The 3-step onboarding email flow

How I craft behavior-based onboarding email flows to turn users into lifelong customers.

Up to 80% of people will sign up for your product and never return. Sending relevant emails with valuable content related to a user's specific needs can help motivate them to use it again.

The problem is that traditional onboarding emails are:

• Not outcome-driven

• Not tied to what the user has done in the product

• 100% time-based

• Feature-driven

• One-size-fits-all

The best onboarding emails are behavior-based. Users get specific information, tips, and resources based on what they’ve done or not done in the product.

Here are my 3 steps to crafting a behavior-based onboarding email flow:

Step 1: Identify the key milestones in your onboarding. 🔑

This could be:

• Right after users sign up, you can welcome them.

• Users need to complete critical onboarding steps to experience the product's value.

• The “Aha” moment.

• Before, during, and after the free trial period ends.

For example, let’s use Canva (an easy-to-use online graphic design tool). Here’s what I’ve identified as its key milestones:

1. User signs up

2. Select a template

3. Edit a template

4. Add your own photos

5. Download design

6. Start Canva Pro Trial

7. Canva Pro Free Trial Ends

Step 2: Build out the “happy path” email flow. 😊

The next step is to build out the “happy path” of your onboarding.

In the happy path, you can send a few helpful emails:

• The Welcome Email — The first email in your onboarding sequence is crucial. It sets the tone for the new user’s journey.

• The “What’s Next” Email — After users achieve something meaningful (like a quick win), congratulate them and point them to the next step.

These are the first two email templates I shared in last week’s newsletter.

For Canva, here’s the “happy path” onboarding email flow:

Step 3: Inspire and provide tips for the “sad path” email flow.

Most of your users will not follow the “happy path.” It could be as high as 80% of people will sign up for your product on day 1 and don’t return.

That’s where the “sad path” email flow comes in.

Determine why users are not completing the next step in the user journey. Do they lack motivation? Or do they lack the know-how to complete the next step?

Depending on the reason why, you can send four types of email:

• The “What’s Next” Email — Provide instructions, videos, guides, and helpful tips to complete the next step.

• The Inspo Email — Sometimes, people need some inspiration to get started. These could be templates, success stories, playbooks, and more.

• The Social Proof Email — Social proof is among the best ways to nudge people forward. Share customer success stories, videos, and quotes from people who have achieved their outcomes with your product.

• The Human Touch Email — Not every user wants to do everything independently. Sometimes, people get stuck and need help from a real human. That’s where the human touch email can be helpful.

Again, I shared email templates for all of these in last week’s newsletter.

For Canva, I’d send relevant templates and inspirational designs if they can’t pick one.

For editing a template, people might need helpful guides. If that doesn’t work, I might invite them to a webinar or (if it makes sense) a 1-on-1 call.

Repeat this for all milestones, and you’ll end up with this:

Regarding delays between each email, I suggest between one to three days. Obviously, it depends on your product, audience, and industry.

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