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The despair of the New York Times

I recently had to subscribe to the NYTimes because I wanted to read an article behind a paywall and I couldn't find a quick and easy alternative. I didn't mind the $2.00 a month. But I was offended by what happened after I paid.

Over the next 5 days they sent me 5 onboarding marketing emails and I couldn't unsubscribe from any of them. What's worse is their footer message.

You receive this unique series of onboarding messages over a 14-day period as they provide essential information about your new subscription. Because the messages concern your relationship with The Times, you receive them whether or not you have opted in to receive marketing emails from The New York Times.

They probably think it’s clever marketing copy. This is not the case. It made me feel helpless. It put a sour taste in my mouth. It gave them the smell of desperation. This prompted me to go out of my way to verify that my subscription doesn't auto-renew. The irony is that if they had included a simple unsubscribe link or if they hadn't sent me anything at all, I probably wouldn't have bothered to check.

Their copy makes it seem like they know they are shy. And yet, they choose not to follow CAN-SPAM best practices. And for what? A few more glances and clicks. I know news outlets and journalism sites have been hit hard in recent years, but is it that bad? I wonder if the NYTimes is the only one using these tactics.

Email is near and dear to my heart. My own business uses email as a key growth channel, so I understand its importance. But I make sure every marketing email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Gmail users also see a one-click unsubscribe button at the top. I also provide a link that recipients can click to initiate the departure flow if they wish to permanently close their account. I also add this on some transactional emails.

I don't consider these things anti-growth. On the contrary, I consider them as growth drivers. They help me maintain a high email sending reputation and my email list clean. Customers feel like they're in the driver's seat, which is increasingly important in today's climate and probably helps my brand. Customers who want to end their relationship with my company can do so without problem, so they are less likely to badmouth me.

I make a small fraction of what the NYTimes makes. If I'm not desperate, why are they?