skip to content

← back to the plays

independence4 unconnected · 1 more author in those circles
applies to

b2b and consumer, no audience needed

outcome not stated

confidence

high

evidence

7 claims · 5 articles · 4 receipts

window

2013-08-15 → 2025-05-29

4 builders who never spoke to each other

Onboard on a timer instead of the weekly broadcast

Dropping a new subscriber into whatever you happen to send next wastes the only moment their attention is guaranteed, so a short timed run of emails introduces you, asks something and answers it. Delivering the incentive immediately rather than days later is what stops the relationship starting with a wait.

The method

  1. 01

    Onboard subscribers with a short timed sequence rather than dropping them into the weekly broadcast: an introduction on day one, a question on day three, an answer on day six.

  2. 02

    Give the new subscriber something immediately rather than leaving them waiting days for the next scheduled send.

  3. 03

    Put every new signup into a multi-email onboarding sequence rather than leaving them with a single confirmation message.

  4. 04

    Make the last onboarding email answer the problem subscribers report most often, and soft-sell the paid product inside that answer.

  5. 05

    Automate the repeated parts of selling, starting with a sequence of emails that greets every new buyer.

What it returned

  • Brennan's opt-in delivers a five day email course rebuilt from a newsletter series that had already performed well.

  • Zue built a five-email onboarding sequence for everyone signing up to Pegasus, though he could not yet see its effect on conversions or unsubscribes.

  • Named examples are an onboarding email series for new customers and booking tools such as Calendly or Acuity to strip steps out of scheduling.

  • Outseta sends the Show Them five-point drip an hour after account creation.

Sources

the second source

Three plays a week, for the phase you are in

No roundup of links, no news. Three tactics more than one builder arrived at separately, with the numbers each one returned and the disagreements left in.

One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click, and the address is used for this and nothing else.

More in email

all email plays

the second source

Three plays a week, for the phase you are in

No roundup of links, no news. Three tactics more than one builder arrived at separately, with the numbers each one returned and the disagreements left in.

963 corroborated plays to draw from · 3 a week

One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click, and the address is used for this and nothing else.