This is the last of the 4-part Welcome Sequence series. I’m answering the question, “what do you say in your welcome sequence?” As an email copywriter, this is one of the most common questions I get asked. It’s also where most people tend to get stuck in the process.

To get unstuck, I’m going to share my 7-email framework. I call it my Happily Ever After Framework because I’m a sucker for a good romantic comedy. I think that this framework will make it easy to understand the goal of each email because remember, one email = one goal, right?

Magic Number Seven
Why are we sending seven emails? Because it works really well with this marketing rule of seven, which states that it takes an average of seven interactions for someone to take action and buy from you.

Now, I’ve seen people use three welcome emails, but I like the number seven, because it gives you time and space to warm up your reader, showcase your expertise and personality, create a high touch experience, and tell a few different stories.

Remember that as you are writing these, you always want to have the end goal of your welcome sequence in mind. So are you going to invite them to book a call, check out your evergreen webinar, or buy one of your packages or products? Every email is like a breadcrumb leading them to that final email. Think Hansel and Gretel.

You also want to consider as you’re pulling together your different stories and email topics, the different stages of awareness. What does your reader need to know, think, or believe in order to trust that you are right for them. Can your offer help them solve their problem or achieve the transformation they’re looking for?

Without further adieu, here is my 7-email Happily Ever After framework:

  1. The Meet Cute (in case you don’t know what Meet Cute is, you need to rent the Holiday, which is a fantastic movie). A Meet Cute is essentially how the main characters meet in a movie. Picture The Wedding Planner, where Jennifer Lopez’s character gets her Gucci heel stuck in a manhole cover, and a dump truck is coming at her, then, of course, Matthew McConaughey swoops in to save the day. Voila, Meet Cute. Our meet cute is not quite so dramatic, but you do want it to be memorable and have it infused with your personality. Typically, they’ve just downloaded your freebie or heard you on a podcast, and so you want to show them that this is not just some chance encounter where they will be unsubscribing in days or they’ll never hear from you again. This email is an opportunity to differentiate yourself and really stand out, make a great first impression.
  2. The Dream Date. You want to roll out the red carpet and show them that you are paying attention to them. You’re not just talking about yourself on this entire first date. This email is all about serving them and meeting them where they currently are. We are not sharing our life story yet, OK? We can drop little nuggets here and there, but we are not copy and pasting our resume here. This is where you really want to remind them of why they downloaded the freebie and of what attracted them to you in the first place. One tactic I love using is to pull something from the freebie and elaborate on it.
  3. The Overcoming Conflict Email. We know that in every rom com, there’s a big misunderstanding or miscommunication that could easily be cleared up with a 5-minute conversation, right? For our purposes, I’m talking about overcoming objections. Give them something unexpected. A quick win. As an example, at this point in my welcome sequence, I share a free Headline Makeover Guide. I also tee up that in the next email I’m going to show them how I put it in action for another client. So you want to infuse a little cliffhanger or give them a reason to look forward to your next email. At this point, you want to keep the momentum going, give them a reason to stay subscribed.
  4. Make Them Jealous. This is where you share your best case study. You want to make sure the case study aligns with what you are selling. Remember that you’re seeding the idea for your offer here. You’re showing the reader that you can deliver on your promise. This is perhaps the most impactful email in the sequence.
  5. Pour Your Heart Out. This is the heart to heart scene that brings the two main characters closer than ever. Why save this for email five? Because by now they’ve had four emails where you’ve been wining and dining them, showing off your sparkling personality, you’ve given them a quick win and shown them you’ve gotten results for other people. You’ve been on enough email dates now that you can talk about yourself a bit more, share your story and brag a little. The key here is to focus on what they need to know about you to believe you’re the right fit for them.
  6. Make Your Grand Gesture. This is like the grand final scene, the iconic chasing-someone-through-the-airport scene.  It’s when Matthew McConaughey is chasing Kate Hudson’s taxi on a motorcycle. Now obviously our goal is not to declare our love here, but I like to think of this more as an email where we push the envelope a little bit. Make a bold stance, declare something that goes against the status quo and gets their attention. The goal is to bring them closer to you to see if they are an ideal client or giving them a chance to opt out. Maybe you have a hot take on something in your industry that is the opposite of what every other expert says. This would be the email where you unpack that.
  7. Happily Ever After. This is where you’re making the ask. Let’s be real here. Most people are NOT going to buy at this point (that doesn’t mean everyone won’t, but statistically speaking, the vast majority will not). There are really two possible happy endings for this seventh email: A) They buy the your offering (YAY!) or B) They stay on your list, which is also a great outcome and just the beginning of your relationship.

If you want a step-by-step guide to writing your very own high-touch welcome sequence, I would love to invite you inside my brand new workshop-style course “You’ve Got (E)mail.” I’m going to be opening up the beta round soon so head over to www.erikaholmes.com/email to stay in the loop.