Stop losing members to the unsubscribe button

That unsubscribe button at the bottom of your emails?

It's dangerous.

One click and you've lost your cheapest and most effective channel for communicating with them. Getting them back? Almost impossible.

The answer isn’t to remove this button (in most cases this is illegal and you can’t grow your membership when you’re in prison). 

Instead, let me share what one of Australia's largest membership organisations does.

When you become a member of the Carlton Football Club (95,278 members in 2024), you're not added to one email list but thirteen. Each list has a different focus:

Here's the clever part: if a member unsubscribes from partner offers, they'll still get team news. Tired of merchandise promos? They can opt out but continue receiving selection updates.

Yes, it takes more work. You'll need to:

• Segment your content clearly

• Plan different email streams

• Be disciplined about what goes where

But the payoff? No more all-or-nothing unsubscribes. Members stay connected on their terms. They get what they want, and you keep your communication channel open.

That's called a win-win.