Val Geisler - I'd rather tell you how I really feel

This is a bonus tear down just for you since you're subscribed to my email list. You won't find it on the blog anywhere (for now). I promised you more than just onboarding tear downs and I'm here to deliver.

~

I Googled "how to build an email list". There are 276 million results.

WHAT?!

276 million articles are out there telling you how you can build an email list to the highest heights. So it's understandable that the biggest question I hear in my own inbox is:

How can I grow my email list?

But try this on for size:

It doesn't actually matter how big your email list is if no one is engaging with your emails.

They need to open, click, reply.

A 20% open rate on a list of 35,000 subscribers is really just a list of 7,000 subscribers.

Yes, you should constantly work to build your email list–and there are some really reputable resources to do so. I'll share a few with you in the coming months.

But for now let's talk about something equally important.

DON'T ROLL YOUR EYES AND CLOSE THIS EMAIL.

I know this topic is going to make you want to run away but this is a bonus tear down for ya so stick with me:

Cold Email Subscriber Clean Up Tear Down: Screw the 9 to 5

Okay so let's get into it.

What's a cold subscriber?

They're those people giving you the virtual cold shoulder. At one time they signed up to your email list but they never really took interest or they lost interest over time.

(+1 for a solid onboarding experience and ongoing regular emails here to avoid the above scenario but I digress...)

All email marketers (that's you) should be regularly cleaning your list of these subscribers.

They drive your open rates down.

They cost you money.

But most importantly:

The more people that don't open your emails and hang out on your list, the more likely your email is to end up in the spam folder.

Think about it: if you're sending emails to a whole list of people who never open those notes, inboxes everywhere start to wonder if maybe you're a spammer (even though we both know you aren't).

So it's important to clean your list, regularly.

A job hazard of doing email onboarding tear downs is that I am sometimes subject to a list cleaning. I don't always engage with the email lists I sign up for in a way that they've deemed meaningful. So off I go. Which means you get to see what a cold email subscriber list cleaning looks like!

And I have good news:

These efforts are short-lived and only a few emails are needed in the process so this will be short and sweet! Let's take a peek at the full thing:

Jill Stanton is one half of the Stanton duo who runs the popular blog Screw The 9 to 5.

She's also the name and face behind their emails. Which means sometimes she's the one who has to take charge of the breakups. Sorry, Jill.

But Jill doesn't just break up with her subscribers cold turkey. She sends them through a re-engagement campaign. Which is exactly what I want you to do too!

Re-engagement campaigns for cold subscribers are pretty easy to setup.

Here's how you do it in Drip.

Here's ConvertKit's instructions.

This is how you do it in MailChimp.

And here's ActiveCampaign's guide.

(If you use another platform, search their help docs for something like "re-engagement campaign" or "cold subscribers")

So here's the trick with the Screw The 9 to 5 re-engagement campaign:

3 of those 4 emails above are part of it.

On Jan. 19th, Jill sent me this:

It's super solid, right?! It's a clear message, in her brand voice, with link triggers to stay on the list or be removed.

My one piece of feedback here would be to just include ONE link trigger in the email. If I don't read this *very carefully*, I could pick the wrong one. *pout*

Then 2 days later I got this follow up:

Pros:

• personalized
• on brand
• reiterating the same email from two days prior

Cons:

• still has two links which could be confusing (bold type and all)

THEN...

I'm not removed from the list right away. I get one more regular "broadcast" style email:

Followed by one final email letting me know it's been fun:

...but now I'm confused.

If I want to stay on the list do I:

a) do nothing
b) click on the first link

I can probably do either one... but I'm just not sure.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

When it comes to a re-engagement campaign, you want to be super clear with your subscribers.

Leave no questions.

No stone unturned.

No.... you get the idea.

Then, once you've given them a solid week or two to get your emails and respond accordingly, clean that list!

(there are probably bulk delete options in your email software)

And that's it!

Clean your list at least twice a year after that. It will save you money, help your open rates, and keep your emails out of the spam folder.

Scared to clean your list?

Hit reply and let me know your biggest fears.

I'll write you a permission slip to do it anyways. 🙃

Cheers!

-Val