How to Lose Subscribers 101

The Mistake I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

Koala Lab
March 24, 2025

When I first launched my newsletter, I kept the sign-up process simple:

Flow 1️⃣

✅ Step 1: An interested subscriber lands on my sign-up page and enters their email.
✅ Step 2: They check their inbox to authenticate their email and confirm their subscription.

This two-step approach had a high conversion rate and offered benefits like:

Email verification: Preventing spam and fake sign-ups.
GDPR compliance: Ensuring explicit user consent.

But then I got too ambitious.

I wanted to know more about my audience so I could create better content and deliver a personalized experience. So, I introduced an optional form after Step 1 to collect extra details:

📌 First Name → To personalize emails.
📌 Country → To optimize send times.
📌 Why they signed up → To tailor content to their needs.

This changed the sign-up flow to:

Flow 2️⃣

✅ Step 1: Enter email.
✅ Step 2: See a form asking for additional (optional) details.
✅ Step 3: Check inbox to confirm subscription.

I thought this would be a win-win. I get valuable insights, and subscribers get a more personalized experience.

The Unexpected Backlash

To my surprise, there was a significant drop-off between Steps 2 and 3.

Despite the form being optional, many people didn’t complete the sign-up. Here’s what likely happened:

❌ Extra friction: Even one more step can cause hesitation.

❌ Privacy concerns: People don’t want to share personal details upfront.

❌ “Too soon” factor: They didn’t trust my newsletter yet to provide that info.

This hurt my subscriber growth and user experience.

Damage Control: I removed the additional form and immediately saw higher sign-up completion rates.

Key Takeaways: How to Optimize Your Sign-Up Flow

🔹 Make it as easy as possible: The fewer steps, the better.
🔹 Don’t ask for too much upfront: Build trust first, then gather insights over time.
🔹 Test and iterate: What seems like a minor tweak can have a big impact on conversions.

Final Thought

Your sign-up process sets the tone for your entire newsletter experience. If it feels smooth and effortless, people will subscribe and stay. If it feels like work, they’ll leave before you even get the chance to send your first email.