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Here at Sunboard, we focus on in-app onboarding. But emails are essential for keeping new users engaged. Love them or hate them, they work.
Let's look at 7 onboarding email best practices. These tactics will help you keep more customers.
Why send an email right away? Won't users be busy exploring your app?
Well, there are two key reasons.
First, users need to recognize your emails. This first email creates that connection. When future emails land, they'll know who you are.
Second, most SaaS products need setup. Your new users might not have time right now. They signed up but can't dive in yet.
What should your first email contain?
Keep it simple. Welcome them. Introduce yourself and your product. Share one case study if you have a great one.
Keep links minimal. Too many links can trigger spam filters.
Time to send your second email. The welcome email doesn't count.
This might be controversial, but hear me out. Write these emails yourself when possible. Add your personal touch. Templates work, but personal emails work better.
Check what users have actually done. Don't send "I see you're enjoying [your SaaS]" if they haven't logged in. That's just awkward.
Personalization ideas that work:
Check their onboarding status before writing. Have they completed key steps? Which actions are they stuck on? Show them you're paying attention.
Sometimes doing things that don't scale leads to success.
Your users are busy. They're juggling multiple tools and tasks. Don't make them think too hard about what to do next.
Each email needs one clear call-to-action. Not three. Not five. Just one. Maybe it's "Create your first onboarding checklist" or "Invite your first teammate" or "Add your first product tour."
Here's what happens with multiple CTAs:
Pick the most important action for that stage. Make your button obvious. Use action words like "Start," "Create," or "Connect" instead of generic "Click here" text.
Pro tip: Test your emails on mobile. If your CTA isn't crystal clear on a small screen, it's not clear enough.
Your users signed up to solve a problem. Show them they made the right choice. Fast.
Don't wait until email #5 to show value. By then, they've already forgotten why they signed up. Guide them to their first success within 24 hours.
Real examples that work:
At Sunboard, we help users create their first product tour in under 5 minutes. That quick win keeps them coming back. They see immediate impact on user engagement.
Share specific metrics whenever possible. "Save time" is vague. "Save 3 hours per week" hits different.
One email won't cut it. Neither will ten emails in two days. You need a thoughtful sequence that matches your users' journey.
Here's a simple framework that works:
Space your emails based on user activity. Active users need fewer emails. Inactive users need helpful nudges.
The key is relevance. A user who already uploaded data doesn't need an email about uploading data. Use behavioral triggers to send the right message at the right time.
Tools like Sunboard track user progress through onboarding checklists. Use that data to trigger relevant emails. No more sending "complete your profile" emails to users with completed profiles.
Nobody wants to be the guinea pig. Show your users that others succeeded before them.
Drop social proof naturally into your emails:
But don't just name-drop. Share specific tactics they can steal. Include screenshots of successful implementations. Link to case studies with real numbers.
Educational content builds trust too. Share your best tips freely:
We share our onboarding playbook openly at Sunboard. Users trust us more because we help them succeed, even before they pay us. That transparency converts better than any sales pitch.
Your first email sequence will suck. That's okay. The magic happens when you start testing.
Track these metrics religiously:
Start with subject line tests. Try these angles:
Test send times too. B2B SaaS typically sees best engagement Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-2pm. But your audience might be different. Sunday afternoon might work great for developer tools.
Don't test everything at once. Run one test for two weeks. Implement the winner. Then test the next element. Small improvements compound into big wins.
Great onboarding emails work with your in-app experience, not against it. Tools like Sunboard handle the in-app guidance. Your emails provide the gentle nudges. Together, they create an onboarding experience that actually converts.
Your onboarding emails are often the difference between a customer who churns and one who stays for years. These seven practices aren't just theory. They're what actually works for founders and small SaaS companies who can't afford to lose a single user.
Start with one practice. Test it for two weeks. Then add another. Small wins compound into major improvements in retention.