{"id":10505,"date":"2025-10-24T15:32:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T21:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=10505"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:32:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T21:32:38","slug":"do-you-know-whos-on-your-email-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=10505","title":{"rendered":"Do you know who\u2019s on your email list?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s easy to assume email problems come from the people hitting send. But sometimes the real issue is much bigger \u2014 and higher up the org chart.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in senior leadership and your email metrics feel like a slog with low opens, lower clicks and unsubscribes creeping up, it\u2019s tempting to blame the email team. Before you do, ask yourself: Do you actually know who\u2019s on your list and why they\u2019re there?<\/p>\n

When \u2018good\u2019 metrics hide a bigger problem<\/h2>\n

A while back, I worked with a client in the B2B financial services space. Their email performance was weak. They had very low open and click-through rates. Their unsubscribe and spam complaint rates, however, were within industry guidelines.<\/p>\n

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\"Unsubscribe<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

But when I compared those unsubscribe and spam complaint rates to their click rates, the problem became clear.<\/p>\n

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\"Unsubscribe-to-click<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

If you look at unsubscribes or spam complaints in isolation, they might seem acceptable. But compared to how many people actually clicked, the real story emerges \u2014 the unsubscribe-to-click and spam-complaint-to-click rates were off the charts.<\/p>\n

When negative engagement (unsubscribes or spam reports) outweighs positive engagement (clicks), that\u2019s a major red flag. The list was built entirely from website opt-ins. So far, so good, right? Here\u2019s the rub. The website\u2019s only goal was to generate leads for the sales team \u2014 and it did, maybe a little too well.<\/p>\n

Anyone who entered an email address into a form on the site was dropped into an aggressive (but efficient) lead-nurturing journey with rep outreach. After a few calls and follow-ups, you either became a client, were deemed unqualified or said thanks but no thanks. Then you were tossed into the ongoing email program.<\/p>\n

Dig deeper: 3 high-impact tactics to drive email engagement<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Same message, new \u2014 very different \u2014 audience<\/h2>\n

That email program consisted of two monthly sends:<\/p>\n