What welcome emails are
A welcome email is the first message a brand sends to a new subscriber or customer after they sign up or make a purchase. Its purpose is to introduce the brand, set expectations, and guide the recipient on their next steps. These emails are often part of an automated onboarding sequence.
This page is one slice of the Nitrosend email library. It holds 468 real emails from 390 brands, all of them collected out of two ordinary inboxes. Nothing here is a mockup.
Welcome emails you can look at
Filter by industry, design style, layout or length. Open any one to read the subject line, what it is doing, and the prompt that rebuilds it.
What 468 of them actually do
Most welcome emails stick to simple designs. We found 66% use a single-column layout. Another 30% are plain text, often resembling a personal email.
Brands use a variety of design styles, but many keep it understated. Plain text and minimal designs each account for 26% of emails. Utilitarian designs make up another 21%.
The tone of these emails is usually warm. 57% of welcome emails use a warm tone. An instructional tone follows at 32%, guiding new users on what to do next.
Personalisation is common but not universal. Exactly half of the emails address the recipient by their first name. Subject lines are often descriptive, making up 55% of the total, with personalised subject lines at 17%.
Calls to action are focused. The median welcome email contains two calls to action. Only 32% of brands include just one call to action, keeping the message clear.
Visuals are used sparingly. Only 15% of welcome emails carry a hero image. A product grid appears in just 4% of emails, while no emails in our collection use a data table. Kam, who built our deliverability layer, often says, "Premium brands should treat email as a luxury experience." This means every visual element should earn its place.
SaaS companies send the most welcome emails in our collection, accounting for 28% of the total. Media publishing is next at 11%. This reflects the high volume of sign-ups these industries experience.
None of this helps if the send never lands, which is a promotional email problem rather than a design one.
What to take from these
- Keep your layout simple: 66% of brands use a single column.Address recipients by name: 50% of welcome emails do this.Focus your calls to action: The median email has only two. Brands like Patreon and Strava keep it concise.Prioritise a warm tone: 57% of emails in our corpus use it.Consider a plain text approach: 26% of brands choose this style for a personal feel.Delay your welcome if needed: We learned at Nitrosend to add a one-hour delay for users to set up data first, ensuring they have data to work with before receiving initial direction.
Once the shape is right, the rest is the definition.
What is in this set
By industry
468 emails from 390 brandsNarrower cuts of this set
By industry
1 segments with enough emails to stand aloneNext to this one
The same corpus, cut a different way: promotional, newsletter, account notice.
Questions people ask
A welcome email should introduce your brand, set expectations for future communication, and provide clear next steps for the recipient. It often includes a call to action, links to resources, or an invitation to explore your product or service. Brands like Onfit Training College often include clear instructions.
Welcome emails in our collection are typically short or medium length, making up 39% and 37% respectively. Aim for conciseness to keep the reader engaged. Micro emails, at 15%, also show that brevity can be effective.
Yes, personalising your welcome email can make it feel more engaging. Half of the emails we collected address the recipient by their first name. This simple touch can create a more direct connection with your new subscriber or customer.