Confessions of an unsubscriber: It's not me, it's you

Dear Marketing Team,

You might have noticed I’ve unsubscribed, so here’s the truth.

When we first met, it felt promising. Your sign-up form offered exclusive insights and £20 off my first order, and your welcome email delivered. It was personal, polished, full of potential, and led me straight to my first purchase with ease. I thought this could be something real.

Then things shifted.

By the time your third “Don’t miss out” became your tenth “Last chance”, it was clear we wanted different things. I wanted relevance. You wanted engagement. I hoped for thoughtful updates shaped around me; you chased clicks for your monthly reports. So I left. Hit unsubscribe. And it felt good, in that way overdue kind of way.

The inbox intensity didn’t help. Daily emails, sometimes twice daily. I tried to give subtle hints by not opening them, but the silence didn’t land.

And those subject lines.
“This one’s just for you” (it wasn’t).
“Don’t miss out, Ashley” (only my mum calls me that).

Then came the Christmas cat content. I don’t have a cat. My wife is allergic. You stocked three cat-related gifts. I checked. The turning point was your “We miss you” campaign. Did you miss me, or my money? Because the relationship felt a bit one-sided. Four follow-ups in one week took it from heartfelt to heavy-handed.

I’m seeing other brands now. I’m not trying to make you jealous (I am). They email me once a week. They ask what I care about. They invite me to update my preferences rather than carpet-bombing my inbox. And what they send actually feels like it’s meant for me. That’s the baseline now.

So, for the next subscriber you meet, here’s a short list for a healthier relationship.

1. Respect consent

If someone gives you their email, treat it like a privilege, not a license to spam.

2. Quality wins single time

A timely, thoughtful message will always outperform a daily flood.

3. Personalisation is not  “Insert First Name”

True relevance comes from understanding people, not inserting fields.

4. Don’t fear unsubscribes

A smaller, engaged list outperforms a disengaged, disinterested one.

5. Be graceful at goodbye

Make leaving easy. It shows confidence and earns long-term respect.

If your audience is ghosting your emails, the story can still change. At ActionRocket, we help brands build real loyalty through smarter segmentation, empathetic automation, and messages people actually want to open. Let’s write a better love story between your CRM and your customers, get in touch and we can help.