Episode 135

The 4 Rules for a Welcome Sequence People Actually Want to Read

You only get one shot at a first impression.

Susan Larimer made a great point on this week’s episode of The Other 99% Podcast: think about a new restaurant. If the service is off or the food misses the mark, you’re not going back for a second try. Most people won’t give you a second chance either — which is exactly why your welcome sequence matters so much. It’s your digital first impression. Your warm handshake. And Lisa Duck and Susan Larimer are laying out the four rules that make sure you get it right.

Grab your notebook — this one’s simple.

1. Write to One Person, Not Your Whole List

Picture a waitress working a packed restaurant. She doesn’t stand in the middle of the room and shout, “Who wants an appetizer?” She goes table to table, makes eye contact, and asks you what you’d like.

That’s how your welcome emails should feel. Ditch the “hey everyone” opener and write like you’re sitting across the table from one person, coffee in hand, having an actual conversation. It’s a small shift, but it changes the whole feel of the email.

2. Stick to One Topic (and One CTA) Per Email

This is the mistake Lisa sees over and over — emails packed with “shop here,” “join here,” “click here,” “watch this.” When you give people too many choices, they get overwhelmed, scroll to the bottom, and often just leave.

Before you write, decide on the one thing you want the reader to do. Then build the whole email around that single action. And if you’re worried something might get missed along the way, tuck a clear call to action into your PS line — that’s often the first (and last) place confused readers look.

3. Give Them a Quick Win

Every email in your welcome sequence should leave the reader with something useful, even if they never buy a thing from you. It doesn’t have to be related to your product — it just has to be related to what your audience cares about.

Think “keep your bananas fresh with a piece of tin foil on the stem” territory. Something small, unexpected, and useful enough that they think, huh, I didn’t know that — and start trusting you a little more. You’re still in the wooing stage. Every email is a chance to earn the next one.

4. Build the Relationship Before You Make the Invitation

Susan shared something she picked up from a training with Holly Haynes called the “handraiser” — a simple line at the bottom of an email asking the reader to reply with a specific word if they’re interested in something. The reply rate is never huge. But the people who do respond? They’re genuinely invested. And a smaller, engaged group is worth more than a massive list that deletes everything you send.

Don’t expect a full inbox of replies — most people are trained not to reply to marketing emails at all. But when someone does, it’s a sign they’re reading you start to finish, and that’s worth building on.

The Recap

1. Write to one person, not your whole list
2. One topic per email — know your end goal and stick to it
3. Give a quick win in every email
4. Build the relationship first, then make the invitation

None of this requires fancy tech or hours of writing. It just requires a little intention.

If you want to see these four rules in action, they’re baked right into the Five-Minute Welcome Sequence System — templates, examples, and the order to put it all together, ready to go. Head over to lisaduck.com to grab your copy.

Ready to go deeper? Tune in to this week’s episode of The Other 99% Podcast wherever you listen, and hear Lisa Duck and Susan Larimer walk through all four rules together.

📌 Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. I only recommend tools and resources I personally use and trust.