Your goal in life is not to have zero unsubscribers.
You may not be in the world of email marketing. But, you are in a world where some people like you and some don’t. When someone unsubscribes from an email, it’s them saying, “This isn’t for me.” When someone walks away from you, your product, or your company they’re saying the same thing.
Which for the email marketer, is not an insult. It is a great gift.
Every ‘unsubscribe’ increases clarity about who is with you. And who probably never was.
If people are never unsubscribing, you’re not being nearly clear enough about who you are.
This is so counter-intuitive to what we feel. And to what we hear everywhere else. So, let me try again.
If nobody is walking away from you, you may be over-invested in being liked. Being liked is about as satisfactory a life-ambition as being punctual. Your goal isn’t to be un-liked (in the same way your goal isn’t to be obnoxiously late). Your goal is to be a person of integrity and impact. Right?
And to have an impact means ruffling feathers.
Having integrity means standing for things people won’t always appreciate.
If you send emails, and nobody unsubscribes, you’re vanilla ice cream. Congrats. Nobody’s favorite and nobody’s least favorite.
It’s time to get out there and be the world’s best Rocky Road. Yeah. Some people will think it sucks. Who cares?
In a world eager to cancel everybody, gently dare them to cancel you. Stand up for something that matters and, when people walk away, say thank you.