Welcome email examples: a 5-email welcome series template for ecommerce, plus a SaaS version

The welcome email is the one email a new subscriber is actually waiting for. They signed up a minute ago, they remember why, and they often expect a discount code or a download. That makes it the easiest email to get right, and a costly one to waste.

Most welcome email roundups show a gallery of brand screenshots. This guide gives you something you can use straight away: a complete welcome email series template for an online store, five emails with full copy, timing and the rules for when someone leaves the series, plus a four-email version for SaaS products and a fill-in template for a single welcome email. All copy here is example text written for this guide. Swap the placeholders in square brackets for your own brand, products and offer.

Welcome email vs. welcome series

A welcome email is a single message sent right after someone subscribes or signs up. A welcome series is a short sequence, usually three to five emails over one to two weeks, that introduces your brand step by step.

If you're starting from nothing, send one good welcome email today and turn it into a series later. If you already have the welcome email, the series is the next thing to build.

Before you write: three rules for any welcome series

1. Deliver what you promised at sign-up, in the first email. If the form said "10% off your first order", the code goes in email 1, not email 3.
2. Set an exit rule. In ecommerce, stop the series when someone places their first order and move them to post-purchase emails. In SaaS, move people forward when they complete the key action. Nobody should get "here's 10% off your first order" after they've ordered.
3. Say what happens next. Tell people how often you'll email and what they'll get. It lowers unsubscribes and spam complaints later.

Also check consent. If you use double opt-in, the confirmation email ("Please confirm your subscription") is separate from the welcome email and comes first. The welcome series starts once the subscription is confirmed.

Ecommerce welcome series template (5 emails)

Everyone exits the series on their first order. Timing is a starting point. If you sell something people buy quickly, such as snacks, compress the series; for considered purchases such as furniture, space it out.

Email 1: welcome and offer (right away)

• Subject: Welcome in. Here's your 10% code
• Preview text: Use it on anything for the next 14 days.

Notes: the code is in the first lines, not buried. The "what to expect" line sets the frequency. Sign it from a real person if you can.

Email 2: your brand story (day 2)

• Subject: Why we started [Brand]
• Preview text: The short version, in three paragraphs.

Notes: keep it short and specific. Only make claims you can stand behind, such as materials, processes and policies, and leave out vague superlatives.

Email 3: bestsellers (day 4)

• Subject: Where to start: our 3 most-loved pieces
• Preview text: And who each one is for.

Notes: "most-loved" or "bestseller" should reflect your real sales data. Saying who each product is for helps more than repeating its features.

Email 4: questions answered (day 7)

• Subject: Shipping, returns and sizing, answered
• Preview text: Everything you might want to know before your first order.

Notes: this email does the job of a FAQ page, delivered at the moment people are deciding. Only state policies you actually offer.

Email 5: offer reminder (day 10)

• Subject: Your 10% code expires in 4 days
• Preview text: A quick reminder, then we'll leave it with you.

Notes: the deadline is real, the tone is relaxed, and the email tells people what comes next. If you don't offer a welcome discount, replace this email with a "most-reviewed" or "staff picks" email built from real data.

SaaS welcome email series template (4 emails)

For a SaaS product or app, the goal of a welcome series is not a purchase. It's getting a new user to the moment the product proves useful, the "key action": creating a first project, connecting an integration, inviting a teammate. Trigger the series from sign-up or a Trial Started event, and exit or skip ahead when the user completes the key action.

Email 1: your account is ready (right away)

• Subject: Your [Product] account is ready. Here's step one
• Preview text: It takes about 5 minutes.

Email 2: get to the key action (day 1)

• Subject: The one thing to do in [Product] this week
• Preview text: Three steps, about 5 minutes.

Notes: send this only to users who haven't done the key action yet. Anyone who has should skip ahead.

Email 3: a tip or use case (day 3)

• Subject: 3 ways teams use [feature]
• Preview text: Pick the one closest to your work.

Email 4: check-in before the trial ends (day 7)

• Subject: Your trial ends in [3] days
• Preview text: Keep your projects and settings in one click.

Notes: personalise only with data you actually have. If you have none, drop the line rather than guess. Exit everyone who starts a subscription. For more lifecycle flows such as feature adoption and win-back, see SaaS lifecycle email.

A fill-in welcome email template

If you want one welcome email for now, fill in this template:

Subject: Welcome to [Brand], [first name or "friend"]
Preview text: [What they get: your code / your guide / step one]

Hi [first name],

Thanks for [subscribing / signing up]. [Deliver the promise:
the code, download link or next step.]

[One or two sentences on who you are and what you do.]

[One call to action button]

What to expect: [how often you'll email and what about].

[Name], [role] at [Brand]
[Postal address] · [Unsubscribe]

Keep it to a screen on a phone. One main button. A real name in the sign-off. An unsubscribe link and your postal address in the footer, as you would in any marketing email.

Welcome email subject lines

A few more, for whichever email in the series they fit:

• You're in, [first name]
• Your discount code is inside, as promised
• Thanks for joining. Start here
• Here's the free guide you asked for
• Nice to meet you. A quick hello from the founder
• What to expect from [Brand]
• Your guide to [Brand] in 2 minutes
• Welcome. First order ships free
• Finish setting up [Product] in 5 minutes
• One question before we start

There are more examples, plus advice on preview text and testing, in the email subject lines guide.

How to measure a welcome series

• Clicks per email, not opens. Apple Mail Privacy Protection can load emails automatically, so open counts overstate real reading.
• Conversion within the series: first orders (ecommerce) or key actions completed (SaaS) before the series ends.
• Code redemptions if you use a welcome offer, and how much they cost.
• Unsubscribes and complaints per email. A spike on one email means its timing, tone or content needs work.

Change one thing at a time. A good first test is the email 1 subject line, since every new subscriber receives it.

Where the welcome series fits

The welcome series is the first of several automated flows. In ecommerce it usually runs next to browse abandonment, abandoned cart and post-purchase emails; see ecommerce email flows for the full set, and abandoned cart email examples for the flow most stores build next. A welcome series also only works if people are signing up, so pair it with list growth through honest sign-up forms.

Setting up a welcome series in EterMail

EterMail is our product. Its welcome series template is triggered when someone subscribes: a welcome right away and a brand story three days later. The AI drafts both in your brand's voice, and you can add steps, change the waits and edit every word. AI can also make the pictures: on-brand banners, or scenes built from your real product photo, with an optional short greeting. Each picture costs 48 credits, or 78 when built from a product photo, and failed pictures are free. Prices, discount codes and links stay in the email text, not in the picture. SaaS products and apps can trigger a flow from any event they send, such as Trial Started. You approve the flow once and it keeps running; editing it needs a fresh approval. See email automation software for how triggers, waits and exits work.

FAQ

What should a welcome email include?

A thank-you, whatever you promised at sign-up (a discount code, a download or a first step), a short line about who you are, one clear call to action, and a note on what to expect next. Add an unsubscribe link and your postal address in the footer. Keep it short enough to read on a phone without scrolling much.

How many emails should a welcome series have?

Three to five is common. Ecommerce stores often use five over about ten days: welcome and offer, brand story, bestsellers, common questions, and an offer reminder. SaaS series are often shorter and end when the user completes the key action or the trial ends.

When should you send a welcome email?

Right away. The first email should go out as soon as someone subscribes or confirms their subscription, while they still remember signing up. Space the rest of the series a few days apart, and stop it as soon as the person buys or completes the key action.

Should a welcome email include a discount?

Only if you promised one, or if discounts fit your pricing. If your sign-up form offered a code, deliver it in the first email. If you don't discount, the welcome email can offer free shipping, a guide, or simply a clear introduction to your best products.

What is the difference between a welcome email and a confirmation email?

A confirmation email, used with double opt-in, asks the subscriber to click a link to confirm their address. A welcome email comes after confirmation and starts the relationship: it thanks them, delivers the offer and introduces your brand. If you use double opt-in, send the confirmation first and the welcome series only after the click.

How do you write a welcome email for SaaS?

Focus on one first step, the action that makes the product useful, and make it easy to start. Send it right after sign-up from a real person's name, with a reply address that support actually reads. Follow-up emails should go only to users who haven't completed that action yet.