6 reasons your customers unsubscribe from your newsletters and how to stop them

You would agree that having a growing email list is a great feeling, helping you to stay top of mind of your potential customers but what does it feel like when the list you have meticulously grown over a period of time begins to reduce due to unsubscribe action from your subscribers? Frustration begins to set in.

Email marketing is one of the most effective tools for businesses to reach and engage customers. However, even the best email marketing strategy can encounter challenges, one of which is high unsubscribe rates. If you’re noticing that a significant number of your subscribers are opting out, it’s crucial to understand why and take corrective actions.

This article will delve into the reasons customers unsubscribe from newsletters and provide actionable strategies to reduce unsubscribes to improve your overall email marketing performance.

Why do your customers unsubscribe?

Just like open rates, response rates and conversion rates, another important metric that should not be overlooked is the unsubscribe rate. According to MailChimp’s data, the average unsubscribe rate across all industries is around 0.27% in 2023. Maintaining an unsubscribe rate between 1–2% is reasonable but if the unsubscribe rate is more than this, there is a need to swing into action.

Below are the main reasons why people click the ‘unsubscribe’ button :

1. Your content is irrelevant

One of the primary reasons why people unsubscribe from your newsletters is because the content does not resonate with them. You ought to know the subscribers preference and what is relevant to them. A generic one-size-fits all messaging will do more harm than good to your email list. Take for instance, you got a newsletter on how to lose weight when in actual sense you are looking to gain weight or getting a marketing guide when you are more concerned about fashion, will you take that mail seriously? certainly not!

Solution : Ensure to segment your audience list in order to send personalized contents. This will save you from sending a newsletter meant for a product designer to a robotics engineer. The more you are able to segment your target audience by their interests, demographics and behaviours, the easier it will be to get the right message across to the right people. Personalization and segmentation are key to delivering engaging contents that are seen as value rather than a mere noise.

2. You send too many emails

Being too enthusiastic to turn prospects to customers by bombarding them with emails will only overwhelm them and prompt them to unsubscribe. Too many emails most times turn people off and they see it as an invasion. Always remember that it is Quality over Quantity. Emails are not like social media posts, why are you sending 5 newsletters in a day?

Solution : Develop a well thought out plan for your email schedule. It is important to state the frequency of your newsletters from the onset or give the subscribers the option to choose how they want to receive your message whether weekly or monthly. However, it is best to stay true to the agreed frequency. Typically, according to Campaign Monitor’s research, “sending an email every two weeks is the sweet spot for subscriber engagement.”

3. They never signed up or You lured them to sign up

There are times when subscribers do not realize they are signing up and when they see your message pops up in their inbox, it feels strange and unwelcomed. This is otherwise described as poor list-building tactics. One thing remains constant : people hate unsolicited emails.

Solution : The worst thing to do is to add people without their consent or confirmation. Do not be tempted to buy an email list. Also, ensure to clearly communicate to customers that they are subscribing to your newsletter by providing an opt-in form. Permission marketing is advisable too.

4. Poor user experience

When an email is not mobile friendly, has cluttered layouts, unreadable fonts, and unappealing visuals, it can all contribute to a negative user experience. With the aforementioned factors, it is easier for subscribers to hit “unsubscribe” . No one likes to be stressed including you.

Solution : Invest in professional email design. Use clean, responsive layouts that look good on both desktop and mobile devices. Beware of heavy-image email that takes struggle to download. Ensure your emails are visually appealing and easy to navigate. Having clear calls-to-action and engaging visuals can make a significant difference.

5. Overly promotional contents

While promotional emails are a part of email marketing, too many sales pitches can drive subscribers away. If your emails are excessively promotional, they may be seen as spammy. Ignore the urge to immediately pack everyone into your sales funnel. Don’t barrage your customers with sales emails all the time. It is like meeting a lady today and asking her to marry you. Awkward, right?

Solution : As business owners, we want to be able to convert leads into paying customers and this is understandable but instead, you can follow the 80/20 rule where you share more valuable tips, strategies and industry related contents than you share sales-related contents. By doing this, it positions you as an expert in your field.

6. Boring and repetitive contents

Monotonous and repetitive contents may likely disinterest your audience. If you are providing information that can be found anywhere by default, then you are not providing value.

Solution : “Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well” Keep your content fresh and varied. Mix up the types of emails you send, such as newsletters, promotional offers, informative articles, and customer stories. Regularly introducing new content formats and topics can keep your audience engaged.

More strategies to reduce unsubscribe rates

• A/B testing
• Welcome emails
• Consistent branding
• Monitor analytics

Finally, when a subscriber chooses to unsubscribe, take it as an opportunity to gather feedback. A simple survey asking why they’re leaving can provide valuable insights into areas for improvement.

For each newsletter you send, there will always be some individuals who, for various reasons, choose to unsubscribe. It can be challenging to accept that people are opting out of the newsletter you’ve dedicated so much effort to but from the above, you have just learnt how you can create a more engaging and effective email marketing campaign that helps retain customers.

Circle is an incredible tool for your email campaigns and it is highly recommended. Among some of its amazing features are: ease of use, ready-made templates and real time analytics.

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