This page contains paid links to systeme.io. If you start a trial, sign up or buy through them, we may earn a commission. Your price does not change, and no company paid for this page. How this site earns money.
Article · Finding clients
Follow-up emails for SEO prospects: a five-email sequence
For people who asked you for a checklist, a quote or a call, and agreed to hear from you. Five emails over about two weeks, each with one job, plus what US law expects in every email and a way to send them on a free plan.
The short answer: send five emails over about two weeks, only to people who asked. Deliver what they requested, help them use it, show how you work, make one offer, then close the loop and stop. Every email carries an accurate sender and subject, a line saying it is an advertisement, your postal address and a working opt-out, and you act on opt-outs well inside the 10 business days the FTC guide sets.
Only for people who asked
This sequence starts after a specific request, from someone who agreed to receive your emails. It is not cold outreach. Google's page on hiring an SEO tells site owners to be wary of consultants and agencies that email them unprompted, so your follow-up should never read like that. Getting people to ask is covered in the other half of the job and in building a checklist lead magnet. For a five-lesson alternative, see a free mini-course for SEO prospects.
Show the consent sentence before people submit, and record what each person agreed to: date, form and wording. systeme.io's deliverability guidance also tells its users to email only people who have given explicit permission, and never purchased contacts.
Consent sentence: Yes, send me [the local SEO checklist] and up to four short follow-up emails from [your name] at [business name]. I can unsubscribe at any time.
The sequence at a glance
| When | One purpose | Asks the reader to | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 0 | Deliver what they asked for; say what comes next | Nothing |
| 2 | Day 2 | Help them use it | Do one check |
| 3 | Day 5 | Show how you work | Reply only if they have a question |
| 4 | Day 9 | Make one offer | Book a call or reply |
| 5 | Day 14 | Close the loop | Nothing, unless they want to continue |
- One job per email: one link or one question, not both.
- Keep it light: systeme.io's campaign guides warn that heavy emails, with complex layouts, many fonts or large images, are more likely to land in spam or be rejected.
- No names in subject lines: systeme.io's deliverability page warns that first- and last-name variables in the subject can hurt deliverability. Personalize the body instead.
- No promises: not rankings, traffic or revenue. Google's page on hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
- Same sender every time: your name, your business, your domain.
The five emails
Edit the brackets. Use "we" if you are a small team.
Email 1: deliver what they asked for (day 0)
Subject: Your [checklist / quote / call notes] from [business name]
Hi [first name],
Here is [the local SEO checklist] you asked for: [link]. [Quote variant: Your quote is attached. It covers [scope] for [price] per month and is valid until [date].] [Call variant: Thanks for the call on [day]. My notes are below.]
Over the next two weeks I will send four more short emails: one on using this, one on how I work, one with a single offer, and one to close the loop. Then nothing more unless you ask.
To skip them, use the unsubscribe link at the bottom or reply "stop".
[Your name]
[Business name] · [phone]
The last two paragraphs say how many emails are coming and how to stop them; the rest of the series keeps that promise. Put the download link on the thank-you page too.
Email 2: help them use it (day 2)
Subject: The first item to check on [the checklist]
Hi [first name],
If you do one thing from [the checklist] this week, make it [item]. It takes about [time] and shows you [what it reveals].
How: [step 1]. [Step 2]. [Step 3].
If you see [problem], fix that first. Reply with what you found and I will tell you whether it matters for your site.
[Your name]
Only offer to read replies if you will answer them.
Email 3: show how you work (day 5)
Subject: How I work, in five answers
Hi [first name],
Google's guide to hiring an SEO suggests a few questions to ask anyone before you hire them. Here are my answers.
Past work: [a sample report, or a write-up shared with a client's permission].
What to expect, and when: [what you will do in the first 90 days. No one can promise rankings, and I do not].
How I measure success: [the two to four numbers we agree on at the start].
Your industry: [a plain answer, including "not yet" if true].
Your area: [a plain answer].
Every month you get a short report: what changed, what I did, and what I need from you.
[Your name]
Share a past client's numbers only with their permission, and never as what the reader should expect. For the answers, see choosing SEO KPIs with a client, the report outline and the monthly report email template.
Email 4: make one offer (day 9)
Subject: One offer: [a 30-minute site review]
Hi [first name],
This is the one email in this series where I ask for something.
I offer [a 30-minute review of your site's search setup] for [price, or "no charge"]. You get [three priorities in writing within two business days].
It fits if [you run a business in [area] and want a plain list of what to fix first]. It is not a fit if [you need results within a month].
To book: [booking link], or reply with two times that work for you.
[Your name]
This email is an advertisement for [business name]'s services.
With one campaign, quote and call prospects get this same email. Word the offer so it works for them too, for example [a 30-minute call to go through your site, or your quote if you have one]. For the page behind the booking link, see a booking page for SEO discovery calls.
Email 5: close the loop (day 14)
Subject: Last email in this series
Hi [first name],
This is the last email in the series I mentioned. If now is not the right time, no reply is needed, and you will not get more emails from this series.
If you want to pick this up later, reply to this email or book a time: [link].
[Your name]
Then stop. A reply is now a one-to-one conversation; someone who signs moves to the onboarding checklist. To keep emailing the rest, ask for that consent separately. For a monthly email they can say yes to, see a monthly SEO newsletter.
What US law expects in each email
The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide says the law covers all commercial email, not only bulk mail, with no exception for business-to-business email. Whether a message is commercial depends on its primary purpose. This sequence promotes your services, so treat all five emails as commercial.
| Requirement | The FTC guide, paraphrased | In this sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Header information | "From", "To", "Reply-To" and routing information must be accurate and identify who sent it. | Your name and business, your domain, a reply address you read. |
| Subject line | Must not be deceptive; must reflect the content. | Plain subjects. No fake "Re:". |
| Identify it as an ad | Disclose clearly and conspicuously that the message is an advertisement; the law leaves leeway in how. | A line in every footer and in the body of email 4. |
| Postal address | A valid physical postal address: a street address, a post office box registered with the US Postal Service, or a private mailbox registered with a commercial mail receiving agency. | In the footer. A registered box keeps your home address out. |
| Opt-out notice | Explain clearly how to opt out, by return email or another easy online method. A menu must include stopping all marketing email. | Unsubscribe link plus "reply stop". |
| Opt-out keeps working | For at least 30 days after sending. | Keep the link and reply address active after email 5. |
| Honor opt-outs | Within 10 business days; no fee; nothing beyond an email address; no more than a reply or one web page visit. | Act the same or next business day. |
| Opted-out addresses | No selling or transferring them, except to a company helping you comply. | Never move them to another list. |
| Responsibility | You cannot contract it away; the promoted business and the sender can both be liable. | Your platform does not make you compliant; your settings do. |
The guide adds that opt-out requests must not be blocked by your spam filter, and lists civil penalties of up to $53,088 for each separate email in violation.
A plain-language summary of the FTC's business guide, not legal advice. It covers US federal law only; if you email people in other countries, check the rules where they live.
A footer that covers the basics
You are getting this because you asked for [the checklist] on [website] and agreed to receive follow-up emails. This email is an advertisement for [business name]'s SEO services.
[Business name], [street address, registered PO box or private mailbox], [city], [state] [ZIP]
To stop all marketing emails from me, reply "stop" or use the unsubscribe link in this email.
[On systeme.io's free plan:] The "Sent with systeme.io" link at the end of this email is a paid link. I may earn a commission if you sign up through it.
Why the last line: systeme.io's help page describes that line as an affiliate link that promotes systeme.io. The FTC's endorsement FAQ, which covers affiliate links in general, says readers may not understand "affiliate link", that "Paid link" right next to the link should be adequate, and that closer is better. Labeling it is the cautious choice. Send yourself a test to see how close your footer sits to that line.
An opt-out routine
- Each business day, check your inbox and spam folder for "stop" and "unsubscribe" replies.
- In systeme.io: CRM, Contacts, select the contact, More actions, Unsubscribe from all marketing emails.
- Note the date and how they asked. Do not subscribe them again unless they ask.
Two points from systeme.io's help pages. Unsubscribed contacts stay in a campaign and keep moving through its steps without receiving emails; if subscribed again, they pick up at the step they reached. And the pages do not say whether the "Unsubscribe from campaign" footer link also stops other marketing email from your account. If you send any, treat that click as a request to stop everything and apply step 2.
How to run it on a free plan in systeme.io
As listed on systeme.io's pricing page on 29 October 2026, the free plan includes up to 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 custom domain, 1 email campaign and 1 automation rule. The FAQ says emails sent are unlimited and that the free plan never expires and needs no credit card. Menu names below are from systeme.io's help pages on the same date.
-
Authenticate your sending domain
Profile picture, Settings, Emails; in Domains, follow the link to authenticate, enter the domain without "www" and Save. Add the three CNAME records and one DMARC record it generates at your domain host. The help article says authentication is mandatory to send, the domain needs an active website, personal webmail domains are not accepted, a domain works in only one systeme.io account or sub-account, and it asks you to contact support after adding the records.
-
Confirm your sender address
Settings, Emails, Verified email addresses, Click here to confirm your email address. Enter an address on your domain, Save, then click the link in the email and Confirm. The status becomes Verified.
-
Unsubscribe link and footer
In the same settings, make sure Display "Unsubscribe from campaign" link is ticked (the help article does not say it is on by default). Under Footer text, pick your sender address (each can have its own footer), paste the footer above and Save. The "Sent with systeme.io" line, controlled by Display my affiliate link at the end of each email I send, cannot be removed on the free plan; the help article says that takes Startup, Webinar or Unlimited.
-
Build the sign-up page
Sites, Sales funnels, Create: name, domain, currency, then Build an Audience, which creates an opt-in page and a thank-you page. The form needs an email field, and the button's Action when button clicked must be Submit form. Put the consent sentence right above the button. Optional: in the button settings, tick Do you want to enable double opt-in on this form? Emails and automations then wait for confirmation, and contacts who do not confirm within 24 hours are deleted.
-
Write the campaign
Emails, Campaigns, Create; name it, choose the sender, Save. Open it and click Create once per email. Pick the Classic or Visual editor and keep it: switching erases the content. Save and test sends you a copy.
Each saved email must then be activated to set its timing: three dots, Activate, set This email will be sent after to the previous email and Delay to 2, 3, 4 and 5 days for emails 2 to 5. Keep email 1's delay short; the help article's example uses one hour. Time/Days of the week optionally limits sending to set hours or days.
-
Connect the form to the campaign
Automations, Rules, Create. Trigger: Funnel step form subscribed, then your opt-in page. Action: Subscribe to campaign, then your campaign. Save rule. That is the free plan's one rule.
-
Add quote and call prospects by hand
They do not pass through the form. If they agreed to your emails and are contacts in your account: CRM, Contacts, select them, More actions, Subscribe to campaign, choose the campaign and the starting step, Subscribe. Send email 1 yourself with the quote or call variant (see the proposal template), saying three more emails are coming (drop "one on using this"), then start them at email 3. The help article does not say when the starting email goes out, so try it on your own address first.
Before you edit a live sequence
- Changed conditions apply only to people who join after you save.
- A new email at the start or middle reaches only people who have not reached that step; a new last email reaches everyone still enrolled.
- Reactivating a deactivated email resends it to everyone enrolled.
With one campaign and one rule, the free plan runs one sequence with one automatic way in. The first paid plan, Startup, is listed at $17 per month on monthly billing as of 29 October 2026.
For the same setup with a form on your own website, see Part B of the walkthrough.
Sources
- Scope, primary purpose, message requirements, opt-outs, liability and penalties: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (FTC)
- Labeling affiliate links as paid links: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking (FTC)
- Questions to ask an SEO, ranking guarantees, unprompted email: Do you need an SEO? (Google Search Central)
- Free plan limits, FAQ and paid plan prices, as listed on 29 October 2026: systeme.io/pricing
- Domain authentication: article 316; sender confirmation: article 2070
- Unsubscribe link, footer text, "Sent with systeme.io": article 2008
- Funnels: article 147; opt-in form: article 1602; double opt-in: article 271
- Campaign emails, editors, activation, delays and email weight: article 367; live edits, unsubscribed contacts, email weight: article 10453
- Rule to subscribe sign-ups: article 284; manual subscription: article 159
- Unsubscribe from all marketing emails: article 139; permission and subject lines: article 363