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“Why are people unsubscribing?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself that worried you did something wrong, you’re not alone.

But here’s the deal: Unsubscribes are not just normal. They’re necessary.

Not enough marketers say this out loud, so let’s be clear:

👉 If you’re not getting unsubscribes, you’re not marketing hard enough.
👉 If your emails never offend, challenge, or polarize, you’re invisible.
👉 If your list never shrinks, your sales probably aren’t growing either.

Let’s break id down.

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Unsubscribes Are Filters.

When someone clicks “unsubscribe,” most marketers react like someone’s walking out of their party mid-speech.
But this isn’t rejection. It’s refinement.

Your list is your leverage. And leverage works best when it’s tight.

The moment you stop worrying about appeasing everyone, something radical happens:

• Your copy gets bolder.

• Your offers hit harder.

• Your audience starts listening, not just opening.

The right people stay. The rest opt out. That’s the whole point.

Reason #1: Unsubscribes Clean Your List

Every unsubscriber who wasn’t going to click, read, or buy just did you a favor.

Less dead weight = higher open rates, more accurate A/B tests, better conversion data.

Deliverability improves. ESPs smile on you. And more of your actual audience sees your next email.

No shady list pruning hacks needed. Just keep being clear about who you’re not for.

Reason #2: Unsubscribes Sharpen Your Message

When you write to please everyone, you end up persuading no one.

But when you write with spine, when you say what your real audience is actually thinking (but afraid to say), you create magnetic resonance. Tribal energy. A signal they lock into.

Unsubscribes are a byproduct of resonance. They prove you’re saying something that matters.

Want 10,000 passive subscribers who ignore every offer?

Or 1,000 aligned ones who refresh their inbox waiting for your next email?

That’s the trade. Choose wisely.

Reason #3: Unsubscribes Boost Deliverability

Inbox placement is a game of engagement. The higher your average open, click, and reply rates, the more consistently Gmail and Outlook let you through the front door.

If 35% of your list hasn’t opened in six months?
That’s not an audience, it’s a deliverability anchor.

Let them walk. Let them unsubscribe. That’s them saying, “We’re not a fit.”
You don’t need to persuade them otherwise. You need to move faster without them.

The Bold Marketer’s Secret Weapon: Polarization

Most email marketers are afraid to take a stand. So they ride the middle lane, blending in with the inbox noise.

But the truth?
Bold brands grow. Vanilla ones get ignored.

If your emails never trigger discomfort, disagreement, or decisiveness, they’re not creating anything new. They’re recycling what everyone already says.

Here’s a truth bomb for your swipe file:

The Mindset Shift You Need Today

Start measuring success differently:

❌ Not “Did everyone like this?”
✅ Instead: “Did this make the right person feel something?”

When the unsubscribes tick up, smile. You’re hitting the edge. You’re getting sharper. You’re finally becoming unforgettable.

And in email, forgettable is fatal.

Before You Send Your Next Campaign…

Here are 3 power-questions to ask yourself before clicking “Send”:

1. What am I willing to say that others in my niche are too afraid to?

2. Who do I not want to attract, and how can I push them away faster?

3. Am I writing for my ideal buyer or the crowd I’m scared of offending?

If the answer to #3 is “the crowd,” start over.

Bonus Tactic: The “Braggable Objection”

Want to really lean into unsubscribes? Borrow from Lou Larsen’s Braggable Objection trigger.

Call out your pricing, intensity, or boldness before your reader can, and frame it as a strength:

Boom. You just turned off the lurkers, and locked in your true fans.

The Wrap-Up

Unsubscribes aren’t your downfall. They’re your filter, your focus, your forge.

Let people leave.

Because every time the wrong reader walks out...
...you make room for the right one to walk in, and buy.

Stay sharp,
The InBoXer Team