[FAQ]

Hey everyone,

I’m in the process of setting up an automated welcome sequence for new subscribers to my email list. I’m feeling a bit stuck on how many emails I should actually include. Is one “welcome and thank you” email enough, or is a longer series better? Are five emails too many?

What’s the general best practice in 2025 for the number of emails in a welcome series for a creator or small business? I’m also curious about what the purpose of each email in the sequence should be – like, what should the first email achieve versus the third one?

Any advice on structuring this would be great,

[Jeff Bullas]

There is no single “correct” number of emails that will work for every welcome series, as the optimal length can depend on your industry, your audience, and the goals of your email program. However, a sequence of between three and five emails is a very common, effective, and well-regarded structure for most businesses and creators.

This multi-email approach allows you to build a relationship and provide value without overwhelming the new subscriber all at once. A common and effective structure could be organised like this.

The first email in the series should be sent immediately after a person subscribes. Its primary purpose is to confirm the subscription and deliver the promised value, such as the download link for a lead magnet. It should also include a warm welcome and briefly reinforce why they made a good decision to join.

The second email, which might be sent a day or two later, is an opportunity to build a deeper connection. This is an excellent place to tell your personal or brand story, share your mission or values, and help the new subscriber get to know the person or company behind the emails.

The third email should aim to provide more value and manage expectations. Here, you could point them to some of your best or most popular existing content, like top blog posts, videos, or podcast episodes. You can also use this email to explain what kind of content they can expect to receive from you in the future and how often you will be in touch.

If you choose to extend the series to a fourth email, this can be a good point to encourage engagement. You might ask them a direct question and invite them to reply, encourage them to follow you on a social media platform, or ask them to fill out a short survey about their interests so you can better personalise their future content.

A fifth email, should you include one, can then be used to introduce a soft-sell or a low-friction offer. After you have spent several emails building trust and providing value, this is an appropriate time to gently introduce them to one of your entry-level products, a service, a special introductory discount, or another relevant offer.

The goal of a welcome series is to guide a new subscriber from being a relative stranger to becoming an engaged and trusting member of your community. Each email should have a single, clear purpose. The key is to focus on delivering value and building rapport before you begin to sell. A three-to-five-email framework provides a solid foundation to achieve this.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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