Aweber complaints 1.6% on a broadcast. Any solutions?

by Maddi
15 replies
Hey guys,

This is strange. I'm only starting out to build my list now and this has happened to me and when I discussed it with a fellow IMer he says it could possible do me some harm in the future.

I sent a broadcast email to my list of 62 subs and received a 1.61% complaints ratio highlighted in yellow. Now what I don't get it all those subs were double opt-in who actually confirmed their email address. Also the email was not an aggressive promotion of some sort it was just an update of things and a promo of a giveaway to participate free as a member.

Well I couldn't do anything about it. The next broadcast I did I had a list of 91 people which went fine got 25% opens which is less then expected but no complaints.

Now this happened today. My list is 200, I send a broadcast and receive a 0.51% complaint ratio.

could anybody please explain whats going on? and how can I reduce it. Also can it get me into trouble?

The rest of my subscribers look cool with everything and I get replies and I'm building a really good relationship with them. Then why the complaints? what am I doing wrong here.
#16% #aweber #broadcast #complaints #page not found #solutions
  • Profile picture of the author Leslie B
    The biggest reason why you get complaints, is because some people find it "easier" to click on the spam button then to click on the unsubscribe link in your mail. Honestly, they don't understand that this can cause you harm so they just use the easy option for themselves. I'm not saying this is always the case, but for a big part it is.

    Leslie
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    Taking it one day at a time!
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      You're looking at one complaint for each of those stats. When you're dealing with small numbers of subscribers, the percentages just seem big.

      If you're still getting 1.6% when you get to 5000 subscribers, you need to worry.


      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author Maddi
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        You're looking at one complaint for each of those stats. When you're dealing with small numbers of subscribers, the percentages just seem big.

        If you're still getting 1.6% when you get to 5000 subscribers, you need to worry.


        Paul
        Yea thats what I thought too that its only one person who has a problem. But then if my email has been put into spam already won't their email filter automatically mark it as spam or something without friggin complaining?

        I hope I get 5000 subsribers quickly *wishful thinking* to shrink the percentage though.

        Can we actually find out that who has marked our mail as spam or something. I mean if we could I'd just contact them or delete them from the list.
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      • Profile picture of the author digigo
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        You're looking at one complaint for each of those stats. When you're dealing with small numbers of subscribers, the percentages just seem big.

        If you're still getting 1.6% when you get to 5000 subscribers, you need to worry.


        Paul
        true.. when the sample is small..it is not accurate..i wouldn't worry about it.. but you need to review your process and put the wording of opt-in in more a conspicuous and prominent place?
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    • Profile picture of the author Maddi
      Originally Posted by Leslie B View Post

      The biggest reason why you get complaints, is because some people find it "easier" to click on the spam button then to click on the unsubscribe link in your mail. Honestly, they don't understand that this can cause you harm so they just use the easy option for themselves. I'm not saying this is always the case, but for a big part it is.

      Leslie
      Yea I guess. They don't really think or I guess don't even know the effects of putting someone's mail in their spam. I mean if I wasn't an IMer I'd do it for any unwanted mail. (not for something I have requested and confirmed subscription for of course)

      Thanks for the reply Leslie, appreciate it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jacer
    Those rates are moderate. It is good to see you use double opt-in. Usually the higher spam flagging is due to someone using a single opt in. As Leslie mentioned, the spam button is easier that clicking through the unsubscribe link. I know I did this before I knew how it impacted the list owner. Now I make sure that I only click spam when it actually is spam, and unsubscribe the rest.

    Just make sure your emails closely match the subject your list opted in for. If you do this, while added good value, you should be fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Maddi,

      No, getting dumped into the spam folder by filters does not trigger an automatic complaint.

      If you're using Aweber (and probably most other such companies), complaints from most ISPs will automatically unsubscribe the person complaining.


      Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
    I wouldn't worry bout it...

    The page in your sig shows me that you're using AWeber, and they will automatically unsub the person who hit SPAM.

    It happens, and AWeber aren't gonna get twitchy over one single e-mail... they will monitor your stats over time and then alert you to any issues.

    As your list grows, the percentage naturally falls, if you're playin' the game well enough

    Peace

    Jay
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    Bare Murkage.........

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  • Profile picture of the author freudianslip27
    I sent a broadcast email today and it was to a double optin list (people had to optin to receive software) and got a response back "Stop spaming me!".

    The person didn't even unsubscribe, so I took him or her off the list.

    I hadn't even sent any recent emails to this list. Pretty lame how some people can be!

    Matt
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  • Profile picture of the author Heidi White
    as in life - a thick skin is helpful - you're double opting in - what more can you do?

    wouldn't worry about it
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemcmillan
    Like several have said, aWeber removes names automatically for you if they complain--you don't need to do anything. Your list isn't big enough to give you any kind of statically reliable data yet. But you're doing well--keep it growing. Good luck! --Mike

    P.S. aWeber won't give you names of the people who send complaints either.
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Originally Posted by Maddi View Post

    Then why the complaints? what am I doing wrong here.
    As others have mentioned, keep an eye on your stats for the long term. You may not be doing anything wrong. Time will tell.

    However, as to why people complain?

    As mentioned, some people hit the "spam" button rather than unsubscribe.

    Some people think that ANY message they don't like is spam. So if they don't like a book you're promoting, or they don't like your opinion that pepperoni pizza is better than sausage pizza, they'll hit the spam button.

    I remember one time I sent out an article, no links. Got a higher than normal number of spam complaints. Weird, eh? Perhaps they expected links and reviews, so when I didn't send any, they got mad.

    In other words -- don't repurpose your list, and be sure to always deliver what you promised/what people expect.

    Some people also hit the spam account because they link you directly with all the other newsletters and emails in their account. So if your email came in along with 20 other newsletters and emails, they feel overwhelmed. They decide that even if you sent just one email, you "spammed" them. Because their inbox is full, their conclusion is "this email is spam." The correct conclusion, of course is this: "they've subscribed to too many newsletters."

    If you send an email that's promoting something very similar to what others are promoting on that day, some people assume any similar emails are spam. Bam, they hit the spam button (even if you didn't use the cut and paste promos). This happens during big launches. You'll even see people talking about it here.

    Those are just a few of the reasons why you get complaints. I'm sure there are about 1,394,482 other possible reasons.

    Cheers,
    Becky
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    • Profile picture of the author ksburgess
      I had this happen to me too, I sent out a broadcast to my rather small list, asking if my subscribers had any questions on the topic they'd like me to address in future emails. And someone flagged that as spam... lol... I'm just trying to brush it off because I know it wasn't spammy at all. Hopefully it was just what people here say, they find it easier to click "spam." I don't get it but...
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      • Profile picture of the author Maddi
        Originally Posted by freudianslip27 View Post

        I sent a broadcast email today and it was to a double optin list (people had to optin to receive software) and got a response back "Stop spaming me!".

        The person didn't even unsubscribe, so I took him or her off the list.

        I hadn't even sent any recent emails to this list. Pretty lame how some people can be!

        Matt
        Matt thanks for the reply but... 'STOP SPAMMIN ME' lol

        Originally Posted by mikemcmillan View Post

        Like several have said, aWeber removes names automatically for you if they complain--you don't need to do anything. Your list isn't big enough to give you any kind of statically reliable data yet. But you're doing well--keep it growing. Good luck! --Mike

        P.S. aWeber won't give you names of the people who send complaints either.
        Yea thats what I was thinking. If aweber removed the first email that complaint. And then the other broadcast went fine. The 2nd after that had another complaint so that means my email has been tagged as spam by 2 different people right?

        Originally Posted by ksburgess View Post

        I had this happen to me too, I sent out a broadcast to my rather small list, asking if my subscribers had any questions on the topic they'd like me to address in future emails. And someone flagged that as spam... lol... I'm just trying to brush it off because I know it wasn't spammy at all. Hopefully it was just what people here say, they find it easier to click "spam." I don't get it but...
        hehe thats a nice reason to be marked as spam. The funny thing is my last broadcast was very similar. I asked for a suggestion that what I should I call my blog and provided them with a few options.
        And I had a link of a free giveaway. Got reported as spam.

        Not much we can do I'm afraid.

        But thanks very much everyone who has replied. It really helped clear out few confusions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hilary
    Does anyone know at what level Aweber start reacting to this? How many emails in a row in the 'amber' range, or at what % of complaints? I'd like to know how much I should be panicking...
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