Increases in the number of unsubscribes can mean there are issues with old or stale recipient email addresses, improperly-collected or purchased lists, or irrelevant content.
Reducing or Preventing High Unsubscribe Rates
Remove stale or old email addresses. If you’ve been sending on a regular basis and tracking opens and clicks, you may consider removing inactive recipients. Inactive recipients are people who haven’t opened or clicked your emails in a number of months. This will help eliminate bounces as well as ensure a high-quality list and high engagement. High engagement has the benefit of helping your deliverability as many ISPs use engagement-based filtering, and you ensure that you’re only sending content to people who want to receive it and who are more likely to engage with you and your company.
Don’t use purchased, rented, or third-party recipient lists. Using a confirmed or double opt-in process is considered an industry best practice, but it’s not strictly required. When you use the double opt-in method, you’re targeting only those recipients who really want to hear from you.
Double opted-in lists have much higher engagement levels over time which translates to more opens and clicks and fewer spam complaints and bounces. You should always ensure that you’re only sending to recipients who have a prior business relationship with you or who have consented to receive emails from you.