Email newsletters are not dead (and have no intention of dying). According to Statista, about 333 billion emails are sent every day (and this number is expected to continue growing). Remember, there are nearly 8 billion people on the planet, which means each person receives a significant amount of emails per day. Of course, sooner or later, users begin to unsubscribe from these newsletters, becoming tired of information overload, constant offers, and advertisements.
Why do people unsubscribe?
On one hand, if a few people unsubscribe from your database, it's not a big deal. But on the other hand, the more subscribers click the 'Unsubscribe' button, the worse it is for you, as email services will more frequently categorize your emails as spam, block your broadcasts, and, in general, view your emails with less trust.
Why do users decide to unsubscribe?
Note that we are not currently discussing the preparation of 'engaging headlines,' 'interesting content,' etc. (you can do this without our advice). We are only focusing on the ways to structure the page that users land on after clicking the 'Unsubscribe' button.
Why do users decide to unsubscribe?
- Too frequent mailings. Here it's quite simple – you're sending too many messages (even one email every day). The user stops engaging with them and decides to unsubscribe.
- Poor content. In this case, your emails simply don't provide the user with what they expect. The less useful content inside the email (or links to it), and the more advertisements there are, the higher the chance of unsubscribing.
- Email overload. This refers to people who receive emails from several companies. They stop noticing your messages, opening and reading them. Moreover, there might come a point when a person decides to unsubscribe from newsletters that aren't of interest to them, in order to receive less spam and ads.
- Change of email address. If your emails were sent to a corporate email, when a user changes jobs, they automatically stop receiving your emails.
- Accidental click. Sometimes a person might unsubscribe accidentally, confusing your newsletter with someone else's. This happens relatively rarely, but it's worth taking this aspect into consideration.
Note that we are not currently discussing the preparation of 'engaging headlines,' 'interesting content,' etc. (you can do this without our advice). We are only focusing on the ways to structure the page that users land on after clicking the 'Unsubscribe' button.
What to do?
First and foremost, be sure to ask the user why they decided to unsubscribe. You can prepare a survey email that will be automatically sent after the 'Unsubscribe' button is clicked. Alternatively, you can embed it in the button link: it will open immediately when the person decides to unsubscribe. In this case, you may not necessarily change their decision, but you can gather feedback and improve your future emails to retain other users.
What else can be done to prevent subscriber loss?
Now let's explore what can be done to convince a user who has clicked the 'Unsubscribe' button to stay with you.
Ask if they are truly sure about their decision. This is simple and graceful: as soon as a person decides to unsubscribe, you show them a page with two response options – 'Yes' or 'No'. Don't hesitate to address the user personally: express how much you'll regret losing them, and so on.
- Firstly, the unsubscribe button should be noticeable (strange as it may seem). This will enhance the trust of both the user and the email services.
- Secondly, make the unsubscribe process simple, without requiring authentication or the preparation of a separate message explaining the reasons for such a decision.
Now let's explore what can be done to convince a user who has clicked the 'Unsubscribe' button to stay with you.
Ask if they are truly sure about their decision. This is simple and graceful: as soon as a person decides to unsubscribe, you show them a page with two response options – 'Yes' or 'No'. Don't hesitate to address the user personally: express how much you'll regret losing them, and so on.
Suggest configuring the email frequency. Often, people unsubscribe from newsletters due to an excess of messages. You can give them the option to choose which specific emails they want to receive. For example, about new products, discounts, promotions, etc. You can also offer them the choice of communication method — for instance, changing email notifications to SMS or push notifications.
Tell about missed opportunities. On the page that opens after deciding to unsubscribe, you can show the user new bonuses, offers, and promotions. You can also simply explain that after unsubscribing, they won't receive notifications about sales, promo codes, casino tournaments, and so on. For example, Yandex.Afisha operates this way: if you decide to unsubscribe from their newsletter, the confirmation screen offers the opportunity to view events that might interest you. Additionally, after a certain time, you'll be redirected to the main Afisha page. Why should you pay attention to this? It's a way to 'squeeze' the departing user and present them with something interesting: a casino bonus, a discount on a product, access to a free online course, and more.
- Suggest pausing the subscription for a while. If someone is interested in your newsletter but has been overwhelmed by the number of messages, this option can help retain the subscriber (they'll take a break from your emails but remain with you).
- Initiate a dialogue. This is a somewhat complex approach, as it doesn't involve promises of missed benefits or email frequency settings. In this case, you should reach out to the subscriber, express how much they mean to you, and leave a re-subscription button.
- Provide links to social media. If a user unsubscribes from your emails, you can steer them towards your social media channels. Simply include relevant buttons and links on the unsubscribe confirmation page. The person might not receive your emails, but they can still stay connected with you.
And here's one more type of unsubscribe option (quite amusing and creative) that looked like this. Users who unsubscribed from the newsletter were given the option to punish someone named Derrick. The idea is old (dating back to a video from 2010), but such an approach could help retain subscribers (or encourage them to resubscribe to see more funny and interesting content).
Conclusion
Monetizing your email list involves not only working on the content of your emails but also retaining your subscribers. Regardless of the industry you operate in, the better users respond to your newsletters (and the fewer unsubscribes you have), the greater the ultimate profit will be.