Short answer: no, not necessarily.

Longer answer? It depends. But often, unsubscribes are actually a good thing.

Let me explain…

1. Unsubscribes keep your list clean

Your mailing list is only as good as the people on it. If someone hasn’t opened an email in months or was never really interested in the first place, their unsubscribing is doing you a favour.

A smaller but more engaged list will always beat a bigger, disinterested one. Think of it as quality over quantity.

2. Most people don’t unsubscribe because of you

Sometimes, a higher unsubscribe rate can feel personal. But it rarely is.

People might be decluttering their inbox, changing jobs, or just going through a phase of “unsubscribe from everything” after a busy week – we’ve all been there!

If your unsubscribe rate suddenly spikes, it’s worth checking if anything changed (e.g. subject line, tone, frequency, or content). But a few unsubscribes here and there? Totally normal.

3. You can use unsubscribes to improve

If you have a lot of drop-offs and you’re genuinely not sure why, it might be worth:

• Surveying your audience to find out what they want more/less of
• Reviewing your tone, format, and frequency
• Checking that your list is still made up of the right people.

It’s worth noting that purchased data can be a handy way to start conversations, but don’t be surprised if the unsubscribe rate is higher. The good news? It quickly highlights who’s genuinely interested, so you can focus your efforts where they’ll make the biggest impact.

If you’re a Yardstick client, we can dig into the data with you and spot any patterns you might have missed. We can also set up surveys, so you can find out what your audience wants more (or less) of, straight from them.

4. Don’t chase numbers for numbers’ sake

It’s easy to feel like your email list should only ever grow. But the right subscribers matter far more than the total count.

You don’t need to speak to everyone. Just the people who want to hear from you.

The bottom line

Unsubscribes aren’t the enemy – they’re a natural, healthy part of email marketing. Keep focusing on creating content your audience genuinely enjoys, and you’ll always be in a good place.

And if you’re not sure what to write, how often to send it, or what your numbers are really telling you, that’s where we can step in. We help financial advisers and planners get email marketing right, from strategy to subject lines.

Drop us a line at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300 and let’s chat about how we can help keep your list engaged (and your stress levels down).