How to craft the welcome email for your email course
The 5-part Onboarding Engine framework.
Welcome to issue #004 of The Creator-Educator Club. Every Sunday, I send proven strategies from top creator-educators to help you build a high-impact email course so you can scale your knowledge business faster. Subscribe below so you won’t miss the next issues.
This issue is presented by: Email Course Blueprint
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Your first interaction with subscribers can make or break your email course.
Get it right, and they become engaged students who are likely to become your customers.
Get it wrong, and you end up with names on your list that never open another email.
Most creator-educators spend weeks perfecting their course content but overlook this critical first touchpoint.
That’s a huge problem because…
Poor first impression kills your email course
When someone signs up, there’s a short-lived window of enthusiasm you can take advantage of to make a strong first impression.
Miss it and they’ll immediately lose interest in your course.
That’s when your open and engagement rates plummet.
They’ll never complete your course. They’ll never experience the transformation you promised. They definitely won’t buy from you.
Most email courses go wrong simply because they don’t send a welcome email.
Instead, they send their first lesson right away.
It’s like inviting someone to your home and jumping straight into a deep conversation without even saying hello.
You wouldn’t do that to your guest in real life, would you?
Without a proper welcome, your students get thrown into the deep end:
No warmup
No buildup of excitement
No easing into the learning process
After analysing 20+ successful email courses, I’ve found the most engaging ones all do one thing right:
They send a welcome email to properly onboard their students first.
Let me show you how to write one that’s thoughtful by using this simple framework I’ve been using.
The 5-part Onboarding Engine framework
1. Highlight the promised transformation
Start your welcome email by stating exactly what your students will achieve by the end of the course.
Be specific.
The clearer the outcome, the more motivated they’ll be to follow through.
Janice CK nails this in Clutter to Clarity in Notion Roadmap. She begins with a vivid description of what her students will walk away with. Her statement is so clear that you can actually see the result in your mind.
This isn’t just about restating your promise.
It’s about reinforcing their decision to sign up and anchoring their attention on the transformation.
2. Explain your approach fundamentals
Next, explain the why behind your approach.
Just because someone signed up doesn’t mean they’re already fully convinced.
So take a moment to explain your philosophy, your method, and how it ties back to the end result.
In my course, Email Course Blueprint, I make it crystal clear from the first email. I explain the upside students will get from building an email course because that’s the approach they’ll be going through.
This helps them buy into the process before they even begin. It builds trust and momentum immediately.
3. Tease what’s coming next
Now that they know what they’ll achieve and why your approach is the compelling solution, give a teaser of your roadmap.
Lay out exactly:
How your course is structured
What they’ll learn in upcoming lessons
How much time they’ll need to commit
In The $1,000 New Business Challenge,
does this brilliantly. He makes it clear to students what they’ll achieve each week and how much time they’ll need to set aside each day.A teaser like this not only builds curiosity that gets students excited but also helps them mentally prepare. And those who are well-prepared are more likely to stick with your course.
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4. Request a micro action
It’s impossible to deliver results if students don’t take action.
So, getting them to do that from day one is a great move.
Ask them to do something simple. Something they can complete in under 30 seconds.
A simple reply to your email is perfect.
This micro action builds the habit of taking action from the start.
When they reply, they psychologically commit to the course and are more likely to keep engaging.
Plus, you gain valuable insights into their challenges that can make your course resonate even more.
5. Ensure deliverability
Everyone’s inbox is crowded.
So it’s your job to help them spot your upcoming emails.
One easy way is to let them know that all the emails in your course will follow a specific subject line format.
It’s a small step that helps your course stay top of mind and makes sure your hard work reaches your students.
Final words
Your email course’s welcome email isn’t a formality.
It’s the bridge between signup and success.
By using this 5-part Onboarding Engine framework, you can craft a powerful welcome email that builds trust, boosts engagement, and gets your students excited to learn.
So take 30-60 minutes today to write one.
It’s the highest-leverage thing you can do to increase the success rate of your course.
See you next Sunday,
Beer
If you have any thoughts, questions, or feedback, feel free to drop them in the comments.
Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:
Join Email Course Blueprint, a free 5-day email course that teaches you step-by-step how to build an engaging email course from scratch
Book my 1:1 consulting call, where I can give you specific, personalised advice on building an email course that’s tailored to your knowledge business