Send a welcome sequence based on what users do

Most welcome sequences send the same emails on the same days to everyone. A user who already finished setup gets told how to start, and a user who got stuck gets a feature announcement. A behaviour-based sequence checks what each person has done and sends the one message that moves them closer to their first result.

Why it works

A useful email answers the question the reader has right now. Someone stuck on step one wants help with step one. Someone who just finished it wants to know what comes next. Matching the message to the user’s state makes each email feel like help, and helpful emails get opened and acted on.

It also protects attention. Sending fewer, more relevant emails keeps people subscribed, so the messages that matter later still reach them.

How to do it

1. Map the path to activation. Write down the two or three steps a new user takes before they get value, such as “connected data source” and “created first report”.
2. Track those steps as events. Send each step from your product to your email tool so it knows who has done what.
3. Send a useful welcome right away. The first email should confirm the sign-up and point to the single next step with one button. Skip the company history.
4. Branch on behaviour. If a user has not completed step one after a day or two, send help for that step. If they have, skip ahead to the next step. Each email should match where they are.
5. Add a human check-in. Around the middle of the sequence, send a short plain-text note asking what they are trying to get done. Replies are a rich source of onboarding problems.
6. Exit on activation. Once a user hits the activation action, end the sequence and send a short note on what to try next.
7. Review open, click and completion rates monthly. Rewrite the email with the weakest effect on the next step first.

Example

A B2B scheduling tool used to send five fixed emails over ten days. The team rebuilds it around two steps: connect a calendar and share a booking link. Users who have not connected a calendar after one day get a short guide with a link straight to that screen. Users who connected but have not shared a link get three ideas for where to put it, such as an email signature. Anyone who receives a first booking leaves the sequence and gets a congratulations note. Fewer emails go out in total, and each one is relevant to the person reading it.

Metrics to track

• Activation rate. The share of new users who reach the activation action. Compare cohorts before and after the change.
• Time to activation. Should shorten as emails point people to the right next step sooner.
• Next-step completion per email. For each email, the share of recipients who do the step it asks for. Rewrite the weakest first.
• Unsubscribe rate in the first two weeks. Should stay flat or fall as you send fewer irrelevant messages.
• Replies to the check-in email. Count them and tag the themes. Recurring problems point to product or onboarding fixes.

When it backfires

• Broken tracking. If events do not reach your email tool, active users get “still stuck?” messages and lose trust.
• Too many emails. Daily messages in the first week push people to unsubscribe before they reach value.
• Selling too early. Upgrade pitches before a user has seen any value feel pushy and distract from setup.
• Unanswered replies. Inviting replies and then ignoring them is worse than not asking.

Questions people ask

How many emails should a welcome sequence have?

Four or five over the first two weeks is enough for most products. Each one should have a single job. Stop the sequence as soon as the user reaches activation and switch them to regular product updates.

Should welcome emails come from the founder?

A plain-text email from a real person often feels more personal than a designed newsletter. Only do it if replies reach someone who will actually answer them.

What tool do I need for behaviour-based emails?

Any email tool that can receive product events and branch on them. If yours cannot, start with a daily list of stuck users exported from your database and send by hand.