The welcome email is the one email almost everyone opens. Someone has just given you their address and is thinking about your business right now. Miss that moment with silence, or a bland "thanks for subscribing", and you waste your best chance to turn interest into a customer. Here is what a good one does, with examples.

What a good welcome email does

• Thanks the person and confirms they are in

• Sets expectations: what you will send and how often

• Delivers whatever you promised at signup, straight away

• Gives one clear next step, not five

• Sounds like a person wrote it, not a system

Example 1: local salon

Subject: Welcome, and your 10% is inside

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for joining the list. You will hear from us about once a fortnight: new treatments, seasonal offers and the odd tip for looking after your hair between appointments. Nothing more than that.

As promised, here is 10 per cent off your next visit. Just mention this email or show it at reception. It is valid for the next month.

If you already know what you want, you can book online here. If you are not sure, reply to this email and tell me what you are after, I read every one.

See you soon, Emma

Example 2: local retailer or online shop

Subject: Welcome to the shop, here is 15% off

Hi, and welcome.

You joined for first pick of new stock and members only offers, and that is exactly what you will get, roughly once a week.

Your 15 per cent welcome code is WELCOME15. It works online and in the shop on Grove Road, and it lasts seven days.

Free delivery over £40, and returns are easy if something is not right.

Have a look at what is new this week.

Example 3: tradesperson or B2B

No discount here. The job is to build trust and set out what happens next.

Subject: Thanks for getting in touch

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your enquiry about a bathroom refit. Here is what happens now.

I will call you within one working day to talk through what you are after and book a time to come and see the space. After that visit you will get a written quote, usually within three days, with a clear breakdown and no obligation.

In the meantime, here are three recent bathroom projects with photos and what each one cost, so you have a rough idea of pricing.

Any questions before we speak, just reply. Dave

Turning it into a short sequence

One email is fine. Two to four is better. A simple sequence over the first week or two:

1. Welcome: as above, deliver the promised thing

2. Your story: why you started, what makes you different, a customer or two

3. Best of: your most useful guide, most popular product or most requested service

4. Soft ask: an invitation to book, buy or reply, with a reason to act now

Mistakes to avoid

• No welcome email at all, so the first thing people get is a sales blast weeks later

• Cramming your whole history, catalogue and social links into one message

• Going straight into a hard sell before you have given anything

• A generic "thank you for subscribing" with nothing useful in it

• No clear next step

The takeaway

Your welcome email gets opened when nothing else will. Use it to confirm the person is in, say what to expect, hand over what you promised, and point to one clear action. Keep it short and human. Then follow it with two or three more over the first fortnight while interest is high.

Koprio writes welcome sequences as part of its email marketing service for small businesses across East Sussex. Get in touch to have yours built.