What to Send in Your First Email to Your Email List

So you read all of the blog posts about email marketing and you’re finally creating your email list. You’ve done all of the hard work of getting everything setup, and now it’s finally time to write that first email. But what the heck are you even supposed to say in that first email to your list?

It’s one thing to start your list, but it’s another to start sending content. In the past, I’ve shared how to create valuable content for your email list, but the content that you send in your very first email is a little bit different from your regular emails.

So today I wanted to share with you 4 things to include in your first email to your email list. These things are also great to include if you haven’t been writing to your list for a couple of months or more.

Who you are + what you do

Depending on how long you’ve been working on growing your email list, it’s likely that you have people subscribed who may not remember who you are. While it’s all well and good to have them on your list, if they don’t remember who you are, they’re more likely to unsubscribe once you start regularly emailing them.

Regardless of how well you think your audience knows you, it’s always a good idea to remind them, especially in a situation like this where you’re connecting with them on a totally different platform. For example, I always introduce myself in my first content on any new platform.

This kind of information would work perfectly in the opener of your email. However, if you don’t want to spend too much room on this, you can include a quick bio section at the bottom of your first few emails to remind them who the content is coming from. I have a section like that in the bottom of my Welcome email that gets sent to new subscribers.

What they can expect for being on your list

The next thing your subscribers are going to want to know is what they’re going to get for being subscribed. This may sound sort of selfish, but think about when you subscribe to someone’s email list. You want to know that you’re going to be getting something that will be valuable to you, right? Well, your subscribers want the same thing.

Obviously a good place to start is by letting them know what sort of content you’ll be sending. For most people that’s exclusive letters, but for others that might be weekly tips about something. You can also let them know if they’ll be getting any extra freebies or discounts throughout the year.

Something else you can include here is when and how often they can hear from you. I’m much more likely to subscribe and stay subscribed if I know I’m going to be hearing from the person regularly. So if you know you’ll be emailing bi-weekly on Wednesdays, then let them know that.

Their first glimpse at your content

Instead of just telling them what kind of content they can expect from you, why not show them as well? There’s literally no better way to let them know what kind of content you’ll be sending than by sending some great content in your very first email.

Since this first email has a bit of other important information, you don’t have to load this email down with 800 words on how to take better pictures with their iPhone. Instead, send something high value that’s short and sweet.

For example, if you’re sending quick tips and tricks related to blogging or WordPress, include a list of your best tips to kick things off. If you’re sending exclusive content, start off by sending bonus material related to that week’s new blog post. By seeing that you’re committed to sending great content, your subscribers will be more likely to stick around to at least see your next email!

Your opt-in incentive

If you set everything up in your email marketing platform the right way, then it’s likely that your subscribers have already gotten your opt-in incentive. However, with technology something is always going to go wrong. So it’s a good idea to include a quick link to your opt-in incentive just in case some of your subscribers never received it.

If you want to help your subscribers even more, you can always share a quick tip or two (depending on how much content is already in your email) on how they can get the most out of your incentive. For example, if you gave them step #1 in a process in your incentive, maybe you can give them tips on what to do next in your email.

If you want to encourage engagement with you and your incentive, you can also ask them to respond with either feedback on your content, results if your content had some sort of challenge, or something else depending on your type of incentive. Even if you’re encouraging them to respond with any questions they may had, you’re still more likely to get your subscribers engaged than if you left this part out.

Once your first email is out of the way, it’s smooth sailing

I know that writing that first email can be really nerve wracking, but once you have the first one out of the way, you can move on to focusing on writing the normal kind of content that you want to send to your list. Don’t let fear of saying the wrong thing in the first email keep you from utilizing your email list!

If you’re still feeling nervous, take it an extra step further by downloading the free quickstart checklist of things to do before you hit that send button on your first email!