A word of warning to look out for about changes that might get made - NOT BY YOU! - to your Welcome e-mail:
Last week I connected my Substack to my Stripe account - no, I haven't gone paid, but I felt I wanted to take a step in that direction.
YESTERDAY I decided to update my About page, and while I was in the Settings menu thought I'd tweak my welcome e-mail also (it's not the same as my About page, but hey, two birds, one stone). I found two additional Welcome e-mail options in the menu - one for paid subscribers, one for Founding members - yup, makes sense if I'm going paid, granted. Those two had been helpfully automatically populated by Substack with my existing Welcome e-mail text.
Bearing in mind I only HAVE free subscribers, as I am not yet offering paid options, I clicked through to edit the Welcome e-mail for free subscribers. Imagine my horror to find that my beautiful Welcome e-mail (with its handpainted love hearts and everything!) had been replaced by these four words:
'YOU'RE ON THE LIST.'
Thought I'd just mention this - if you've made any behind-the-scenes tweaks to your Substack recently, including connecting a Stripe account - do go in and check that your welcome e-mail hasn't been affected in the way that mine had!
Argh yes, I know exactly what you mean! The default paid/founding member emails populate mostly with your own copy, but still pull some of the Substack suggested text. It's probably a tiny line of code that got missed somewhere in the back end!
It's worth remembering as well that paid subs who were previously free subs (ie, ppl who upgrade to paid) will have already seen your initial welcome email, so you might want something totally fresh in there for them. Or not! Mine is kind of 50/50 new and old for paid members, but it's a great place to explain the navigation around membership perks and signpost them to important content etc!
I found that out the hard way after crafting my free welcome email and then turning on paid and finding it has defaulted back to the original pre populated text 🤦♀️
Oh no!!! I wonder if that had something to do with the updates & fixes they were making yesterday..? But that really sucks I’m sorry to hear that. ❤️
I have so many tech trust issues I rarely write anything directly into anywhere: website/Substack/Active Campaign etc. And always keep a copy of important pieces off the site. And then back those up too. 🙈Too many tears otherwise.
Can you come to our co-working session? Maybe company in rewriting it will help? 💌
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Ooooh, I wasn't aware of the updates and fixes yesterday - that makes me feel a lot better. I'd assumed the issue had arisen when I'd linked to Stripe, and the behind-the-scenes stuff that Substack had then needed to do with making two more versions of the Welcome email appear in Settings. But if it's possibly the case that it only happened yesterday, I feel rather less sad that those lovely new subscribers who've signed up since last week had missed out on the welcome they deserved! And the love hearts. ♥️
I'm the same - I don't write anything directly onto the platform! Word for me, saved and backed up all the way. I'm pleased that I still had it all at my fingertips.
Of course, that big cup of tea I had after I'd reinstated that text to where it belonged made me feel a whole lot better. 🤣
Good news on this one! I just had a play around on mine & it erased my welcome email to replace with the tremendously welcoming: 'You're on the list!' ...sentence. (Can't really call that an email.) Buuuuut. I disabled payments again and my original welcome email came back. Huzzah! All is well. So, fret not. If this happens & you don't have a backup, disable payments, go in, save your email and then go again. (At least for now, it's bound to change soon.) Hope this helps!
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Yikes!! That’s good to know. It’s also probably a good idea to have welcome emails backed up somewhere, then. Making a note to myself to back it up on Notion.
This is such a valuable word of warning, Rebecca. I'll probably do the same (sign up for Stripe, but not go paid for a while). And Keely's and Sara's follow-up tips are great, too! Keeping off-platform back-ups makes seems, upon reflection, so obvious. But I haven't done it.
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Perfect timing ! I was just playing around with my welcome email and feeling very lost. Your generous advice helps so much. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Keeley Rees, Sara Tasker - Me & Orla
Such wonderful advice! I can't wait to get to implementing all your suggestions on Tuesday. And also perhaps tweak my own welcome email for my business welcome email on MailChimp!
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Such helpful tips here! I’ve been evolving in this space, which means I’ve been needing to update everything so it’s in line with the vibe and voice of my publication now. I definitely need to double check that my welcome email is in a good place!
I did not receive the welcome email from y’all and would love to have the goodies y’all are sending 🤗
I was quietly pretty pleased with my welcome email, but reading this I can see a tweak or two I can make to improve! Thank you so much for the tips, I loved the cake analogy! 🧁 🍰 🎂
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Okay a big question: is there a Substack front end bird’s eye view publishers can use to experience their site as a potential subscriber would? Is there a checklist we could run through to make sure we’re optimizing things? I feel like an idiot, but know design and marketing are not my strong suits. Kudos to Mills for the advice!
Good question! The easiest way is to drop your Substack link into a new incognito window in your browser. We’ve got that very checklist you want coming up, and we’ll take you through each element like this step by step, so fear not! Right now Substack doesn’t have it all in one place and it’s a little counterintuitive at times, but that’s just part of the fun of joining a developing platform!
And you’re definitely not an idiot. Marketing is about 80% great writing anyway, so you’ve got it covered. We’re here to help guide you with the remaining 20%!
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Keeley Rees, Sara Tasker - Me & Orla
Thank you both so much for all that you are doing to help all of us utilize this platform to its fullest potential. Your tips on creating a personalized welcome email was brilliant and I hope to one day find the illusive words to charm the socks off of my new subscribers. Again, thank you.
Jess! Thank you so much for such a generous comment. If this is anything to go by you’ll charm the shoes, socks and maybe the pants off your subscribers in no time! 😁
Excellent ideas and inspiration as many have said here.
I actually realized, when reading it, though, that even though I’ve tried to attend to my one welcome email, I actually never even open the welcome emails from ones I subscribe to.
I guess I already decided to subscribe so I feel like there’s nothing else in them I would need to read. Curious. Something I want to think about.
Interesting! I am very sure you’re not alone in this, either. I’m sure there’s a reason SSHQ decided it would be ok to pause them this week, and it’s probably a lot to do with variable open rates.
And some people are just not email readers, which is fine. That’s why we have the app!
I wonder if there’s a title that might at least tempt you to click on an open email? But as you say, if you don’t need any extra info from that writer why bother? It’s a sign they’re doing a great job on their main page!
My email gets really full and I’m someone who likes a zero inbox so I just automatically delete them. That said I am sure that every now and then some amazing headline could potentially grab me. But yea I prefer reading in the app and not having any of it in my email at all. I do like that there’s the option for people who are the opposite though
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Love these reads! Seriously, a fresh of new creative air, filled up with the excitement of learning to navigate the waters behind our beloved Substack.
Thanks for creating this place. A safe place for writers looking to improve, or for the new creators, trying to find their voice in the platform.
Alex! Thank you for this gift of a comment. I’m hugging it tight to my chest. It’s SO good to be met with the energy and enthusiasm we’re here to share! 🥰 thanks for being part of the community
Found this three hours after launch and quickly adjusted from 'thank you' and 'welcome', checked I had something for the reader, and quickly saved. Just in time before the subscribers kicked in. Phew! Thank you again for such super tips!
Hurray! I’m sure NOBODY would have objected to what you already had of course, but it’s always nice to have something you’re super solid and proud of! And big congratulations on the launch! 🎉🥳
I got your welcome email. For my own welcome email, I had a friend say she never got it, so I started sending a follow up email and asked people to tell me if they got it. Out of those who replied, thankfully, most said yes, but there have been too many who said they didn't get it. I'm wondering if there is something broken in the code that is making it so only so many welcome emails actually send instead of all of them. My husband is a software developer so I know things like that are plausible. You have no idea how many times a fix has been as simple as adding a comma.
It’s been fixed! @millsbaker did explain the issue on Notes yesterday - I’m on mobile so can’t find it right now but they’re aware and said it was resolved (or would be imminently) ❤️
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Sara Tasker - Me & Orla, Keeley Rees
Bloody love this advice. Completely changed my view of the welcome email just being a thank you - to the first opportunity to really build that connection. And love the idea of a free gift. I’m going to create something and add to it. See you Tuesday for the co-working session xx
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Keeley Rees, Sara Tasker - Me & Orla
I love these tips! I think I will go in and tweak mine, to give subscribers a surprise freebie. If I understood that point correctly, I don’t have to have it as a lead magnet, right? It can just be a surprise gift?
Absolutely! Chance to delight & surprise! It doesn’t have to be anything huge at all. It might just be something you already have that you can repurpose.
Aug 1, 2023Liked by Keeley Rees, Sara Tasker - Me & Orla
I love this idea so much more than lead magnets! I have a ton of stuff that I can repurpose -- just need to put my thinking cap on. Maybe a printable art postcard as a thank you.
I have mixed feelings about lead magnets, tbh. I love the way you guys did the lead magnet for this publication. Maybe part of it was also because I already know you, Sara. It felt generous rather than fishy. Mostly though, it feels somewhat fishy. And since substack feels like a very different space, I want to try & do things differently.
Perfect! Let us know how you go with it. We love this way of approaching it too. I used to do it with clients because they were concerned about creating email sequences (in traditional email providers) and they were worried they’d annoy people. So I thought maybe we could flip it & just make the first few emails a gift...as a series. It worked beautifully.
Such a great post - thank you so much!
A word of warning to look out for about changes that might get made - NOT BY YOU! - to your Welcome e-mail:
Last week I connected my Substack to my Stripe account - no, I haven't gone paid, but I felt I wanted to take a step in that direction.
YESTERDAY I decided to update my About page, and while I was in the Settings menu thought I'd tweak my welcome e-mail also (it's not the same as my About page, but hey, two birds, one stone). I found two additional Welcome e-mail options in the menu - one for paid subscribers, one for Founding members - yup, makes sense if I'm going paid, granted. Those two had been helpfully automatically populated by Substack with my existing Welcome e-mail text.
Bearing in mind I only HAVE free subscribers, as I am not yet offering paid options, I clicked through to edit the Welcome e-mail for free subscribers. Imagine my horror to find that my beautiful Welcome e-mail (with its handpainted love hearts and everything!) had been replaced by these four words:
'YOU'RE ON THE LIST.'
Thought I'd just mention this - if you've made any behind-the-scenes tweaks to your Substack recently, including connecting a Stripe account - do go in and check that your welcome e-mail hasn't been affected in the way that mine had!
Argh yes, I know exactly what you mean! The default paid/founding member emails populate mostly with your own copy, but still pull some of the Substack suggested text. It's probably a tiny line of code that got missed somewhere in the back end!
It's worth remembering as well that paid subs who were previously free subs (ie, ppl who upgrade to paid) will have already seen your initial welcome email, so you might want something totally fresh in there for them. Or not! Mine is kind of 50/50 new and old for paid members, but it's a great place to explain the navigation around membership perks and signpost them to important content etc!
Ooooh, great point about that free welcome e-mail having already been seen by those who've upgraded, Sara - thank you!
If I ever DO bite the bullet to go paid I'll make sure I take care of that. 😊
I hope you do! ❤️ totally understand the hesitation, though. I really like how they’ve added pledges as a sort of middle ground .
I found that out the hard way after crafting my free welcome email and then turning on paid and finding it has defaulted back to the original pre populated text 🤦♀️
Oh no!!! I wonder if that had something to do with the updates & fixes they were making yesterday..? But that really sucks I’m sorry to hear that. ❤️
I have so many tech trust issues I rarely write anything directly into anywhere: website/Substack/Active Campaign etc. And always keep a copy of important pieces off the site. And then back those up too. 🙈Too many tears otherwise.
Can you come to our co-working session? Maybe company in rewriting it will help? 💌
Ooooh, I wasn't aware of the updates and fixes yesterday - that makes me feel a lot better. I'd assumed the issue had arisen when I'd linked to Stripe, and the behind-the-scenes stuff that Substack had then needed to do with making two more versions of the Welcome email appear in Settings. But if it's possibly the case that it only happened yesterday, I feel rather less sad that those lovely new subscribers who've signed up since last week had missed out on the welcome they deserved! And the love hearts. ♥️
I'm the same - I don't write anything directly onto the platform! Word for me, saved and backed up all the way. I'm pleased that I still had it all at my fingertips.
Of course, that big cup of tea I had after I'd reinstated that text to where it belonged made me feel a whole lot better. 🤣
It’s always about the cup of tea right? ❤️ Sooo glad you still had a copy!!
🤣
Good news on this one! I just had a play around on mine & it erased my welcome email to replace with the tremendously welcoming: 'You're on the list!' ...sentence. (Can't really call that an email.) Buuuuut. I disabled payments again and my original welcome email came back. Huzzah! All is well. So, fret not. If this happens & you don't have a backup, disable payments, go in, save your email and then go again. (At least for now, it's bound to change soon.) Hope this helps!
Yikes!! That’s good to know. It’s also probably a good idea to have welcome emails backed up somewhere, then. Making a note to myself to back it up on Notion.
That's such a good idea! Even just as a google doc.
Yikes indeed, Shinjini! I'm so glad that I draft and save everything outside of Substack, so at least I still had it all!
Oh that’s good!! I usually do too, but I didn’t think to back up my welcome email. I will now!
This is such a valuable word of warning, Rebecca. I'll probably do the same (sign up for Stripe, but not go paid for a while). And Keely's and Sara's follow-up tips are great, too! Keeping off-platform back-ups makes seems, upon reflection, so obvious. But I haven't done it.
So glad it's helpful, Bob! 😊
That happened to me as well! I had no idea that the welcome email got changed 🙊
Same! 🙈 I thought I’d filled it in in the wrong box or something...
Oh no, so sorry to hear this! Hope you managed to reinstate it! 😊
Yes I was able to change it, thank goodness! 😊
I'm not really sure what I managed to do but I went in again today and tried to work it out haha - so for now it's ok I think...
Good to know, thank you!
Perfect timing ! I was just playing around with my welcome email and feeling very lost. Your generous advice helps so much. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
So welcome Sarah! Reach out if you need a hand. 🤍
Hurray! There's nothing like that big blank text box to make our brains grind to a halt. So glad we could help xx
Such wonderful advice! I can't wait to get to implementing all your suggestions on Tuesday. And also perhaps tweak my own welcome email for my business welcome email on MailChimp!
Such helpful tips here! I’ve been evolving in this space, which means I’ve been needing to update everything so it’s in line with the vibe and voice of my publication now. I definitely need to double check that my welcome email is in a good place!
I did not receive the welcome email from y’all and would love to have the goodies y’all are sending 🤗
I was quietly pretty pleased with my welcome email, but reading this I can see a tweak or two I can make to improve! Thank you so much for the tips, I loved the cake analogy! 🧁 🍰 🎂
well now I HAVE to go and subscribe just to see your brilliant email!
Haha! No subscribing until after I’ve tweaked it at the co-working next Tuesday, then the welcome email will be *chef’s kiss*
Nanette it’s gorgeous!! 🤍🤍
Oh! Thank you so much Keeley! Always room for a bit of tweaking, mind. See you at co-working! 🥰
Second super helpful post. Thanks and keep them coming. I look forward to reading and hope I can keep up!
🥰 We're so glad it was helpful Alice! And we promise not to overload you with content here. Quality over quantity, always, right? xx
Okay a big question: is there a Substack front end bird’s eye view publishers can use to experience their site as a potential subscriber would? Is there a checklist we could run through to make sure we’re optimizing things? I feel like an idiot, but know design and marketing are not my strong suits. Kudos to Mills for the advice!
Good question! The easiest way is to drop your Substack link into a new incognito window in your browser. We’ve got that very checklist you want coming up, and we’ll take you through each element like this step by step, so fear not! Right now Substack doesn’t have it all in one place and it’s a little counterintuitive at times, but that’s just part of the fun of joining a developing platform!
And you’re definitely not an idiot. Marketing is about 80% great writing anyway, so you’ve got it covered. We’re here to help guide you with the remaining 20%!
Thanks Sara. The checklist will be a great help!
Thank you both so much for all that you are doing to help all of us utilize this platform to its fullest potential. Your tips on creating a personalized welcome email was brilliant and I hope to one day find the illusive words to charm the socks off of my new subscribers. Again, thank you.
Jess! Thank you so much for such a generous comment. If this is anything to go by you’ll charm the shoes, socks and maybe the pants off your subscribers in no time! 😁
Excellent ideas and inspiration as many have said here.
I actually realized, when reading it, though, that even though I’ve tried to attend to my one welcome email, I actually never even open the welcome emails from ones I subscribe to.
I guess I already decided to subscribe so I feel like there’s nothing else in them I would need to read. Curious. Something I want to think about.
Interesting! I am very sure you’re not alone in this, either. I’m sure there’s a reason SSHQ decided it would be ok to pause them this week, and it’s probably a lot to do with variable open rates.
And some people are just not email readers, which is fine. That’s why we have the app!
I wonder if there’s a title that might at least tempt you to click on an open email? But as you say, if you don’t need any extra info from that writer why bother? It’s a sign they’re doing a great job on their main page!
My email gets really full and I’m someone who likes a zero inbox so I just automatically delete them. That said I am sure that every now and then some amazing headline could potentially grab me. But yea I prefer reading in the app and not having any of it in my email at all. I do like that there’s the option for people who are the opposite though
Love these reads! Seriously, a fresh of new creative air, filled up with the excitement of learning to navigate the waters behind our beloved Substack.
Thanks for creating this place. A safe place for writers looking to improve, or for the new creators, trying to find their voice in the platform.
Eager for more!
- Alex
Alex! Thank you for this gift of a comment. I’m hugging it tight to my chest. It’s SO good to be met with the energy and enthusiasm we’re here to share! 🥰 thanks for being part of the community
Thanks a lot Sara. Means so much receiving this kind comment too. Hopes for the better. We´ll keep writing amazing stories!
Found this three hours after launch and quickly adjusted from 'thank you' and 'welcome', checked I had something for the reader, and quickly saved. Just in time before the subscribers kicked in. Phew! Thank you again for such super tips!
Hurray! I’m sure NOBODY would have objected to what you already had of course, but it’s always nice to have something you’re super solid and proud of! And big congratulations on the launch! 🎉🥳
I got your welcome email. For my own welcome email, I had a friend say she never got it, so I started sending a follow up email and asked people to tell me if they got it. Out of those who replied, thankfully, most said yes, but there have been too many who said they didn't get it. I'm wondering if there is something broken in the code that is making it so only so many welcome emails actually send instead of all of them. My husband is a software developer so I know things like that are plausible. You have no idea how many times a fix has been as simple as adding a comma.
It’s been fixed! @millsbaker did explain the issue on Notes yesterday - I’m on mobile so can’t find it right now but they’re aware and said it was resolved (or would be imminently) ❤️
Bloody love this advice. Completely changed my view of the welcome email just being a thank you - to the first opportunity to really build that connection. And love the idea of a free gift. I’m going to create something and add to it. See you Tuesday for the co-working session xx
Oh yay, that’s great to hear. Looking forward to seeing you there! xx
I love these tips! I think I will go in and tweak mine, to give subscribers a surprise freebie. If I understood that point correctly, I don’t have to have it as a lead magnet, right? It can just be a surprise gift?
Absolutely! Chance to delight & surprise! It doesn’t have to be anything huge at all. It might just be something you already have that you can repurpose.
I love this idea so much more than lead magnets! I have a ton of stuff that I can repurpose -- just need to put my thinking cap on. Maybe a printable art postcard as a thank you.
I am such a sucker for a printable of any kind!
But I'm also curious about why you don't love the idea of a lead magnet. Does it just feel too... fishy? 🎣
I have mixed feelings about lead magnets, tbh. I love the way you guys did the lead magnet for this publication. Maybe part of it was also because I already know you, Sara. It felt generous rather than fishy. Mostly though, it feels somewhat fishy. And since substack feels like a very different space, I want to try & do things differently.
Love that idea!
Perfect! Let us know how you go with it. We love this way of approaching it too. I used to do it with clients because they were concerned about creating email sequences (in traditional email providers) and they were worried they’d annoy people. So I thought maybe we could flip it & just make the first few emails a gift...as a series. It worked beautifully.
Oh yes -- so much better than a funnel!! This feels way more generous, and probably accomplishes similar things.
Absolutely. 💗
ohhh I love the idea of it just being a total surprise! Like getting a surprise present, just because!
Yes! It’s such a different energy from a lead magnet, though I know a lead magnet has a business case...but..
I just rewrote mine but I might have to re rewrite it now after reading all of this wonderful advice ✨
I’ve thought about a longer welcome sequence! Excited for the day that launches here on Substack.
Us too!!