How to Reduce Email Churn and Win Back More Unsubscribes
Do you get frustrated when you see readers unsubscribe from your email list? If you are like me, I hate Email subscribe churn. It is unfortunate reality of doing business. There are steps you can take to reduce churn and win back subscribers.
I remember what a wise old marketer once told me when I was young and naive.
Me: “Wise old marketer, tell me the secret to knowing what my customers want?”
Wise Old Marketer: “Ask them.”
Is Your Churn Rate High?
The number one reason for subscriber churn is because subscribers feel they’re getting too many emails. A MarketingSherpa study found that 86% of people would prefer to receive an email from a company once per month.
Top reasons Constant Contact found for email churn:
- 69%—Too many emails from the business/organization
- 56%—The content is no longer relevant
- 51%—The content wasn’t what I expected
In general, if you get less than a 2% churn rate, you are within industry norms.
Personal and authentic interaction may just convince someone to join again. The process to win back subscribers is simple:
- Email a reader that just unsubscribed using your private email address.
- Ask them politely why they unsubscribed. Ask for candid feedback.
- If they respond, acknowledge their response and address any concerns they had.
Here is an example of an email we send:
Even if you don’t succeed in convincing someone to come back, the feedback you’ll receive is priceless. It only takes a few minutes to quickly send an email asking why.
It goes without saying – if you see a common thread of why people unsubscribe, make the necessary adjustments.
Additional tips to reduce email churn rate from Kuno Creative :
- Audit your database to determine subscriber engagement
- Offer alternative methods for staying in touch
- Develop an on-boarding program for new subscribers
For more tips on keeping a healthy email newsletter, read How to Create the Perfect Email Newsletter: Best Strategies to Boost Performance [Backed by Research]
