A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email 

There’s a ubiquitous email that’s getting under my skin. It feels like they’re flooding my inbox, and it’s got me thinking.

This kind of email is more often sent by retailers—both online and brick-and-mortar. Instead of offering a simple unsubscribe option, they prompt users to opt-out of specific holiday emails. It’s a good thought, too, often sent under the guise of empathy. But here’s my hot take: email marketers should rethink this email tactic.

What tactic am I talking about? The “opt-out of this specific holiday” email. 

You’ve probably seen these emails in your own inbox. Be it for Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day, or even the King’s Coronation.

On a single morning, I received 3 emails all with the subject line “Opt out of Mother’s Day emails” from 3 very different retailers within minutes of each other.

This email tactic appears strategic and full of empathy for your customers and subscribers. But here’s why it’s not:

1. Negative association: Calling out a holiday that might already be painful for some could surface unwanted emotions, even for those who hadn’t considered it until the email showed up.
2. Complicated segmentation: Handling suppression lists for specific opt-out requests around holidays can lead to segmentation errors, increasing the risk of sending unwanted emails in the future. Plus, compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR means you need to carefully manage this process.

Instead of asking subscribers to opt-out, you can make your campaigns more thoughtful and impactful. Here’s how:

1. Empower your audience to opt-in instead of opting out

Rather than offering an opt-out link, use your email preference center to give your audience the opportunity to allow subscribers to choose which holidays they want to hear about. This gives your audience greater control of their inbox. Plus, you can use this data to drive more personalized email marketing campaigns during seasonal periods and future emails. And also quite nicely gives you a segment you could use to target paid media with seasonal/holiday messages.

2. Integrate holiday messaging into existing campaigns

Instead of sending standalone promotional emails dedicated to a holiday opt-out option, try weaving holiday-specific content into your regular email communications. For example, if someone’s clicked on a Mother’s Day offer in an email campaign, use that data! Serve them up a follow-up email campaign focused on that click. Your volume might be lower than if you sent a standalone email campaign—but your audience intent is potentially higher resulting in higher conversion rates. This also helps reduce volume and improve deliverability and engagement rates.

3. Align your brand with the right seasonal holidays

It’s very tempting to jump on what everyone else is doing. Everyone else is launching an email campaign centered on Mother’s Day, so you should be, too! But think about how authentic your brand might come across to customers if you’re trying to force a connection with a spammy campaign. Understand who your audience is, what they want, and choose seasonal campaigns that will bring all of that together. And in a crowded inbox where everyone’s trying to message around one very specific seasonal holiday, your brand will stand out by leveraging a topic that resonates better with your audience.

Here’s my challenge for you, dear readers: Be a better email marketer. 

When your seasonal messaging feels authentic, it cuts through the noise and creates a more positive relationship with your audience.

That’s how you stand out in a crowded inbox.