You know the routine: you opt-in to someone’s subscriber list, and soon you receive a confirmation email from them, welcoming you to the list, newsletter or whatever you just opted in for. The fact that we are expecting these emails is a major reason why they are usually opened. But how does the sender craft these emails for best results?

What elements are important to not only welcome them, but also spotlight what they can expect and what you have to offer them during their time with you?

Here are 7 ways you can optimize your welcome emails to set the stage for a lasting, profitable relationship.

7 Ways to craft effective welcome emails

Send out immediately – Send these out immediately. Don’t wait to batch send your welcome emails. A study by Experian found that welcome emails sent out individually rather than by batch were opened 10X more! Show you care about them signing up.

Use a working email address – Using a no-reply email address will only do one thing for you: give you a no-response customer. People are going to want to email you. Don’t make it difficult.

Split-test your welcome email subject lines – This is quite easy to do, and can make a big difference in your open rates. Wouldn’t you want to do this for a potential 15-20 percent increase in opens?

Use your social media channels – Encourage your subscribers to follow you on your social media channels, and even help them by making sure you have links and buttons on your email template.

Personalize your welcome emails – If you’ve collected names, you’re going to want to personalize your welcome emails to help get the relationship off to a warm and fuzzy start. Don’t get overly cozy, but friendly and polite is good.

Perhaps offer an incentive – Many times companies choose to include an incentive to get the relationship off on the right foot. Maybe a percent off coupon?

Make sure to optimize for mobile – Since around half of all emails are now opened on a mobile device, it would be a good idea to make sure you are using a responsive design so that your emails can be opened anywhere.