Part 4
Lever 8 — Email Marketing
Module 4
Module at a Glance
Reading Time
15–20 minutes
What You’ll Walk Away With
A fully written, technically configured, and live welcome sequence — 7 emails that introduce your brand, build trust, deliver value, and make your first affiliate recommendations automatically to every new subscriber.
L8M4.1
The Welcome Sequence: Your Most Important Asset
Of all the emails you will ever send, the welcome sequence is the most important — and the highest-leverage.
Welcome email open rate
50–60%
Average broadcast open rate
20–25%
New subscribers are at their peak engagement the moment they sign up. They just made a small commitment — sharing their email — and they are primed to receive and act on what you send next.
One afternoon of focused writing and technical setup produces a system that earns for years. Because it is automated, every subscriber who joins today, next month, or two years from now receives the same excellent sequence — consistently, without any manual effort from you.
L8M4.2
The 7-Email Welcome Sequence Framework
Each email has a specific job. Together they move a stranger into a warm, trusting relationship in under two weeks.
Sequence at a glance
Day 0
Email 1 — Deliver & Welcome
Day 2
Email 2 — Your Story
Day 4
Email 3 — Best Free Resource
Day 6
Email 4 — First Recommendation Affiliate
Day 8
Email 5 — Practical Tutorial
Day 10
Email 6 — Starter Toolkit Multi-affiliate
Day 12
Email 7 — The Invitation
Day 0 · Email 1
Deliver and Welcome
Job: Fulfil the lead magnet promise and make a strong first impression.
Subject line
“Here’s your [lead magnet name], [First Name] 🎉”
01Warm, personal opening — not corporate
02Direct link to the PDF download (hosted on Google Drive — not attached; attachments trigger spam filters)
03Brief intro: 2–3 sentences on who you are and why you built this resource
04What’s coming: one sentence on what to expect from your emails
05Sign off + P.S. mentioning your best free resource
The reply ask: “Hit reply and tell me — what’s the #1 thing you’re working on right now with your online business?” Replies tell email providers your messages are wanted — dramatically improving deliverability for every email you send afterwards.
Day 2 · Email 2
Your Story
Job: Build the human connection that turns a subscriber into a reader.
This email is entirely personal. No pitch, no affiliate links, no promotional content. Just your story.
Subject line
Personal/conversational e.g. “The moment I stopped ‘trying’ and started building”
→Before: your situation before — a relatable struggle your audience recognizes
→The turn: what changed — a specific moment, insight, or decision
→Now: where you are today — honest, not inflated
→Bridge: what this means for the subscriber — why your journey is relevant to their goals
→No CTA other than “reply and tell me your story”
Length: 300–400 words. This is not a sales email. It is a trust email.
Day 4 · Email 3
Your Best Free Resource
Job: Demonstrate expertise by delivering the single most useful piece of content you have.
Send your best blog post, guide, tutorial, or resource — the piece of content that best demonstrates your knowledge and would be most useful to a brand new subscriber.
Subject line
Specific benefit e.g. “The complete AI content workflow I use every week”
→Brief intro: 2–3 sentences on why this resource matters to them right now
→One insight teased from the resource: give them a taste of the value before they click
→CTA: “Read it here: [link]”
Day 6 · Email 4
The First Recommendation
Affiliate
Job: Make your first affiliate recommendation naturally and helpfully.
This is the first commercial email in your sequence — but it should not feel commercial. It should feel like a recommendation from a knowledgeable friend.
Subject line
Problem-focused e.g. “The tool that cut my email setup time by 80%”
→Problem: describe the specific problem the tool solves — in your subscriber’s words, not the tool’s marketing language
→Your experience: how you use it, what you specifically like, one thing you wish it did differently (honesty builds trust)
→Who it’s best for: describe the subscriber type who will get most from it
→CTA: “Check it out here: [your affiliate link via Pretty Links]”
Disclosure (bottom of email): “Note: this is an affiliate link — I earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.”
Day 8 · Email 5
A Practical Tutorial
Job: Teach something specific and actionable — demonstrating expertise while driving blog traffic.
Subject line
How-to format e.g. “How to write a week of social content in 30 minutes”
→The tutorial: 3–5 specific steps, briefly but completely explained
→What they’ll have when done: state the outcome clearly
→If linking to a blog post: “I’ve put together the full step-by-step with screenshots here: [link]”
No promotion in this email — pure value.
Day 10 · Email 6
The Starter Toolkit
Multi-affiliate ★
Job: Make multiple affiliate recommendations in one helpful resource format.
A curated list of your 4–6 most recommended tools — presented as a helpful resource rather than a promotional blast. Each tool gets 2–3 sentences: what it is, why you recommend it specifically for your audience, and your affiliate link.
Subject line
Toolkit format e.g. “My exact starter toolkit for building online income with AI”
→Opening: “I get asked constantly what tools I actually use. Here’s the honest answer:”
→Tool 1–6: [name] — what it does + your affiliate link (same format each)
→Closing: “These are the tools I’d start with if I were building from scratch today. All have free tiers.”
→Affiliate disclosure at the top AND bottom
This email typically generates more affiliate clicks than any other in the sequence — it answers the most common beginner question (“what do I actually need?”) with a direct, useful answer.
Day 12 · Email 7
The Invitation
Job: Deepen the relationship and open the door to direct communication.
The final email brings the relationship full circle — from stranger to engaged subscriber who feels genuinely connected to your brand.
Subject line
Personal e.g. “Before I let you go — one thing”
→Recap: “You’ve been on my list for about two weeks. Here’s what we’ve covered together: [brief 3-point recap]”
→The invitation: introduce your weekly newsletter — when it arrives, what it covers
→The ask: “Reply and tell me: what’s your single biggest challenge with [topic] right now? I read every reply.”
→Warm, personal close
L8M4.3
Building the Sequence in MailerLite
With your 7 emails written, here is the exact process for setting up the automation in MailerLite.
Step
01
Create the automation
Automations → Create automation. Name it clearly: “Welcome Sequence — [Lead Magnet Name].”
Step
02
Set the trigger
Trigger: “When subscriber joins a group.” Select your main subscriber group — the one your opt-in form adds people to.
Step
03
Add Email 1
Click + → Email. Paste your Email 1 subject line, preview text, and body. Save.
Steps
4–8
Add alternating delays + emails
2-day delay → Email 2 → 2-day delay → Email 3
→ 2-day delay → Email 4 → 2-day delay → Email 5
→ 2-day delay → Email 6 → 2-day delay → Email 7
Step
09
Activate + Test
Toggle from Draft to Active. Then subscribe using a personal email address. Verify Email 1 arrives within 2 minutes. Verify remaining emails arrive on schedule. Fix anything before sending real traffic to your opt-in forms.
L8M4.4
Additional Automations to Set Up
Beyond the welcome sequence, these three additional automations should be set up as early as possible.
Automation 2
Content Upgrade Delivery
If you create content upgrades (specific lead magnets tied to individual blog posts), each one needs its own delivery automation. This runs independently from your main welcome sequence — subscribers can receive both simultaneously if they opt in to both.
→Trigger: subscriber joins a specific content upgrade group
→Email 1 (immediate): delivery of the specific content upgrade
→Email 2 (Day 2): a related blog post or resource that extends the upgrade’s value
→Email 3 (Day 4): introduction to your main newsletter list and a soft invitation to the welcome sequence
Automation 3
Weekly Newsletter Template
Your weekly newsletter is not automated — it is a broadcast campaign you write and send each week manually. However, set up a template so the design and structure are consistent every time:
Campaigns → Templates → Create template. Build your newsletter layout once — header, intro section, content section, resource recommendation, footer. Save it. Use this template every week — just swap the content.
Automation 4
Re-engagement Sequence
Trigger: subscriber has not opened any email in the last 60 days.
Email 1 (Day 0)
Subject “Did I lose you?” — brief, human, asks directly if they still want to hear from you. Includes a one-click confirmation link.
Email 2 (Day 7)
Subject “Last email from me (unless…)” — final notice. If they don’t click the confirmation link in 7 days, they will be removed from your list.
Subscribers who click the confirmation link are tagged “re-engaged” and moved back to active nurture. Those who don’t respond are removed — improving your overall deliverability metrics.
L8M4.5
The AI Writing Workflow for Your Welcome Sequence
Writing 7 emails from scratch takes time. With AI, you can draft all 7 in a single 90-minute session.
Before you start
→Open Claude with your brand Project loaded and context block ready
→Have your lead magnet name ready
→Have your strongest affiliate program details and affiliate link placeholder ready
→Have your top blog post URL and toolkit tool list ready
Per-email prompt structure
“[Paste context block]
Write Email [number] of my 7-email welcome sequence. This email’s job is: [job from the framework above]. Here are the specifics:
– Lead magnet delivered: [your lead magnet name]
– My strongest affiliate recommendation (for Email 4): [tool name, what it does, affiliate link placeholder]
– My best blog post (for Email 3): [post title and URL]
– My toolkit tools (for Email 6): [list tools]
Requirements:
– Subject line: [specify framework from Module 3]
– Preview text: under 90 characters
– Body: 250–300 words maximum
– Conversational American English
– Sign off as: [your name]”
Run this prompt for each of the 7 emails sequentially. Edit each output for voice — add personal details, remove anything generic — before pasting into MailerLite. Total time: 90 minutes.
Module Summary
Here’s What We Covered
- ✦Why the welcome sequence is your highest-leverage email asset — 50–60% average open rates, peak subscriber engagement, automated forever after initial setup
- ✦Email 1 (Day 0): Deliver lead magnet + welcome + reply ask
- ✦Email 2 (Day 2): Your story — pure trust-building, no pitch
- ✦Email 3 (Day 4): Your best free resource — demonstrate expertise
- ✦Email 4 (Day 6): First affiliate recommendation — problem-focused, honest
- ✦Email 5 (Day 8): Practical tutorial — actionable value, blog traffic
- ✦Email 6 (Day 10): Starter toolkit — multiple affiliate recommendations (typically highest click rate)
- ✦Email 7 (Day 12): The invitation — relationship deepening, weekly newsletter preview
- ✦Step-by-step MailerLite automation build: trigger setup, email and delay alternation, activation, and testing
- ✦Three additional automations: content upgrade delivery, weekly newsletter template, re-engagement sequence
- ✦The AI writing workflow for producing all 7 emails in a 90-minute session
Next up Lever 8, Module 5: Monetizing Your List — Affiliate Offers, Upsells, Product Sales