Some of Us Don't Have a Mom - STOP SENDING Mother's Day "Reminders"
Apr 29, 2024
If you're sending Mother's Day or Father's Day "reminders" to your email list, you need a topic "opt out" for those who have lost their mother and/or father. Otherwise, we will unsubscribe entirely.
This blog was inspired by the 3rd email I received today from YET ANOTHER COMPANY reminding me "don't forget mom on Mother's Day" -- and without an opt-out.
I lost my mom to cervical cancer in 1998. (Ladies: get your annual pap exams)
My husband lost his mom in 2022.
With each passing year, it's less raw than the year prior, but then around the end of April, the onslaught of Mother's Day reminders begin. And along with it, a painful reminder that I don't get to see my mom to buy her a giftcard from a restaurant, flowers from the florist, fancy chocolates, or whatever item the company is selling.
On behalf of ALL of us who have lost a parent:
- PLEASE provide a topic "Opt Out" for Mother's Day communications
- PLEASE provide a topic "Opt Out" for Father's Day communications
- When we email you to tell you we have lost our parent, reply first with sympathy (a simple, "I'm sorry for your loss" is fine) and then honor our request to stop getting these painful email reminders
If you don't have the capability or desire to do so, you're losing ME as a subscriber -- as well as hundreds if not THOUSANDS of others who won't be as vocal to tell that the reason they unsubscribed has nothing to do with you, but instead of the emotions your email created due to the loss of a parent.
Feel free to share this blog link with an email sender who doesn't have a topic opt-out in place. And by the way, if you're reading this and you've lost your mom or dad, I'm sorry for your loss.
PS -- Added May 9, 2024
Kudos to Sugarwish https://sugarwish.com/ who sent me a Mother's Day "reminder" email today and included a topic opt-out.
Example -- This is the subject of the email, and top of the email:
When you scroll to the bottom, they offer a topic opt-out:
After you opt-out, here's the landing page:
If they can do this, so can you. 🎁
