If you’ve been treating your welcome email sequence like an afterthought—something you’ll “get to eventually”—I have news for you: you’re missing out on the single best opportunity to build real connection with your subscribers.

In a world where AI-generated content is everywhere and food bloggers are competing for attention like never before, your welcome sequence isn’t just nice to have. It’s your brand hub, your first impression, and quite possibly the most important automated piece of your email marketing strategy.

Email marketing strategist Allea Grummert recently broke down exactly why welcome sequences matter so much right now, and how to create one that actually differentiates you from every other food blogger out there. Here’s what you need to know.

The Wake-Up Call: Your Subscribers Don’t Know You

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: when someone subscribes to your email list, they don’t know you from anyone else. They’re not thinking about your cookbook, your Instagram presence, or the fact that you’ve been blogging for five years.

As Allea puts it, “You’re not Oprah.” That stranger who just signed up for your quick start guide has no context for who you are or what makes you different.

This is where most food bloggers go wrong. They assume people will “figure it out eventually” or that their content speaks for itself. But without intentionally introducing yourself and your brand, you’re essentially throwing new subscribers into the deep end of your newsletter with no life jacket.

The result? Confusion, unsubscribes, and missed opportunities to build genuine connection.

What Makes a Welcome Sequence Your “Brand Hub”

Think of your welcome sequence as the Airbnb welcome folder for your email list. You know those thoughtful booklets that tell you where to find the best coffee, which restaurant to skip, and how to work the tricky lock on the front door? That’s what your welcome sequence should be doing for your brand.

A well-crafted welcome sequence should:

• Introduce who you are and why you started your blog (without making it all about you)
• Show the breadth of content you create (not just the one recipe they signed up for)
• Set clear expectations for what they’ll receive from you
• Share your most valuable resources that you want every subscriber to know about
• Create opportunities for two-way conversation by inviting replies

The key is that it happens gradually, over multiple emails, rather than overwhelming someone with everything at once.

How Welcome Sequences Combat AI and Information Overload

Here’s where things get really interesting for the current moment we’re in.

With AI-generated content flooding the internet and readers becoming increasingly skeptical about what’s real and what’s not, your welcome sequence is your chance to show up as an actual human being.

Ways to build that personal connection:

• Include a welcome video where subscribers can see your face and hear your voice (Ali redirects all new subscribers to a simple 90-second video on her welcome page)
• Share your personal story and why you’re uniquely positioned to help them
• Ask questions that invite replies—and actually respond when people write back
• Use photos of yourself in your emails so people recognize you
• Write in a warm, conversational tone that sounds like you

Allea shared a funny example: when she replies to subscriber emails, people often respond with “Oh my gosh, you’re real!” That’s the kind of connection you want to build from day one.

What Actually Goes in a Welcome Sequence?

This is where people get stuck. With so much you could share, how do you decide what actually belongs in your welcome sequence?

Allea’s approach is to think about it as a puzzle where you’re balancing two things:

1. What your subscribers need (their pain points, questions, and interests)
2. Your business goals (sharing your cookbook, building your Instagram following, getting traffic back to your site)

Here’s a simple framework to get started:

Email 1: Deliver what they signed up for, acknowledge their need, and let them know more is coming

Email 2: Introduce yourself—who you are, why you started your blog, and what you’re all about

Email 3: Show the breadth of your content (if they came for crockpot recipes, also show them your air fryer and one-pot meal categories)

Email 4: Share a valuable resource you want everyone to know about (your cookbook, your best blog post, a free guide)

Email 5+: Continue building connection and pointing to helpful resources before they enter your regular newsletter rotation

The emails don’t need to go out daily—you might space them 2-3 days apart to give people time to breathe.

The One Thing That Changes Everything: A Welcome Video

If there’s one unconventional tactic worth implementing, it’s this: create a simple welcome video that new subscribers see immediately after they sign up.

Allea uses a post-submit URL redirect to send new subscribers to a welcome page with a 90-second video. In it, she:

• Shows her face and shares her name (and how to pronounce it!)
• Briefly explains what subscribers will get
• Establishes herself as a real person (she literally says “I’m a real person and this is my real house”)
• Sets a warm, friendly tone for the relationship

You don’t need fancy equipment or a polished script. The authenticity is what matters. Record it once, and it works for you forever (or until you feel like updating it).

Handling Transactional Subscribers (Print Pass, Creator Network, Save This Recipe)

Here’s where things get tricky. Tools like Print Pass, Creator Network, and Save This Recipe can grow your list quickly, but they bring in very transactional subscribers who may have zero interest in hearing from you regularly.

Allea’s recommendation: Be aggressive about cleaning these subscribers from your list.

You have two options:

Option 1: Add them to your regular welcome sequence, but set up automatic unsubscribes for anyone who doesn’t open an email within 30 days.

Option 2: Create a separate “in-between” email specifically for these subscribers. Make it a soft opt-in where you say something like: “Thanks for saving this recipe! If you’d like more recipes from me, click here.” Only people who click move into your actual welcome sequence. Everyone else gets unsubscribed after 10 days.

Why be so aggressive? Because unengaged subscribers hurt your email deliverability and skew your metrics. It’s better to have 300 engaged subscribers from 12,000 sign-ups than to carry around 11,700 cold contacts who will never open your emails.

Your List Size Doesn’t Matter (Your Engagement Does)

Let’s bust one more myth while we’re here: a bigger email list is not always better.

If you have 20,000 subscribers but only 500 people open your emails, that’s a problem. Your deliverability suffers, your stats are misleading, and you’re wasting energy sending emails to people who don’t care.

A smaller list of highly engaged subscribers who actually read your emails, click your links, and make your recipes is infinitely more valuable than vanity metrics.

Focus on quality over quantity by:

• Regularly cleaning cold subscribers (anyone who hasn’t opened in 90+ days)
• Being strategic about which opt-in forms you promote
• Setting up that welcome sequence so every subscriber gets the best possible first impression
• Monitoring which lead magnets bring in the most engaged subscribers

The Bottom Line: Your Welcome Sequence Matters More Than You Think

In an increasingly crowded and AI-saturated online world, your welcome sequence is where you prove you’re different. It’s where you show up as a real human with a real voice, real recipes, and real value to offer.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be 10 emails long. But it does need to exist, and it needs to intentionally introduce who you are and what you’re about.

Start simple: write one email that welcomes new subscribers, tells them a bit about you, and lets them know what to expect. Then build from there as you have time and energy.

The food bloggers who prioritize this now will be the ones who build loyal, engaged audiences that stick around for the long haul.