#2.16: The “Multiple Newsletters” Issue
Offer more than one newsletter, for better list segmentation, and to prevent opt outs.
1> Unsubscribe Insurance
2> More Subscriptions? Check!
3> Self-Segmentation
1> Unsubscribe Insurance
Everyone will eventually unsubscribe from a newsletter- give yourself a little insurance by getting them on more than one list. The last thing you want is an all-or-nothing email relationship. If you only offer one list and they unsubscribe, you risk losing them forever. Multiple lists keep the lines of communications open. Readers will sign up for multiple lists, and they’ll switch instead of unsubscribing completely.
2> More Subscriptions? Check!
It’s a wonder of modern marketing — the more checkboxes you have on your subscribe form, the more subscriptions you will get. A long time ago, GasPedal only had two newsletters. Most of the time, people would either sign up for one list or the other. Now that we have five lists, we find that the average subscriber will check three boxes, and stay on two lists, long-term.
3> Self-Segmentation
Let your readers tell you what they like — it’s easier than trying to do data-driven segmentation after the fact. When you offer multiple lists, readers self-segment themselves by the type of information and offers they want to receive. For example, all the market research in the world won’t tell you if a man wants to receive offers for women’s clothes (for gifts, of course) — he’ll tell you by subscribing to the women’s list.