Can I admit something?

Even after all these years, every now and then I’ll send an email campaign and notice that somebody has unsubscribed.

And yes… I still have a little look.

Who was it?

Were they a client?

Did I say something wrong?

Have I accidentally offended somebody?

It’s ridiculous really.

Because when you think about it logically, somebody deciding they no longer wants to receive my emails isn’t a problem at all.

In fact, it’s probably a good thing.

The Email That Brought People Back

A few months ago I wrote about how I’d accidentally stopped sending my weekly emails after being ill towards the end of last year.

Life got busy, the routine disappeared and before I knew it, several months had passed.

When I finally started writing again, something interesting happened.

A few people unsubscribed.

Not loads.

Just a handful.

But at exactly the same time, I received replies from existing clients, previous clients, strategic partners and people I’d spoken to months earlier who suddenly got back in touch.

Two of those conversations became new clients.

All from one email.

You Can’t Be Memorable Without Being Seen

It reminded me of something I think we sometimes forget.

If you never give people a reason to unsubscribe…

You’re probably not giving them much of a reason to remember you either.

People’s lives change.

Businesses change.

Priorities change.

Someone who was interested in what you do two years ago might not be today.

That’s completely normal.

I’d much rather have a mailing list of 500 people who genuinely want to hear from me than 5,000 people who ignore everything I send.

A smaller, engaged audience will almost always outperform a larger, disengaged one.

Don’t Let the Quiet Majority Stop You

One thing I would say though…

Don’t let the people who aren’t interested stop you serving the people who are.

Every week I receive replies from people saying they enjoy these emails.

Some tell me they forward them to colleagues. We can even see that happening in the email analytics.

Others have bought books I’ve recommended, implemented the ideas and come back to tell me what happened.

One very kind subscriber even told me they look forward to Thursday mornings because they know one of my emails will land in their inbox.

If I’d stopped writing because a handful of people clicked “unsubscribe”, none of those people would receive any value either.

Keep Showing Up

So if you’ve been putting off sending that newsletter, publishing that LinkedIn post or sharing an update because you’re worried about what people might think…

Press send.

Some people won’t like it.

Most won’t mind.

And a few will be quietly delighted that you’ve appeared in their inbox or feed at exactly the right moment.

They’re the people you’re writing for.

And they’re the people worth continuing to show up for.

Matt at The Bright Click