Gmail makes unsubscribing even easier. What does it mean for you?

At first glance, it may sound like a challenge that unsubscribing has become even easier. But in our assessment, the subscription management feature is actually in everyone's interest. The expectation is that Gmail's "Manage subscriptions" will raise 1. the demand for relevance and 2. the quality of mailing lists.

Google is introducing a new menu item for Gmail users. Here, newsletters and campaign emails are collected in an overview where you can see who sends what, how often – and unsubscribe directly from the inbox. The feature is being rolled out gradually and is not yet visible to everyone at the time of writing.

A push in the right direction
The new subscription management feature in Gmail doesn't change the fundamentals. Recipients already have several ways to unsubscribe from newsletters. Now the option just becomes even more visible and accessible. Our experience suggests two possible outcomes:

• If your content is relevant to the recipient, the relationship becomes stronger.
• If your content is not relevant, the relationship ends more quickly.

And we see both as positive. Let's dive into why:

You will get more unsubscribes – and that's actually fine
It is our general assumption that more people will choose to unsubscribe from your newsletter as the option comes one click closer. Our claim is that most would have done so anyway – at some point.

We generally see with our customers that inactive recipients are overall more expensive than those who unsubscribe. Inactive newsletter recipients pull down open rates, affect deliverability and contribute to an unclear picture of who actually wants to hear from you.
So if an unsubscribe is inevitable, it's better to lose them now than to continue sending emails that aren't being read. It's a bit like pulling off a plaster – it hurts more if you drag it out.

The feature's significance for you as a sender
Here is our professional assessment of what Gmail's "Manage subscriptions" menu item may come to mean for businesses sending newsletters:

1. Relevance becomes even more important than before. The ability to see all email subscriptions side by side in the inbox sharpens competition for the recipient's attention, and good content wins here.
2. Frequency should be calibrated with even greater care. If the sending rhythm doesn't reflect the recipient's needs, it can now even more easily result in an unsubscribe.
3. A more accurate recipient list. The increased transparency in the recipient's inbox makes it easier to decide, and you get a more balanced, value-creating database.

So what can you do from here?
With the rollout of the new Gmail feature, our recommendation is to follow these three rules of thumb in your communication – even more focused than before:

1. Show interest in your recipients and meet them in your content. Your mailing list becomes stronger when it consists of recipients who find genuine value in your newsletters.
2. Make it easy to adjust the frequency. "Send fewer emails" is one of the most effective moves we've seen to show respect for the relationship and preserve it.
3. Follow your recipients' signals. Open rates, clicks and inactivity all tell you something. Use the signals to calibrate rhythm and relevance.

At Yulsn, we are positive about Google's update – on behalf of both businesses and recipients. While the subscription management feature may at first glance look like yet another challenge in a busy inbox, from our perspective it raises the level for email marketing – with less noise, more relevance, stronger relationships and mailing lists that reflect real interests. We look forward to following the development.