How to craft the welcome email for your email course

Your first interaction with subscribers can make or break your email course.

Get it right, and they become engaged students who are far more likely to turn into customers.

Get it wrong, and you end up with names on your list that never open another email.

Most creator-educators spend weeks perfecting their course content but overlook this critical first touchpoint.

And that’s a huge problem because…

Poor first impression kills your email course

When someone signs up for your email course, there’s a short-lived window of enthusiasm.

Your job is to use that moment to make a strong first impression.

But if you miss it, they’ll immediately lose interest in your course.

That’s when you see the open and engagement rates plummet. They’ll never complete your course. They’ll never experience the transformation you promised. They definitely won’t buy from you.

You see…

A weak start like this trains them to ignore everything else you send.

That’s where most email courses go wrong.

They don’t have a welcome email

Instead, they send you the first lesson immediately after someone signs up.

It’s like inviting someone to your home and jumping straight into a deep conversation without even saying hello.

You wouldn’t do that to your guest in real life, would you?

Without a proper welcome, your students get thrown into the deep end. There’s no warmup. There’s no buildup of excitement. There’s no easing into the learning process.

After analysing successful email courses from top creator-educators, I’ve found the most engaging ones all do one thing right:

They send a thoughtful welcome email to properly onboard their students first.

That’s why today I want to show you how to write one by using a simple framework I’ve come up with.

The 5-part Onboarding Engine framework

1. Highlight the promised transformation

Start your welcome email by stating exactly what your students will achieve by the end of your course.

Be specific.

The clearer the outcome, the more motivated they’ll be to follow through.

Janice CK nails this in Clutter to Clarity in Notion Roadmap. She opens with a vivid description of what her students will walk away with. Just look at her statement. It’s so clear that you can actually see the result in your mind.

This kind of statement isn’t just about restating your promise.

It’s about reinforcing their decision to sign up and anchoring their attention on the transformation.

2. Explain your approach fundamentals

Next, explain the why behind your approach.

Just because someone signed up doesn’t mean they’re fully convinced.

So take a moment to explain your philosophy, your method, and how it ties back to the end result.

In my course, Email Course Blueprint, I make it crystal clear from the first email. I explain the upside students will get from building an email course because that’s the approach they’ll go through later.

This helps them buy into the process before they even begin. It builds trust and momentum immediately.

3. Tease what’s coming next

Now that they know what they’ll achieve and why your approach is the compelling solution, give a teaser of your roadmap.

Lay out exactly:

• How your course is structured

• What they’ll learn in upcoming lessons

• How much time they’ll need to commit

In The $1,000 New Business Challenge, Justin Welsh does this brilliantly. He makes it clear to his students what they’ll achieve each week and also how much time they’ll need to set aside each day.

A teaser like this not only builds curiosity that gets students excited but also helps them mentally prepare. And those who are well-prepared are more likely to stick with your course.

4. Request a micro action

It’s impossible to deliver results if students don’t take action.

So, getting them to do that from day one is a great move.

Ask them to do something simple. Something they can complete in under 30 seconds.

A simple reply to your email is perfect.

In Start Writing With AI, Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole ask students to share their single biggest writing challenge. This is easy to answer because they would only sign up if they’re struggling with something. I also love that they offer a free bonus resource to make replying even more attractive.

This micro action builds the habit of taking action from the start.

When they reply, they psychologically commit to the course and are more likely to keep engaging.

Plus, you gain valuable insights into their challenges that can make your course resonate even more.

5. Ensure deliverability

Everyone’s inbox is crowded.

So it’s your job to help them spot your upcoming emails.

One easy way is to let them know that all the emails in your course will follow a specific subject line format.

Jay Clouse does this in Professional Creator Crash Course. He drops this reminder as a simple P.S. at the end of his first email.

It’s a small step that helps your course stay top of mind and makes sure your hard work reaches your students.

Final words

Your email course’s welcome email isn't a formality.

It’s the bridge between signup and success.

By using this 5-part Onboarding Engine framework, you can craft a powerful welcome email that builds trust, boosts engagement, and gets your students excited to learn.

So take 30-60 minutes today to write one.

It’s the highest-leverage thing you can do to increase the success rate of your email course.