Understanding Unsubscribes: A Fresh Perspective for the Holiday Season

Today, I’d like to share some insights into unsubscribes—an approach I’ve used for years and highly recommend, especially with the holiday season approaching. Unsubscribes can feel alarming; they’re often seen as a sign that something is wrong with your content, personalization, or offers. But unsubscribes shouldn't be viewed as a single negative metric. Who unsubscribes is just as important, if not more so, than the fact of the unsubscribe itself.

Opens or Clicks: Not All Are Equal

Let’s start with opens and clicks. You might assume every open or click carries the same weight, but that's not the case. Take someone who’s clicked within the last 60 days—they are far more likely to click or make a purchase from the next email you send. In this case, you might generate a revenue of 10 cents per email. Now compare that to someone who hasn’t clicked in 365 days—their likelihood of clicking is significantly lower, and the revenue per email could drop to as little as 2 cents. This highlights the higher value of engaged recipients. However, if someone who hasn’t clicked in a long time finally does, their value instantly becomes up to five times more than it was before.

Extracting Value from Unsubscribes

The same concept applies to unsubscribes. If an unsubscribe comes from someone who hasn’t engaged for a year, it’s less damaging and can actually help clean up your list. That person was unlikely to re-engage anyway, so their departure won’t harm your metrics. On the other hand, if someone who has been engaging with your content unsubscribes, it’s a red flag that something may be off—whether it’s your content or the frequency of your emails.

The Holiday Season: A Critical Time for Analysis

As the holiday season rolls in, these insights become even more essential. During this period, brands typically increase their email frequency and expand their send lists, including recipients who haven’t engaged in a while. This can lead to more unsubscribes, but the key is to understand who is unsubscribing. If it’s mostly disengaged subscribers, it’s not a major concern. However, if regular, engaged customers are dropping off, you may need to rethink your strategy.

Data-Driven Decisions for the Long Term

By understanding the type of unsubscribe you’re seeing, you can make smarter, more informed decisions. Increasing email frequency during the holiday season may be necessary, and if you know the unsubscribes are coming from less engaged recipients, you can feel more confident about moving forward. Sometimes, letting go of unengaged subscribers is the best outcome—it’s an opportunity to clean your list and focus on those who truly value your content.

Unsubscribe-to-Click Rate: Spotting the Warning Signs

A crucial metric to track is the unsubscribe-to-click rate, which helps distinguish between unsubscribes due to disengagement and those caused by over-mailing. On one end, with highly engaged subscribers, this rate should be close to zero—meaning few, if any, people unsubscribe after clicking. On the other hand, with disengaged subscribers, this rate can approach 1. Almost every click results in an unsubscribe.

This metric provides valuable insight into the reasons behind unsubscribes. If a segment that hasn’t engaged in years shows a high unsubscribe-to-click rate, it’s likely due to their overall lack of interest. However, if a more active segment shows an unexpectedly high rate, it could indicate problems like over-mailing or irrelevant content. Analysing these trends helps you refine your email strategy, ensuring you maximize engagement by learning from your unsubscribes, especially during high-volume periods like the holiday season.

By focusing on the data and understanding the nuances behind unsubscribes, you can take control of your email strategy and make decisions that drive long-term success.

Photo by Tarik Haiga on Unsplash