Wooing back an email list of subscribers that you've p*ssed off!

One of the highest email open rates I've ever received was from an email entitled "I'm Sorry..."

This works great to explain to them exactly what was going on and how you've made a commitment to only providing value from this point forward. End the email with a gift of some sort to let them know you are serious about providing value.

This is the first suggestion I always give to my students when they ask this question and it's pretty successful in most cases.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Coby

I concur with Coby.

Send a sincere apology.

Maybe even make it overly cheesy and amusing.

Also, be sure to set future expectations.

"I'm sorry that I ABC, and to make up for it I intend on XYZ".



Possible subject lines:
I'm literally BEGGING for your forgiveness...
I EMBARRASSED myself. And got schooled moments later...
I suck at marketing...

Maybe have an entire campaign around this theme?

Coby hit it right on, I think there's no better way to relate to a disgruntled list than admitting to what you did and apologizing.
After all, the most important aspect is relating. If you relate to how they feel about you, you may in turn get some loyalty out of them.

Worth a shot..

Coby is right. Head their advice.

After that, create valuable content and do what I say in that report I just sent cha!

1) The "I'm sorry" subject line should be your next message ... the message itself should have something REALLY good with it. I mean like REALLY good.

2) Your second message should have something EVEN BETTER. Not only that, in the first message, you want to sell the second message. Tell people you're giving it, no strings attached.

3) Give something really good for a third message and make sure your second message sells what you're giving away here.

Keep doing the above for a string of 7 to 9 messages. The only "sales message" should be teasing what the person will get in the next days email.

4) Make sure that you get some kind of "email subject line swipe file" so that each email has the best subejct lines possible.

5) Write each email as if it is to ONE person. From you, to one person. It's more personable that way.

In other words, give 7 to 9 days of great content always teasing what is coming the next day.

ONE MORE THING

Make each of the 7 to 9 days of stuff a link they have to click to get.

Delete off your list everyone that didn't click through at least one of the messages as likely they will never open any of your emails.

This is REALLY hard to do, but it's worth it. You'll be left with a truly responsive list (of probably less than 300 people)

Now make sure you treat your list the way you wish you want to be treated.

its easier just to say sorry, learn from in, move on and continue with the next subscriber.

Avoid creating a "im sorry, ive changed" formula and focus on the formula of courting your next subscribers.

Replace them with new subscribers as you'll find it easier to keep the new people happier rather than trying to "woo" the already unresponsive subscribers back into liking your stuff.

If your list is the type where you want to build a relationship, find a happy medium between promos and delivering useful and relevant content they will want to keep an eye out for you in their inbox for.

Or you can just go the churn and burn route, but you really need to be doing much more volume than the 1K in a month you mentioned in another thread,

That will work if you were doing more like 1K per day

I've seen a great reactivation letter by John Carlton for one of his clients. It was funny and worked really good. You should try something funny and see how it goes. Or... test "i'm sorry" and if it doesn't work.... follow up with the funny email and clown yourself and try to get them back on your side.