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8 Great Unsubscribe Pages That Will Make You Love Email Again
When subscribers want to break up with you, it hurts. At one point, they made an effort to sign up for your email, but now they’re moving on to a different relationship with some other brand that made them feel special. Maybe you were too needy and the magic faded. Worst of all, it’s extremely tough to win them back. But if you have a great unsubscribe page, you’ve got a shot.
But don’t lose all hope and start swiping through Tinder for some new subscribers. With a little bit of wit, you can win them back before they unsubscribe forever. Check out these eight companies with unsubscribe pages that are creative, cunning, and ridiculous enough to persuade people from opting out of email newsletters.
1. Bonobos
This handsome gentleman from clothing brand Bonobos will simply be devastated if you leave him. Yet he understands that you might want some time apart.
Look, you can choose how serious you want your relationship with Bonobos to be. But honestly, who would want to end things with such a bearded beauty?
2. Groupon
It’s hard to break up with someone who makes you laugh. That’s why Groupon wants to keep you smiling, even once you’ve decided to cut ties. The video below plays once someone has chooses to unsubscribe. It shows Derrick, the Groupon employee who supposedly writes the company’s daily emails, getting punished for his bad work.
Here’s the video:
At the end of the video, there’s a highly effective call to action: “That was pretty mean… I hope you’re happy. Want to make it up to Derrick? Resubscribe!” Come on, don’t you want to help out the guy who just had that happen because of you?
3. charity: water
charity: water, a nonprofit that provides clean water to those in need, rewards potential unsubscribers with a video when they choose to stick around. And let me tell you, it is ah-dorable.
Here’s the video:
In the clip, an unsuspecting employee gets pelted with water balloons. But the purpose appears to be about more than just getting you to laugh at schadenfreude—it also shows a tight company culture that seems genuinely happy to work there. Don’t you want to keep getting updates from those shiny, joyous people?
4. Sidekick
What if a company unsubscribed you from their email list—without you needing to do anything? Wouldn’t that be great? Or, at the very least, a relief? That’s exactly what Sidekick does when the brand’s readers don’t click through to any of their articles.
On the other hand, if you actually do want to stay on Sidekick’s email list, there’s a button for that! Oh, what holiday joy.
5. Email Uplers
The people at Email Uplers understand that true inner peace comes from a clean inbox.
Email Uplers addresses customers by their first name and reminds them that their support means a lot. Then, the company offers a variety of subscription options (which you’ll see is a common thread here). Finally, it somewhat sneakily hides the option to fully opt out of emails at the very bottom of the page. But by that point, users might have decided that they simply want less contact from the company rather than none at all.
6. Barkbox
Barkbox is an example of a strong brand that understands the Internet. The company’s content is always filled with dog puns, and every page on its website is straight-up adorable. (Hello, puppy pictures!) Of course, that goodness carries over to the unsubscribe page as well:
Barkbox gives subscribers a number of different email options rather than providing one single “unsubscribe” button. As a result, people will be more likely to decrease the number of emails they get from the company instead of opting out entirely. Besides, who can say no to that puppy’s face?
7. Yankee Candle
Once December rolls around, you can smell it in the air—the flood of holiday emails are coming. Thankfully, Yankee Candle’s email subscription service has an option to “snooze” all correspondence from the company for a month, which is perfect for the holiday season.
Who knows? Maybe that inbox goodwill will give you a hankering for scented candles by the time January rolls around. Otherwise, customers can decide to unsubscribe from all future emails.
8. HubSpot
Have you ever gotten back together with an ex just because he reminded you of the good times? HubSpot pulls the same trick with email subscriptions—and it works.
And then there’s the video. Dan Sally, HubSpot’s inbound marketing specialist, will break your heart as he melts down like Jon Favreau in Swingers. Come on, he saw you open their emails! Why do you have to leave?
Then, the company hits you with an extra guilt trip. Seriously, look at how easily you can take them back with the “How about a second chance?” plea.
So if those customers keep telling you they need space, take a page out of these brands’ playbooks and win back the doubters with some humor unsubscribe pages. Pictures of hot guys and/or puppies won’t hurt, either.
Sometimes, your customers just need to feel wanted, and if you show them the love, you’ll be back together before you know it.
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