If your welcome email is an afterthought, we need to talk.
At 6AM City, we’ve learned that a great welcome series isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the backbone of a healthy newsletter strategy. Why? Because the first emails you send to a new subscriber set the tone for everything that follows. They build trust, drive early engagement, and (here’s the nerdy part) dramatically improve email deliverability.
We didn’t land on our winning formula overnight. It took strategy, testing, and more than a few iterations. But we’ve built a system that works for us, and more importantly, for our readers.
“Our welcome email series is super important because it helps new subscribers get to know us and what we’re all about,” says Santana Lucas, Growth Marketing Coordinator at 6AM City. “It gives them a quick look at what to expect and some easy tips to make sure our newsletters show up in their inbox every day.”
Our Two-Part Welcome Series (For All Markets)
Let’s start with the foundation. Every new subscriber to any of our city-based newsletters gets two carefully crafted welcome emails:
- Welcome Email #0: A simple, text-based email. There are no bells and whistles. Instead, it’s just a clear introduction to who we are and a friendly nudge to add us to their contact list (because nothing says “we’re serious” like avoiding the spam folder).
- Welcome Email #1: This one’s a little fancier. It mirrors the look and feel of our daily newsletter, so readers get a preview of what’s coming. It recaps our mission, explains our vibe, and reminds readers that local news can be fun, useful, and spam-free.
“We’ve also made our welcome series more engaging so subscribers are more likely to reply,” Santana adds. “That kind of interaction helps boost our engagement metrics, and it’s great for deliverability.”
Replies and clicks in early emails are like gold stars for your sender reputation.
New Markets, New Strategy: Our 5-Part Pre-Launch Series
For cities that haven’t launched yet, we go even bigger. Our audience development starts about a month before the first official newsletter hits inboxes, so we need a way to keep people engaged in that in-between time. Enter: our pre-launch welcome series.
This five-part content-driven series is designed to:
- Warm up inboxes and boost domain reputation
- Improve performance metrics for launch day
- Keep subscribers engaged (instead of forgetting they signed up)
- Deliver a strong first impression
- Showcase the type of hyper-local, feel-good content we’re known for
Each email is packed with evergreen, city-specific content. Here’s a taste of what subscribers in Orlando (ORLtoday) and Knoxville (865today) received:
Orlando Pre-Launch Series
- Outdoors – Hiking guide + Running clubs
- Foodies – Brunch spots, new restaurants, key lime pie round-up
- Events – Concerts + “June Plan Ahead” guide
- Family Fun – Kid-friendly activities
- For the Movie Buff – Films shot in Orlando + Nickelodeon Studios nostalgia
Knoxville Pre-Launch Series
- Outdoors – Hiking guide + running Clubs
- Foodies – Brunch guide + new restaurants
- Events – Concerts + “June Plan Ahead” guide
- Family Fun – Kid-friendly activities
- For the Introvert – Free things to do + the Introvert’s Guide to Knoxville
These emails aren’t just filler content. They’re engagement starters: full of useful, local info that makes readers think: “Hey, this newsletter actually gets me.”
Why It Works (And Why You Should Steal This Idea)
Whether you’re a media brand, a startup, or just someone trying to grow a Substack following, your welcome emails matter more than you think.
Done right, a welcome series can:
- Improve email deliverability
- Boost engagement early (which leads to better long-term retention)
- Reduce unsubscribes and churn
- Set clear expectations with your audience
- Allows you to obtain demographic information from your subscribers early on through integrated surveys
- Build brand credibility before the first official email lands
And hey, it gives you a chance to show off your voice and value before the inbox gets crowded.
Don’t Sleep on Your Welcome Series
If you only focus on what happens after launch, you’re missing the moment your subscribers are the most curious and ready to engage.
Our approach at 6AM City blends strategy with personality, and we’re seeing the impact across markets. From text-based intros to content-packed City Guides, our welcome emails are doing more than greeting subscribers; they’re building relationships, improving metrics, and setting the tone for what’s to come.
Want to build a better first impression? Start with your welcome series. If you would like to learn more about newsletter insights, join the conversation with our free Behind-the-Newsletter slack channel.