Millions of people unsubscribe from unwanted email newsletters and spam messages each day. With the average person receiving over 120 commercial emails per day, it can be difficult to manage all those subscriptions, thus creating a bad user experience where they’re not going to want anything to do with what anybody has to offer.
That being said, when it finally comes around to someone clearing out their inbox, a subscription to your mailing list could be on the line, but if you make a mistake during your unsubscribe experience, such as using extraneous text or not including an easy way to opt-out, then you may lose potential customers for life.
In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most important design mistakes that must be avoided to create a successful unsubscribe process, ensuring you’re a successful business in the long run.
Why You Should Create an Optimal Unsubscribe Experience
Yes, it may feel a little counterproductive to actually help your users unsubscribe easily from your mailing list. After all, you want them to read what you have to offer, and if they’re not on your list, how are they going to be able to hear what you’ve got to say. While this makes sense, it’s not the reality of the situation. If someone is receiving your email and doesn’t want it, then the best thing you can do for them (and yourself) is to give them an easy way to unsubscribe.
If you make it difficult for people to unsubscribe from your mailing list, then they’re going to be less likely actually to take the time to do so. This can create a bad reputation for your business and may cause people to unsubscribe from all of your mailing lists, not just the ones they don’t want.
If many people can’t subscribe and end up flagging your email as spam because they don’t want to receive it anymore, this could put your email addresses in a bad light with email providers.
In short, you must take time to create a fluid experience so people can unsubscribe if they want to. At the end of the day, the more valuable the people are on your mailing list, the better results you’re going to get anyway, so it’s well worth doing!
And with that, let’s get into the mistakes you’re making to need to avoid.
10 Designs to Avoid When Creating Your Unsubscribe Experience
#1 – Not Optimised for Mobile Devices
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when designing your unsubscribe experience is not optimizing it for mobile devices. With so many people now using their phones and tablets to access the internet (statistics suggest around 80% of all internet traffic now comes through mobile devices), you must create a process that is easy to use on all types of devices.
If you have a website where people can unsubscribe, make sure that the unsubscribe process is easy to find and that it’s designed for mobile devices. If you send people an email with a link to unsubscribe, make sure the link works on all types of devices.
If you’re using a responsive website, this should be easy as long as you’re making sure the text is a big enough size for people to click, without accidentally clicking another nearby button, or the button is easy to tap
If you don’t optimize your unsubscribe experience for mobile devices, then you’re going to lose out on a lot of potential customers.
#2 – Asking for Personal Information
Another mistake you may want to avoid is asking for personal information. When someone is unsubscribing from your mailing list, they’re not in the mood to give out their personal information. In fact, they’re probably just trying to get rid of the email as quickly as possible!
If you ask for personal information, such as a name and email address, you’re going to lose potential customers. They’re not going to want to go through the trouble of giving out their personal information just to unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Ensure that you don’t ask for any personal information when someone is unsubscribing from your mailing list. This will make the process much easier for them. The best way to do this is to reduce the number of text boxes and options you’re offering.
“There are few circumstances where you’ll be asking for any kind of personal information at all. You shouldn’t really enforce someone to enter a password either to access their email options, unless it’s sensitive information, such as dealing with emails from a bank. If you’re a store, this doesn’t really apply,” explains Mark Harris, a marketing manager at Essay Roo and Boom Essays.
In short, don’t ask for any information, at least until after the person has unsubscribed, and can close the tab if they wish.
#3 – Hard to Find Unsubscribe Links
You want to avoid making it difficult for people to find your unsubscribe link. If they don’t know where the unsubscribe button or email address is located, then there’s no way they’re going to be able to remove themselves from your mailing list.
When someone subscribes, make sure that you include an easy-to-find unsubscribe link in your email. Don’t put this at the bottom of the page or use a tiny font that people can barely read, because it will only make them frustrated and more likely to flag your email as spam instead of unsubscribing from your mailing list.
Include an easy-to-access link for removing yourself from your mailing list, and make sure it’s easy to find. Typically, people will know to scroll down and put it at the bottom of the page in the footer of the email, and since this is the most common, most universally renowned place, then is probably where you should first consider putting your own link!
#4 – Bad Attitude or Poor Language
Another mistake you’ll want to avoid is having a bad attitude or using poor language when someone unsubscribes from your mailing list. This will only make them more likely to leave and could damage your reputation.
When someone unsubscribed and, be polite thank them for their time. Avoid using any type of negative language or attitude because it could make them less likely to unsubscribe in the future. If you’re trying to make the customer feel bad for unsubscribing, you’re only going to push them away more, so avoid it as much as you can.
After all, you never know if they’ll change their mind and want to be part of your mailing list again, so don’t burn your bridges!
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#5 – Too Many Choices in the Unsubscribe Menu
When someone is unsubscribing, you want to make the process as easy as possible for them. This means that you don’t want to give them too many choices in your unsubscribe menu. If they have to spend time trying to figure out which option is the right one, then they’re going to get frustrated and may not unsubscribe at all.
Keep your unsubscribe menu simple and easy to use. This will make the process much faster for the person unsubscribing, and they won’t have to spend time trying to figure out which option is the right one. A good rule of thumb to remember is that you should make the unsubscribe process nice and easy, so they click, and they’re unsubbed.
Then, after this has been confirmed, you can then ask any questions you want to ask. If someone wants to click off and be done with it, then fair enough, and if they want to stay and answer the questions, then that’s fine, but always make sure it’s after.
#6 – A Confusing Process
If you want to avoid confusion, then make sure that your unsubscribe process is easy to understand. If someone has a hard time following the steps or doesn’t know what certain words mean, they may not be able to remove themselves from your mailing list.
When creating an unsubscribe menu, use simple language and design it in such a way that makes it easy to follow. This will make the process much easier for people and they may even be less likely to leave your mailing list because of the simple design!
Now, there are exceptions to this. If you’ve ever tried to unsubscribe from an Amazon Prime subscription, you’ll know that they do make it a little long-winded and hide certain buttons to make it feel like you’re unsubscribing when you’re not really. They’ll also try and tempt you to stay with new offers.
However, Amazon is a multi-billion company, and the chances are you’re not. They can get away with trying to get as much as they can, and customer service-wise, their reputation is pretty good, meaning they can push the limits.
#7 – Demanding Feedback before Unsubscribe is Confirmed
One mistake you’ll want to avoid is demanding feedback before someone can confirm the unsubscribe process. This will only make them more likely to leave and they won’t be able to get rid of your emails until you stop asking for their opinion!
Don’t ask them any questions or request feedback when a person wants to unsubscribe from your mailing list. This will only make the process more difficult for them, and they may not be able to unsubscribe at all.
Make it easy for people to unsubscribe from your mailing list by not asking any questions or requesting feedback.
#8 – Redirecting Users to Resubscribe Instantly
Something you’ll also want to avoid is immediately redirecting users to subscribe again when they try to unsubscribe from your mailing list. This will only make them more likely to leave and they may not be interested in subscribing again.
If someone tries to unsubscribe from your mailing list, don’t automatically redirect them to subscribe again. This will make the process more difficult for them and they may not be interested in subscribing again.
Make it easy for people to unsubscribe from your mailing list by making sure that they aren’t automatically redirected when trying to do so. Just let them go and let customers come back, if they choose to, in their own time. You don’t need to come across as desperate. Just focus on attracting valuable customers to your business and improving your experiences, products, or services to stop people from leaving.
#9 – A Lack of Email Confirmations
Another mistake you’ll want to avoid is a lack of email confirmations. If someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, they may not receive an email confirmation that the process was successful. This means that they may continue to receive emails from you, even though they don’t want them!
“When someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, make sure that they receive an email confirmation to let them know that the process was successful. This will help avoid any confusion and ensure that they don’t continue to receive emails from you, even though they don’t want them!” explains Sarah Denning, a business writer at State of writing and Paper Fellows.
#10 – Delayed Email List Removal Leading to Them Still Receiving Emails
Another mistake you’ll want to avoid is delayed email list removal. This means that someone may unsubscribe from your mailing list, but they will continue to receive emails from you for a period of time afterward. This can be very frustrating for the person and it may lead them to believe that your unsubscribe process doesn’t work!
When someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, make sure that they don’t continue to receive emails for a period of time afterward. This will avoid confusion and frustration and ensure that the process was successful! Try to make the changes automatically, so they happen instantly.
Make it easy for people to unsubscribe from your mailing list by ensuring delayed email list removal doesn’t take place after someone has successfully done so.
