List messages
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The administrative email messages you send out to subscribers are part and parcel of professional newsletter management. Here we're talking about emails confirming a subscription, or confirming that an address has been removed from your list, for example.
Your list messages should:
- be sent as soon as possible after the action that triggers them (e.g. immediately after someone has subscribed).
- confirm this action (e.g. state "You are now subscribed to...").
- offer alternatives and solutions if they change their mind about that action (e.g. include instructions on unsubscribing).
In nearly all cases, such messages are sent automatically by your newsletter hosting service or software. As such, they are easily forgotten. So it's important to check them on a regular basis, to ensure that the information they contain is accurate and up-to-date.
These messages are also another opportunity to communicate with your readership. And every opportunity to communicate is an opportunity to impact, influence and develop that relationship we're keen to establish with the reader.
You can use these messages to establish a more personal rapport with your readers. This means you need to apply a human approach to the contents. This concept is discussed in depth in Chapter 5, but what it means is you should speak to the subscriber in a human voice, on a personable level, and (usually) as an identifiable person.
Imagine a customer subscribed to your company newsletter not by filling out an online form, but by handing you their business card in your cafeteria and waiting there while you tap the details into a computer back in your office. Would you then return to your new subscriber and say...
"You are now subscribed to MyNewsletter. Unsubscribe instructions are available at http://AGK.com/unsub.html"
Certainly not. You'd want to thank them, maybe explain what they can expect, or introduce them to some related resources they might find of value. And you'd certainly leave them your card so they could contact you with any feedback or questions. So consider the advice in Chapter 5 and apply it to list messages, too.
To illustrate the point, let's consider your welcome and goodbye messages, which are the two most important ones for your newsletter.
The confirmation/welcome message
From a functional perspective, the message you send people once they have successfully subscribed to your publication must contain:
- confirmation that they've been added to your distribution list.
- instructions on how to remove themselves from your distribution list.
- pointers to other administrative resources, such as information on changing email addresses, archives, or advertising information.
From the relationship perspective, you might also want to include:
- a true welcome message in the form of a personal (signed) thank you from the editor/publisher/CEO.
- a reminder of what they signed up for and what content and benefits they can expect to get.
- contact information (for the editor/publisher/CEO).
- an introduction and links to other resources they might benefit from, either your own, from partners, or simply available out there on the Web (this is also a good opportunity to cross-promote!).
The goodbye message
This is the message that confirms that the (ex-) reader has successfully unsubscribed from your newsletter. Obviously, it's crucial that the reader sees it as soon as possible after taking the unsubscribe action. Any delay, and the subscriber starts to assume the worst, which can mean angry mails and accusations.
From a functional viewpoint, the message should contain a simple reassurance that their name has been removed from your distribution list, and that they will receive no more newsletter issues.
If for some reason your system takes its time to unsubscribe someone after processing the request, indicate this in the message. That way, people won't be unpleasantly surprised if another newsletter issue arrives in the meantime.
Don't use this time lag as a way of keeping people subscribed longer than necessary though. A very prominent publisher once responded to my unsubscribe request with an automatic mail saying that it would take up to 30 days for the request to take effect. That is, frankly, unjustifiable, and leaves a very poor impression. Not to mention that the law in that country demanded a maximum delay of 10 days.
From a relationship viewpoint, it's helpful to include a short farewell message, thanking them for their interest and asking for feedback on their reasons for choosing to unsubscribe. If they unsubscribe at your website, you can solicit the feedback there, too.
Not only can you gain some useful insight on why people are leaving your list, but you also show that you take your readers and their opinions seriously. This can sometimes be enough to make people regret their decision, or at least reconsider your publication when their circumstances change.
The message should certainly be just as personable as the welcome message. Remember, you want to leave a good impression.
You might also append information on how to resubscribe to the bottom of your message, just in case.
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