Welcome Emails: What to Send and When

On this page

1. What is a welcome email?
2. Why send one?
3. A simple three-email sequence
4. What to put in every welcome email
5. What do the UK email rules say?
6. Mistakes to avoid
7. How to tell if it is working
8. Want welcome emails set up properly?
9. Frequently asked questions

Someone signs up to your list, books a service or buys from you for the first time. In that moment they are paying attention to you. A welcome email is how you use it.

Welcome emails are one of the simplest automated emails to set up, because they go to people who have just chosen to hear from you. This guide covers what to put in them, when to send them and what to keep in mind under UK email rules.

What is a welcome email?

A welcome email is an automated message sent when someone joins your list or becomes a customer. It says hello, confirms what they signed up for and tells them what happens next. It is the start of the relationship, not a sales pitch. For the wider picture, see our guide to the five emails to automate first.

Why send one?

• They are paying attention. The person has just taken an action, so your message arrives while they remember you.
• It sets expectations. You can say what you will send and how often.
• It is set up once. After that it runs in the background for every new person.

A simple three-email sequence

The timings are starting points to test, not rules.

Email 1: the welcome (straight away)

Thank them, confirm what they signed up for and tell them what to expect. Include one useful thing, such as a guide, your opening hours or a link to your most helpful page. Keep it short and friendly.

Email 2: who you are and how you help (a few days later)

Explain what you do, who you do it for and how to get in touch. Show one or two real examples of your work or answers to common questions. Avoid claims you cannot back up.

Email 3: an invitation (about a week later)

Make a clear, low-pressure next step, such as booking a call, getting a quote or reading a guide. If you offer a discount, only mention it if it is genuine, and do not make every email a sales pitch.

What to put in every welcome email

• A clear subject line that says what the email is, such as “Welcome to [your business]”
• A real sender name, so people recognise who it is from
• One main link or button, so there is a single clear next step
• A reply address, so people can ask a question
• Your business name and contact details
• An unsubscribe link, so people can opt out easily

Check how the email looks on a phone, because many people open emails there.

What do the UK email rules say?

The ICO says you can send marketing emails to individuals if they have specifically consented, or if the “soft opt-in” applies. The soft opt-in covers people who bought, or negotiated to buy, something similar from you, and who were given a simple way to opt out when you collected their details and in every message you send. It does not cover people you have no relationship with. You can read the detail in the ICO’s guidance on electronic mail marketing.

In practice that means: collect email addresses with a clear opt-in, say what you will send, include an unsubscribe link in every message and never email lists you have bought. The ICO page does not say whether a plain confirmation message counts as marketing, so keep promotion out of confirmations and ask for advice if your set-up is unusual.

Mistakes to avoid

• Sending too many. Three emails in the first couple of weeks is plenty for most businesses.
• Hard selling straight away. The first email should welcome, not push.
• Forgetting to test. Send yourself every email, on a phone, before it goes live.
• A broken link. Check every button and link.
• No plan for what comes next. After the welcome sequence, decide what regular emails you will send, or stop.
• Never looking at the results. If you do not check what people open and click, you cannot improve.

How to tell if it is working

Look at how many people open the emails, click the link and take the next step, such as booking or buying. Compare it over time, and change one thing at a time, such as the subject line or the timing of the second email.

Want welcome emails set up properly?

We write and set up email automation for UK businesses, including welcome sequences, abandoned cart emails, review requests and win-back emails, with clear reports on what they bring in. Take a look at our email automation service, or try our free website check and we will tell you what we would do first.

ICO details checked against its guidance on 12 October 2026. Guidance changes over time, so check the ICO’s pages if something looks different.

Frequently asked questions