Key takeaways
- Treat your subscriber list as people, not a database, write as if to one person and avoid mass sales blasts.
- Ask and listen: use surveys and feedback and watch unsubscribe spikes to learn what readers want (or don’t).
- Give subscribers control: offer frequency preferences, relationship-change options and alternate channel choices before they unsubscribe.
- Make emails feel exclusive: behind‑the‑scenes content, personalized/private offers and shareable items build loyalty.
- Segment your list so offers fit each subscriber and reward them for subscribing.
Introduction
In the email marketing world, numbers play a large part of what you do. Reaching targets for subscribers is important and continuing to grow your list is one of your top goals. But, it is important to remember that this “list” is comprised of a group of individuals – all of who want your personal attention. The fastest way to lose subscribers is to send them junk that doesn’t give them value and to not get personal with them. But, whether you’ve got 500 or 50,000 readers, how can you get personal with each one?
Get connected with your email list
First, stop thinking about them as a list. Think about them as people. Getting personal with your readers ensures they won’t want to leave you. Just like in a true friendship, you want them to feel like they don’t want to live without your emails. While that sounds a bit far-fetched, if you are connecting with your subscriber list and they are feeling it, they won’t want to end the relationship. This means not blasting them with continuous sales pitches, or sending email after email that gets zero. It also means you aren’t preaching to the masses and instead you are speaking to each and every one of them. Write like you are writing to one person.
Find out exactly what they want and give it to them
Just like with any great relationship, its about finding out what the other person wants. It’s not you, it’s me, right? You can find this out by doing surveys and asking for feedback on a mostly-regular basis. If your readers are telling you they want more money-saving opportunities and less DIY articles, make sure you listen! You don’t always have to ask to find out what they want either. If you are seeing a large amount of unsubscribes after a particular type of email, make sure you use that information to your benefit and stop giving readers what they don’t want.
Give them the control
Just like in any relationship, the other person wants to have some aspect of control. While we already know they love your brand, or they wouldn’t have subscribed, letting them control how often they get your emails might be the key to keeping them around. Don’t wait until they click that unsubscribe button to give them the control either. Letting them set the preferences around the frequency of your emails might be the key to making readers feel in control of the relationship. As a last resort, instead of asking them why they are leaving after they’ve tried to unsubscribe, ask them if they want to change the relationship and give them some of that control back. As well, you can ask them to check out your other channel options, some of which might work better for them than email. By letting them tailor their experience with your brand, you are making it personal for them, while still keeping them as a customer.
Encourage them to share
Social media, while shared with millions of people, feels personal to those using it. Emails, on the other hand, can make a reader feel like they are just part of a mass. By encouraging your readers to share what they get in the email on their social media or by forwarding to friends, lets them make it special. They are the ones sharing your very useful information, essentially making it about them.
Let them in on some secrets
No one wants a one-way relationship. Your readers are telling you a lot about themselves, now it is your turn. If you give your subscribers personal or exclusive tidbits about your brand, its founder or your employees, your readers will feel like they’ve been let in on a secret. They’ll be more willing to share that secret, or on the other hand, keep it all to themselves. Either way, they’ll feel like they know you better and want to hear more. Behind the scenes emails offer subscribers personal glimpses into the life of your company.
Speak right to them
They’ve done you a favour and subscribed to your list, now do them a favour and reward them for it. Email subscribers should get personalized and private offers, that people on the other channels aren’t getting. Because you’ve already segmented your list (you’ve done this, right?), you know who exactly you are targeting. Show them you know who they are by sending them offers that fit them perfectly.
These six tips will have you well on your way to keeping and maintaining your email subscribers.
FAQ
It means treating subscribers as individuals rather than a mass: write like you’re writing to one person, avoid continuous sales pitches and send content that feels relevant and valuable to each reader.
Ask them directly with surveys and regular feedback requests and use behavioural signals. For example, watch for spikes in unsubscribes after a particular type of email and stop sending what readers don’t want.
Provide a preference centre so subscribers can set email frequency and topics, offer a ‘change the relationship’ option at unsubscribe instead of immediate removal and point them to other channels that may suit them better.
Track unsubscribe rates by email type and if a specific format or topic causes a large number of unsubscribes, use that signal to stop or adjust that content and better match subscriber preferences.
Behind‑the‑scenes emails, exclusive or ‘insider’ tidbits about your brand or team and personalized/private offers not available on other channels make subscribers feel valued and more connected.
Prompt readers to share or forward useful information, framing it as something they’re giving or showing to others, that lets them make the content about themselves and increases engagement.
Segment your list so you know who you’re targeting, then send personalized and private offers tailored to those segments, rewards or offers that aren’t available on other channels reinforce the value of subscribing.
