When you’re an online business owner, building your list feels great!

But there’s a certain special sting to seeing the number of “Unconfirmed Subscribers” grow.

Here are 3 tactics I’m implementing myself to get more of the people who sign up on my email list to actually make it over to “Confirmed”…

My focus on this topic started a couple of weeks ago, when I clicked to my subscriber overview inside of ConvertKit, and, for the first time, basically ever, I clicked to see my Unconfirmed Subscribers…

Unconfirmed Subscribers: The people who signed up for one of my lead magnets but then didn’t click to confirm their subscriptions from the initial email.

My jaw hit the table when I saw that the number of Unconfirmed Subs was almost HALF the number of total people on my list—especially because, as I scrolled through the names, I noticed so many people I know – well! – people who were clearly interested in what I offer, but STILL didn’t click through that link.

The thing about Unconfirmed Subscribers is that you’re legally not allowed to follow up.

So, while I would *love* to put together a little sequence to give these people a good reason to read my stuff…

The only thing I can do is try to help future new subscribers avoid the same fate.​

1. Adding a message to my Thank You pages that encourages people to go look in their Spam folders if they don’t see my email right away.
   
   In the same way that your new subscribers are most likely to buy shortly after they sign up for your list, your prospective subscribers are most likely to remember to go look for your email if you mention it to them ASAP.

   Making sure you mention that they should look for you in Promotions/Spam right there on your Thank You page is the best way to get them to take action right away.

    

2. Enabling auto-confirm for certain opt-in forms only
   
   While I 100% recommend having double opt-in enabled (that is, requiring people to confirm they want to hear from you after they initially sign up for your list)…

   It’s also the reason you have unconfirmed subscribers in the first place.

   Thing is, certain forms are at a higher risk of spam bots than others.

   So, in the future, if I’m running a limited-time workshop, for example, and want to make sure everyone who signs up actually gets all the details, that’s a form where it would be worthwhile to “Enable auto-confirm”.

   Generally, if a form is on your Home page, or another page linked form your main header navigation, you probably want double opt-in on.

   But if it’s hidden on a product page or only lives in your Insta linktree?

   It could be worth experimenting with enabling auto-confirm.

    

3. Auditing my incentive email subject lines / content
   
   Before sitting down to write this email, I looked more closely at my last 30 unconfirmed subscribers:

   1. Which forms did they sign up through?

   2. What appears on that Thank You page?

   3. What incentive email did they get?

   4. What was the subject line of the incentive email?

   5. Did they open that email?

   Again, because I can’t follow up with people who don’t confirm, all of my actions have to be preemptive.

   This means I need to optimize for getting that initial email opened and getting that “Confirm my Subscription” button clicked.

   From what you learn through this audit, you can go on to update your subject lines (e.g. adding something like [Action required!] or [Freebie inside!]). And, within your incentive email, you can make sure you’re being crystal clear about the fact that people won’t hear from you again until they click that button.

The 3 steps above feel like a good start when it comes to reducing the number of people who get stuck as “Unconfirmed Subscribers” and increasing the number of people who actually end up on my list. With that said, tweaking & optimizing my setup will be an ongoing process, and I’m sure i’ll come across new strategies as I discuss this subject with other pros.

Next, here are 3 things I’m NOT doing to fix this problem:

1. I’m NOT turning off double-opt in completely

   I do still want to make sure that the majority of my subscribers are people who care enough about getting my emails that they were willing to click that button.

2. I’m NOT freaking out about spam words
   The myth that certain words will trigger spam filters is widespread, but has generally been debunked.

   Sure, sending multiple emails with “Make money FAST” in the subject line might raise red flags, but the odds of that happening are dramatically higher if you’re engaging in generally spammy practices.

3. I’m NOT giving up on email entirely
   What I love about email marketing is the fact that, unlike social media, it can feel like you’re really talking to your people one on one.

   But apart from that added intimacy, email has tons of advantages over other marketing channels. In brief, you can measure your reach, you own your list, and you have the ability to send targeted messages based on what people do.

   The old “make $44 for every $1 spent” stat might not be 100% accurate anymore, but people are still more likely to make high-ticket buying decisions in their inbox.

   So, even though it’s frustrating to see new names added to that Unconfirmed Subscribers column, I’m not going to let it break my stride.

Ultimately, getting more of the people who sign up on your landing pages to actually confirm their emails isn’t going to make or break your success.

But as a marketing pro who’s in the business of optimizing for conversions, this is the kind of puzzle I love to dig into to try and improve.

If you’re interested in chatting about how I can support your business’s sales with email marketing

I offer one-off Funnel Strategy Sessions for anyone interested in getting a new funnel set up (or having an existing funnel audited). Funnel Strategy Sessions include my expert insight into your sales funnel strategy and structure, a completely custom funnel map, a customized selection of templates for each of the emails you’ll send, and 7 days of Voxer support so that you can get your questions answered.