Let’s talk about breakups.

Not the swipe-left, rom-com kind. I’m talking about the gut-punch of logging into your dashboard and seeing another member hit the Cancel Subscription button. It’s not you, you tell yourself—it’s the economy, the competition, the fickle whims of today’s consumer.

But here’s the thing: It might be you. Specifically, it might be the emails you sent (or didn’t send) in those crucial first weeks of the member journey.

The Trouble with Onboarding Emails

Onboarding emails often get treated like a box to check off. “Thanks for joining. Here’s your login. Best of luck out there.” But for membership and subscription brands, these emails are far more than housekeeping. They’re the key to keeping members engaged, excited, and invested.

If you waste their time early, they’ll never give it to you again.

At Moontide, we’ve helped membership and subscription-based brands turn onboarding from a snooze into a strategy. We’ve seen firsthand how a thoughtful email series can reduce churn, build loyalty, and drive long-term retention.

And spoiler alert: It’s not about sending more emails. It’s about sending better ones.

What Great Onboarding Emails Look Like

A killer onboarding series doesn’t just tell members what they signed up for. It shows them why they should stick around. Here’s what that looks like:

1. The Warm Welcome

Your first email sets the tone. It should be more than transactional. It should feel intentional.

• What to include: A warm thank-you, a reminder of the value they signed up for, and a clear next step (log in, explore features, start a trial).
• Pro Tip: Use your brand voice here. Whether it’s calm and clinical or bold and cheeky, your welcome message should reinforce your identity. We often recommend including a short customer quote or micro-case study right away to build social proof and help new members feel like they’re joining a community, not just starting a transaction.

2. A Guided Tour

Members don’t always explore on their own. Give them the map, or better yet, a GPS.

• What to include: A walkthrough of key features, tools, or benefits. Include visuals like GIFs, screenshots, or short videos to make it digestible.
• Best Practice: Break it down by need, not by feature. Instead of a laundry list of functions, guide users through what they can achieve: “Get help fast,” “Track your progress,” “Access your perks.” We’ve seen this shift alone lead to double-digit increases in early engagement.

3. Quick Wins

Hook them with early success.

• What to include: Highlight simple actions they can take now to get immediate value, whether it’s redeeming a perk, customizing their experience, or accessing an exclusive feature.
• Tactical Tip: Encourage interaction within the first 7 days. A click, a log-in, a form submitted—any form of engagement helps reinforce the habit of coming back. Moontide often builds retention triggers around these micro-actions.

4. The FOMO Reminder

Humans are wired to avoid loss. Use that psychology wisely.

• What to include: Subtle reminders of what users miss by staying inactive: member-only deals, premium features, insider content, or community events.
• Conversion Tip: Use testimonials, before-and-afters, or countdowns to showcase benefits others are already enjoying. A little well-placed social proof can tip the scale between “meh” and “must log in now.”
• Example from OrangeTwist: Emails featured testimonials and before-and-after imagery, subtly reminding subscribers why their membership mattered in their personal aesthetics journey.

The Moontide Method: Data + Empathy

What sets great onboarding apart? A marriage of data and empathy.

We start with analytics:

• Which emails get opened?
• Where do users drop off?
• What segments are most at risk of churning?

Then we layer in human insight:

• What fears or frustrations might new members have?
• What motivates them to engage?
• How can we turn small wins into lasting habits?

For brands with segmented audiences, this often means tailoring onboarding emails to specific goals or use cases—and tracking how each group engages. For others, it’s about emphasizing simplicity, trust, and reducing friction in those first critical interactions.

The Results

You always have to remember, when it comes to creating and retaining loyal customers, it’s important to ask, “what’s in it for them?” When done right, onboarding emails pay dividends. At Moontide, our campaigns consistently deliver:

• Lifelong loyalty: An effective start builds trust—and trust builds stickiness.
• Higher retention rates: Members who receive thoughtful onboarding emails are significantly less likely to churn.
• Stronger engagement: By setting expectations and guiding early behavior, we help members discover value faster.

The Takeaway

Your onboarding emails aren’t just emails. They’re your first chance to say, “We get you. We’ve got you. And we’re worth sticking with.”

So if you’re seeing churn creep up, don’t just look at the economy or your competitors. Take a hard look at your onboarding process. And if you’re not sure where to start, you know where to find us—we’re in your business.

Want help revamping your onboarding strategy? Let’s talk.

Want to learn more about Moontide’s work in membership marketing?
Let’s talk strategy, skincare, or the science of standing out: hello@moontide.agency