6 types of email sequences that nurture strong relationships with your audience

Your relationship with subscribers is the driving force behind the success of your creator business.

Without an audience that trusts and engages with you, you’d have nobody to share your content with. But building trust takes time. Luckily, there’s a simple solution—email marketing.

Your email list is the perfect place to share your expertise, learn from your audience, and promote your products. This guide explores how to use automated email sequences to nurture relationships with your audience. Plus, there are email sequence templates and examples to inspire your next steps.

What is an email sequence?

An email sequence is a set of emails automatically sent to subscribers based on your criteria. For example, you can send a few messages to new email list subscribers to introduce yourself and your content.

Email sequences can be time-based or action-based. Here’s a quick overview of each:

• Time-based email sequences automatically send on a set schedule, like once a day for a week
• Action-based email sequences automatically send based on steps a subscriber takes, like clicking a link in an email

Email sequences vs. email drip campaigns

Sometimes, the terms email sequences and email drip campaigns are used interchangeably. While the concepts overlap, there are a few key differences.

An individual email sequence is the same for every subscriber that receives it, while a drip campaign tends to have more action-based triggers and personalization.

The top 6 email sequences + real-life creator examples

Email sequences are automatic and customizable, benefiting just about any business goal you have. For example, you can use email sequences to drive traffic to your website, promote products, learn about your audience, and even use subscribers to grow your email list.

But how do you choose which type of email sequence fits your needs? Creators can use any email sequence they want, but here are tips on where to start.

• Content creators and podcasters: create a welcome email sequence to follow up with your new subscribers after you deliver a lead magnet to share a behind-the-scenes look into your business
• Freelancers: set up an automatic onboarding email sequence to get new clients up to speed so you can focus on serving your clients with more purpose and clarity
• Product creators: start with the abandoned cart email sequence to turn leads into conversions
• Musicians: use an event email sequence to promote your upcoming concerts
• Authors: set up a cold subscriber email sequence to welcome drifting subscribers back into your literary world before a new release
• Coaches: create a lead nurturing email sequence to build trust with new subscribers before pitching your paid services

1. Welcome email sequence

What is it? Welcome emails thank new subscribers for signing up and introducing yourself and your brand. Use a welcome email to build trust with new subscribers before pitching paid offerings.

Why is it important?

• 74.4% of email subscribers expect a welcome email
• Sharing a personal side helps subscribers make a stronger emotional connection to you

Welcome email sequencing tips for different creators

Creating a welcome email sequence is less about making money immediately and more about sharing personal stories with your target audience to build the like-know-trust factor.

• Educators: share more information about your niche expertise and give your audience tips to implement into whatever they are learning
• Bloggers: share links to your favorite or most relevant blog posts that are worth digging into
• Coaches: talk about the unique philosophy behind your work
• Freelancers: explain your work process and past results
• Podcasters: highlight your favorite episodes and why they are a great place to start learning more about your brand

Example: Daphnee Lagredelle’s welcome email sequence

Why the email works:

• It makes the audience feel understood by calling out their goals
• It introduces Daphnee and her philosophy
• It sets expectations about what content to expect and when

Use our welcome email sequence template

2. Onboarding email sequence

What is it? Customer onboarding emails familiarize new clients with the new course they bought, the coaching program they joined or the project they’ll collaborate on. With the right onboarding process, you can help customers get maximum value from your offerings and ensure they’re satisfied and engaged.

Why is it important?

• Onboarding bridges the gap between the sale, seeing value, and the results
• It sets the tone of the overall relationship with your subscribers and customers
• Data shows that over 90% of customers think the onboarding process “could be better”

Onboarding email sequencing tips when selling products

Your onboarding email sequences for digital products should help customers get started with tips like:

• How to access their purchase
• What they’ll learn or gain
• Where to find supporting materials
• How to contact you for extra support

Onboarding email sequence tips for service providers

If your client recently booked a freelance project with you or started a coaching partnership, you can follow up with an onboarding email sequence that includes:

• What to expect
• The goals
• Your communication hours
• Upcoming deadlines
• Any client homework they need to complete

Example: Phil Pallen’s onboarding email sequence

Why the email works:

• Phil integrates Squarespace and Kit to bring over course purchase information and automatically sends emails to new students
• It personally invites subscribers to respond and gave a conversation
• It shares how to access the information

3. Abandon cart email sequence

What is it? Abandoned cart emails remind potential customers that they added something to their cart but didn’t finish the purchase. The first email (nicely) reminds the subscriber what they left behind. You can follow up with a special offer if they open the abandoned cart email and still don’t buy.

Why is it important?

• 75.5% of shopping carts are abandoned, which represents a huge opportunity to make more sales
• 46.1% of people open cart abandonment emails, 13.3% click the call-to-action link inside the email, and of those clicks, more than 35% make their purchase

Tips for abandon cart email sequences

• Be light and friendly—don’t pressure customers
• Include a link to their shopping cart to finish the purchase
• Consider offering a discount

Example: Lavendaire’s abandon cart email sequence

Why the email works:

• It explains how to use the discount code
• It offers an alternate (free) way to get involved through their reward program
• It mentions a specific product

Use our abandoned cart email sequence template

4. Event email sequence

What is it? Event email sequences promote concerts, in-person events, conferences, webinars, and workshops. The messages share details about the event, drive sign-ups, and include reminders.

Why is it important?

• Events take a lot of time to plan, so you want to maximize sign-ups
• Automated event emails let you target specific locations or subscriber segments

Tips for in-person event email sequencing

• Share information about the location, timing, lodging, and other logistics
• Highlight benefits for attendees
• Include stories and testimonials from past events

Tips for virtual event email sequences

• Share information about how to access the virtual event
• Note whether you’ll record and share the event for those who can’t make it live
• Highlight what guests will learn, see, or gain
• Include imagery from past events
• Send a follow-up sales pitch after the event to subscribers who didn’t buy during the event

Example: Ellie Diop’s event email sequence

Why the email works:

• It’s a friendly and low-pressure reminder that the subscriber missed the virtual event
• It has a link to access the content
• Ellie followed up the event with a pitch for her coaching program

5. Cold subscriber re-engagement email sequence

What is it? A cold subscriber re-engagement email sequence aims to reconnect with subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a while. The purpose is to boost engagement, update subscriber preferences, or clean your email list of inactive subscribers.

Why is it important?

• You don’t want to pay for subscribers on your list who are inactive
• Re-engaging subscribers boosts email performance

Template for a re-engagement email

Here is an email template to help you write an email to your cold subscribers:

Hi there,

I want to make sure that I’m only sending emails to my readers who really want to hear from me.
If you’re reading this and 1. Have no idea who I am or 2. Don’t care to keep hearing from me, let me do you a solid and take you off my list.

If you fall into either of those two categories, no action is required. You’ll get removed sometime next week.

But if you’re freaking out right now thinking, “Wait! I love your emails!”, then just click the link below to stay on my list.

[ Link ]

Thanks!

Signed,
[ Your Name ]

Example: Jenell B. Stewart’s re-engagement email sequence

Why the email works:

• It doesn’t make subscribers feel bad for not opening emails for a while
• It uses branded imagery to help the subscriber recall the creator
• It explains how the process works

Use our cold subscriber re-engagement email sequence template

6. Lead nurturing email sequence

What is it? A lead nurturing email sequence builds the ‘like-know-trust’ with subscribers who download your free lead magnet.

Why is it important?

• Subscribers need to know and trust you before they buy from you
• Adding link triggers to your lead nurture sequence lets you learn what new subscribers are interested in

Tips for nurture email sequences

• Ask subscribers to respond to the message with their goals
• Share your story, perspective, and best content
• Provide plenty of value before you pitch a paid product or service

Example: Angela Fehr’s lead nurturing email sequence

Why the email works:

• Angela shares a relatable story
• It offers tips and reassurance without a product pitch
• It has a picture of the creator to help the audience connect with the person behind the brand

Tips on how to structure and write a lead nurture email sequence

Knowing what email sequence type you want to create is helpful, but what if you don’t know the emails you should include in the email sequence?

If you aren’t sure where to start with creating an introductory email sequence, we have a tried-and-true method for crafting emails that help educate your audience and sell more of your offerings. You can use our automated email sequence template to start.

Use these tips as a suggestion, and then make it your own. There’s no set number of emails you should have in a lead nurture email sequence—the right length of your email series depends on your audience, goals, and business.

Email #1: Introduction content

Just like a blog post begins with an introduction, your email sequence should have an email dedicated to introducing your email subscriber to your email list. Your first email can have:

• A thank you message
• Info about your content
• Your personal story
• What to expect from your emails and content
• An additional freebie

Email #2: Educational content

Provide helpful information in your second email to further educate and build trust. Plus, sharing your best content helps new subscribers gain a quick win. The more value you can pack into this email, the better.

You want them to walk away thinking, “Wow, if this is what I get for free, I can’t imagine how valuable their paid content is.” There should be no sales pitch or mention of your product until the following email.

Email #3: Educational content with mention of your product or service

Sharing personal experiences and practical wisdom in your third email shows your expertise while giving your audience members immense value.

Toward the end of this email, you can mention your product in a relevant way to your audience. Don’t give your sales pitch just yet. That will come later. For now, lightly introduce your product and say you will share more information about it soon.

Email #4: Soft sell

Much like the third email, you can keep this fourth email simple by giving a soft pitch at the end of your email. Since your audience is already aware of your product after reading the last message, you can include a light sales pitch that explains more of what it is and who it is for.

Email #5: Educational content

Most subscribers would expect you to hard pitch your product after soft selling it in the email before, but we recommend including one more education-based email before you share your sales pitch.

Keep giving your audience incredible content that they can trust!

Email #6: Hard sell

By email six, it’s time to write your sales email. Since your email subscriber is still opening your emails and hasn’t unsubscribed, they are interested in hearing what you say about your product.

In this email, remind subscribers of their pain points and how your product is a unique solution to help them resolve them. Your email should be able to accurately explain your product’s what, how, and why. Remember to add a link that takes them directly to your sales page.

Email #7: Educational content

After your hard sell email, it’s time to send a follow-up with more educational content to show you want to help them—not just sell to them. Share a case study, more tips, or a taste of your paid content.

Email #8: Upsell

As you wrap up your introductory email sequence, you can include an upsell offer for people who have already purchased your product.

You can get creative with your upsell offer and test a few variations to see which bundle converts the most. Inside the Kit platform, you can ensure that only those who purchase your product get this upsell offer with our tagging and visual automations feature.

Best practices for crafting automated email sequences

There are standard email marketing best practices you should always follow, but here are a few sequence-specific tips to set you up for success.

Keep your automated email sequences evergreen

You’ll have to update your email sequence constantly if you include too many trendy references or information that will be obsolete in a few months. Instead, write evergreen content that can be relevant for years to come.

Read more: How consultant Terry Rice uses ‘pillar content’ to grow his email list

Outline your email sequence

Taking time to outline your email sequence before you write individual emails keeps you from writing in circles. First, brainstorm potential content and then group similar topics or lessons together.

If you’re teaching your email subscribers how to do something, you will want to walk them step-by-step through your process.
If you’re sharing knowledge or inspiration, start with the basics and build on the information over the following emails.

Use link triggers for segmentation

Using link triggers for email segmentation lets you group audience members based on their actions.

For example, if an email subscriber clicks on a specific link about a topic you frequently write about, you could tag them as someone interested in getting more information about that topic.

Similarly, you can segment any email subscriber who clicks on the link to learn more about a product you’re launching but hasn’t yet purchased. That way, you can begin to send hard-sell emails to them without pitching to people who aren’t interested.

Test and improve

Email sequences save you time because you don’t need to send each message to new subscribers manually. However, you can’t set it and forget it forever. Periodically review your email marketing KPIs like click-through and unsubscribe rates to ensure subscribers still enjoy the content. You can also experiment with new subject lines to increase your email open rate and update messages with your latest content.

Automate your email sequences with Kit

Your business has endless email sequence possibilities, but you need the right tools to make email management a breeze. More than half a million creators use Kit to connect with their audience and grow their creator business. You can start simply with one of our email sequence templates or create advanced automations of your own.

Learn more about Kit and sign up for a free account!