Even Though it’s Halloween, Don’t Scare Readers Off Your Email List

If you’ve spent time, money, sweat and tears building a list of subscribers for an email newsletter, then that list can be like gold for your business – if you treat your subscribers well. Here is an excellent article that highlights some of the the mistakes you shouldn’t make, either at this spooky time of year, or any other time for that matter!

Scaring a group of “trick or treaters” off your front porch with a creepy costume is all in good fun.

Scaring readers off your email list this Halloween — not so much fun.

And the worst part is that you might not even know you are doing it!

Here are six things you’ll want to avoid doing in order to keep readers from hitting that dreaded “unsubscribe” button:

1. Haunting your readers with too many emails

Ever felt like someone is watching you and following your every move? Don’t give your readers that same creepy feeling by haunting them with too many emails. Bombarding them is a sure way to scare them off your email list and fast. Not to mention, it makes you look a bit overbearing too.

When in doubt, send one email newsletter once a month. That’s enough to keep your business top of mind between emails.

2. Driving your readers insane

Sending out content that completely misses the mark and is irrelevant to your readers is a quick way to absolutely drive them insane. And when they’re pushed to the brink of insanity, they’re likely to do crazy things like send that email straight to the trash, or even worse, do the unthinkable — unsubscribe from your list. Make sure that every email you send offers something of value and is relevant to your readers.

3. Draining the life out of valued customers

You’re not a vampire. So don’t drain the life out of your readers with emails that are too long in length. Your readers are busy. They have places to go and things to do. It is imperative that you keep your content as concise and brief as possible. Get to the point and say what you need to say quickly.

4. Becoming a “walking dead” email zombie

No one wants to read something that sounds like it came from one of those creepy walking dead zombies. Breathe some life and personality into your emails. If your content is cut and dry and always focused on the sell, it won’t feel genuine or even slightly interesting.

Create emails that make your readers feel like they are having a personal conversation with you. Use simple, easy-to-understand language that lets your personality shine through.

5. Horrifying readers with the wrong email template

If your reader takes one look at your email and wants to run away screaming, you’ve got a problem. Having a simple, visually-appealing email design is just as important as offering relevant, engaging content. Make sure you use a single-column email template and include a beautiful image to enhance your readers’ experience.

6. Handing out apples when they wanted milk chocolate

Imagine this…an enthusiastic trick or treater reaches into a giant bowl, expecting to pull out a handful of the world’s tastiest candy. But to their dismay, they pull out an apple! Can you see the look of disappointment on their face? Ok, so maybe they are being saved from the joys of high fructose corn syrup, but it’s still a heart-wrenching sight.

Don’t create this scenario with your readers. Be sure to tell them exactly what they can expect from your emails, like how often you will send them out and the type of content they can expect to receive. Then, just make sure you follow through on those promises.