A complete, ready-to-use onboarding email sequence with 7 emails, branching logic, and personalization tips. This is the exact framework that high-converting SaaS companies use to turn trial signups into paying customers.
Onboarding is the single highest-leverage moment in your entire customer lifecycle. The window between signup and the decision to pay (or leave) is measured in days, not months. The emails you send during this period have a disproportionate impact on your trial-to-paid conversion rate.
Most SaaS companies either send too many generic drip emails that users ignore, or they send too few and hope users figure things out on their own. The template below takes a different approach: it sends the right email at the right moment based on what the user has actually done in the product.
This sequence uses behavioral triggers, meaning each email fires based on user actions rather than a fixed schedule. The timing below represents the maximum delay; emails may send earlier if the trigger condition is met sooner.
Subject line: "Welcome to [Product] -- here is your one thing to do today"
Purpose: Welcome the user, set expectations for the trial, and give them a single clear action. Do not overwhelm them with features. The goal is to get them to take one meaningful step toward activation. Identify the smallest action that correlates with long-term retention and make that the CTA.
Key elements: A warm, brief welcome. Clear statement of what the product does for them. One CTA button pointing to the most important first action. No feature tour, no link dump.
Subject line: "A quick tip to get more from [Product]"
Purpose: If the user signed up but has not taken the key first action, give them a gentle nudge with a specific tip or shortcut. This is not a guilt trip email. It is a helpful pointer that makes the action feel easier.
Key elements: Acknowledge that they are busy. Provide a specific tip that makes the first action easier. Include a screenshot or GIF if it helps. One CTA that goes directly to where they need to be.
Subject line: "Nice work -- you just unlocked [benefit]"
Purpose: Celebrate the user hitting their activation moment. Reinforce that they made a good decision. Point them to the next level of value. This email has the highest emotional impact in the sequence because it arrives at a moment of accomplishment.
Key elements: Genuine congratulations (not over the top). Explain what they can now do that they could not before. Suggest the next 2-3 features to explore. Social proof: "Teams that activate [feature] see X% better results."
Subject line: "3 things power users do in their first week"
Purpose: For users who activated and are engaged, deepen their usage. Show them intermediate features and workflows that increase stickiness. The more value they discover during the trial, the more likely they are to convert.
Key elements: Three specific, actionable tips. Each tip explains the benefit, not just the feature. Quick-start links for each tip. Frame it as insider knowledge.
Subject line: "Need a hand getting started?"
Purpose: For users who signed up but went quiet, offer genuine help. This is the most important branching point in the sequence. Users who get this email are at high risk of churning, so the tone needs to be supportive, not pushy.
Key elements: Empathetic tone acknowledging that getting started with a new tool is hard. Offer specific help: a walkthrough call, a quick-start guide, or a link to the most helpful documentation. Include a direct reply option so they can ask questions.
Subject line: "How [Company] uses [Product] to [result]"
Purpose: Provide concrete social proof. Share a customer story or use case that mirrors what this user is likely trying to accomplish. This email builds confidence that the product works and is worth paying for.
Key elements: A specific result with numbers if possible. Brief description of the customer and their challenge. How they use the product to get results. A CTA to try the same approach in their own account.
Subject line: "Your trial ends in 2 days -- here is what happens next"
Purpose: Clear, honest communication about the trial ending. Show them exactly what they will lose access to and make upgrading frictionless. This is not a hard sell; it is a helpful summary of their options.
Key elements: Clear timeline of when access ends. Summary of what they have accomplished during the trial (if you track usage data, personalize this). Simple comparison of plan options. One prominent upgrade CTA. Mention of what happens to their data if they do not upgrade.
The sequence above is not linear. It branches based on user behavior. Here is how the branching works:
This branching is what makes behavioral onboarding dramatically more effective than a linear drip sequence. Each user gets emails that match their actual experience with your product.
Beyond standard email metrics (open rate, click rate), track these for your onboarding sequence:
Request early access to Meisa and use our visual builder to create behavioral onboarding sequences with branching logic.