How to Craft High-Impact Welcome Emails and Push Notifications

For most brands, the welcome message is an afterthought. A generic “Thanks for signing up!” followed by… nothing exciting. 

But for the brands that get it right, this single message can be a revenue machine.

Your welcome email or push notification is your first and best shot at turning a casual subscriber into a paying customer. It gets 3x more engagement than your average marketing email, and push notifications see double the open rates of email when done right​. 

That’s a massive opportunity most brands completely waste.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how to craft high-impact welcome messages that drive clicks, conversions, and long-term loyalty. Let’s dive in.

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Why the Welcome Message is Critical 

For ecommerce brands, the welcome message you send to new subscribers is one of the most critical touchpoints in the entire customer journey.

You’re at the stage where the customer has shown interest, but the relationship is not cemented yet.

They’re interested enough to have signed up for your list, whether it’s to claim a discount, or because they’re just keen on what your brand has to offer.

But there’s still work to do. This is a crucial touchpoint where you can either create a new fan of your brand, or give a forgettable first impression that leads to your brand being forgotten.

Retention Starts Here 

Customers are more skeptical, more likely to jump ship at this stage.

With apps, up to 80% of new subscribers churn within the first week if they don't engage.

With emails, generating engagement early is key, before your emails get buried in a hundred other promotional emails in the customer’s secondary inbox.

Yet while you can lose the customer at the welcome stage, you also have their attention. You’re fresh in their mind. And a good first impression can turn a new subscriber into a fan in no time.

Welcome Messages Draw Naturally High Engagement

Welcome emails get up to 3x higher engagement than standard promotional emails.

Consistently higher open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates.

Click-to-conversion rates for welcome emails can be as high as 56.8%! That means over half of the people who click from this email make a purchase.

The welcome message is a fantastic opportunity to drive sales. Don’t pass it up.

Driving the First Purchase

Customers who engage with a welcome message are far more likely to convert—and once they do, their value skyrockets.

A returning customer isn’t just more loyal – they’re up to 12X more likely to convert, and spend significantly more per order. 

The hardest part? Getting them to buy the first time.

Data proves that once a customer experiences your product and trusts your brand, repeat purchases come much easier. 

That’s why your welcome message is prime real estate. With the highest engagement rates of any marketing email or push, it’s your best shot at getting them over that first-sale hurdle.

Warming the Contact

Even if your welcome email or push notification doesn’t drive an immediate sale, it sets the stage for future conversions.

When someone signs up, your brand is fresh in their mind. A timely message feels familiar, reinforcing their decision to subscribe. But if you wait a week to reach out? They’ve likely forgotten who you are.

Now, your email looks like spam, increasing the chances of an unsubscribe. Your push notification feels intrusive, prompting them to turn off notifications entirely – killing future engagement.

A well-crafted welcome message conditions subscribers to expect future communication, making them more receptive when you follow up with promotions later. Ignore this step, and you risk becoming just another brand lost in the inbox (or worse, in the notification settings).

The 3 Jobs of a Killer Welcome Message

What makes a great welcome message?

To be effective, your first message to new subscribers needs to accomplish three key things:  

Acknowledge & Affirm 

Your welcome message should reinforce their decision to sign up and make them feel good about joining your brand community. 

A simple "Welcome to [Brand]! Here's what's next…" goes a long way in building rapport.

Deliver Immediate Value

Subscribers opted in for a reason. They're hoping to get something valuable from your brand. 

Your welcome message needs to deliver on that expectation with a discount, exclusive access, personalized recommendations, or some other meaningful perk.

Drive a Specific Action

A welcome message isn't just about introduction; it should actively guide subscribers toward their first purchase, social engagement, or another important milestone (such as downloading your app).

Include a clear CTA that tells them the next step you want them to take.

When your welcome email or push notification serves these three key functions – acknowledge, deliver value, and drive action – it sets the stage for an engaged and profitable customer relationship.

The Anatomy of High-Converting Welcome Emails

While welcome emails (longer-form) and push notifications (shorter-form) share similar objectives, they each have unique considerations in terms of structure and content. 

We’ll look at how to piece together each form of welcome message; starting with email.

Subject Line: The Hook That Drives Opens

Your email subject line is the gateway to engagement. It needs to stand out in a crowded inbox and compel subscribers to open. 

Approximately half of all recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on the subject line.

Some effective approaches:

• Highlight their exclusive welcome offer ("Your 15% Off Code is Inside (Expires Soon!)")
• Tease the benefits of engaging ("You're in! Now, Here's What's Waiting for You…") 
• Reinforce their membership in your brand community ("Welcome to [Brand] – Here's Your Exclusive Perk")

Header: Reinforce Excitement

The top of your email is prime real estate for a bold branded message that gets subscribers excited. 

Use a strong visual and copy like "You've Unlocked Exclusive Access" to reaffirm their decision to sign up. 

Keep the branding here consistent with your typical fonts, colors, and tone.

Body Copy: Short, Punchy & Benefit-Driven

Welcome email body copy should be brief, scannable, and focused on value. 

Dedicate a short paragraph to reaffirming your brand promise ("We make [product] so you can [benefit]"), then follow with snappy benefit-driven bullet points or a succinct explanation of their welcome offer. 

This isn't the place for your full brand story or an overload of product details. Stick to punchy highlights and save the deeper dive for later in your email flow. 

Social proof elements like a glowing testimonial, press mention, or UGC image can work well to build credibility without overwhelming.

Call-to-Action: Guide Them to the Next Step

Include a prominent, action-driven CTA button to direct their next steps. Examples include:

• "Shop Now" → Directs them to a curated collection or bestsellers page
• "Claim Your Offer"→ Reinforces a welcome discount or exclusive access 
• "Take Our Quiz" → For brands that offer product personalization

Place your CTA above the fold for maximum visibility, and consider repeating it at the bottom of your email for those who read all the way through.

Optional Add-Ons (Engagement Boosters)

If you have space, consider secondary elements that can enhance engagement without overloading:

• Links to follow on social for exclusive content/offers
• A referral offer (e.g. "Get $10 when you refer a friend")
• An urgency message (e.g. "Redeem your code in the next 48 hours")

Keep these brief so they don't distract from your main CTA.

The Anatomy of High-Converting Welcome Push Notifications

Here’s how to craft the first push notification, to sow the seeds for a fruitful relationship with your app user.

Push Copy: Short, Sweet & Actionable

With push notifications, you have even less real estate to work with than email. Your message needs to be hyper-focused on driving that first engagement. 

Best practices for welcome push copy:

• Lead with their exclusive offer or membership benefits
• Use punchy, action-driven language ("Tap to Unlock", "See What's Waiting")
• Personalize when possible ("[Name], your VIP code is inside…" )
• Keep it very concise

Effective Push Copy Examples:

"🎉 Welcome to [Brand]! Tap to unlock your exclusive 15% off."

"You're officially part of the [Brand] fam! Your reward is inside 🎁" 

"🚀 Ready to shop? Your VIP discount is waiting."

CTA: Make Every Tap Count

With push notifications, taps are your primary engagement metric. Your push CTA should be crystal clear on the action you want the subscriber to take. Some options include:

"🔗 Tap to Shop Bestsellers"

"🎁 Claim Your 15% Off – Limited Time!" 

"👀 See What's Trending Now"

Optimizing for Maximum Impact

To get the most out of your welcome messages, commit to continuous testing and iteration.

A/B test these elements:

• Subject lines → Try framing your offer as "Exclusive" vs a "First-time discount"  
• CTA wording → Test "Shop Now" vs "Unlock Your Perk"
• Offer presentation → Does a % discount or $ amount savings drive more clicks?
• Push timing → See if immediate or slightly delayed pushes perform best

Tracking the right metrics is key as well, to ensure you understand the impact of your welcome sequences, and whether there’s room for improvement.

For Email:

• Open Rate → 35%+ indicates strong subject line/preview text
• Click-Through Rate → Aim for 10%+ unique clicks with a compelling CTA
• Conversion Rate → Top welcome emails drive 5%+ first purchase conversion

For Push:

• Opt-In Rate → Note what % of users allow push notifications 
• Direct Open Rate → 10-20% is a strong push engagement rate
• Tap-Through Rate → 5-15% TTR shows your CTA is resonating

By tracking these metrics over time, you can pinpoint top opportunities to improve your welcome messaging performance.

What About SMS?

So far, we’ve focused on welcome emails and push notifications – but what about SMS?

Many brands now collect SMS opt-ins alongside email, and when used strategically, it can be a powerful retention channel. If you plan to engage subscribers regularly via SMS, a welcome message makes sense.

However, SMS comes with higher costs per send, so brands typically use it more sparingly than email or push (both of which are essentially free). But if you’re investing in SMS welcomes, the same principles apply:

• Keep it concise like a push notification.
• Acknowledge their signup & set expectations, like an email.
• Remember, they may be new to your brand, unlike app users, who already have some level of familiarity.

If you’re using SMS, make sure your welcome message is short, clear, and valuable. It’s a high-cost, high-impact channel, so every word counts.

Bringing It All Together

Your welcome message is hands down your most impactful touchpoint for turning new subscribers into loyal customers. It's a can't-miss opportunity to:

• Make a strong first impression that sets the tone for your entire brand relationship 
• Drive key actions like first purchase, social engagement, and referral
• Learn critical insights about what kind of messaging resonates with your audience

Whether you're welcoming new folks via email, push notification, or both, keep these fundamentals in mind:

• Get them engaged immediately with a clear hook and direct CTA
• Offer real value with a welcome discount, exclusive access, or personalized recs
• Keep it compelling but concise, especially for push notifications 
• Commit to ongoing optimization – small tweaks can yield big gains

Not sure if your current welcome message is working hard enough? Now's the perfect time to audit what you have and try a few experiments to boost performance. 

Every new subscriber is an opportunity. Make that first impression count!