Lots of people come and go on email lists. A few of them actually tell me why they unsubscribed. These are some of the most fascinating responses because they’re usually passionate — and I struck a nerve.
Here are a few reasons people have unsubscribed from my email list this year and last year.
******
I am unsubscribing because of the most recent post and your saying that we should not have responded to 9/11. Thank you.
(I suggested forgiveness as an alternative to revenge. So this guy unsubscribed. Go figure. -RMH)
******
It’s just a lot of e-mail to add to already too much e-mail received daily, especially when I never explicitly opted in to receive these e-mails
(To this woman’s credit, I checked my opt-in page and realized I wasn’t saying subscribers would get email updates. So I changed this. -RMH)
******
I just have signed up for too many blogs. I’m on information overload.
******
I am sorry.But you have no value or you do not give any free e-book guides,software,cource,etc,.
******
Very good and valuable information but have to decrease the amount of email coming in… hard decision but will have to unsubscribe at this time. Thanks for all you do!
******
internet marketing is a huge scam and nobody honestly makes a living online
******
Tired of being sold things instead of given useful content.
(This one surprised me. In the month of April 2010, I’ve published 8 posts. Four of them have had soft sales pitches. Not a single pure sales message — and this person still freaked out. -RMH)
******
To many newsletters, I need to focus on the most relevant ones to my industry. I think you do good stuff. Except the references to your religion, then, I better not say anything.
******
I love your writing, I just don’t have the time to read everything in my inbox
******
I am an Obama supporter and DO NOT appreciate you posting such negative remarks about him…I no longer want to hear from you. You are entitled to your opinion and I am also entitled to mine. I did not like this post.
p.s. I WAS really a big fan and follower of you and your IM work. Not anymore.
(Amazing how radically a political difference of opinion can polarize people. This response proves it. -RMH)
******
Believe it or not, I’m actually happy when I get passionate reasons why people unsubscribe. It tells me that I’m bonding with people who are on the the other side of a particular viewpoint.
It also tells me that I’m standing up for something.
The only way you’ll ever develop a loyal following is by standing up for a particular point of view. This allows other people to identify and bond with you.
You can’t be all things to all people, so this is a good thing. Embrace that you’re never going to please everybody. Just do your best at being who you are — and writing to the white hot core of your fan base.
-Ryan M. Healy
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About Ryan M. Healy
Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.
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{ 12 comments }
Yep! I'm a HUGE proponent of polarity… once you've got a big enough list to support the losses you'll inevitably incur.
Thanks for the info, Ryan.
I recently started a list for people who download a free eBook I offer.
I had to get over feeling bad if someone opted out. As a rookie in the world of mailing lists, I fell into that trap of thinking it was personal or “what did I do wrong?”
It was pointed out to me that it's a good thing if people opt out… it's now clear that I'm not offering something they want. Good! Now I know and can keep focused on the remaining people on the list who are interested in my message.
I have yet to get a reason for unsubscribing, but I can guess most just wanted the free book and nothing more. Fine… take the book… have fun with it… thanks for stopping by… maybe we'll meet again down the road.
You're welcome, Kevin!
Mike – I totally agree… takes a little while to get over that feeling of “What did I do wrong?” Thankfully, if you blog/email long enough, you get used to the rejection — and start to look forward to it.
Perhaps more marketers, if not church leaders, ought be MORE interested in just why people leave on the whole, if only to spot trends that may well be within their grasp, to repair any unnecessary bleeding…
In-DUH-vidually speaking, of course, there will always be the armchair critic oddballs who find fault at every turn and can never be satisfied–good riddance.
It's quite true that 'trying to be all things to please everyone' will end up in reality as repeated frustrating failures, disappointing everyone including yourself…
Engaging observations, as most always, Ryan.
Georg – Great point about repairing any unnecessary bleeding. That's why I pointed out the woman who said she hadn't explicitly opted in for my emails. At first, I thought, What? This woman must be crazy.
But when I checked, I realized my new opt-in page didn't fully explain what people get when they opt in. So I was able to fix that.
Comments like many of these are an inevitable result of branding. You cannot please everyone, and you will fail if you try. Better to stand for something, and be known for it.
It's awesome that you still check reasons why people unsubscribe – most people don't – but it's SO important and if you have the right attitude (like you do)…very beneficial in many ways.
For one of my niche markets I had a response that literally made my laugh out loud.
For the reason of unsubscribing it said the following:
“Great stuff… but I like porn better”
A lot of people get mad when people unsubscribe – but I think they're missing out on all the great points you mentioned at the end of your post!
Jeremy Reeves
Well said.
That reason for unsubscribing is funny… and sad at the same time. Can't get much more honest than that, I guess. :-)
I get some posts like those as well. And Ryan, while you and I are poles apart politically (I think Obama has sold out to the conservatives), and while I do consider myself a person of faith, I don't happen to be a Christian, or particularly religious. But for me, those are not reasons to unsub. You always keep a civil tone, and I think core disagreements force me to rethink my positions, justify them to myself, and sometimes find them wanting and shift. If you were nasty about it, that'd be different. (I don't read much of Dan Kennedy anymore because he's way too shrill in his conservatism. I do read Clayton Makepeace, and have even contributed a few articles to his conservative news site as “The Unabashed Progressive”–but I tend to turn off when he goes political).
Anyway, in spite of my ultra-crowded in-box, I'm continuing to read your stuff even as I've cut back on a lot of others :-)
And I love both your commitment to ethics (which I share) and your copywriting/marketing smarts.
I trust also that if you read my blog, http://www.principledprofit.com/good-business-b… , you wouldn't be turned off by the unabashedly progressive positions I often take.
The “info-overload” ones are expected. I think most people unsubscribe from that more than anything else.
This one though… really surprised me:
internet marketing is a huge scam and nobody honestly makes a living online
Why was he on your list in the first place? :/
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