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The 7-email onboarding sequence framework that converts

sequence_queenAutomation Guru

After testing dozens of onboarding sequences across 3 SaaS products, we have settled on a 7-email framework that consistently converts free users to paid.

The sequence

  1. Day 0: Welcome + Quick Win (show value immediately)
  2. Day 1: Core Feature Tutorial
  3. Day 3: Social Proof (customer story)
  4. Day 5: Advanced Feature Introduction
  5. Day 7: Check-in (how is it going?)
  6. Day 10: Comparison (why us vs alternatives)
  7. Day 13: Conversion CTA (trial ending / upgrade prompt)

Key metrics

Average open rate across the sequence: 52%. Click rate: 12%. Free-to-paid conversion rate: 8.3% (up from 4.1% before implementing this framework).

The most important email is Day 0. If you can get users to their "aha moment" in the first email, the rest of the sequence is significantly more effective.

#onboarding#sequences#conversion
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5 Comments

startup_sender

Day 0 quick win is crucial. We tested sending the quick win email immediately vs 1 hour after signup. Immediate was 40% more effective at driving activation.

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saas_sophie

We use Brew's automation builder for our onboarding sequence. The conditional branching is perfect for this — different paths based on whether they completed the quick win.

15
growth_graceGrowth Marketer

We A/B tested the Day 10 comparison email with and without competitor mentions. Including specific competitors increased clicks 23% but be careful about tone.

10
automation_ally

What do you do for Day 7 check-in? We struggle with making it feel genuine rather than automated.

9
sequence_queenAutomation Guru

Make it come from a real person (founder or CSM) with their actual photo. Plain text format, conversational tone, and ask a specific question. People actually reply to ours.

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