The 5 Email Sequences You Need for a Successful Email Newsletter Strategy
I won’t sugarcoat it. Entering the world of email marketing as an online business owner or creative service provider can be OVERWHELMING.
There’s weirdly so much you can do?
And once you start diving deep into all the things you “absolutelyyyy neeeeeeed to have” for your business, email marketing seems to feel more and more like a spider web you *don’t* want to be trapped in (like the Forbidden Forest’s Spider Lair in Harry Potter).
If you’re Harry (or Ron 🤷♀️), I’m Hermoine. I’m here to tell you exactly what email sequences you need for a well-rounded email newsletter strategy. And I promise I won’t be obnoxious and in your face about it.
You ready?
What’s an email sequence and why do I need one?
An email sequence is a series of emails that build on one another. (Kinda like a book series).
They are automatically scheduled to send-out to the user after an initial trigger. Triggers are usually tied to joining your email list (or a segment of your email list) or signing up for a waitlist / lead magnet or completing a purchase.
They have a shared theme or goal to ensure the reader is nurtured with each subsequent email. The best email sequences are never pushy or salesy. They do that in a sneaky way that only you or I am aware of 😉.
The length of your email sequence will depend on your overall email newsletter strategy and your offer suite. In my world, an email sequence requires a minimum of two emails.
You need an email sequence if you ever dream about spending less time IN your business.
Emails really takes the load off you when it comes to:
Showing up on social media
Selling your services in discovery calls
Following up with past, current, and future clients
Nurturing the heck out of your dream client without you needing to fawn over her like a sorority girl during recruitment.
They work great for online business owners and creative service providers because YOU are the reason your clients book with you.
It’s a space where you get to share who you are, who you help, why you do what you do, and showcase your offerings without feeling like you’re coming on too strong. (Again. You don’t want to feel creepy-cringey-fake like a sorority girl recruiting a new member).
How do email sequences fit in my overall email newsletter strategy?
Email marketing is a nurture platform. The magic in email is that it’s evergreen. And that it allows you to rely less on social media to nurture and convert your dream client.
Overall email marketing strategy
Your overall email newsletter strategy needs to consist of 6 things:
Your desire to take email marketing seriously (it requires consistency and time!).
An email service platform (my favorite is Flodesk).
An opt-in form/page (the place where users sign up for your email list).
A content strategy for *how* you’ll market your email list (using a discovery platform like social media OR Pinterest).
A consistent newsletter (preferably weekly and sent out at the same time and day each week).
A welcome sequence (this is what readers get after they join your list).
The nice-to-haves of an email newsletter strategy include:
Segmenting based on audience demographics and behavior
And a multitude of email sequences that support and sell your lead magnets and offer suite
Top of Funnel for a Successful Email Newsletter Strategy
The top of your funnel attracts the widest part of your dream client. It also qualifies her.
You’ll want to leverage discovery platforms like social media or Pinterest to get your business into the feeds of the right type of clients.
On social media, add CTAs to your top of funnel content that encourage joining your email list. Just saying “Join my email list!” won’t work. You need to clearly spell out what’s in it for them.
The easiest way to do this? Offer a freebie or lead magnet that solves one quick problem your dream client has. Don’t make it overly complex and don’t spend too much time creating this yourself. Remember, the goal is to get your dream client one quick win.
Using Pinterest Marketing, you can create pins that target keywords your dream client is searching for. Funnel to a blog post and then a lead magnet.
The audience is technically a little warmer on Pinterest than on socials (because Pinterest IS a search engine), but I still consider it a discovery platform because of its ability to compound the reach of your content.
Middle of Funnel for a Successful Email Newsletter Strategy
The middle of your funnel is where you deliver value. And part of a strong email newsletter strategy is having a consistent way to get more of the right people onto your list.
Using your IG stories as a middle of funnel “platform” is a smart, low-lift way to encourage email list growth. I always recommend my clients share about their upcoming newsletter on IG stories 1-2 days prior to send-out.
And if the newsletter is EXTRA juicy that week? Make a feed post about it with a Manychat CTA.
Another platform to leverage for middle of funnel email marketing strategy is your blog.
Blog readers are literally looking for more information. The smartest thing you can do is include hyperlinks to a lead magnet or freebie that would help them AND include a link to sign up for your newsletter in the footer of every blog post.
Bottom of Funnel for a Successful Email Newsletter Strategy
The bottom of your funnel is where you convert and sell.
This happens in your email sequences (duh!). And you get bonus points if you pair it with an intentional sales page on your website.
The goal is always to easily and clearly solve *one* problem and *one* solution. By this point, you’ve got the hottest leads consuming this content. You’re speaking directly to their pain points and their desires. And your offer or services are pretty much the only solution they want to go with... if you’ve done it right.
The different types of email sequences
I know what you’re going to ask... “But Alexa, which email sequence is right for me?”.
I’ll hit you with the dreaded “it depends 🤷♀️” answer. Here are the main ones I help clients with.
Welcome sequence
In your overall email newsletter strategy, a welcome sequence welcomes readers to your email list.
If you don’t have the capacity to do anything beyond the bare minimum, at least set up an automated welcome email. So, your email list is reminded they signed up for your email list, who you are, and what to expect.
I like a 3 or 4-part welcome sequence. It gives just enough context without being annoying.
The emails will flow from:
Thank you for signing up
What the reader can expect / where you tease how you can help them best
A little snippet into your story
How you can help them best and what to look forward to in your weekly (!!!) newsletter
Including a freebie in your welcome email sequence is always optional! Sometimes, I’ll add it on towards the end of the welcome sequence as a little surprise.
Nurture sequence
A nurture sequence is used to deliver, explain, and upsell in a successful email newsletter strategy.
It is specifically for your lead magnets, freebies, or low-ticket offers. It differs from a welcome email sequence because of the intentionality.
Nurture sequences vary in length and complexity. In my world, a 4-part nurture sequence is short. Having 5-8 emails in a nurture sequence is much muchhhhh better. (Especially if you want to upsell a paid offer at the end of it).
These emails will flow from:
Special delivery! Here’s the freebie you signed up for.
How and why it will help your reader
Positioning your solution as the best one for them
Troubleshooting / answering common FAQ’s
Transitioning to the next problem your ideal client will have and teasing your paid offer that will help them
Sales sequence
The good ‘ole sales sequences. You use these in your email newsletter strategy when you have a service or offer to sell.
These are usually reserved for mid-to-high ticket offers because you are trying to appeal to multiple buyer types OR your ideal client needs a bit more handholding on the value of your offer and why it’s a good investment for them.
In my world, I treat sales sequences the same no matter if they are for live launches or evergreen launches. If you’re selling something, it’s important. (And I don’t really understand why live launches get extra attention).
In a solid email newsletter strategy, a sales sequence includes 10-20+ emails.
These emails flow from:
An initial drip of interest that’s usually triggered by a lead magnet or low-ticket offer purchase
Positioning the problem
Crafting the vision of what life is like *after* the problem is solved
Providing your offer as the solution
And providing a handful of emails that appeal to your different buyer types, share testimonials, and handle objections.
Abandoned cart / ghost subscriber sequence
I group the abandoned cart sequence with the ghost subscriber sequence.
Abandoned cart is for my e-commerce girlies. Ghost subscriber sequence is for everyone!
You want this sequence in your email newsletter strategy because it keeps your email list health in premium condition. It’s a simpler sequence. I like to keep these to 1-2 emails maximum.
These emails flow from:
Hey! Looks like you forgot something / haven’t opened our emails in a while
Prompts the reader to take action through purchase or unsubscribing
The ongoing sequence
Okay. This isn’t realllyyyy a sequence, but it should be! Because consistently sending out your newsletter is the cornerstone of every successful email newsletter strategy.
The ongoing sequence is your weekly newsletter. It goes on... indefinitely!
When my clients first come to me for email marketing help, they think their newsletter has to be long, full of value, and include a crazy story.
Nope. It can be short and sweet. With *or* without a story.
The important thing is that you send your newsletter consistently. Same cadence, same day of the week, and the same time.
This makes it easy for your email list to remember who you are and what you help with. And the sales naturally follow once you’ve established the relationship.
Where to start with your email sequences
If you’re wondering where to start with email sequences for your email newsletter strategy, the #1 sequence I recommend to ALL my clients is...
A welcome sequence.
It’s the first place to make your reader feel seen and valued. The first touch points.
It’s the beginning of this beautiful email relationship where you get to say, “Hi! I’ve got you! And this is what you can expect! Ready to have some fun together?”.
You can use it with or without a lead magnet. Which is awesome because it doesn't mean you have to wait until your business is completely dialed in before leveraging an email newsletter strategy.
The technology and platforms you need
To get started, you need to pick an email service provider (ESP).
Popular ESPs for online business owners and creative entrepreneurs include Flodesk, Kit (formerly known as ConvertKit), and Mailchimp.
You also need an email address.
Preferably one that’s linked to a domain you own vs a gmail (or any other free email provider). That’s going to help you navigate the email spam filters in a breeeeze.
How to set it all up
If you plan on DIY’ing your email newsletter strategy and sequences yourself, here’s the framework I follow.
Write all copy for your emails and opt-in pages in Google Docs.
Create an opt-in page on your ESP or website (make sure to link it to your ESP!).
Input email copy into your ESP.
Set up triggers and automations.
Test and make sure it works!
Conclusion
Yes, you are perfectly capable of setting up the email sequences in your email newsletter strategy yourself, buuuuut wouldn’t it be nice if you didn’t have to?
If you want help setting up the *right* email sequences for your email newsletter strategy, I’d love to do it for you.