Every coach should have a newsletter. It's the best way to free yourself from relying on a fickle algorithm, share nuanced insights, and build a deep relationship with your audience.
Curious about creating a welcome sequence for your newsletter subscribers?
The most common questions I get from coaches about building a welcome sequence are:
- How do you know what to include in a welcome sequence?
- How many emails do you send?
- How long should each be?
There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, but the approach I’ve taken seems to be working so far, so I’ll share it.
Here’s how to create a welcome sequence people love…
What is a Welcome Sequence?
A great welcome sequence should be relevant to your audience, give tons of value, and build a connection to you and the content you create.
I frame my welcome sequence as a free masterclass you get as a bonus for subscribing to my newsletter, Creator Alchemy, where I explore the psychology of success:
It’s a mix of repurposed content and new, but I use it to onboard people into my ecosystem.
Here are the 4 questions I used to build it…
Question 1: How can I create a shared language with the reader?
Shared languages help bond people together, feel like they’re part of a community, and feel connected to you—like you’re a friend.
Think about:
- Stories
- Metaphors
- Coined terms
You can share with them to create a shared language.
Examples of a shared language I've built with my audience include "Four Horsemen of Fear," "MVP Mindset," "Lucrative Misery," "Core Value," and "memento mori."
Question 2: How can I share my story to build affinity and resonance in a way that is also highly valuable?
Share stories that highlight:
- Why you became a coach
- Adversities you’ve overcome
- Insights you learned the hard way
You know how we always root for the underdog in every story? It’s because we see a part of ourselves in them. What about your story would make people feel a connection to you or want to root for you?
Share those stories and fun facts about yourself.
People tend to connect with me for things like:
- I grew up super poor—like food stamps and public housing (adversity)
- Despite that, I ended up getting a doctorate in psychology (triumph)
- Even though I’m a psychologist, I’m covered in tattoos, cuss, and am no-bullshit (contrarian/rebel)
- I believe too many people let fear trap them in mediocrity and then die with regret, so everything I do revolves around helping others reach their potential and make the most out of life (my philosophy/outlook on life)
- I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and love Dungeons and Dragons (fun facts)
You’re sitting on tons of stories and experiences.
Share them to connect with your audience and inspire them.
Question 3: How can I introduce my best products in a non-salesy way that is also highly valuable on its own if they don’t buy now?
This is twofold:
Your first goal is for your free content to be better than other people’s paid content.
Your second goal is to create paid content that actually helps your audience and isn’t a shitty cash grab.
Use your free stuff to:
- Build trust
- Help the reader get results
- Prove your stuff is 10X better than everyone else’s
Then simply let people know you have other (paid) stuff that can help them even more.
If your free stuff is amazing, purchasing your paid stuff will be a no-brainer.
Other than my coaching services, I also offer my on-demand coaching course that helps people build a values-aligned life and business.
Here's how I frame it within my welcome sequence:
• Create powerful goals that actually move you closer to the life you want to achieve
• Learn high-level decision-making mental models
• Identify and overcome obstacles standing in your way (like fear, procrastination, Imposter Syndrome, and self-doubt)
• And develop a roadmap to align your life (and business) with what truly matters so you know you're doing meaningful, purpose-driven work that fulfills you
Check it out now.
This is the program I've used to help hundreds of entrepreneurs, founders, and leaders all over the world transform their lives and businesses.
If you've spent the last week getting tons of value out of a free masterclass dripped out daily, and you've built trust with that person, then they offer a paid course that addresses exactly what you're looking for help with—picking it up is a no-brainer.
4: What are my must-read pieces that, if they read nothing else, would give them a huge advantage?
This gives you yet another opportunity to share content that resonates with them, builds affinity, and proves you deserve a spot in their inbox.
Treat it like a tl;dr of your archive:
- Your best ideas
- Your most-read pieces
- Your highest-value concepts
Show them your highlight reel.
Time is our most precious resource—once we spend it, we can never get it back or make more.
So yes, your welcome sequence doesn’t cost them money, but it costs them time to read—along with every newsletter or piece of content you share in the future.
Assume they’re busy and value their time—what is the absolute best stuff you can share with them to earn the right to be in their inbox in the future?
Make that stuff your welcome sequence.
Wrap Up
Once I have these 4 questions in mind, I repurpose and create content that fits the bill.
For me, that translated into a 14ish-day sequence.
For you, it could be 3 days, 10 days, or more.
Length is irrelevant as long as it’s valuable.
If you’re unsure if people love your newsletter, don’t worry.
If they do, they’ll tell you.
If they don’t, tweak your welcome sequence until they do.
Then keep iterating.
It’ll never be perfect.
But that’s part of what makes being a coach such an adventure—there’s always room for improvement.
Start Your Newsletter Today for Free
I've used ConvertKit for my business since Day 1, and about 80+% of my revenue has been made through ConvertKit (either my newsletter, email marketing campaigns, or some of their other powerful features).
They make creating a welcome sequence super simple and give you analytics to see what works and what to tweak.
I've also been a ConvertKit Ambassador for the past 6 months, which means I've gotten a first look at upcoming features and tons of behind-the-scenes of what they're building.
I'm excited to announce that ConvertKit is introducing a Newsletter Plan, which is free for up to 10,000 subscribers.
It’s everything you need to start, grow, and monetize your newsletter… for free.
The Newsletter Plan includes:
- Unlimited emails (so you’ll always be able to ship your work)
- Unlimited sign-up forms (to grow your list from the ground up)
- Unlimited landing pages (with ConvertKit’s included landing page builder)
- One email sequence (perfect for a welcome sequence)
- One basic visual automation (to start learning how to automate your list)
- Audience tagging & segmentation (for keeping your subscribers organized)
- Access to commerce features (to start selling your digital products or coaching)
- Access to free & smart Recommendations (to organically build your network)
ConvertKit is one of those rare companies that truly cares about its customers and actively builds solutions to help them succeed, which is why I love supporting them and wanted to put them on your radar in case you haven't checked them out yet.
And if you already have an email list on a different platform, take a look at the ConvertKit Newsletter Plan anyway.
You’ll get up to 10,000 subscribers, access to the ConvertKit Creator Network, and more for free.
Check it out now for free using our affiliate link:
