True Baby Cost - Email Welcome Sequence
Provider: Buttondown List: TrueBabyCost Trigger: New subscriber via footer form
Sequence Overview
| Timing | Subject | Goal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immediate | Welcome + Checklist | Deliver lead magnet |
| 2 | Day 3 | The hidden costs | Build trust with value |
| 3 | Day 7 | Your baby prep quiz | Engagement + segmentation |
| 4 | Day 14 | What other parents found | Social proof + tools |
Email 1: Welcome (Immediate)
Subject: Your First-Year Budget Checklist is here 🍼
Body:
Hey!
Thanks for joining the True Baby Cost community. You’re now part of a growing group of parents who refuse to get blindsided by baby costs.
Here’s your checklist: [Download PDF]
Inside you’ll find:
- 150+ items across 10 categories
- Budget, mid-range, and premium price estimates
- What’s actually essential vs. nice-to-have
- The items most parents over-buy (and under-buy)
One quick tip: Don’t buy everything at once. Start with the “Essential” items for month 1, then add as you go. Babies are unpredictable—you might not need half of what the registry sites recommend.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share more cost-saving insights I’ve learned from researching this stuff obsessively.
Talk soon, True Baby Cost
P.S. If you want to play with the numbers yourself, check out our interactive calculators at truebabycost.com
Email 2: Hidden Costs (Day 3)
Subject: The cost nobody warns you about
Body:
Hey,
Three days in—how’s the baby prep going?
Here’s something most first-time parents don’t realize:
The sticker price is a lie.
That 50), cup holder (180), and you’re at $555.
That’s 85% more than the “price” you saw.
I call this the Accessory Tax, and it hits hardest with:
- Strollers (30-80% markup)
- Cribs (mattress, sheets, monitor = $200-400 extra)
- Breast pumps (replacement parts add up fast)
The fix: Before you buy anything over $100, search “[product name] accessories” and add up what you’ll actually need.
Or use our calculators—they do this math for you.
→ Stroller Calculator: truebabycost.com → Full Checklist: truebabycost.com/checklist
More cost traps to avoid coming next week.
Best, True Baby Cost
Email 3: Quiz/Segmentation (Day 7)
Subject: Quick question about your prep stage
Body:
Hey,
Quick check-in: Where are you in the baby prep journey?
Click the one that fits:
- [Just found out / early pregnancy] → Link with tag
- [Second/third trimester, making lists] → Link with tag
- [Baby arriving soon, buying now] → Link with tag
- [Already have baby, optimizing costs] → Link with tag
This helps me send you the right tips at the right time.
(If you’re in the “buying now” phase, reply and tell me what’s stressing you out most—I read every email.)
Best, True Baby Cost
Email 4: Social Proof (Day 14)
Subject: What 500+ parents discovered
Body:
Hey,
Two weeks in! Here’s what other True Baby Cost readers have found most useful:
Most-used calculator: Diapers “I had no idea we’d go through 2,500 diapers in year one”
Biggest surprise: Breast pump costs “My insurance covered the pump, but not the $200 in parts I needed”
Most shared tool: Baby Prep Checklist “Finally, a checklist that shows actual prices, not just a list of stuff to buy”
This week’s recommendation:
If you haven’t already, run through the Baby Prep Checklist.
Check off what you’re planning to buy, pick your price tier (budget/mid/premium), and it’ll calculate your total prep cost.
It’s eye-opening. One reader messaged: “We were budgeting 6,500. Better to know now.”
That’s the welcome sequence! From here, you’ll get our weekly newsletter with:
- New calculator releases
- Cost-saving tips
- Deals we find (no affiliate nonsense, just actual deals)
Glad you’re here.
Best, True Baby Cost
Implementation Notes
Buttondown Setup
- Go to Settings → Automations
- Create “Welcome Sequence” automation
- Set trigger: “New subscriber”
- Add emails with delays (0, 3, 7, 14 days)
Tags to Create
stage-early-pregnancystage-preparingstage-buyingstage-parent
Tracking
- Open rates per email
- Click rates on calculator links
- Quiz response rates
- Unsubscribe rates (should be low for welcome sequence)
PDF Checklist
Need to create a downloadable PDF version of the checklist:
- Export key items with prices
- Add branding
- Host on Cloudflare or use Buttondown attachments