Why are multiple subscribers unsubscribing at the same time?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Neil Patel Digital shares that poor list hygiene and old/stale email addresses can lead to mass unsubscribes. Regularly clean your list of inactive users.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests a possible explanation is that a spam filter or security software at the organization level might be automatically unsubscribing multiple users as a protective measure if it detects suspicious email activity.
Email marketer from Email On Acid answers that bot activity might be responsible. Some bots automatically click links, including unsubscribe links, shortly after receiving an email.
Email marketer from StackOverflow responds that broken links or errors on your unsubscribe page might cause frustration, leading users to unsubscribe as a last resort. Verify links are always working.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that organizations use aggressive spam filters that automatically unsubscribe their users to protect their employees.
Email marketer from Quora User answers that changes in sending frequency or the type of content you are sending might trigger unsubscribes if it doesn't align with what subscribers initially signed up for. Monitor your audience to understand preferences.
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that a sudden drop in sender reputation could lead to more emails being marked as spam, triggering mass unsubscribes. Monitor your sender reputation regularly.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor answers that Irrelevant content or sending too many emails can prompt subscribers to unsubscribe en masse. Segment your lists to send relevant content to the right people.
Email marketer from HubSpot responds that not adhering to GDPR and other privacy regulations can lead to subscribers unsubscribing. Ensure you have proper consent and clear unsubscribe options.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks recommends fixing the one-click unsubscribe implementation if it's not following the RFC 8058 protocol.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a sudden spike in complaints or feedback loop reports can trigger an automated response from some mailbox providers, leading to a block or rate limiting that might cause a simultaneous reaction across multiple subscribers.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if a list-unsub header implements a one-click unsubscribe, it's likely a filter is checking all the links in the email.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Support indicates that Gmail's spam filters can automatically unsubscribe users from emails they rarely open or mark as spam.
Documentation from Mailchimp Knowledge Base shares that unengaged subscribers will often be purged. Mailchimp uses automation to keep lists fresh and engagement up. This might also be a reason why you're losing subscribers, especially if they were not engaging.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that Microsoft's Safe Links feature in Outlook can pre-emptively visit URLs in emails, which might trigger one-click unsubscribe links, resulting in unexpected unsubscribes. Check your organisations settings to avoid false positives.
Documentation from ietf.org explains that List-Unsubscribe header with a one-click unsubscribe may be unintentionally triggered by security software, especially if the implementation doesn't strictly adhere to the RFC specifications.