Implement unsubscribe survey when someone unsubscribes

Marketing & Content Hub Tips, Tricks & Best Practices
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Hi all,

Trying to implement a short survey to find out why someone unsubscribes for marketing emails.

Looked at this article about customizing the Hubspot unsubscribe page to do that but didn’t see any advice.

We currently use SurveyMonkey for surveys. Any ideas welcome!

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Hey @katherine_bee, very good idea! You are not alone in wanting this feature — see this thread from earlier in the year with a similar ask. They’re looking for a simple dropdown select feature vs a survey (which might be more palatable for someone who’s opting out of communication from you).

I’m not able to see the Ideas thread linked in the response, but I recommend heading to the Ideas page to either support an existing unsubcsribe reason thread or create one of your own.

@kvlschaefer — let me know if there’s anything else you’d recommend here!

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Hi @jolle,

Thanks for tagging me in! I can confirm that this feature is currently not available within HubSpot.

However, @katherine_bee, I wanted to refer you this related thread where you may be able to find a workaround:

I also wanted to add our subject matter experts to see if they are aware of a workaround.

Hi @danmoyle, @Jnix284, @Mike_Eastwood - Do you know of a workaround (integration or custom code) to send an unsubscribe survey?

Thank you!

Best,

Kristen

4

@katherine_bee I would just add that if I unsubscribed from marketing emails, I would not be interested in taking a survey…
I think the HubSpot unsubscribe is very basic compared to some others out there, many ask by default (didn’t sign up, too many emails, etc.)

With that said, are you reviewing contact records for your unsubscribes?

Unless you are receiving unsubscribes by the thousands (in which case you have bigger issues), you should be digging into the contact record to see what the issue might have been. Yes, it is nice to ask, but what can you discern about their behavior? did they choose a competitor? decide to hold for a year? etc.

maybe their actions/choices on the sales side should drive a change in the email frequency? how could you prevent unsubscribes by those in similar situations?

After every email send, I always review unsubscribes and bounces manually - maybe habit, maybe because I’ve never had more than a couple, but I always wanted to know who they were and why I thought they might unsubscribe so I can continue to optimize.

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Hi @katherine_bee,

Good news, there is now a beta for this under Settings > Product updates > All > Unsubscribe Feedback Survey Available on Preference Pages:

Unsubscribe Feedback Survey Available on Preference Pages

What is it?

You can now trigger an unsubscribe survey on the preference page to collect feedback about why a contact is unsubscribing from all emails and view this feedback for more insights about your marketing email strategy. Turn every unsubscribe into a learning opportunity without adding friction to the unsubscribe process.

Why does it matter?

Automatically collect feedback when a contact unsubscribes from all email, giving Marketers actionable insights to reduce churn and improve content relevance.

How does it work?

Within the Subscriptions settings tab, Marketers can toggle on the unsubscribe survey.

Once this setting is toggled on, anytime a contact unsubscribes from all email communications, they will see a questionnaire on the confirmation page inquiring as to the reason for the unsubscribe. The survey includes 5 preset options:

  • I’m no longer interested in your company
  • I didn’t sign up for your mailing list
  • I receive too many emails
  • Your emails are not relevant to me
  • Other (50-character count open text field)

How to Access Data

There will be several ways to view the unsubscribe survey results, including --

  • Contact Record Page (in the Activity Timeline)
  • Custom Report Builder (contacts > marketing email activities > gave reason for unsubscribe)
    • Note: This option will be available for Professional and Enterprise tier customers only.

Additionally, we’re aiming to have unsubscribe survey results accessible in the email post-send performance page in the near future.

Callouts

  • Available across all Marketing Hub tiers (Free, Starter, Professional, Enterprise)
    • Feature is enabled by default for all Free/Starter MH customers and new MH customers (customers who created an account after launch date).
    • Feature is not enabled by default for legacy Pro/ Ent MH customers
  • Multi-language support. Page will be available in the language the user viewed their Manage Preference pages in.
  • The setting does not block or prohibit users from unsubscribing, it is optional and not required. Any responses received will be stored and made available to you.

Omissions

  • No API support
  • No customization of the survey questions

Who gets it?

All hubs and tiers, Marketing Starter, Marketing Pro, Marketing Enterprise, Marketing+ Pro, Marketing+ Enterprise

If you’re not seeing this yet, you’ll have to be a bit more patient or reach out to your HubSpot customer success manager.

Best regards!