Welcome Message Checklist

The EEC (Email Experience Council) created the following checklist for senders to use when evaluating their current welcome message, or welcome message series. The checklist outlines the various elements senders should consider when building a high impact welcome message .

The PostUp Deliverability and Strategy team highly recommends for all clients to compare their welcome email design against this checklist.

 

Topics included:

 

Strategy

  • Establish a strategy for the welcome message to optimize engagement and provide meaningful calls-to- action for new subscribers.
  • One email message can only do so much. Focus on welcoming subscribers to your email program. Use other messages to promote your brand or welcome them to a specific service.
  • Set a reminder to update your welcome email at least annually (to update the copyright notice) and to re-evaluate your welcome message strategy.
  • Measure the value of your welcome email and perform A/B split tests to optimize the communication. Consider segmenting your welcome messages by point of collection, customer type and subscribe profile.
  • [Optional] Consider a welcome email series, using two to five messages over the course of a week or a month to introduce subscribers to your core offerings, best content and subscription benefits.

Expectations

  • Use an easy and recognizable sender name and from address. Use the product or brand that the subscriber knows and that matches the branding at the point of sign-up.
  • Reconfirm the subscriber’s email address, permission grant and how/when they opted into the program.
  • Include an add to address book call to action (encouraging the subscriber to add your from address to their contacts or safe sender list).
  • Explain the benefits of your email program.
  • Inform subscribers about message frequency.
  • Include a link to your privacy policy and how you will use the subscriber’s email address. If true, emphasize that you will never sell or share their address with third party senders.
  • [Optional] Include a link to detailed whitelisting (“add to address book”) instructions for all major email clients.
  • [Optional] Include a personal greeting and custom content, particularly if you collect additional information at the point of collection.

Subject Line

  • Include branding such as company name or newsletter title in the subject line.
  • Include the words “Welcome” or “Thank You.”
  • [Optional] Mention a reward or incentive (if one is offered) to spur immediate interaction. Make sure the reward matches the offer mentioned in the body of the message, in addition to what they were offered on the point of collection page.

Account Management

  • Include a prominent unsubscribe link in the body of the message (in addition to the standard footer placement) to help prevent spam complaints.
  • Include the subscriber’s name or username.
  • [Optional] Ask or recommend that the subscriber open an account or create a profile.
  • [Optional] Include a link to the subscriber’s account, email preference or user profile pages.
  • [Optional] Include a link to a subscription management page.

Branding and Promotion

  • Encourage interaction or purchase via promotions or offers.
  • Include a company description and brand statements, such as key differentiators.
  • [Optional] Include links to various product divisions or newsletters as appropriate.
  • [Optional] Include a site search field or link.
  • [Optional] Include links to relevant products or offerings.

Viral

  • Allow subscribers to share the message across all social networks.
  • [Optional] Include a forward to a friend link.
  • [Optional] Include a subscribe link so recipients of forwards can opt into the mailing list.

Relationship Building

  • [Optional] Promote your other email newsletters on other topics.
  • [Optional] Promote your email reminder services.
  • [Optional] Promote your mobile services.
  • [Optional] Offer to send catalogs, brochures and other printed materials.
  • [Optional] Include a link to your loyalty program, if applicable.
  • [Optional] Include a link to your store or office locator.
  • [Optional] Include links to different articles, columns and other content.
  • [Optional] Include a link to your blog.
  • [Optional] Include a link to RSS feeds.
  • [Optional] Include a link to social networking pages.

Customer Service

  • Include your corporate mailing address.
  • [Optional] Include a contact phone number.
  • [Optional] Include a contact email address.
  • [Optional] Include a customer service, help or feedback link.