For the last decade, email has proven to be one of the most effective marketing tools for authors. But before you can sell books to your email subscribers, they need to know you, like you, and trust you. 

Readers who sign up for your newsletter after reading one of your books already know, like, and trust you. But what about someone who signed up for your email newsletter to receive your reader magnet? What if you haven’t published a book yet? How will your readers get to know you if they haven’t read your book?

As your platform grows, subscribers will sign up for your email newsletter even though they don’t really know you. And if they don’t get to know you quickly, they will unsubscribe. 

But if you introduce yourself in every email you send, that will irritate your existing subscribers. 

So what should you do? 

The solution is to write a series of emails to introduce yourself and your book to your new subscriber.

After a subscriber has been subscribed for a day, they receive your first email where you’ll introduce yourself. A few days later, they’ll get your second email where you introduce your book. And so on. 

After a few emails, your new email subscriber has a good idea of who you are, what you write, and, most importantly, whether they’re interested in what you write. 

If they’re not interested in your book, you don’t want them on your list. You want uninterested subscribers to unsubscribe, so you don’t have to pay your email service provider to keep their address on your list. 

You might have heard this tactic called a “drip sequence,” an “onboarding campaign,” or a “nurture sequence.” In any case, it’s a series of emails that help your new subscribers find out who you are, see whether they like you, and learn to trust you.

In email marketing, the drip sequence is the ultimate marketing tactic, and sadly many authors don’t know how to use it.

Well, not today, not for you. 

In this episode, you’ll learn exactly how to create an onboarding sequence. If you’re not sure what to say in your emails, help is on the way! 

I have created an example drip sequence that you can download and customize. It’s a free companion that you download in the form below.

You can build an onboarding sequence in six easy steps.

Step 1: Stop Using MailChimp

The main reason many authors don’t have an onboarding campaign is that they are using MailChimp. If you are using the free version of MailChimp, you can’t create an onboarding sequence. They don’t even give you the option. 

If you are using the paid version of MailChimp, it’s technically possible to create an onboarding campaign. However, I don’t know many authors who have done it without having to hire professional help. 

As I mentioned in the episode about choosing an email provider, if you are paying for MailChimp, you can save money and have an easier experience by switching to ConvertKit (Affiliate Link) or