Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools there is.

In fact, according to data, 59% of marketers say email is their biggest source of ROI.

So, in this copywriting example, we are going to break down the welcome email of a content marketing master.

You are going to learn the mechanisms used and easily be able to apply these to your marketing.

Ready, let's dive in.

The Welcome Email To End All Welcome Emails

The welcome email is a hard email to create because it is the email where people decide if they want to continue opening and reading your further emails.

It is the equivalent of a first date, and if you fail to engage the reader, raise their anticipation for future emails and explain why you are worth listening to.

Well, they will either unsubscribe or just ignore you.

Content Marketing Maestro Chris Von Wilpert has an incredible welcome email which I am going to break down section by section for you.

And here is that email in full.

The Opening Line That Gets People Excited

Think about it.

How many emails genuinely get you excited about opening them?

And how many fail to live up to their subject line promise.

Well, Chris uses a great approach to his subject line:

'The next 7 days will feel like Christmas' is a superb line that brings into play a few mechanisms.

So, let's break them down.

But it doesn't have to be the word Christmas.

• The next 7 days will feel like your birthday.
• The next 7 days will feel like New Years Eve.
• The next 7 days will feel like you won the lottery.

It's easy to work in some creative solutions here. 

So the formula for this subject line is:

Manage Expectations To Encourage Open Rates

One of the hardest things to do when it comes to email open rates is to gain consistent reader opens.

Sure, if you have an email sequence that lasts 7 days, you might get 4 or 5 opened. But all 7 is always going to be tough.

That's why it is super exciting to see Chris use a list format.

You will notice that Chris gives away his other subject lines that you are going to receive, and I have to say they are all superb.

Who wouldn't be excited to receive such great content over the next 7 days?

Use Associations To Build Credibility

In the next section of the email, Chris gives a master class in building credibility.

Depending on how you have acquired your subscriber it is highly likely that they don't know much about you, your skills or your business.

You are a stranger right now.

The solution is to build credibility, and one of the fastest ways to do this is to name other people.

Chris uses a rather cool method of doing this because I might not know who the people he is naming are.

He names his business partner Justin Brooke. Gives a small background story before dropping in the fact that they have over 10,000 happy customers.

He then goes on to talk about working for Noah Kagan, and even if you have no idea who he is, he lists the company so that a quick Google search will explain those details.

This gives Chris instant credibility and answers that all-important question "why should I listen to you?"

A Useful Free Gift 

I can't recall how Chris got me onto his email list, but I am pretty sure it was via a Facebook ad for a free content hacks spreadsheet.

And this is where so many fall down.

The free gift/ lead magnet is just rubbish.

I have to say the lead magnet offered by Chris is brilliant and I picked up some superb tips. 

So, my expectations were raised again. 

Give People A Reason To Open Future Emails

Chris has mentioned all of the lovely things to come, but once again, he tells you about it and reminds you to whitelist his email address.

To ensure this gets done. He adds a fear of missing out (FOMO) element into the post by telling them that unless they don't whitelist him, they could miss out on his case study of how he turned $668.71 into 6 figures (with one blog post).

The Engagement Bait Close