The Reasons People Unsubscribe From Your Email List

When it comes to sending emails, it’s about doing your best but not doing too much

Sometimes, the reason people unsubscribe has nothing to do with your strategy, and sometimes it does. (Photo: Denis Bogdan)

An opt-in email list is a key asset for any growing business, so we spend a lot of time getting people to subscribe to our email lists. Subscribers giving us access to their inbox is a privilege and an invitation to engage them with relevant and interesting content.

When we do this well enough, it results in an improved customer relationship and ultimately more sales. But many people abuse this privilege and are surprised when people unsubscribe, leaving them wondering what went wrong.

Email analytics can tell you what your unsubscribe rates are, but they don’t tell you why people unsubscribe. Sometimes, the reason people unsubscribe has nothing to do with your strategy, and sometimes it does.

Here are the most common reasons subscribers opt-out.

Reason #1: You Send Too Many Emails

This is the top reason people unsubscribed from mailing lists. If you’re blowing up people’s inboxes every single day, you will see higher than normal unsubscribe rates.

Being bombarded with sales messages can feel incredibly intrusive and annoying and is a surefire way to get people to opt-out fast. When people keep seeing your name in their inbox, they start to get tired of you.

Emailing too often can affect more than just the numbers on your list — it can damage your reputation too, which means it could even deter many subscribers from doing business with you.

Solution: Know when you are doing too much. One newsletter a week may be enough to keep your subscribers happy. Let subscribers know how often you will email them so they can brace themselves for it. If you promise them one email a week, avoid sending one a day.

Reason #2: They Forgot Who You Are

Just like everything else, you have to be consistent. If after the initial welcome email, subscribers hear nothing for several months, they may forget your name and what you do. When you finally send another email, they may be left thinking “who in the world is this?”

If a subscriber doesn’t know who you are, they will probably hit the unsubscribe button.

Solution: Be consistent. Commit to sending regular emails. If you have neglected your schedule for some time, you must reintroduce yourself with a friendly, ‘Sorry it’s been so long email’ to let them know all that has been happening with you.

Reason #3: You Send Irrelevant Content

Relevant content is timely, personalized, and useful for the subscriber. The right content has to reach the right audience at the right time on the right channel. Irrelevant content makes a subscriber think “this email isn’t for me.”

An example of irrelevant content is sending a seasoned writer how to get started with blogging. Or sending existing subscribers a freebie they already received.

Solution: Keep track of your subscriber list and pay attention to their interest. Content relevancy is related to subscriber segmentation. Segment your email lists and send out specially tailored and personalized emails to provide subscribers with the value they seek.

Reason #4: They didn’t Ask For Your Emails

Suddenly some companies send you emails you never asked for. I once visited a website and then minutes later, there was an email in my inbox from the website. I never gave my email to them, so that was a breach of trust for me.

Maybe they automatically subscribed when they bought something, maybe they got your email by buying a list. It is not okay to buy other people’s emails or add people without their consent. People hate unsolicited emails.

There’s not a faster way to get people to unsubscribe than to add them to your list without their consent.

Solution: Ask readers to “opt-in” to receive email communications from you. Not only is this a best practice, but it is the right thing to do. Clearly communicate to customers they are subscribing to an email list by providing an opt-in checkbox on forms.

Reason #5: Your Email’s Design is Unappealing

I was once on an email list that I loved, but I couldn’t read a single thing. The emails had a white text on light grey backgrounds and the texts were so small to read. People need not struggle or squint to read your emails.

Most people check their email on mobile devices and everything looks different on smartphone screens. If you’re only designing emails for PC screens, those who read on their cellphones will have a hard time. Links may not work correctly, images might not display, and the text could be small and unreadable.

Solution: If your emails aren’t designed for the small screen, it’s time to redesign. Emails should be appealing and easy to read. Not everyone is a designer, but if your email isn’t pleasing to the eyes, some people will unsubscribe.

Key Takeaways

People change their minds for a lot of reasons. Sometimes they unsubscribe, and it has nothing to do with you. But other times, it’s because of your email marketing strategy. To recap, people unsubscribe from your email list because:

1. You send too many emails.
2. They don’t remember who you are.
3. You send irrelevant content.
4. They didn’t ask to receive your emails.
5. Your emails aren’t mobile-friendly.

Once you figure out which of these you’ve been doing, you can then take the steps to change the situation so your subscribers stick around for a much longer time.

I have a self-awareness/self-transformation email list. I aim to send one email a week. I promise not to send you too many emails and you will learn something new every time. Talk later!