Hey, you -

For someone who fancies herself a marketing consultant and copywriter, I don't say a whole lot in this "newsletter" about ... marketing and copywriting.

That's on purpose. I didn't set out to create something like Ann Handley's Total Annarchy or Harry's Marketing Examples. They're inimitable, anyway.

Despite the intentionality behind these emails, I worry quite a lot that what I write for you doesn't "add value."  (Those are the weeks you don't hear from me.)

And the unsubscribes don't feckin help.

I have a wee list, possibly (probably) (for sure) because I'm not doing anything to grow it. (Clients: Do what I say, not what I do.)

So while I don't get a lot of unsubscribes, I definitely notice them.

It happened just this morning, in fact: Someone unsubscribed after receiving 15 emails from me. 15!  Like, what could've possibly been the last straw in an email that included a Jason Mraz playlist?

I pouted for a second, but then I remembered something I tell clients all the time.

Pep Talk #044: Some people just aren't your people.

If you're brave enough to put Something out into the world—a product or service, a poem or story, a program or subscription—it simply won't be for everyone.  Unsubscribes and abandoned carts are inevitable.

But that doesn't mean your Something is trash, no matter what your Inner Critic says.

Unsubscribes et. al., can mean lots of things. Sure, they could mean your messaging is off. Or you're sending too many emails. Or the wrong kinds of emails. Or your offer needs a bit of a tweak. Or you added people to your list without their permission. (You would never, though. Right?)

Often, though, people who peace-out simply aren't your people. Don't worry about them. Keep showing up for the folks who are.

Now, if you're truly concerned about the health of your email list—like, if you're seeing a precipitous drop in engagement—please have a chat with my brilliant friend, Jocelyn Moore.

Jocelyn is kind, bright, and real, and she's helped LOTS of businesses diagnose and fix Actual Email Problems. (This is not an affiliate/kickback situation or anything. Jocelyn doesn't even know she's in this week's Pep Talk. Well, I mean, she does now. 👋 )

Go find your people,
Kelley

P.S. In addition to unsubscribes, you may find yourself being ghosted after sales calls, not that that's ever happened to me, but can we all just collectively agree to be grownups and close loops even when it's awkward to say nevermind, I don't want to work with you anymore after all even though I said I did? For the love.

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