Users sign up for your product excited.
They’ve heard great things. They’ve seen the demos. They’re ready to dive in.
Then reality hits.
40-60% of users who sign up for free trials use the product once and never come back (source).
That’s not a product problem. It’s an onboarding problem.
Most companies treat onboarding like a checkbox exercise. Welcome email? Check. Product tour? Check. Documentation link? Check.
But here’s what actually happens:
The worst part? You’re probably measuring the wrong things.
Open rates and click rates don’t matter if users aren’t actually becoming successful with your product.
| Metric | What it measures | Good benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first value | How quickly users achieve their first win | 24 hours |
| Activation rate | % of users who complete key actions | >35% |
| 7-day retention | % of users still active after a week | >20% |
| Feature adoption | % using core features within 30 days | >60% |
After analyzing hundreds of onboarding sequences (including our own at FidForward), here are the biggest mistakes:
1. Information overload: You dump everything on users at once. Feature lists, video tutorials, documentation links, community invites. It’s like drinking from a fire hose.
2. One-size-fits-all approach: Your enterprise customers need different things than your startup users. But you’re sending everyone the same generic welcome email.
3. No clear next step: “Explore the platform” isn’t a next step. Users need specific, actionable instructions.
4. Ignoring user behavior: You keep sending “how to get started” emails to users who already created their first project. Or worse, you stop communicating with users who haven’t taken any action. Learn from outreach sequences for recruiters - behavioral triggers are everything.
5. Focusing on features, not outcomes: Nobody cares about your “advanced filtering capabilities.” They care about finding the right candidates faster (or whatever problem you solve).
Let’s break down what actually works, with real examples from successful SaaS companies.
The best welcome emails do three things:
Here’s a real example from FidForward’s onboarding sequence:
Email 1: Welcome (sent immediately)
Subject: 3 steps to get your first batch of high-quality candidates ASAP
Hey [Name],
Welcome! You're here to save time finding great candidates, right?
Here's exactly how to get started:
1. Click "New" (top right corner)
2. Add your job description
3. Hit "Search"
You've got 100 free credits to explore. Ready to find your next hire?
-RicardoWhy this works:
Smart onboarding adapts based on user behavior. Here’s how we structure our automated sequences (similar to recruitment sequence templates but for product users):
Day 0: Welcome email (always sent)
Day 1: Search reminder (only if no search created)
Subject: Let's get started with your first search
Noticed you haven't created your first search yet.
It's as simple as:
- Click "New"
- Input your job description
- Click "Search"
Need help? Just reply to this email.Day 7: Success check-in (if they’ve taken action)
Subject: How's your candidate search going?
Saw you've run [X] searches this week. Nice!
Quick tip: Try adjusting the weight sliders to prioritize
what matters most for your role.
Finding what you need?Day 14: Trial ending reminder (for trial users)
Subject: Your trial expires in 24 hours
Don't lose access to your saved searches!
Our Starter plan is just $99/month and includes:
- 750 monthly credits
- Advanced filtering
- Priority support
Continue your subscription → [link]Day 17: Win-back offer (if trial expired)
Subject: Come back - 30% off your first month
We miss you! Here's 30% off to continue finding great candidates.
Code: COMEBACK30Users need to see they’re making progress. The best onboarding experiences include:
Visual progress indicators
Milestone-based communication
Here’s a template you can steal and adapt:
Email 1: Welcome (immediate)
Email 2: Feature highlight (day 2)
Email 3: Success story (day 5)
Email 4: Check-in (day 7)
Email 5: Trial reminder (day before expiry)
Set up these automated triggers based on user actions:
| User behavior | Email to send | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| No login after signup | ”Quick start guide” | After 24 hours |
| Started but didn’t finish setup | ”Need help finishing?” | After 48 hours |
| Completed first action | ”Here’s what to do next” | Immediately |
| Heavy usage in first week | ”Power user tips” | Day 7 |
| Approaching usage limit | ”You’re almost at your limit” | At 75% usage |
| Inactive for 7 days | ”We miss you + helpful resource” | Day 8 of inactivity |
Apply the basic principles of cold email to your onboarding sequences:
Subject lines that work:
Body copy rules:
For product tours and tooltips:
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Userflow | No-code product tours | $300/month |
| Userpilot | Behavior-based onboarding | $299/month |
| Chameleon | Highly customizable tours | $300/month |
| Appcues | Quick implementation | $300/month |
For email automation:
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Customer.io | Behavioral email sequences | $150/month |
| Intercom | Combined chat + email | $99/month |
| Postmark | Transactional emails | $15/month |
| Loops | Simple email automation | $49/month |
You need to measure what’s working:
Automation is great (just like automating LinkedIn messages), but nothing beats personal outreach for high-value users.
Set up alerts for:
Then reach out personally. A quick video, a personalized email, or even a LinkedIn message can make the difference between a customer and a churned trial.
Every audience is different. What works for FidForward might not work for you.
A/B test these elements:
Start with small tests:
Great onboarding isn’t about bombarding users with information.
It’s about guiding them to their first win as quickly as possible.
Start with one email. Make it great. Then build from there.
Your users (and your retention metrics) will thank you.
Want to see these principles in action? Check out how to write cold emails that actually get replies or explore personalized recruitment messaging techniques.
Ready to improve your own onboarding? FidForward helps talent teams find and engage the right candidates faster - and yes, we practice what we preach with our onboarding.