9.5: The 4-Email Automated Sequence: Looking After New Subscribers Without Sending by Hand

An automated welcome sequence for new subscribers is 4 emails sent a few days apart: email 0 delivers the gift at once, email 1 introduces your shop, email 2 shares something useful with a customer's kind words, and email 3 invites a booking. You write them once and the software sends them to each new subscriber, with nothing for you to remember.

This is my favourite part of email. Done by hand, you remember in week one and forget by week three. With an automated sequence, the hundredth subscriber gets the same care as the first.

Here's how the sequence works, with four templates you can adapt.

What does "automated" mean?

In your email software you set a rule: "When someone signs up, send these emails in order, this many days apart."

Think of a coffee maker on a timer. In the evening you add coffee and water and set the time. The next morning it brews by itself, every day.

Tools usually call this "automation", a "welcome series" or an "autoresponder".

Why 4 emails instead of 1?

One email is only enough to deliver the gift. The customer gets it, reads it and forgets.

Four emails give your shop four appearances, each with one job:

The order mirrors how you'd get to know someone: say hello and give a gift, talk a little about yourself, help them with something, and only then invite them over.

Email 0: Deliver the gift right away

Send it within minutes of sign-up. The customer just gave you their email and is waiting. A day late and they've forgotten what they signed up for.

Subject: Here's your gift: [gift name]

Body:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for signing up. Here's the [gift name] we promised: [link or offer code].

Over the next few days I'll send you one or two short tips. We only email once or twice a month.

[Sender's name] [Shop name], [address]

Keep it short. This email has one job: hand over the gift.

Email 1: Who you are

Subject: The story behind [shop name]

Body:

Hi [Name],

I'm [name], the owner of [shop name] in [area]. We opened in [year], starting with just [a true detail, such as: two chairs and me].

The thing we care about most is [one specific thing: tool hygiene / broth made from bones every morning / never rushing a customer].

We're open [hours]. Drop in any time, or book ahead here: [link].

Write as if you're telling a friend. One true detail is worth more than ten lines of self-praise.

Email 2: Be useful and build trust

Subject: [A specific tip, such as: 3 things to avoid in the 24 hours after gel nails]

Body:

Hi [Name],

Customers often ask me: "[common question]". The short answer:

1. •[Tip 1]
2. •[Tip 2]
3. •[Tip 3]

Last week [customer's name, with permission] wrote to us: "[a real review]".

Hope to see you at the shop.

This email sells nothing. It gives away something useful and includes a real customer's words. Use only genuine reviews, and ask permission before naming anyone.

Email 3: Invite a booking

Subject: We have openings for you this week

Body:

Hi [Name],

If you've been thinking about [service], we have openings this week on [your usual quiet slots, such as: Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon].

[If there's an offer: Book before Sunday and we'll add …]

Book here: [link] Or message us at [phone / Zalo].

This is the only email in the sequence with a clear ask. By now the customer has received a gift, knows who you are, and has been helped. The invitation feels natural.

4 rules for the whole sequence

1. •One job and one main link per email. Don't cram three asks into one message.
2. •Write as one person to one person. Sign with your real name, not "Management".
3. •Keep it short. Readable in under a minute on a phone.
4. •Always include your shop name, address and an unsubscribe link at the bottom. CASL requires it, and email tools usually add it for you.

Set it up in 5 steps

Step 1: Write the four emails on paper or in Google Docs first, using the templates above.

Step 2: Open your email software and find automation or welcome series.

Step 3: Choose the trigger: "when someone signs up through the form".

Step 4: Paste in each email and set the gaps: immediately, 2 days, 4 days, 7 days.

Step 5: Sign up with your own email to test. Read all four on your phone and tap every link.

Don't skip step 5. The most common faults are a broken link or the customer's name showing up as "[Name]".

After the welcome sequence, what else is worth having?

Once you're comfortable, add more:

• •A birthday email: sent at the start of the customer's birthday month.
• •A "we miss you" email: sent when a customer hasn't been back in 6–8 weeks.
• •A post-visit email: a thank-you and a review request.

Add them one at a time. Get the welcome sequence running smoothly before the next.

Quick recap

• •Four emails: deliver the gift → introduce the shop → be useful → invite a booking.
• •Email 0 has to arrive within minutes.
• •One job per email, short, signed with a real name.
• •Sign up yourself to test before going live.

Next up (9.6): how to read your email numbers to see whether this sequence is working.

If you'd like someone to write and set up this sequence, and connect it to your appointments so the "we miss you" email runs automatically, that's what Wizy CRM does. Questions? Book a free 15-minute consultation.

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✍️ About the author: Do Ngoc Hoan Founder of Wizy.ca, a marketing agency for Vietnamese businesses in Ontario. I write to make marketing simple for busy shop owners — no confusing jargon. More at dongochoan.com.