{"id":69714,"date":"2023-05-10T11:29:45","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T15:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=69714"},"modified":"2024-10-18T10:51:43","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T14:51:43","slug":"a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","title":{"rendered":"A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t
\n
\n \t
\n \t\t
\n \t\t\t
\n \t\t\t\t

There\u2019s a ubiquitous email that\u2019s getting under my skin. It feels like they\u2019re flooding my inbox, and it\u2019s got me thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

This kind of email is more often sent by retailers\u2014both online and brick-and-mortar. Instead of offering a simple unsubscribe option, they prompt users to opt-out of specific holiday emails. It\u2019s a good thought, too, often sent under the guise of empathy. But here\u2019s my hot take: email marketers should rethink this email tactic.<\/span><\/p>\n

What tactic am I talking about? The \u201copt-out of this specific holiday\u201d email.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen these emails in your own inbox. Be it for Mothers\u2019 Day, Fathers\u2019 Day, or even the <\/span>King\u2019s Coronation<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a single morning, I received 3 emails all with the subject line \u201cOpt out of Mother\u2019s Day emails\u201d from 3 very different retailers within minutes of each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

This email tactic <\/span>appears<\/span><\/i> strategic and <\/span>full of empathy for your customers and subscribers<\/span><\/a>. But here\u2019s why it\u2019s not:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Negative association<\/strong>: Calling out a holiday that might already be painful for some could surface unwanted emotions, even for those who hadn\u2019t considered it until the email showed up.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Complicated segmentation<\/strong>: Handling suppression lists for specific opt-out requests around holidays can lead to segmentation errors, increasing the risk of sending unwanted emails in the future. Plus, compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act and GDPR means you need to carefully manage this process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Instead of asking subscribers to opt-out, you can make your campaigns more thoughtful and impactful. Here\u2019s how:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    1. Empower your audience to opt-in instead of opting out<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Rather than offering an opt-out link, use your email preference center<\/a> to give your audience the opportunity to allow subscribers to choose which holidays they want to hear about. This gives your audience greater control of their inbox. Plus, you can use this data to drive more personalized email marketing campaigns during seasonal periods and future emails. And also quite nicely gives you a segment you could use to target paid media with seasonal\/holiday messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Integrate holiday messaging into existing campaigns<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Instead of sending standalone promotional emails dedicated to a holiday opt-out option, try weaving holiday-specific content into your regular email communications. For example, if someone\u2019s clicked on a Mother\u2019s Day offer in an email campaign, use that data! Serve them up a follow-up email campaign focused on that click. Your volume might be lower than if you sent a standalone email campaign\u2014but your audience intent is potentially higher resulting in higher conversion rates. This also helps reduce volume and improve deliverability and engagement rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Align your brand with the right seasonal holidays<\/span><\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s very tempting to jump on what everyone else is doing. Everyone else is launching an email campaign centered on Mother\u2019s Day, so you should be, too! But think about how authentic your brand might come across to customers if you\u2019re trying to force a connection with a spammy campaign. Understand who your audience is, what they want, and choose seasonal campaigns that will bring all of that together. And in a crowded inbox where everyone\u2019s trying to message around one very specific seasonal holiday, your brand will stand out by leveraging a topic that resonates better with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s my challenge for you, dear readers: <\/span>Be a better email marketer.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When your seasonal messaging feels authentic, it cuts through the noise and creates a more positive relationship with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That\u2019s <\/span><\/i>how you stand out in a crowded inbox.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n \t\t<\/div>\n \t<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    \n
    \n
    \n
    \n\t\t \t\t \t\t \t\t
    \n\t\t\t \n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t

    Create individualized email experiences at scale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Get powerful results with uniquely personalized, engaging email experiences that boost customer loyalty and drive revenue with Litmus Personalize, powered by Kickdynamic.<\/p>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t

    \n\t\t\t Learn more<\/a>\n\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t \t\t \t\t \t\t \t\t \t\t <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":69954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[10261,10367,1383],"blog_category":[57],"class_list":["post-69714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-holiday-emails","tag-litmus-opinion","tag-opt-in","blog_category-observations"],"yoast_head":"\nHoliday Opt-Out Emails: Should You Send Them? | Litmus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Think opting out of holiday emails is the empathetic move? Here\u2019s why it might be more problematic than you think\u2014and what to do instead.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Think opting out of holiday emails is the empathetic move? Here\u2019s why it might be more problematic than you think\u2014and what to do instead.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Litmus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-10T15:29:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-18T14:51:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"725\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@litmusapp\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Holiday Opt-Out Emails: Should You Send Them? | Litmus","description":"Think opting out of holiday emails is the empathetic move? Here\u2019s why it might be more problematic than you think\u2014and what to do instead.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email\u00a0","og_description":"Think opting out of holiday emails is the empathetic move? Here\u2019s why it might be more problematic than you think\u2014and what to do instead.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","og_site_name":"Litmus","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp","article_published_time":"2023-05-10T15:29:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-18T14:51:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1380,"height":725,"url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@litmusapp","twitter_site":"@litmusapp","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email\u00a0","datePublished":"2023-05-10T15:29:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-18T14:51:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email"},"wordCount":7,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png","keywords":["Holiday Emails","Litmus Opinion","Opt-In"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email","name":"Holiday Opt-Out Emails: Should You Send Them? | Litmus","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png","datePublished":"2023-05-10T15:29:45+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-18T14:51:43+00:00","description":"Think opting out of holiday emails is the empathetic move? Here\u2019s why it might be more problematic than you think\u2014and what to do instead.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Holiday-Opt-Out-Emails.png","width":1380,"height":725},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/a-case-against-the-holiday-opt-out-email#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Case Against the Holiday Opt-Out Email\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/","name":"Litmus","description":"Are you getting the most out of your email marketing?","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#organization","name":"Litmus Software","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-image.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/featured-image.png","width":600,"height":314,"caption":"Litmus Software"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/litmusapp","https:\/\/x.com\/litmusapp"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":""}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69714"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104501,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69714\/revisions\/104501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69714"},{"taxonomy":"blog_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_category?post=69714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}