Welcome emails are 86% more effective than standard emails, with an average open rate of around 50%.
This makes a welcome email a valuable opportunity to introduce yourself, your products, and your brand, and to create a lasting impression on your new subscribers.
So let’s have a look at some of the best welcome emails from around the web, along with the best welcome email lessons you can implement for yourself.
Made in Cookware
Made in Cookware is a kitchen supply company that provides high-quality kitchen equipment.
Subject: Welcome to Made In! ????????
Cookware’s welcome email is comprehensive and distinct from most product companies' emails. Instead of introducing their product line, Made in Cookware takes time to welcome you, outline their commitments, and highlight the benefits you can expect.
The portion below the fold gets more company-specific but even here, instead of promoting products directly, Made In tells you about the company history (which establishes prestige and familiarity), talks about the best chef using their products (social proof), and then finally talks about how with all the quality they offer you can still expect reasonable prices due to their supply chain processes.
This 3-pronged approach to customer acquisition is excellent. It covers many psychological factors (familiarity, social proof, high-value-low-price) that signal the reliability of the brand - eCommerce marketing done right.
Another attention-worthy feature of the email is the two different CTAs after each segment. Although both buttons take you to the same webpage, it’s the choice of words that makes the difference.
The first section covers cooking in general and how Made In can add value to your process, so the first CTA says ‘Let’s Cook.’ The second section is more specific and asks the reader to ‘Shop Now’. Choosing the right words can make all the difference in click-through rates.
Fracture
Fracture prints your digital photos on glass and creates handcrafted prints. When you register, you get a wonderful welcome email from them.
Subject: Welcome to the Fracture family!
This welcome email does a lot while remaining simple. A friendly ‘hello there’ greeting is followed by a headline that welcomes you.
They don’t waste words. Below the graphic, you’re offered a 10% discount immediately as a sign-up gift, followed by the coupon code and a CTA that takes you directly to the website.
Fracture makes this minimal copy welcome email work on the strength of its visuals. They don’t have to say much; their choice of color and the graphic give a clear message about the brand: they’re a welcoming, cozy brand that delights you with the fine things in life.
They also go a step further: the welcome email makes it clear that if you don’t like your Fracture print, you can get it replaced for free. This signals the brand's authenticity, making consumers more likely to visit the store and make a purchase. 90% of consumers say that authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support.
Mercury Mosaics
This is another example of a copy-minimal welcome email from Mercury Mosaics, a brand that creates artisan, handcrafted tiles for homes.
Subject: ????The look of envy ????
‘You can’t fake these looks, the headline of the email greets you with all its confidence. Mercury Mosaics signals its competence in its craft, giving readers confidence in their decision to sign up.
As with Fracture, their copy is minimal yet powerful. They differentiate themselves from other tile makers by claiming to be experts in original and artistic work. The main image of the email, along with the border pattern, complements each other and supports Mercury Mosaics' main product.
The only thing that misses the mark is the CTA. Every other word in the email hits the nail on the head and doesn’t waste any space, but this confidence falls away in the CTA. ‘Browse the entire lookbook’ is a rather bland call to action and doesn’t capitalize on the brand's competency demonstrated elsewhere in the email.
Apto Skincare
Apto is a cosmetics brand on a mission to produce luxurious, cost-conscious products. They believe everyone should have access to clean beauty at an affordable price.
Subject: Welcome to APTO! We're happy that you're here.
When you sign up with Apto, they reiterate their promise to deliver accessible skincare, even stating the price range explicitly in the headline.
By offering a free shipping coupon as a sign-up reward, they articulate their values and emphasize their brand personality with cute, quirky imagery to support their points.
The email headings are well-structured and help readers navigate the emails, and all images have alt tags that help screen readers describe them.
Apto also asks their subscribers to follow their Instagram page as they conduct a lot of their marketing and promotion on that channel, thus killing two birds with one sign-up.
Headspace
Headspace is a mindfulness meditation app that offers a wide range of meditation exercises for various situations. Although not an eCommerce brand, their welcome email is impressive and still worth taking a look.
Subject: Welcome to Headspace Plus
Headspace positions itself as a highly empathetic brand. They want to be your non-judgmental friend you can confide in. When you sign up for their premium account, the email congratulates you on your commitment to health.
They still don’t sugar coat anything by letting you know improvement only comes from practice but that they’ll support you all the way.
The graphic used in the email also conveys friendliness and colorfulness, reinforcing Headspace’s brand image.
So although not an eCommerce brand, what you can take from Headspace’s welcome email is how they understand the customers’ journey, and you can replicate that by empathizing deeply with your subscribers in your welcome emails.
Bite
Bite is a dental hygiene brand that’s changed the concept of toothpaste. They sell small capsules that you bite into and dissolve in your mouth to act as toothpaste. They promise environmentally friendly products with only safe toothpaste ingredients.
Subject: Welcome! You’re one in a billion ⭐
As an environmentally conscious brand, Bite uses the welcome email to first introduce the problem they are tackling (toothpaste tubes in landfills and oceans) and how they are addressing it (with plant-based ingredients and plastic-free packaging).
If you are a company bringing something new to your industry, a welcome email is a good way to introduce yourself. It informs your subscribers who you are and sets the tone for future interactions.
The second segment of the email outlines the benefits of Bite’s products to help consumers feel more confident in purchasing from them. They’ve also placed a CTA right after listing the benefits: a good practice, as subscribers feel more inclined to take action if they feel a brand is bringing them value.
The email concludes with a brief note from the CEO, which fosters a sense of community among subscribers. If you can make your subscribers feel like a part of something, they’ll be more inclined to engage with your brand.
The takeaway
We hope you found these emails and can take on board some insights to apply to your own welcome emails too. To recap, here are some takeaways from these emails:
Talk about your company and your mission as a differentiator
Encourage engagement using enticing copy, attractive imagery and relevant CTAs
Add discount coupons and free shipping offers to attract people to your website
Welcome emails are a great way to start a relationship with your leads and boost website traffic. Use them well.
