Yay, you have an email list!

And omgeeee, people are actually signing up for it!

Okay… now what?

I talk to so many entrepreneurs who finally set up an email list… but then they don’t DO anything with it.

So today, we’re going to talk about what to do with your new subscribers.

Step 1. Welcome / Congratulate them with personalized copy.

It sounds obvious, but it’s so easy to forget what happens immediately after someone signs up for your email list.

Basically, they get TWO “thank you” messages at once:

1. They are taken to a Thank You page or pop-up.
2. They receive a confirmation email.

You likely read that and thought, “Duh, Cheryl. I’ve seen hundreds of thank you pages and emails.”

But the funny thing is — I work with so many business owners who forget they actually have to WRITE + CREATE these thank you messages.

So, when they’re trying to set up their email list or a new freebie, there’s a moment where they think they’re almost finished… and then — “Uuuuugh… I forgot I had to make those, too!”

In many cases, the business owner just uses the default thank you message given by the email provider. ‘Cause that seems way easier than setting up a new page and email.

But the default message usually reads something like this:

Thanks for being a loyal email subscriber. We appreciate hearing from you. Let us know if you ever have any questions.

I have one word for this: ew.

Because this, my friend, is the PERFECT place to add some personality & make an even better first impression. (I wrote an article on how to do this here.)

And if that doesn’t get you motivated to change the default message, think of it this way…

By writing your own thank you message, you’re taking care of your new subscribers — which is crucial when you’re trying to build a relationship + trust, so they’ll eventually become raving fans and buyers.

So what should you put in your thank you messages?

First — don’t just say “thank you” or “welcome.” Instead, congratulate them. Let them know they made a great decision.

Next — tell them how to get access to the freebie they just signed up for (if you don’t have a freebie yet, skip this step):

• Thank You Page / Pop-up — “Your freebie will be in your inbox shortly.”
• Thank You Email — “Download your freebie here!” (An easy way to do this: upload your freebie to your website, then link directly to it in this email.)

Step 2. Tell them what to expect from you.

Let them know they’ll be getting more helpful tips, free resources, and recommendations — and how often they can expect to hear from you.

This is also a great time to let them see if they resonate with you. You can include a brief section about how your beliefs on your topic differ from other experts’ opinions in your industry.

(This “what to expect” section can be in the same email as your Thank You message.)

Step 3. Create a “nurture sequence” that (you guessed it!) nurtures them.

A nurture sequence is a series of emails your new subscriber receives after joining your list.

(Some people call it an “indoctrination series,” but I prefer “nurture sequence” for obvious reasons. I mean, indoctrination? That doesn’t exactly give the warm fuzzies we’re going for here.)

These emails are designed to “nurture” your new reader by building a relationship + level of trust.

In a nurture sequence, you introduce your new readers to…

• your philosophies, teachings, and personality — so they can see if they resonate with you + start to learn the important truths you want to share.
• the kinds of problems you help with — by actually giving them some helpful tips and strategies to start dealing with those problems themselves.
• the results you get for people who work with you — you can demonstrate this in the form of success stories, testimonials, case studies, or simple one-liners like, “When my client Sophia tried Step #3, she saw an immediate increase in her energy levels.”

(Want help writing these emails? Check out “How to Write an Email Nurture Sequences that Engages Your New Readers from Day 1.”)

The cool thing is — you automate these messages.

That means — you write these emails in advance, then set them up to go out automatically (in whatever order you choose), and you’re done! From then on, every new subscriber will receive these emails.

Step 4. Continue sending valuable, helpful content in the form of a newsletter.

I know — just the thought of this makes some of you groan.

But this is what makes having an email list work.

You can’t JUST email your readers when you have something to sell. (Well, you can, but this article is about taking care of new subscribers, and that involves being generous and helpful in between — and even during — your promotions.)

What do you put in a newsletter?

Totally up to you!

A good basic format is:

• start with a personal note from you, where you give a short update on what’s happening your life
• then include a “featured article” (hint: this article can double as your blog article)

Other sections you can include in your newsletter are:

• A recommendation or short blurb about other resources (these can be for your own programs or products, or for a referral partner.
• A testimonial, success story, or “rave review” from a client or customer.
• A list of events you have coming up, with links for people to register.
• Your bio

How often should you send a newsletter?

No matter what people tell you, there’s no hard and fast rule on this.

Some people mail once a week. Others twice a month. Still others, once a month.

The key is — you don’t want to wait so long that your readers forget about you.

For that reason, I recommend at least twice a month.

But I’ve found that the most important factor here is giving yourself a goal that you can STICK to.

If you’re just getting started, you may need to start with just once a month, then eventually work your way up to twice a month, then later move up to once a week.

Then, once you start doing online promotions, you may need to adjust the frequency of your newsletters during the promotion window. (For example, if you’re promoting a new program and want to send two – four promo emails a week, you may want to skip your newsletters during those weeks.)

So that’s it! 4 Steps to Take Care of Your New Email Subscribers.

Like I mentioned, next week I’ll be going more in-depth on how to write the emails in your nurture sequence.

In the meantime, check in on your Thank You page + email — is it time to update the copy?

Want more help writing your website?

In my “Write Your Website” Checklist, we’ll go through all the essential pages of your website, including your thank you pages.