If You Have a Newsletter, Do This Every 4 Months
You’re making a big mistake if you don’t.
Having a big email list is one of those things that every newsletter operator dreams about in their sleep.
You’ve heard that old statistic about each subscriber being worth $1 per month, so you put your head down and get to work on getting 8,333 of them.
You think:
“I’ll crack that $100K per year milestone in no time!”
It’s an aspirational goal.
And you should strive to reach it.
Unfortunately, if 50% of your subscribers haven’t opened your emails in the last 6 months — it doesn’t matter how many you have.
Problems with email delivery are bound to arise.
So what should you do?
Clean your list once every quarter.
At the end of Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 you should be deleting every subscriber that hasn’t opened your newsletter in the last 3 months.
At the end of every March, June, September, and December you need to be ruthlessly cleaning your list like a dog licking his nutsack after three hours in the sun.
Every dead subscriber affects your open rates, click-through rate, and sponsor click-through rate. All these things combined hurt your business.
Why aren’t these people opening your emails?
Who the hell knows?
Maybe they gave you their spam email address where they sign up for things they don’t care about…
…or maybe their email client directs your newsletter to their promotions tab…
Whatever the reason, they’re as good as NOT on your list — so why are you bothering to keep them around?
Should you run a re-engagement campaign?
If you want to try and salvage your cold subscribers and turn them into warm leads, you can segment them and send them a series of emails in an attempt to win them back.
Some people attempt to do this by offering a massive discount on a digital product, while others opt for a more blunt approach:
“Bruh… you haven’t been opening my emails. Click this link if you still want to receive them, otherwise I’ll delete your account in the next 48 hours.
Me? I just go ahead and delete them without mercy.
Like an amoral hitman tasked with taking out a specific target, I orchestrate the destruction of a city block to disguise my actions.
Typing those two big words “DO IT” brings me an odd sense of pleasure.
I only wish they’d let me add the exclamation mark (!) for emphasis.
As a newsletter operator, it can be easy to let the vanity metrics of a big list seduce you into thinking you’re getting closer to your goals.
But if a large percentage of your list isn’t engaged, you’re a victim of self-deception. Your goals are nothing but a mirage in the desert of your ego.
Like a gangrenous limb that’s slowly rotting away, it’s best to hack the deadweight off before the infection spreads.
Your future self will thank you for it.
About The Author
My name is Evan. I’m a happily married father of three boys who likes to drink black coffee and read Jack Reacher novels. I also love everything about newsletters!
