I get it. When you finally gain traction and people start signing up for your email list, the last thing you want to see is them unsubscribing later. But let me give you my two cents why the unsubscribe link is actually your best friend when it comes to email marketing.
It’s required by anti-spam laws
Any legitimate business abides by the law. And I’m sure you don’t want to be known as a shady business that doesn’t follow regulation or be mistaken as a spammer.
There are various anti-spam laws worldwide regulating email marketing practices and mandating an unsubscribe link:
- CAN-SPAM Act (USA)
- GDPR (EU)
- Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (UK)
- Anti-Spam Law (Canada).
It’s required by common sense
Even if it weren’t required by law to add an unsubscribe link in your email, it’s in your best interest to have an easy-to-spot, prominent one.
I know what you’re thinking now.
‘But Petra! Why should I make the ‘unsubscribe’ link prominent in my emails? Isn’t that counterintuitive? My goal is to grow my email list!’
I hear you, but if you try to hide your unsubscribe link in your emails by
- making it so small it’s barely there, and
- choosing a very light font colour so that it’s almost impossible to read.
Ultimately, you’re prompting your subscribers to ‘mark your email as spam’ instead.
Which can do you more harm.
You should allow your subscribers to change their minds, and unsubscribe from your list quickly and effortlessly. Because if you’re on the other end, that’s your expectation. And your subscribers are just like you!
Further advantages of the unsubscribe link
If you let your readers easily unsubscribe, it helps maintain a healthy email list. It ensures that your list contains subscribers who are eager to get your emails.
Also, as emails are only sent out to active subscribers, your open and click-through-rates may perform better if you let people who aren’t interested in your content anymore go.
And as mentioned earlier, if they can unsubscribe without further ado, that helps keep your spam complaint to a minimum, and your sender reputation remains in good shape!
Finally, adding an unsubscribe link to your marketing emails helps build trust between you and your subscribers.
Did you ever mark an email as ‘spam’ simply because you couldn’t find the unsubscribe link easily?
Let me know in the comments.
