Welcome emails for new members

A welcome email goes out once, on its own, the moment someone becomes a member. It’s a good place to say hello, set expectations (“a new issue every Friday”) and point people at your best work. Welcome emails are off until you switch them on.

1. Find your welcome emails

Go to Settings → Welcome emails, under Membership.

2. Write it

1. 1Next to the email, select Edit.
2. 2Under Email content, write your message. It starts with a friendly default you can keep, change or replace. It works like the post editor: type / on an empty line to see what you can add.
3. 3Switch to Preview to see it as a new member will, and to set the Subject.
4. 4Select Save.

3. Send yourself a test

In Preview, select Test, enter your address and select Send. This is what arrives:

4. Switch it on

Back in Settings → Welcome emails, turn on the switch next to the email. From then on, every new member who matches gets it. Turn it off any time; nothing is sent while it’s off.

Sender, reply-to and design

Select Customize for settings shared by your welcome emails. On General: the Sender name, a Reply-to email (we send that address a confirmation link before it’s used), a Header image, whether to show your Publication title, and an Email footer. On Design: colours, fonts and buttons, much like newsletter design.

Good to know

• Welcome emails go only to people who sign up (or upgrade) themselves. Members you add by hand or import from a CSV don’t get one.
• They’re sent as soon as someone confirms their signup, not with your next newsletter.
• Turning a welcome email on doesn’t send it to people who joined before.
• Invite replies. A reader who replies to your welcome email is telling their inbox your mail is wanted, which helps every email after it arrive. Set a reply-to you read.