Customer Onboarding Templates

SaaS Onboarding Email Templates

The first 7 days decide whether a signup becomes a customer. Make them count.

The difference between SaaS companies that grow and those that stall is usually onboarding. Great onboarding emails don't just say 'welcome' — they guide users to the exact moment they realize your product is valuable. These templates cover the critical first week.

Ready-to-Use Templates

Copy these templates and customize them for your needs. Each includes HTML and plain text versions.

Welcome & Quick Start
Immediate welcome email after signup
Immediate post-signup welcome
Subject Line

Welcome to {{productName}} — here's your first step

Preview Text

Get started in 2 minutes.

Personalization Variables:
{{productName}}{{firstName}}{{valueProposition}}{{firstAction}}{{firstActionCTA}}{{setupUrl}}{{senderName}}{{senderTitle}}{{companyAddress}}
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Setup Incomplete Nudge
Day 2 — user signed up but hasn't completed setup
Users who started but didn't finish setup
Subject Line

Quick: finish your {{productName}} setup (2 min)

Preview Text

You're almost there.

Personalization Variables:
{{productName}}{{firstName}}{{nextStep}}{{benefit}}{{setupUrl}}{{companyAddress}}
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Feature Highlight
Day 3-4 — introduce a key feature that drives activation
Driving feature adoption during onboarding
Subject Line

Have you tried {{featureName}} yet?

Preview Text

This is what makes {{productName}} click.

Personalization Variables:
{{productName}}{{firstName}}{{featureName}}{{featureDescription}}{{testimonial}}{{testimonialAuthor}}{{testimonialCompany}}{{featureUrl}}{{companyAddress}}
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Social Proof & Use Case
Day 5 — show how similar companies use the product
Building confidence through social proof
Subject Line

How {{customerCompany}} uses {{productName}}

Preview Text

A quick story from a company like yours.

Personalization Variables:
{{productName}}{{firstName}}{{customerCompany}}{{useCase}}{{timeframe}}{{result}}{{insight}}{{dashboardUrl}}{{companyAddress}}
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Check-In & Help Offer
Day 7 — personal check-in for users who haven't activated
Re-engaging inactive trial users
Subject Line

Need help getting started, {{firstName}}?

Preview Text

I noticed you haven't finished setting up.

Personalization Variables:
{{productName}}{{firstName}}{{activationMilestone}}{{helpOne}}{{helpTwo}}{{helpThree}}{{senderName}}{{senderTitle}}{{companyAddress}}
Email Preview

Best Practices

One action per email. Don't overwhelm new users with feature lists.

Focus on outcomes, not features. 'Send your first campaign' beats 'explore the campaign builder.'

Send from a real person (founder or customer success), not 'noreply@company.com.'

Stop the sequence when the user activates — don't keep sending setup emails to active users.

Use behavioral triggers: skip the setup reminder if they've already completed it.

Common Mistakes

Sending a 'feature tour' email on day 1 — users need one action, not a product manual.

Generic welcome emails that don't tell the user what to do next.

Sending the same sequence to all users regardless of their progress.

No personal check-in — automated sequences without a human touch feel robotic.

Subject Line Examples

Timing & Performance

Best Days
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Best Times
9:00 AM, 2:00 PM
Open Rate
25-35%
Click Rate
3-5%

Personalization Tips

One Email, One Action

Each onboarding email should ask the user to do exactly one thing. "Complete your profile, invite your team, and send your first campaign" is three emails worth of asks crammed into one. Pick the most important next step and focus on that.

Stop When They Activate

Nothing kills the new-user experience faster than getting "finish your setup" emails after you've already set everything up. Use behavioral triggers to stop the sequence the moment the user hits your activation milestone.

The Day 7 Check-In Is Gold

If a user hasn't activated by day 7, a personal check-in from the founder or CS team gets more responses (and saves more trials) than any automated email. Ask what's blocking them — the answers improve your product too.

Build Beautiful Email Sequences for Your SaaS

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Sequence builder
Stripe integration
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Frequently Asked Questions

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