Cool Email Idea: Options on Opt-Out

What: Options on Opt-Out

Who: RealAge

Why we love it: Opt outs are always a bummer, but they are a part of email life. People have changing interests, jobs and lifestyles and your email may not longer be relevant to them. Better to have them move on than stay on the list and drag down your response rates. But, there is always a subset of subscribers who are still interested in your content, but maybe not quite so much of it. Giving those folks the option of staying on the list, but at a lower frequency, is a great way to staunch unsubscribes and keep interested readers reading. RealAge does this well with a preference center page that offers the option of getting email just once a week, alongside the traditional option of opting out.

What would make it better: Beware the attack of the lawyers! The addition of a "suppression list" option is a little scary and way too legalistic for words. While they try to ameliorate this with their explanation, it still feels too corporate and tricky. And, it must be said, unnecessary. They can simply use the opt-out list as the suppression file - there is no need to make subscribers figure out the difference. The small number of folks who don't choose the suppression option are hardly worth the effort and potential confusion.

Bonus points: Subscriber testimonials are smart. Reminding people why they signed up, what the benefits are and what others love is a great way to get recipients to think twice before opting out. Our only nitpick here is we'd prefer to see these integrated to the side so they don't push the unsubscribe option down the page. Make unsubscribing super-easy always, then include options and inducements in a subscriber-friendly way. Still, compared with many other sites we've seen, RealAge is making the most of this process for both their business and for subscribers.

Check it out: Sign up at www.realage.com.

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