---
title: "Setting up your welcome email"
updated: 2025-12-11
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# Setting up your welcome email

An effective welcome email should set the stage for what your newsletter is all about and what a new subscriber should expect from your communications.  
  
As the first email a new subscriber will receive from you, it’s an important part of your publication. The welcome email serves to greet, thank, and introduce the subscriber to your newsletter's content, fostering a positive initial connection and providing essential onboarding information. 

## Quick tips to get you started

-   **Set subscribers up for success:** Your welcome email is an excellent opportunity to encourage new subscribers to [safelist your email and mark it as important,](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/12313963921815) ensuring they receive future emails.
-   **Personalize the experience:** You can use [merge tags](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/25846316892055) in your welcome emails to personalize your readers’ experience. For example, if you collect your subscribers’ first name in a [subscribe survey](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/21900901004311), you can then add that to your welcome email [using custom fields](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7712894720023) and merge tags.
-   **Keep it short and meaningful:** If you’re planning to create a welcome email series, it’s important to balance delivering valuable information with keeping the messages concise. We recommend setting up a series of 3 to 5 emails [using automations](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/18743686099991).
-   **Check out the beehiiv Blog for welcome email inspiration:** 
    -   [How To Make The Best First Impression With A Welcome Email](https://blog.beehiiv.com/p/start-newsletter-successful-welcome-email-template)
    -   [How To Write a Welcome Email Template That Gets Results](https://blog.beehiiv.com/p/welcome-email-template)
    -   [10 Welcome Emails To Build Trust for the Long-Term](https://blog.beehiiv.com/p/welcome-emails)

> **Tech Note**
>
> After creating your welcome email, remember to complete the process by toggling on the option to **Enable a welcome email that is sent to new subscribers**. This option (found in step 11 below) can only be toggled on after the welcome email has been fully set up.

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## How to set up your welcome email 

1.  From the left panel dashboard, scroll down and select **Settings.**  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371564055)
2.  Your publication settings will open. Select [**Emails**](https://app.beehiiv.com/settings/publication/emails) from the left panel.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28603785663255)
3.  Scroll down to the **Preset Emails** section. Under **Welcome Email**, click **Configure Welcome Email**.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062354971031)
    
    > **Important Note**
    >
    > The option to enable your welcome email can only be toggled on after the welcome email has been fully set up.
    
    If your welcome email is already set up, the **Configure Welcome Email** button will change to **View Welcome Email**. To edit an existing welcome email, click **Edit Email**.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371582231)
    
4.  On the [**Welcome Email Edit**](https://app.beehiiv.com/settings/publication/emails/welcome_email) page, add a **Subject Line** and **Preview Text**.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371584535)
5.  In the **Content** box, create your email content. Type **/** to access the editor and make a selection to start creating your content.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371588375)
6.  Once you are satisfied with your welcome email, click **Preview** to see how the finalized email will appear.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062355004567)
7.  You’ll be taken to a preview of your email. On the left, click **Desktop** or **Mobile** to see how your email will look on different device types.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371599383)
8.  To preview how your [personalization with merge tags](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/25846316892055) will appear, select a subscriber from the dropdown menu. This will simulate the personalization using the custom field information associated with the chosen subscriber.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371603351)
9.  To exit the preview, click the **X icon** in the top right corner of the preview modal.  
      
    ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371608983)
10.  When you have finished setting up your welcome email and have ensured that the preview is to your liking, go to the bottom and click **Save**.  
       
     ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371615895)
11.  In your publication settings, navigate back to **Emails**, and then scroll back down to the **Present Email > Welcome Email** section.  
       
     Once your email is configured, toggle on **Enable a welcome email that is sent to new subscribers** to activate it.
     
     > **Reminder**
     >
     > Your welcome email won’t be sent to new subscribers until this option is enabled.
     
     ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371617815)
12.  Once your welcome email is set up, the **Configure Welcome Email** button will be replaced with **View Welcome Email**. Click **View Welcome Email** to access and review it.  
       
     ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371629335)
13.  You will see a preview of your welcome email along with tabs to track its performance (outlined below). To make changes, click **Edit Email**.  
       
     ![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/28062371632663)

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