The Unsubscribe Manifesto: Why Playing It Safe Is Killing Your Email Marketing
You’ve spent time and energy growing your email list. You didn’t do that just to whisper into the void. You did it because you had something to say—and something to sell.
But now?
You second-guess every sentence. You edit out anything remotely edgy. You draft, delete, and delay.
Because what if someone unsubscribes?
Here’s the thing nobody tells you:
Unsubscribes are not the problem.
Being ignored is.
Let’s Set the Scene
You’ve got a list. Maybe it’s 200 people. Maybe it’s 20,000.
But if they’re not opening, not reading, not buying—what’s the point?
This isn’t about building a list.
This is about building a community that actually gives a damn.
And that doesn’t happen by playing it safe.
Why Newsletters Are Back (and It’s Not About the Platform)
Newsletters are everywhere right now.
"Subscribe to my Substack" has become the new "link in bio."
And look. There’s nothing wrong with that. Email is having a moment, and Substack made it cool again.
But here’s the part nobody says out loud:
It’s not the platform that makes it work. It’s the content.
Because I’ve subscribed to plenty of Substacks that lost me after the second email. Polished, forgettable, surface-level noise.
The ones I stay subscribed to? The ones I look forward to? They make me feel something. They don’t play it safe. They have a voice.
So if you’re thinking, "Should I be on Substack too?" well, you’re asking the wrong question.
It’s not where you send from. It’s what you send.
The Unsubscribe Philosophy is about showing up with boldness, clarity, and conviction whether you’re on Substack, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or scribbling it by hand and mailing it via carrier pigeon.
If your content isn’t real, it won’t land. If it doesn’t stand out, it won’t stick.
Spoiler: You’ll survive the unsubscribes.
What your business won’t survive is being ignored.
Why Most Email Marketing Sucks
Let’s be honest.
Most email marketing is beige. It’s trying to be liked by everyone and remembered by no one.
Here’s how it usually goes:
A “value-packed” tip that sounds like a LinkedIn post from 2017.
A PS that’s basically whispering, “Buy my thing?”
A voice that could belong to literally anyone.
And then people wonder why their open rates are tanking.
It’s not the algorithm.
It’s not the economy.
It’s your emails.
You’re blending in when you should be standing out.
Living the Unsubscribe Philosophy
So what does it actually look like to live the Unsubscribe Philosophy?
It looks like writing the damn thing even when it makes you nervous.
It looks like saying the thing that might lose you 12 subscribers… and lands you six clients.
It looks like fixing one email and watching a client sell five coaching spots in 30 minutes.
It looks like five bold, imperfect emails that bring in five figures in five days.
It looks like Anna, who paid me to write a sales email funnel and made $40,000 off the back of it.
This isn’t theory. This is what I do.
And the best part? None of that came from long sequences or complicated automations. Just clear, confident communication. Done consistently.
Here’s what happens when you stop filtering:
➡️ You start writing like you’ve actually got something to say. Because you do.
➡️ You show up more often. Not because a marketing calendar told you to, but because your audience is waiting for you.
➡️ You make offers like someone who believes in them.
➡️ You stop editing your personality into something “more professional” and start making more money.
According to Litmus, email marketing drives an average ROI of $36–$42 for every $1 spent. And 60%+ of consumers say they prefer email over social media for brand communication. That’s not a trend. That’s leverage.
But only if you stop trying to be palatable and start being powerful.
The Unsubscribe Manifesto
You’ve been told to write for the algorithm.
To chase trends.
To keep it polished.
To sand down every edge so nobody gets upset.
But here’s the truth:
The more you try to please everyone, the faster you fade into the background.
The businesses that stand out?
The ones that make bank?
The ones that build die-hard communities that actually buy?
They take up space.
They don’t play it safe.
They say the thing everyone else is too afraid to say.
They write like real people—not corporate bots.
They email often, boldly, and without apology.
Unsubscribes? Not a red flag. A filter.
This is about unsubscribing from being forgettable.
Because the right people?
They want to be sold to.
They want to hear from you.
They want to feel something.
They want you to take up space.
Playing it safe is the fastest way to disappear.
If you want them to open your emails? Give them a reason to.
“Unsubscribe” isn’t about vanishing.
It’s about standing the hell out.
If you’re scared of people leaving, you’re scared of the wrong thing.
Be scared of being ignored.
Let them unsubscribe.
They’ll remember you.
Because the real ones?
They don’t just stay. They buy.
Let Them Go
Every time someone unsubscribes, they make space for someone better.
Someone who gets it.
Someone who opens every time.
Someone who buys.
So let them go.
Let them roll their eyes.
Let them unsubscribe.
They were never your people.
And if you’re still clutching your pearls over the idea that someone might not like you?
You’re not ready to lead.
But if you’re done shrinking?
If you’re ready to step into your full expression and show the hell up?
You already know what to do.
Your Next Move
Here’s your real move:
Write the email you’ve been scared to send.
Say what you actually want to say.
Make the offer.
And if someone unsubscribes?
Good.
You’re finally doing it right.
Hey! I’m Elizabeth
Email marketing expert with a decade-long track record of helping clients make bank from emails. Because the easiest sales you’ll ever make start with an email.
