The Welcome Page: Introduce Yourself To New Subscribers (Even Before They Get Your First Email)

There’s one strategy that helps you do all of these things in ONE place:

Authentically get your face in front of new subscribers.

Share what you’re all about.

Explain who you serve through your content.

Outline what they can expect from you.

Yes, these are all things you should be sharing in your welcome sequence, but that’s not the only place.

Introducing… The Welcome Page!

What does a welcome page DO?

A welcome page is the in-between of someone signing up for your opt-in and opening up their inbox to confirm their subscription.

This is a sweet opportunity to connect with them even BEFORE they open your very first email.

A welcome page:

• Gives you an opportunity to show up in front of your new subscriber right away

• Explains what they’ll get from you and why that matters for them

• Tells them the next step to engage with you (in my case, I want them to check their email, then visit the blog if they’re interested)

Wait, I need one of these?

You don’t NEED one, but it is a solid way to get your face in front of new subscribers and start building the Know-Like-Trust factor required for running an online business.

If you don’t have a welcome page set up, that’s A-Okay. Right now, your email service platform probably sends them to a page with messaging like this (the default in Kit):

Otherwise, you’re probably keeping people on the page where they signed up and they’re seeing the text area change into a “success message,” something like this:

What goes on a welcome page?

Remind them of their next step — confirming their email! Paula Pant keeps her welcome page super clear and to the point; she also includes some logos of companies she’s worked with (which helps build credibility for those who don’t know who she is yet):

Try a video. Mine is super short and sweet — only 79 seconds! I recorded my welcome video in one take using Loom; it’s hosted there, and I embedded it on this page.

Full disclosure, a video was imperative for me in order to teach people how to say my name (ha!). And when you join my email list, you’ll see it again in my welcome sequence.

Give them a simple link to further engage with you. For instance, ask them to subscribe to your YouTube channel, visit your blog, link to your shop/storefront.

Include a call to action for a popular service or product. This example from His and Her Money includes next steps and a short-term sale (a “tripwire”) for a related product that might benefit new subscribers:

Ask for their input. Ashlyn Carter’s welcome page includes a one-question survey. That’s a great way to gather audience research as your list grows!

How does a welcome page WORK?

You’ve got opt-ins on your website, right? All those wonderful ways for people to join your email list?

Well, we’re going to supercharge those.

Once you create your welcome page, (or multiple if you want to create different ones for different opt-ins) take that URL over to your email service provider.

What you’re going to do is use a “URL redirect” — that means, once someone signs up for your opt-in, they’re taken to a whole new page (your welcome page!).

To do this in Kit, watch this video here

And here’s how you do it in ActiveCampaign

Let me know: Which of these methods will you be using to help your new followers feel welcome?