Someone just joined your email list. Right now they remember your store, they know why they signed up, and they’re paying attention. A week from now, you’re one sender among dozens in a crowded inbox. That’s why the first few emails you send matter more than almost anything else in your email program.

A welcome series is a short set of automated emails sent to every new subscriber. Here’s a five-email sequence that works for most small online stores, with timing, content and examples for each.

Why a series and not a single email

A single welcome email tries to do everything at once: deliver the discount, tell your story, show bestsellers, explain shipping, invite people to follow you on social media. The result is long and unfocused.

A series lets each email do one job. It also gives new subscribers several chances to buy, at a pace that fits how people actually shop. Some will buy the same day. Others need a few days to compare, check with a partner, or wait for payday.

Because it’s automated, you write it once and it runs for every new subscriber from then on. It’s among the highest-value pieces of email work a small store can do.

Before you start: three decisions

1. What did you promise at signup? If your popup offered 10% off, the first email must deliver that code right away. If it promised a guide, deliver the guide.
2. What should happen when someone buys? Most people who buy during the series should leave it and move into a post-purchase flow. Nobody wants a “here’s 10% off your first order” reminder after they’ve already ordered.
3. What’s your sending identity? Use a real name and an address on your own domain. With Gmail and Yahoo’s newer sender requirements now in place, proper authentication and an easy unsubscribe aren’t optional.

Email 1: The welcome and the promise (immediately)

Goal: deliver what you promised and confirm they’re in the right place.

Send this the moment someone subscribes. People who sign up for a discount often want to use it right away, so any delay can cost you an order.

What to include:

• The discount code or download, placed near the top where it’s impossible to miss
• A one-line reminder of what the code applies to and when it expires
• A button to start shopping, ideally to your bestsellers or the page they signed up from
• One sentence setting expectations: what you’ll send and how often

Example subject line: “Here’s your 10% off, as promised”

Keep it short. This email has one job.

Email 2: Your story (day 2)

Goal: give people a reason to buy from you, not just from anyone who sells something similar.

Small stores have an advantage big retailers can’t copy: a real person behind the brand. Use it.

What to include:

• Who started the store and why, in a few sentences
• What makes your products different: how they’re made, where they come from, what you care about
• A photo of you, your workshop, your team, or your packing table
• A gentle reminder that the welcome code is still valid

Example subject line: “Why I started [Store Name]”

This email often gets replies. Answer them personally. That relationship is part of what you’re selling.

Email 3: Bestsellers and social proof (day 4)

Goal: help new subscribers decide what to buy first.

Many new subscribers are interested but don’t know where to start. Remove that friction.

What to include:

• Three to five bestsellers, with images and short descriptions
• A review or two from real customers (with their permission)
• A “which one is right for me?” guide if your products need choosing between
• Your welcome code, again

Example subject line: “Where most people start”

If you collect product reviews, this is where they earn their keep. If you haven’t set them up yet, our guide on adding product reviews in WooCommerce will help.

Email 4: Remove the objections (day 6)

Goal: answer the questions that stop people from buying.

Think about the questions your support inbox gets most often before a first purchase. Common ones:

• How much is shipping, and how long does it take?
• What if it doesn’t fit or I don’t like it?
• Is this safe to use / will it work with what I have?
• Can I pay with my preferred method?

Answer the top three in plain language. Link to your returns policy and shipping page. If you offer something generous, like free returns or a satisfaction guarantee, make it prominent.

Example subject line: “Quick answers before your first order”

This email tends to feel helpful rather than salesy, which makes it a good place to mention again that the welcome code is still active.

Email 5: The reminder before the code expires (day 8–10)

Goal: give a clear, honest reason to act now.

If your welcome code has an expiry date, remind people shortly before it runs out. This is often one of the stronger emails in the series because it gives fence-sitters a real deadline.

What to include:

• A clear statement: “Your 10% code expires on Friday”
• The code and a button to shop
• A short recap of why people like your store: one review, one product, one reason

Example subject line: “Your welcome code expires Friday”

Be honest. If the code doesn’t actually expire, don’t say it does. Fake urgency erodes trust and trains subscribers to ignore you.

The series at a glance

Treat these timings as a starting point. A store selling low-priced impulse items might compress the series into a week. A store selling expensive furniture might stretch it across three weeks and add a buying guide.

Worked example: a small skincare store

Here’s how a hypothetical skincare store might adapt the series. It offers 10% off in its signup popup, and the code expires after 10 days.

• Email 1 (instant): “Your 10% code is inside.” Code in a big box, a button to “Shop the starter set,” one line saying “We send tips and new launches about twice a month.”
• Email 2 (day 2): The founder explains she started making balms because store-bought ones irritated her skin. Photo of her kitchen workshop.
• Email 3 (day 4): “Not sure where to start?” A short guide to picking by skin type, three bestsellers, and two customer reviews.
• Email 4 (day 6): Answers “Will this suit sensitive skin?”, “How long does a jar last?” and “What if I don’t like it?”, with a link to the returns policy.
• Email 5 (day 9): “Your code expires tomorrow.” One product image, the code, one review.

Anyone who orders at any point exits the series and receives an order-focused follow-up instead.

Design and writing tips

• Write like a person. Plain text or a simple layout often feels more personal than a heavily designed template, especially for emails 2 and 4.
• One main call to action per email. Secondary links are fine; competing buttons are not.
• Mobile first. Most subscribers will read on a phone. Use a single column and large buttons.
• Consistent branding. Your welcome emails should look like they come from the same store as your order confirmations. Our guide to customizing WooCommerce email templates helps you match your transactional emails to your marketing ones.
• Easy unsubscribe. A clear unsubscribe link is better than a spam complaint.

Measuring the series

Look at each email individually and at the series as a whole:

• Open and click rates per email, to find weak spots
• Conversion rate of the series: what share of new subscribers place a first order while in it
• Unsubscribes per email, which can reveal an email that feels too pushy
• Revenue from the series over time

Change one email at a time. Test a new subject line on email 3, or swap the order of emails 3 and 4, and compare over several weeks.

After the welcome series

When the series ends, subscribers who haven’t bought should move into your regular newsletter. Customers who did buy should get post-purchase emails: thank-you, product tips and a review request. Keeping these flows separate means every subscriber gets messages that fit where they are.

Getting your first five emails live

You don’t need to write all five perfectly before launching. Start with email 1 today, add email 2 and email 5 this week, and fill in the middle as you learn what your customers ask about. The series will keep working quietly in the background for every subscriber you win from now on.

iConvert Email Marketer includes automations and pre-designed templates for WooCommerce, which can make setting up a sequence like this faster.

Flavius Noja

Flavius is an online marketing specialist with experience in the digital field. He is passionate about everything that means the online world, sports, but also crypto.