Note: this was originally posted earlier this year. In the interim the laws in the U.S. have changed so that it’s actually illegal to put your unsubscribe functionality behind a log-in requiring a password! Any companies still doing this (I can think of a couple) would be best advised to get on track with this as soon as possible.
Ever tried to unsubscribe from a newsletter, only to find out you need to enter an account password in order to access the unsubscribe function? Ouch.
Message to marketers - don’t ever, ever, ever require this. First off, if the unsubscribe function is being accessed from a newsletter, the technology required to automatically pre-populate your readers’ email in your unsubscribe form is so simple that even I could do it!
Secondly, chances are that a majority of the readers who want to unsubscribe probably don’t remember what password they originally used for your service or publication. By requiring they log in to unsubscribe, you’re pretty much guaranteeing that these folks will flag you as spam instead of trying to figure out their password. So, if you’re wondering why your emails are going to the spam folder on Gmail or AOL, this might just be the reason.
