How to Minimize Your Email Opt-Out Rate

Build your list by managing your email opt-out rate effectively using these techniques.

Many marketers are focused on increasing information exchange on their websites. This is essential for anyone who wants to grow their email lists for marketing purposes. One way to maintain the size of your email database is to minimize opt-outs.

Due to CAN-SPAM legislation, all email marketers are required to first receive permission (usually referred to as ‘opt-in’) from individuals before marketing to them. With each subsequent email, companies must provide an accurate subject line, a physical address, and provide the recipient a method to opt-out of receiving further messages.

In order to comply with legislature, many marketing professionals have either built or contracted with a third party to provide an automated or semi-automated opt-out procedure. In most instances, users simply click on a link and are removed from the emailer’s database.

This methodology has proven effective for CAN-SPAM compliance but has had the undesired effect of downsizing email marketing databases at an accelerated rate. To stem the tide, sophisticated marketing professionals have begun utilizing advanced opt-out techniques.

For example, instead of offering an opt-out from all services, some emailers take individuals wishing to opt-out to a landing page. This landing page provides a complete list of services and asks the individual to select which services or types of messages they wish to no longer receive. The result is that you maintain the permission to email to this individual when promoting the specific products, services, or communication types they’ve identified.

For those who do not have multiple products, services, or message types, a similar example can still be effective. When taking individuals who wish to opt out to a jump page, show them the type of information they’ll be missing out on if they chose to opt out. This information may be article summaries that you plan to send out in later communications or offers that will only be valid to email recipients. Promise of access to these features help to minimize opt-in rates.

The most productive way to minimize your opt-out rate is to offer something of value to stay. Whether it’s the promise of addition content that one can receive in the future, or a premium that serves as an incentive, marketers need to focus on growing their email lists as well as minimizing opt-out rates.