Ah, the dreaded unsubscribe link. You’re required to add it to every email, but you desperately want to avoid anyone seeing it, much less clicking on it.
How do you keep your new (and current) subscribers engaged, so they’re always happy to see your emails in their inboxes?
What Is an Unsubscribe Link and Why Do You need One?
Every email service provider (ESP) and customer relationship management (CRM) platform requires you to add an unsubscribe link to the footer of your emails. If you don’t have one, you are not in compliance with the CAN SPAM Act (yes, that really is its name) and the FTC can and will come after you if you’re reported.
The unsubscribe link gives people an opportunity to opt out of your email list, once they’ve opted into it. This is required because so many people complained about getting emails they didn’t want, even if they had said yes to receiving those emails originally.
Many companies try to disguise it by changing the color of their links to something that blends in with the color of the footer. Others try to make the print smaller or hide it in a bunch of text.
Regardless of what you do to prevent people from noticing it’s there, you must have one in every email, whether you like it or not.
There are better ways than those listed above to prevent your subscribers from clicking on that pesky little unsubscribe link.
Why Your Subscribers Click the Unsubscribe Link In Your Emails
The simple answer is, they’re not getting what they want from your emails.
This blog post was inspired by a post in a Facebook group for women entrepreneurs. The poster asked the following question
First, I love this question.
It’s one I think about all the time, and I encourage my students (and subscribers) to think about it too.
When someone opts into your email list, they have no clue who you are, beyond whatever lead magnet you’ve offered them to entice them into joining. Depending on who they are and what they do, your lead magnet may or may not give them what they’re looking for.
To be completely candid, half of people who download your lead magnet will never open it. I confess, I have a folder on my computer called “Other People’s Lead Magnets.” That’s where I stuff the downloads I don’t want to deal with right away.
Sometimes I come back to them later when I need whatever they have to offer. Sometimes I leave them to languish, unopened and unappreciated. This will happen to your lead magnet too.
Regardless of this, you can capture the hearts and minds of your subscribers, if you are thoughtful about what you send and how you send it.
Here are 5 simple tips on how to keep your subscribers engaged from your first email, onward.
Tip #1 – Don’t Overwhelm Your New Subscribers Right Away
The most common complaint in the comments to the Facebook post was getting too many emails right away. Some claiming to have as many as 38 emails within 12 hours. Yeesh! I’d unsubscribe from someone’s list if that happened to me.
My personal preference is one email a day, for the first 3-5 days. These emails are your welcome sequence. They introduce you, your business, and your products and services to your new subscriber. The final email in this series can be a soft sell but it’s not necessary.
This gentle introduction delivers the value your new subscribers want while preparing them for what’s to come.
Speaking of which…
Tip #2 – Tell Your New Subscribers What To Expect Upfront
This may be the most important tip in this list.
Think about it. If you join someone’s email list and they start bombarding you with emails, would you get upset?
What if they told you they intend to bombard you with emails? And what if they told you what to expect in those emails, so you knew when to pay attention? That might get you more engaged with what comes into your inbox.
My first welcome email tells my new subscribers exactly what to expect. They’ll get an email every day for the next few days, then they’ll get emails every Tuesday and Thursday. They’ll get additional emails when I have something important to share or I’m running a sale. I add this same information to my last welcome email, so they know they’re transitioning into my email nurture campaign.
Setting expectations at the beginning of your relationship is polite and practical. Everyone knows what’s about to happen and there are no surprises. Which means fewer people look for that unsubscribe link.
Send Relevant Content That Delivers Value in Every Email
This was another big complaint in the Facebook comment thread. A lot of people were unimpressed by the content in the emails they received.
The point of your nurture emails is to build a relationship with your subscribers. They let you position yourself as the expert in your field and deliver the helpful, interesting content your subscribers want.
Will every single email resonate with every single subscriber on your list? Of course not. They’re all at different stages of their buyer’s journey. Your job is to send nurture emails that guide your subscribers along this journey.
Some emails will land perfectly because a subscriber is at the right stage. Others will show a subscriber where they’re headed, knowing they’re not at that stage yet. Over time, your subscribers will see you as their “go-to person” and buy your product or service, then recommend you to their friends and family.
Some people on your list will buy right away. Others will take months, even years to buy. If they’re still opening your emails, they’re still interested in what you have to offer. As long as that content remains relevant and valuable to them, you’re doing the right thing and they won’t unsubscribe.
Hard Sales Pitches Can Wait
I am always frustrated when I join an email list and the first thing I get is a hard sales pitch. I teach email marketing and I write emails for clients. I know what a bad idea this is. Yet I see it happen on a regular basis.
You have an email list to sell stuff. I get that. However, immediately shoving your product or service down someone’s throat is the best way to drive your subscribers to find the unsubscribe link in your email footer.
I do recommend having a call to action of some sort in every email, whether it’s a soft sell, a link to another content piece, or even a “hit reply and tell me what you think” email. You do want to train your subscribers to take action.
Constantly pestering them to buy your stuff without giving them any reason to do so is not going to build that relationship you want, nor will it get them to buy. It just pisses them off.
Marketing is like dating. You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you the second you met them. You would ask them if they’d like to join you for coffee, so you can get to know them a bit better and see whether you want to continue to pursue a relationship.
Think of your emails as a series of dates. Your nurture emails are the getting to know you/spending time together dates. Your sales emails are getting serious dates. Mix things up as appropriate.
Segment Your Email List
Not every email is appropriate for every person on your list. Add email marketing tags to your subscribers’ contact records so you know what they’re interested in and where they may be on their buyer’s journey.
This also helps when you do send sales emails. There’s no point selling a product or service to someone who has it already. But you could send them an email asking if they’re interested in being an affiliate for said product or service. You could also offer them rewards for referrals.
Most ESPs and CRMs will show you which emails your subscribers open. This can be a good way to gauge their interests. You can set up an automation that will tag a subscriber after they’ve opened certain emails. Then you know to send them more information on a certain product or service. For that matter, you know to include them in an early bird offer for your next sale of that product or service.
Email segmentation lets you cut down on the number of emails that aren’t relevant to certain subscribers. This also cuts down the number of unsubscribes you get, which keeps your list healthy and engaged.
The Top of Your Email Prevents People from Looking for the Unsubscribe Link
Let’s be honest, most people who unsubscribe do it when they realize they just don’t open whatever you’re sending. Start with a strong subject line to grab your subscribers’ attention. Then write valuable, engaging content to keep them reading and enjoying your emails.
I’ll make the first part easy for you by offering you my list of 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email.
Click on the button below to download your copy now. Then you’ll have a regularly recyclable source of ideas and subject lines to provide value to your subscribers every time you show up in their inboxes.
And yes, if you download this, you will join my email list. You’ll receive my welcome sequence and I promise you’ll know exactly how often I’ll send you emails.