Newsletter & Email Growth: Growth In Reverse

3 Steps To A Perfect Subscriber Onboarding

32 snips

Sep 24, 2025

Discover the vital elements of effective subscriber onboarding. Learn about the three C's for high-converting landing pages: clear, credible, and compelling. Explore the importance of the Almost-There page in boosting engagement and avoiding dead-ends. Gain insights into using 'sniper links' to drive inbox opens and the critical role of well-crafted welcome emails. Understand why encouraging replies can improve deliverability and how to collect valuable audience data through surveys. Finally, uncover the benefits of a comprehensive 5-step onboarding flow.

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ADVICE

Three C's For Landing Pages

Make your landing page crystal clear, credible, and compelling using simple language.
Use social proof, experience, and a strong promise to boost conversions.

ADVICE

Clear Beats Clever On Headlines

Prefer clarity over cleverness: write a short headline that states what subscribers will get.
Keep reading level low and avoid jargon to prevent confusion and drop-offs.

ADVICE

Add Quick Credibility

Add credibility with social proof, experience, or subscriber counts on the landing page.
Use testimonials, logos, or statements like years of experience to build trust quickly.

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The Growth Vault is LIVE: Chenell's brand-new offer for newsletter creators is here! The Growth Vault is filled with newsletter templates, growth strategies, and real examples you can implement at your own pace.

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“One of the worst things you can do is send new subscribers to a dead-end thank you page. That kills engagement immediately." — Chenell

We're breaking down the most overlooked (yet critical) part of growing a newsletter: onboarding new subscribers.

We'll take you through Chenell's 3-step onboarding process every newsletter creator should have in place—and show how to optimize each for higher engagement, deliverability, and long-term retention.

We also tease an advanced 5-step version and share examples from top creators like Katelyn Bourgoin, Tom Alder, and Eddie Shleyner. Whether you’re just starting out or already running a large newsletter, you’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls and set up onboarding that actually works.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The 3 Cs of a high-converting landing page
Why default Thank-you pages kill engagement (and what to do instead)
How "sniper links" can push new subscribers directly into their inbox to find your email
The #1 mistake welcome emails make
The most important job your welcome email has
A simple incentive trick to encourage replies
The difference between a “true” and “false” double opt-in
How (and why) to include surveys in your onboarding
What top creators do with their “almost there” pages to hook new subscribers

LINKS MENTIONED

The Growth Vault →
Katelyn Bourgoin's Why We Buy landing page →
Eddie Shleyner's 'Social Proof Avalanche' →
Tom Alder's Strategy Breakdowns →
Growth.Design →
Senja →
RightMessage →
Growth In Reverse PRO Community →
Want your newsletter roasted? Submit it here.
Ask us a question or submit a podcast topic idea: growthinreverse.com/questions
Check out past Growth In Reverse Deep Dives: https://growthinreverse.com/archive/

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL

Chenell: Twitter | LinkedIn | Substack
Dylan: LinkedIn | Substack | Bluesky

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