14 Effective Sign Up Email Examples to Inspire Your Own Strategy

When it comes to emails, it is always important to have your subscribers receiving the right message from the welcome email. Building a relationship with an audience depends on the first email sent that should be as per the sign up email examples discussed below.

The examples discussed should provide strategies and practices that could prove helpful when providing a great experience for new subscribers.

Importance of Good Welcome Emails

Emails have an amazingly high open rate of about 60%. Welcome emails tend to be quite short. Usually between 50 to 150 words.

App retention can be boosted by up to 71% by the use of emails during the user onboarding process. There are ways to engage new subscribers that will suitably show your appreciation.

Below are some of the formulas that will help provide a great welcome.

Say ‘thanks’

Always thank the subscriber for opting-in to your emails. Creativity can be used to make it attractive and fun.

Set expectations

Inform the subscriber of the content they should expect and how often it will be sent.

Introduction

Provide more information about yourself and your brand so that the email recipient familiarizes themselves with you. This builds trust.

Deliver on your Incentive

If there was a promise of gifts once sign up is complete, ensure you deliver it and avoid keeping the subscriber waiting.

Share Helpful Resources

Engage with a subscriber by sending them content that relates and will engage with your brand. This includes videos, blogs, and guides.

Get Social

Engage the subscriber by talking to them on different social platforms. Include links so that your email list can be shared with their friends.

Stay Connected

Encourage feedback with your subscribers. It helps establish you as a source of information for queries raised by a subscriber.

Common Mistakes

1. Use of two or more welcome emails

2. Long emails

3. Lack of a clear sender

4. More than one CTAs

5. Lack of social media links

6. Crowding

Below are sign up email examples from several companies:

Sign Up Email Examples #1: Google AdWords

This is a company which sends more than one welcome email which is generally not recommended, but it works for them because the emails have different functions.

Pros:

• It is short, easily read

• Provides follow-through steps

• Provides useful resources

• Has a CTA

Cons:

• Bland subject lines

• Plain text

• No email for responses is included

• Lack of personalization

Unlike the first, the second from AdWords has:

• A subject line

• Visual appeal

• A CTA that has been repeated thrice

• Is a branded email

Sign Up Email Examples #2: Ancestry

The color used clearly identifies the source of the email.

The upside of the email:

• Has a clear list detailing how to get started

• Highlights the first step taken in a shaded box

• Has a clear CTA

• Is branded

The company welcome email has the following shortcomings:

• The use of a second CTA that can cause confusion.

• Repetition of the sign up information. It serves no purpose

• The lack of a clear unsubscribe link. This will increase the number of possible spam complaints.

Sign Up Email Examples #3: Asana

They have made use of panels that split the welcome email. They show an icon and a summary description of an Asana function.

The email;

• Encourages trust and recognition as it looks like Asana

• Has links that helps with the completion of various tasks within the app

• The email does not require images

• Availability of links managing email preferences

The CTA, as shown above, would work better at the top of the email.

Sign Up Email Examples #4: Carbonite

They have:

• Branded emails

• It deals with some FAQ reducing the amount of support requests received from new users.

• Has social media links

• Icons to help with interpretation

There are, however, a few disadvantages such as:

• The length of the email which is too long

• Placement of the CTA in the middle

• Lack of an unsubscribe link

Sign Up Email Examples #5: Envira Gallery

The company made use of:

• Personalization

• Product logos for recognition

• Clear unsubscribe link

The email had no visible shortcomings making this one of the best email examples.

Sign Up Email Examples #6: GSuite

As seen above, the email is;

• Clean and uncluttered

• Using summary descriptions accompanied with useful links

• Making use of icons to increase visual appeal

It however lacks an email address one can reply to making it impersonal.

Sign Up Email Examples #7: LawTrades

Pros

• Use of a descriptive subject line

• Branded email

• Link to the company website

• Short text, clean design and use of 3 panels to ease reading

• The inclusion of social media links and information pertaining to the address

• Visible unsubscribe link

Cons

• Two contrasting CTAs at the top of the email

• No email sender

• Rushed CTA

Sign Up Email Examples #8: NDash

It has merged welcome and onboarding functions.

Pros

• A single email fulfills various objectives

• Presence of social media links

• Multiple possible actions

• Templates of one column to accommodate a number of devices

• Has a logo

• It is signed by a person

Cons

• Too many possible actions

• No unsubscribe link

• No reply email

Sign Up Email Examples #9: PostPlanner

Their approach has everything thrown in a manner similar to a kitchen sink.

Pros

• Has social media links

• Has an unsubscribe link

• A CTA near the top

• Is branded

• It comes from a real person

Cons

• It is too long

Sign Up Email Examples #10: Powr

Best features

• Important links on the email header

• Attractive icons

• The inclusion of social media links

• The inclusion of an unsubscribe link

Shortcomings

• Too many CTAs

• Doesn’t come from a real person

• Email revisiting will not display results on promotion areas

Sign Up Email Examples #11: Quuu

It has its welcome through an intercom system.

The email is short, easy to read and from a real person. This makes the email conversational.
It however includes many CTAs, lacks an unsubscribe link from the first email and many emojis that could be the brand's trademark.

Sign Up Email Examples #12: Smarter Artist

The company uses a real person for the email making it conversational, there is the use of social proof, gifts and the presence of an unsubscribe link.

Cons: the email is lengthy, incentives are at the end, the links are too many and the text too much.

Sign Up Email Examples #13: TNW Deals

Pros

Use of a short message, images for visual appeal and inclusion of social media links.

Cons

Lack of an unsubscribe link, the email is too busy and quite lengthy.

Sign Up Email Examples #14: WiseStamp

Pros

• One CTA that is repeated

• Appealing headline

• Directions with accompanying images

• It is short

• Visible unsubscribe links

• Inclusion of social media links

The major shortcoming was that the email was from a team rather than a person.

Conclusion

The welcome email can help you get the support of the subscriber and that of their friends.

It will help prepare the subscriber for any future communication from you. The email also helps a subscriber know about you if they did not knowingly subscribe to your emails.

Encourage the subscriber to tell you more about themselves as this will help you modify and adjust your brand to suit the customer’s perceived needs. It will help identify the characteristics of your demographics.

Those are enough sign up email examples to help you in your email marketing strategy.  Better yet, get save on costs and time by getting one of our well-priced templates.