Managing the feels from unsubscribes

I’m an introverted (but still quite social) being, so I do a lot of my networking with other entrepreneurs in Facebook groups. Every so often I see someone post about getting upset about unsubscribes from their newsletter.

First, the cold hard truth:

But that doesn’t mean you want it filled with a bunch of fluff!

Let’s give you an example. If you did an opt-in offer where you gave away something of high value for every subscribe (let’s say an iPad, a smart phone, etc) you’d get a lot of people on your list, but they may not be interested in what you have to say. You’ll cost yourself a lot of money AND your list isn’t going to convert into sales.

However: if you create a high value opt-in, specific to your ideal client (think: a webinar replay, a worksheet, a challenge, etc) the people who find that valuable are way more likely to tune into your message, and therefore way more likely to convert into clients.

Your list matters for a few reasons. Here are some of them:

• If your social media sites went belly-up tomorrow, you’d still be able to reach your peeps.
• The peeps on your list have self-selected – so they care what you have to say.
• Landing in their inbox is a bit less noisy than landing in their social media feed, so you’ll have a bit more of their focus and attention.
• You don’t get stuck in the “pay to play” cycle as you do in social media. Their opt-in gives you the ability to reach out to them. You’re not at the whim of a constantly changing social medial algorithm.

There are aspects of this that are in your control, and aspects that are not. People’s circumstances change – while they may have once been interested in your offering, maybe they aren’t now. (For example, if your ideal client is a pregnant woman, once she has her baby, her needs may change. Or if you’re targeting entrepreneurs, and someone’s business fails and they return to work – your message is no longer relevant.) Or maybe they just signed up for your opt-in offer. (Harsh, but true.)

But here’s the thing… for the peeps who are still your peeps… if you keep showing up for them, and you keep delivering lots of value, juicy content and stuff that makes them excited, inspired, entertained or brings them ease – you will build a loyal following and they’ll be THRILLED to get your messages. (I’m on 2 lists that get me almost GIDDY when I hear from them.)

Now… if you notice you’re getting a lot of unsubscribes AND your list isn’t converting, you’ll want to revisit things like who you’re targeting (is your offer appealing to your ideal customer – if not, try something else), adjusting your message and so on. You can poll some of your ideal customers to see if your offering or services resonate with them and pivot if necessary. You should consider how much your communication converts to sales, yes, but things like open rate and click through rates are important. Perhaps your subject line needs tweaking, or you need a clearer call to action. Watching your subscriber trends will give you an indication if there’s something that needs massaging in your offer or your message.

Unsubscribers are self-selecting. If they no longer want to hear from you, that’s totally fine because it gives you way more attention for those that do. Don’t let it bum you out – just keep on doing you and the right peeps will find their way.

“If you build it, they will come.”