How to Blog a Book

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

  • Home
  • About
    • Vote This Blog One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers
    • Resources for Nonfiction Authors and Bloggers
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
  • The BOOK!
    • Table of Contents
    • Page One
    • NEW! Revised and Expanded–2nd Edition–of How to Blog a Book
    • How to Blog a Book (Revised and Expanded Edition) BLOG TOUR
    • Previous Virtual BookTours
  • Services
    • Blog Services
    • Coaching
      • Blog and Blog-to-Book Coaching
      • Hire an Author Coach
      • Writing and Book Coaching
  • Courses
    • The Productive Writer Course
    • High-Performance Writer Group Coaching Program
    • Turn Your Blog Into a Book Production Machine
    • Build a Business Around Your Blog
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Course
    • How to Blog a Book eCourse
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Recording
    • Author Training 101
  • Contact
  • Login

December 2, 2014 by Nina Amir 3 Comments

Why You Shouldn’t Feel Badly about Unsubscribes

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

the type of subscribers you wantDespite all the advice that says I shouldn’t care what others think about me, I do. That’s why I used to hate it when anyone unsubscribed from my email list. I still don’t like it, but these days I don’t worry about it. I also don’t take it personally, and neither should you.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t care about your subscribers and what they want and need. Of course, you should! You email list is your most valuable asset. However, you want the right people on that list.

Who Should Subscribe to Your List

The people who subscribe to your list should want several things from you:

  • Valuable information
  • A way to stay in touch with you
  • Resources (your products and services or those you recommend)
  • Opportunities to work with or learn from you

If your subscribers have these qualities, they should expect to hear from you on a regular and somewhat-frequent basis. That might mean once per week, twice per month or once per month. It could even mean several times per week.

Your email list is your email marketing system. You use it to promote products and services to your subscribers as well as to give them great content on a regular basis.

A New Perspective on Unsubscribes

So, what should you do when someone unsubscribes from your email marketing list? You should offer them a chance, via your email marketing service, to tell you why they have chosen to leave your list. The response you receive can be important information. You want to know if they think you email too often, if your content isn’t valuable, if they are too busy to read your email, or if they don’t like your material.

However, unless you are seeing a huge exodus of subscribers who say you aren’t providing them with value, or they aren’t getting benefit from being on your list, assume those who unsubscribe are simply the wrong people for your list. The reason for this is simple: The people on your list should be willing and eager to hear from you. They should want you to promote your products and services (or others you recommend) to them on a regular basis. They should enjoy knowing when you have something of value to offer them.

That said, you do need to find a happy medium between providing great content and selling stuff. If you do that, then wish your unsubscribes well and send them happily on their way. Welcome your new subscribers with open arms, and hope they are the right subscribers.

My Story

I was upset by unsubscribes who told me I sent them too many emails; this was the most common reason people unsubscribed from my list. I typically interspersed sales emails with valuable informational emails. In fact, even my sales emails tended to have valuable content.

One day I read something that changed my attitude. Someone wrote, “Your list provides you with a source of income. You need to use it to sell your products and services. Your subscribers need to realize that this is how you make your living. If they don’t like the fact that you are sending them information about what you have to offer—to sell, they aren’t the right people to have on your list.”

Those words opened my eyes. I realized that the people you really want on your email list are those who will eventually purchase something from you—a book, a course, a coaching package, or an affiliate product. If you have a list full of people who just want free information, that list is worthless, even if you only want to sell your book upon release.

Email Lists are for Marketing

After all, you can blog or write books until you are blue in the face, but if no one buys them, you remain broke. Your email list is meant to be a marketing system. That’s why it’s call email marketing and why you might use MailChimp.com or Aweber.com, which are email marketing services. You create and use an email list to promote your wares. Therefore, the people on that list should be willing and eager to buy what you sell. If they aren’t, then you don’t want them on the list.

That’s why when someone unsubscribes and says, “I’m unsubscribing because you try to sell me too many things and send too many emails,” you should not feel upset.

I’ve received a few emails like this from subscribers. I responded, “My email list allows me to make a living. I’m sorry you don’t like the fact that I send so many emails or that I sell things in those emails. I’m also sorry you have chosen to unsubscribe from my list, but I have to make money from my blogging efforts. I need people on my list who with an interest in purchasing what I have to offer, not just getting valuable free information. I hope you understand, and I wish you well.”

Stop taking your unsubscribes personally and focus on the subscribers who appreciate what you do and want to work with you and purchase your products. Continue to give them value—in your free content and in everything you sell—and your list will grow. You’ll also make money along the way.

Photo copyright: klikk / 123RF Stock Photo

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Professional Blogging, Selling Books and Information Products Tagged With: email list, email marketing, email marketing system, list building, unsubscribe, unsubscribes

Comments

  1. M.C. Simon says

    December 2, 2014 at 1:00 am

    This is a sensitive subject. Thanks you for talking about it, Nina.

    I started my website only few months ago and until now I didn’t have unsubscribes. But I have to admit that I would not feel too comfortable knowing that one day this can happen.
    For exactly same reasons I don’t unsubscribe from any list because… I hope I will never give that weird feeling to anyone. Yet, when you subscribe to many websites (like me), one day will become a time management problem.

    For a better approach of this aspect, I created another email address only for daily updates. I still kept the newsletters for my main address. In this way I can check the updates when the time permits me to do it. And I am happy because I know I didn’t make anyone else unhappy 🙂

    Thanks again for the article. I enjoy reading it and I find it more than useful.
    M.C. Simon recently posted..FOR MY FELLOW WRITERS, But not only for them 🙂

  2. Nina Amir says

    December 2, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    I used to have all my subscriptions go to an AOL account. That got out of hand…Now I do unsubscribe when necessary. I figure online marketers realize this is a fact of life, as do I. Thanks for your comment, MC Simon.

Trackbacks

  1. Monday Must-Reads [12.08.14] says:
    December 8, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    […] Why You Shouldn’t Feel Badly about Unsubscribes […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

About Nina Amir

Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, inspires writers to create published products and careers as authors as well as to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose and potential.

Read More . . .

Follow Me!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on SkypeFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail

As Seen On:

social proof2

How to turn your blog into a book

Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
IndieBound.com
WritersDigestShop.com

Create a Successful Author Website!

Book. Books and laptopPurchase a copy of my eBook!

Bestselling authors like Michael Hyatt and Joanna Penn use Scrivener and endorse this course! I tried Learn Scrivener Fast, too, and found it a quick, easy way to learn the Scrivener writing technology. Plus, you can use it to produce produce ebooks!
Click here to find out more!

250x250

bluehost

Writer's Digest: 2013 Best Writing Websites (2013)
This website has been awarded a Best Writing Website.
Sponsored by Writer's Digest, Writer's Market,
Writer's Digest University & Writer's Digest Shop.

TFOI Badge

Popular Posts

  • Are You Blogging a Book? List it here!
  • Can You Publish Blogged Material As a Kindle Ebook?
  • Darren Rowse on Book Deals and Discovery in the Blogosphere
  • 3+ Reasons I’ve Started Using Scrivener as a Blogging Tool
  • Selling Your Ebook on Your Own Website vs. Amazon

Search

Categories

Archives

Copyright © Nina Amir 2021

Copyright © 2021 · Generate Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

»
«
Powered by Conversion Insights: Boost your online revenue.  
Are you a productive, semi-productive or unproductive writer? Take My Quiz To Find Out!
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.