We all know that the #1 goal of any product creator should be building an email list.

But here’s the mistake I see too many entrepreneurs make:

They spend ton of time perfecting their lead generation efforts — developing an offer, driving traffic and acquiring leads.

The leads start trickling in…but those names just sit there on that list, ignored, until the product is ready to launch.

Finally, they hit publish and launch the product — but the only thing they hear is crickets.

What went wrong?

Your prospects joined your list to learn more from you.

But they didn’t.

Because they never heard from you.

Once they gave you their email address to get that freebie, you went silent on them, too busy finishing that product launch.

You didn’t engage with them. You did nothing to build a relationship between you and those prospects, and so, naturally, those leads you worked so hard to get all went cold.

Now you’re ready to pitch your product, but guess what? They don’t know you and they don’t trust you enough to pull the trigger and buy from you.

The good news is that there’s an easy way to fix this dilemma!

The solution: implementing a nurture sequence.

It sounds very sophisticated, but it’s actually quite simple.

A nurture sequence is basically series of emails you send to your subscribers to keep them engaged and involved with your company and your brand.

You use these nurture sequences before and in between product launches as way to stay in touch with your subscribers. As a way to demonstrate your value and build trust.

You can also combine these nurture sequences with an evergreen sequence to sell products on autopilot, but that’s a topic for another time. In this article, we’re going to focus on a nurture sequence you can use in between your product launches.

What is the frequency?

The truth is, there’s no magic number.

You could send an email once a week, 5x a week or 2x a day…..as long as you provide something valuable and — more importantly — train your audience to receive your emails.

What does that mean exactly?

You need to give your audience clear expectations of how often they will hear from you and then remain consistent with that schedule.

First: the welcome email.

The very first email and the most important email in the nurture sequence is the welcome email.

This is the email you send as soon as someone opts-in to get your freebie. The goal behind this email is to help your prospects get to know you better.

In that welcome email, you:

  • Thank them for inviting you into their inbox.
  • Introduce yourself, explaining what you do and why you do it.
  • Clearly explain what you’re offering, why it’s valuable to them and how they can work with you.
  • Tell them what to expect from you moving forward
  • Spell out how often you’ll send emails like this one to them.

From this point forward you want to make sure you stay on top of mind of your subscribers, which means coming up with a plan of action to send them emails on a regular basis.

[Download]The Perfect Welcome Email Template
Welcome Email Template

Next: the content they signed up for.

When you created your freebie, you knew your prospects were facing a problem (or problems) that you’re in the business of solving. The content of all subsequent emails should offer small pieces of an overall solution to that problem.

In other words, small wins they can implement and see value from.

For example, I subscribed to Ben Settle’s emails because I was interested to learn about copywriting skills. When I subscribed, I expected to get email advice on how to write better copy. And Ben doesn’t let me down; every couple of days I get very entertaining, educational emails that are all about improving my copywriting skills.

So start with the problems your products and services solve. What are they, and what smaller, related issues may be causing them?

Now all you have to do is create content that speaks to those smaller issues and — without giving away the entire store — speaks to the solution of the larger, overall problem they contribute to.

You don’t have to write novels or constantly educate them in these emails.
It can be as simple as:

  • Highlighting a tip or step from the freebie they downloaded.
  • Sharing a story from your life that relates to the problem they are facing and explains how you tackled it.
  • Share a valuable lesson you learned or a thought-provoking message.
  • Share/announce a new blog post, each time you update your blog; this is a great idea if you only blog once or twice a week.
  • Repurpose your old blog articles that people may not know exist.
  • Share resources and advice from other trusted sources related to your niche or topic that you found helpful or interesting.
  • Answer questions your subscribers asked about previous emails.
  • Draw from everyday stories you read or hear that you can relate to the problem at hand.

Remember that even small things that seem obvious to you can be gold to your prospects. They’re not nearly as close to your products and services as you are, so what’s old to you may be a revelation to them.

Build trust — by adding value.

We often don’t trust people, often because we don’t know them. Send emails that from the very beginning allow people to get to know the real you; content that reveals your advantages and your knowledge of your topics and your niche. Stick to this strategy all the way through, in every email.

The sky is the limit as far as what to send to them, as long as you are making sure your emails are educating and/or empowering your email list.

Don’t just send stuff for the heck of it! Make sure you are adding value to their everyday life. When they benefit from your advice, you will too — with higher engagement and strengthened trust.

This is how you’ll come to be seen as a trusted authority, as an ally. And when it’s time to launch your product, that trust will be reflected in your sales.