A lead magnet gets someone onto your list. What happens next decides whether they ever buy. A welcome sequence, a short series of automated emails sent to every new subscriber, is the simplest way to turn a free download into a relationship. Here’s a practical five-email plan for digital product sellers, plus how to set it up in Kit (formerly ConvertKit).
Why a sequence beats a single welcome email
One email can deliver the freebie. It can’t also introduce you, show what else you offer and make a gentle pitch without feeling crowded. Spreading those jobs across several emails keeps each one short and gives new subscribers time to get to know you before you ask for money.
A simple five-email welcome plan
Email 1: Deliver what you promised (right away)
Send the download link first, in the first line. Add one sentence about who you are and one about what they’ll get from your emails. Nothing else.
Email 2: Help them use it (a day or two later)
Share one quick tip for getting results from the freebie. If it’s a planner, show one way to fill in the first page. If it’s a checklist, explain which item matters most. People who use the freebie are more likely to want the paid version.
Email 3: Your story and your “why”
Keep it brief: why you create these products and who they’re for. Make it about the reader’s problem, not your biography.
Email 4: The bridge to a paid product
Point to the paid product that naturally follows the freebie. A free weekly planner page leads to the full planner bundle; a free social media calendar leads to a year of done-for-you post templates. Explain what’s included and who it suits, and link to it once.
Email 5: A gentle reminder and a question
Remind them of the offer, answer a common question, and ask what they’re working on. Replies help you learn what to create next.
Subject lines and length
Welcome emails don’t need to be long. Aim for something a reader can finish in under a minute, with one clear link per email. Subject lines work best when they say plainly what’s inside: “Your meal planner is here” beats a clever teaser for the first email, because people are actively looking for it.
Also decide your sending rhythm. One email a day for the first few days, then every other day, is a common starting point, but there’s no single right answer. Watch for unsubscribes and replies, and adjust. A sequence that feels helpful at five emails can feel pushy at fifteen.
Setting it up in Kit
Kit’s help center describes the setup like this:
- Go to Automation > Email Sequences and create a new sequence, then write your emails in the Content tab.
- Publish each email; Kit notes that an email won’t send if it isn’t published.
- Set the first email to send “as soon as possible” (that option is only available for the first email) and give later emails a delay. Delays count from when the subscriber joined or from the previous email.
- Activate the sequence; published emails won’t go out until it’s active.
- Connect it to your signup form with a Visual Automation: use the form or landing page as the entry point and the sequence as the next step.
Two details worth knowing from Kit’s documentation: day-based delays follow the sequence’s sending schedule, so if you uncheck weekends, nothing goes out on weekends. Hour-based delays ignore that schedule. And Kit says evergreen sequences, where subscribers stay in and receive emails you add later, are available on paid plans.
Other email platforms have similar automation features, so the same five-email plan works there too. Check your provider’s help center for its exact steps and plan limits.
Tips for sellers using PLR
- Rewrite any PLR emails you use. Your welcome sequence is where readers decide if you sound like a real person.
- Check the license before using PLR content as a freebie; some licenses limit giving content away.
- Include a clear way to unsubscribe and a valid physical postal address in every marketing email; the FTC lists both as CAN-SPAM requirements.
- Test the whole sequence by signing up with your own address before you promote the form.
Once it’s running, a welcome sequence works for every new subscriber without extra effort. Review open rates and replies after a month, then tweak the emails that underperform.
Sources
- Kit Help Center: Creating and sending an email sequence in Kit
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business
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