Guide
The complete swag onboarding checklist for new hires
TL;DR: A good swag onboarding kit ships within 14 days of the offer being signed, costs $50–$120 per hire, and contains 4–6 items: t-shirt, hoodie or zip-up, notebook, branded pen, sticker pack and an optional company-branded mug or water bottle.
Timing: send the form on day one
Trigger the swag form the same day the offer is countersigned. Waiting until the start date means the kit arrives in week three, which kills the 'wow' moment.
What to include
A typical kit: branded t-shirt (size collected), zip-up hoodie or sweatshirt (size collected), notebook + pen, sticker pack, optional mug or bottle, and a handwritten welcome card. Total weight under 1.5 kg keeps international shipping reasonable.
Budget benchmarks
Seed-stage startups spend $40–$60 per hire. Series A–B spend $80–$120. Public companies spend $150+ but usually with a custom packaging unbox experience. Allocate roughly 30% to shipping and packaging.
Copy-paste invite email
Subject: Welcome to {{company}} — pick your swag
Body: Welcome aboard! We'd love to send you a starter kit before your first day. Please take 60 seconds to share your shipping address and t-shirt size: {{link}}. Your details stay private and are only used to ship this one package.
Frequently asked
- Should I let new hires choose colours?
- Yes for hoodies and t-shirts. Limit to 2–3 stocked colours to keep your supplier order simple.