Readers do the darnedest things:
I sent out an email last night and I asked if the point I was making was clear. One of the first people to reply was one of my most loyal readers, who has bought several of my courses and given me testimonials on multiple occasions.
He wrote a thoughtful response, told me a little personal story, said my point was clear, and thanked me for the work I do.
I also went to check my unsubscribes from the same email. I saw that this same loyal reader had unsubscribed.
A few days ago, I got an email from a second loyal reader, with the subject line, “Unsubbed… again 😂”.
It turns out he had been unsubscribed for some reason, for the third time. And once you unsubscribe, ActiveCampaign won’t let you resubscribe. The only way back is to write me directly and ask.
I’ve been surprised over the past few months by some of the specific people who have unsubscribed from my emails.
Many had bought courses from me, many had bought trainings, many regularly responded to my emails. Perhaps they genuinely got sick of me — it’s certainly possible, and I know it happens to me. But perhaps it’s some technical glitch. ActiveCampaign does have plenty of those.
So if you have been unwittingly unsubscribed and you are not getting my emails any more and you are not reading this right now, please let me know so I can investigate and maybe fix the issue.
And if you haven’t been unsubscribed and are still getting my emails and are reading, then all I can do is remind you that one is the most dangerous number in business.
People usually say that about one traffic source… or one offer… or one client… or one merchant account. But more than any of those, it applies to only one way to reach your existing audience.
​​If you rely only on one channel, and anything ever happens to that channel, it’s kind of like getting a penny stuck in your windpipe.
I still have the email addresses of all the people who have ever unsubscribed. I guess I could email them again to ask if they really meant to unsubscribe. I do believe that might technically be a crime. Or who knows, maybe I’ll get on TikTok or start collecting physical mailing addresses on my optin page. Gotta have a second reliable way to reach people.
I wrote to the loyal reader who unsubscribed last night. I asked him if he meant to unsubscribe or not. He replied:
===
What???
I would never cross myself off your list.
Your emails are my favorite. My daily appointment.
I don’t know why this happened, but if I don’t get your email tomorrow I will panic.
===
Again, if you’re not reading this right now, let me know so I can add you back to my list today and prevent a panic tomorrow.
But if you are reading, then thanks. And you might be interested in the following, to help you write emails that people consider their daily appointment: