lives somewhere else
The template works in any tool. On Kit, sequences start on the Creator plan. On beehiiv, automations start on Lite. You can also keep your newsletter in Kit, beehiiv, GoHighLevel, or Substack, and have Eden send buyers and signups there. See connect your email list.
Where Eden falls short
Eden sequences are a list of timed emails with skip rules. There's no visual branching builder and no A/B tests, so you can't split people down different paths or test two subject lines. Emails send from your store handle on Eden's address, not your own domain. Eden is not a newsletter platform, so if your welcome sequence leads into a weekly newsletter, that newsletter belongs in Kit, beehiiv, or Substack.
Frequently asked questions
How many emails should a welcome sequence have?
Three to five. Three covers deliver, trust, and offer. Five adds a quick win and proof, which usually helps the offer land.
When should I send the first welcome email?
Right away. Deliver what they signed up for within minutes, while they still remember why they gave you their email.
Should a welcome sequence sell?
Yes, once. Deliver and build trust first, then make one clear offer near the end. Remove anyone who buys so they stop seeing the pitch.
What's the difference between a welcome sequence and a newsletter?
A welcome sequence runs once for each new subscriber, in order, on a timer. A newsletter goes to your whole list at the same time. Most creators run both.
Can I use this template for buyers, not just free signups?
Yes, with small changes. For buyers, swap the offer for help using what they bought. Eden's Welcome template does exactly that, and Upsell offers the next step later.
Ready to turn free signups into buyers? Start Eden free, add your freebie as a free product, and set up your first sequence.