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See FeaturesOnboarding email: a complete guide for marketers in 2025
An effective onboarding email is crucial for guiding new customers through their journey with your brand.
You may have heard the assumption that once a customer signs up for your product, service, or newsletter, your job is done. However, this isn’t the case.
You still need to send a proper onboarding email to encourage new customers or subscribers to fully engage with your brand.
An onboarding email helps your new subscribers feel welcome. It gives them a clear sense of what to expect from your brand and sets the tone for future communication.
By guiding your new subscribers from the start, you can effectively help them understand how your offerings can benefit them. This can help keep them engaged and greatly boost retention, ensuring long-term loyalty.
Let’s take a look at what we’ll explore in this comprehensive guide:
- What is an onboarding email?
- Onboarding emails examples
- What is an onboarding email sequence?
- Best practices for creating an effective onboarding email sequence
- How Omnisend enhances onboarding email sequences
- FAQs
What is an onboarding email?
An onboarding email refers to one or more emails sent to new subscribers or customers. These emails are often sent after signing up for a service or buying a product to improve your email marketing efforts.
Onboarding emails help customers become familiar with the features and functionalities of your product or service. They may also introduce some best practices when utilizing your offerings, ensuring users understand how to get the most value from what you offer.
Onboarding emails have three main objectives:
- Educating: These emails provide necessary information and resources to help users understand how to use your products or services effectively
- Engaging: They foster customer engagement by encouraging interaction with your brand and building strong relationships
- Converting: Onboarding emails can nurture leads into paying customers by demonstrating the value of your offering
Now that you have a clear understanding of what an onboarding welcome email is and what it’s used for, let’s discuss how it differentiates from other seemingly similar forms of emails. We’ll look into welcome emails, promotional emails, and newsletters, each of which serves a distinct purpose and has distinct characteristics.
- Welcome emails: They’re usually a new subscriber or customer’s first interaction with your brand, setting the tone for your relationship. They focus mainly on welcoming new customers, introducing the brand, and showcasing welcome offers, if any.
- Promotional emails: The primary objective of promotional emails is driving sales and showcasing special offers. They aim to quickly convert leads into customers.
- Newsletters: These emails provide a mix of general updates, resources, and promotions. Often created using email newsletter templates, these marketing emails aim to maintain ongoing engagement with subscribers. Their main objective is to inform and keep your brand on top of your customers’ minds.
Onboarding emails examples
A well-crafted onboarding email can instantly hook your subscribers, capturing their attention and setting the stage for a lasting relationship with your brand.
Below are some of the best examples of effective onboarding emails by type:
Welcome email
Some onboarding emails, especially those that kick off a series, are solely intended to welcome new customers. Their purpose is to create a positive first impression.
Leverage welcome emails to form a genuine relationship with your users. Give them a warm welcome to your community and express gratitude for choosing your brand.
The best welcome emails have a fun and engaging tone that resonates with the readers without being overly promotional.
For example, we love this onboarding welcome email by the online game, Sea of Thieves. It welcomes users with a friendly tone and conveys the excitement of joining the Sea of Thieves community. This email also explains that the reader will receive “Regular free content updates,” which is an added value. Plus, it offers advice on where to seek guidance, giving the reader reassurance and positive reinforcement to continue the relationship.

Product/service introduction email
Typically sent after the welcome email, a product or service introduction email provides more details about your product or service to educate users. It showcases the most important or unique features of your offerings.
Let’s take a look at one of the best examples of such an email. In the following example, Sheep Inc. presents its new collection in a visually appealing format.
The email features stunning product imagery, with key details about the collection highlighted in a clear and engaging way.
The brand has further enhanced customer experience by adding two distinct buttons for browsing men’s and women’s collections. This thoughtful design choice offers easy navigation and quick browsing:

Value proposition email
This type of onboarding email focuses on highlighting how your product or service can add value to your customers’ lives. It demonstrates any special benefits and features of your offerings that can help solve your customers’ problems.
Let’s look at TUSHY’s onboarding email template below as a prime example. It includes educating prospects about the advantages of the brand’s bidet. See how it has succinctly explained why TUSHY is a better alternative to traditional toilet paper.
By focusing on benefits like freshness, cleanliness, and cost savings, the brand has made it clear how its product can improve the user’s life:

Feature walkthrough email
Ensuring that new users get to know how your product or service functions is a great way to convert them into loyal customers. That’s exactly what a feature walkthrough email does.
It typically highlights the specific features of your product or service, making them clear and easy to understand.
This feature walkthrough email by kizik introduces users to the hands-free technology of its footwear.
Through a visually appealing format, the email effectively demonstrates kizik’s unique selling points. This makes it easy for users to understand the shoes’ novel technology, how they’re made, and what sets them apart:

Benefit-focused email
When introducing a product or service, it’s crucial to highlight the benefits that can improve the user’s experience. Here’s where a benefit-focused email comes in.
Instead of focusing on the features of your product or service, this email highlights the positive outcomes and improvements users can expect from it.
The main goal of these emails is to connect with subscribers emotionally. These emails address their pain points and cater to their preferences while motivating them to act based on what they can gain.
Below is a prime example of a benefit-focused email from WeWork that states what the reader can receive from one of WeWork’s workspaces. Ending the email with, “For all the ways you work, we’re here,” shows that it is inclusive and reassures the reader that they’ll be able to benefit.

Social proof email (testimonials, customer stories)
Nothing sells like a great story, particularly when it comes from real people. That’s why social proof emails are indispensable in your email marketing strategy.
By sharing testimonials and customer stories, you’re creating a bridge between your brand and prospects. This allows them to see how others have benefited from using your brand.
Thumbtack does this brilliantly in the onboarding email below. The email cleverly integrates video as a form of social proof by featuring Oleg, a real professional who uses the platform.
By focusing on a real user’s journey, Thumbtack effectively incorporates human elements into its brand story and more authentically demonstrates the platform’s value:

Q&A email
Depending on the complexity of your products or services, new users may need extra assistance.
A Q&A email can help address common questions and concerns before customers ask them. It typically covers account setup, billing, features, troubleshooting, and other common topics.
Peloton’s Q&A email below effectively showcases this proactive approach. The email is structured in a clear and organized manner, presenting frequently asked questions alongside concise answers.
The phrase “We have the answers” also assures subscribers that their questions will be addressed. This sets the expectation that the email will be informative and worth reading:

Feedback email
This type of email actively invites new users to share their thoughts and experiences regarding their initial interactions with your offerings. A feedback or product review email can encourage them to provide valuable insights.
By proactively asking for feedback, you demonstrate that you value your customers’ opinions and are committed to improving your products or services.
An exceptional example is the onboarding email template below by Graza. The brand has contacted customers who’ve recently made a purchase to gather their thoughts on the product and their overall experience.
This approach strengthens brand loyalty, especially since the reader will receive a discount code at the end, making it seem worthwhile to complete. Graza is also transparent about the fact that it will get critical information to help refine its products, again showing that it cares about the quality of its products:

Re-engagement email
Customer churn and abandonment are among the biggest challenges marketers face today. This is where a re-engagement email becomes necessary.
It targets those who’ve not interacted with your brand for a while.
This email normally includes personalized content, special offers, or reminders of the value your product or service provides. All this is in an attempt to win back the dormant users.
Check out this re-engagement email example by YouTube. It effectively captures attention with its vibrant visuals and clear messaging. The limited-time offer of $50 off NFL Sunday tickets in exchange for reactivation of YoutubeTV not only offers a tempting incentive but creates a sense of urgency and lures lapsed subscribers into quickly taking action:

What is an onboarding email sequence?
An onboarding email sequence consists of strategically scheduled emails sent to new users or customers after they sign up for a service or make a purchase.
This email sequence aims to acquaint new users with your products or services, benefits, and best practices. It’s usually sent over a period of a few days or weeks.
Effective onboarding email sequence examples include of various components. Each serves a particular purpose in the user’s onboarding journey.
The table below outlines the typical components of an onboarding email sequence:
Component | Importance |
Introduction | The initial greeting that welcomes new users, expresses gratitude, and sets a positive tone |
Subject line | Grabs attention at first glance and encourages recipients to open the email |
Contact details | Provides information on how users can reach out for support or inquiries and builds a connection channel |
Call to action (CTA) | Guides users on the next steps by clearly stating what needs to be done |
Visual elements | Offers a clear view of products or services with graphics, images, or videos enhancing the email’s appeal |
Feedback or review | Allows users to easily provide feedback on their experience through a survey link or a simple rating system |
Here’s how onboarding email sequences vary from other email sequences:
- Welcome email sequence: Focuses more on brand introduction rather than product use
- Abandoned cart sequence: Emphasizes more on sales recovery instead of user education
- Promotional email sequence: Primarily sales-driven rather than focused on user onboarding and education
- Re-engagement email sequence: Targets disengaged users rather than guiding them through an initial experience
Best practices for creating an effective onboarding email sequence
To maximize your onboarding email sequence, consider implementing the following best practices:
Segment your audience
One of the most crucial factors in creating an effective onboarding email sequence is customer segmentation. By grouping your customers based on certain criteria, you can craft tailored email sequences that speak directly to their needs.
Leverage personalization
To maximize engagement, utilize personalization in your onboarding email sequence.
For instance, ecommerce personalization focuses on promoting products based on the users’ browsing history. It also provides tips on features they’ve shown interest in and offers incentives in line with their purchasing patterns.
Consider the timing and frequency of your emails
It’s good practice to send a series of onboarding emails within one to two days after a customer signs up.
It’s also important to not overwhelm your subscribers. Find out the best time to send your emails and aim for a manageable frequency of one to two emails per week.
Craft a compelling subject line
Your email subject line is your first and best shot at grabbing the customer’s attention. That’s why you need a catchy email subject line that encourages your subscribers to open the email and take action.
Include actionable calls to action (CTAs)
Without a clear CTA, your audience will simply read your onboarding emails without taking the necessary action.
That’s why it’s vital to create powerful CTAs that guide new subscribers on the next steps. Ensure they stand out visually and are easy to understand.
Measure the success of your onboarding email sequence
Monitoring the key metrics can help you gauge the performance of your onboarding email campaigns. You can identify what resonates with your audience by analyzing the open rates, click-through rates, and user engagement.
Additionally, unsubscribe rates and user feedback can also help you identify drop-off points and areas for improvement.
The results will help you continuously optimize the message, retain customers, and ensure you’re effectively nurturing leads.
How Omnisend enhances onboarding email sequences
Omnisend is an ecommerce email automation platform particularly designed for ecommerce businesses. It focuses on optimizing both email and SMS marketing efforts.
Through the platform’s advanced automation features, such as segmentation and pre-designed templates, you can easily create targeted onboarding email sequences that effectively engage new customers.
Let’s take a look at how Omnisend stands out as a preferred tool for onboarding email sequences:
- Segmentation: With Omnisend’s precise customer segmentation capabilities, you can group your customers based on behavior, preference, or purchase history. This results in highly targeted and effective onboarding emails.
- Personalization: The platform allows extensive email personalization in onboarding emails. These include personalized subject lines, product recommendations, and dynamic content. As a result, your emails will feel more relevant to each recipient.
- Integration: It integrates with various marketing tools and platforms, including Magento, Shopify, and WooCommerce. This allows for easy syncing of customer data, ensuring that your emails are aligned with broad marketing strategies.
- Automation: The tool offers powerful email automation features that allow you to create automated onboarding email sequences. These emails can be triggered based on user actions or inactivity, ensuring timely and relevant communication.
Check out this video to see how simple it is to set up automated onboarding emails using Omnisend:
Conclusion
Onboarding emails are a critical component of your overall email marketing strategy. They set the foundation for a strong relationship with your new subscribers and customers.
By implementing a well-structured onboarding email sequence, you can ensure that your new subscribers feel supported, informed, and excited about your product or service.
Begin today by tailoring your message to offer real value and create a seamless onboarding experience that keeps users coming back for more.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between a welcome email and an onboarding email?
A welcome email is typically the first communication sent to new users. It’s aimed at making a positive first impression and expressing gratitude for their engagement.
On the contrary, an onboarding email is a part of the onboarding process and serves a more comprehensive role. It guides the users through the setup process and provides essential information, tips, and resources to help them make the most out of the product or service.
2. What is the onboarding email sequence?
The onboarding email sequence is a series of emails designed to support new users as they familiarize themselves with a product or service.
It normally includes a welcome email, product introductions, feature walkthroughs, and educational content. These components guide users through their journey to ensure they find value in the product or service.
3. How often should you send onboarding emails?
Consider sending onboarding emails strategically over a few weeks, with a frequency of one to two emails per week. This will ensure that users receive timely information without feeling overwhelmed.
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