Streamlining My Email List: The Bold Move of Deleting 782 Contacts
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Chapter 1: Understanding Vanity Metrics
Recently, I made a significant decision to delete 782 emails, which accounted for 44% of my email newsletter subscribers. While this might seem extreme, it’s essential to dive into the reasoning behind this move.
In the world of social media and online marketing, we often become fixated on vanity metrics—likes on Instagram, views on YouTube, and follower counts. While these numbers can feel gratifying, they carry little weight if your audience isn't genuinely engaged.
Picture this: I'm lounging in a robe, sipping scotch, speaking in a mock British accent, and flaunting my follower count as if it were a trophy. But let's get real; having a large email list isn't everything.
If that list has a mere 9% open rate, what’s the point? The allure of vanity metrics can quickly turn into a harsh reality check.
Section 1.1: The Impact of a Culling
Before I made my email deletions, my newsletter had a decent open rate of around 28%, which is above average. However, upon further inspection, I noticed a concerning trend: a significant number of subscribers hadn’t opened any of my emails in the last month.
This indicated a couple of things:
- Many recipients viewed my emails as spam—something I truly despise.
- The lack of engagement likely affected how platforms like Gmail categorized my messages.
Thus, I decided to streamline my list by removing nearly 800 inactive subscribers.
Section 1.2: The Results of My Decision
After the culling, I sent out the latest newsletter and was thrilled to see a similar number of opens, but with a remarkable 30% boost in the open rate.
You might wonder why this matters if the same number of people are still reading my content. While it is a risk to delete emails, the potential rewards far outweighed the drawbacks for me.
Chapter 2: Evaluating Risks and Rewards
So why did I take this leap?
First, there are practical considerations: I want to avoid penalties from email providers, keep my audience happy, and present an attractive proposition to potential sponsors.
More importantly, I want to engage with those who genuinely appreciate my work.
By focusing on an active, interested audience, I hope to create a high-value email list.
This move was certainly risky. Email analytics are far from perfect; many readers access their emails in various ways, making it difficult to know exactly who has opened what.
To mitigate this, I sent a warning email to inactive subscribers before the clean-up, inviting them to re-engage. Thankfully, I retained 143 individuals who responded positively.
Chapter 3: Why It Was Worth It
Reflecting on my journey, I've realized that my email list had stagnated over the years. People change, interests shift, and some subscribers simply forget why they signed up in the first place.
If your list is fresh and consistently engaged, you might not face these challenges. But for me, shedding inactive subscribers was a necessary step.
Ultimately, I have faith that those who genuinely value my content will find their way back and resubscribe if they miss it.
So, while the analytics may not be perfect, the potential benefits outweigh the risks for me.
I hope my experience offers some insight into managing your email list effectively. Until next time!
✌🏼 Sah