{"id":11880,"date":"2026-09-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/?p=11880"},"modified":"2026-09-06T17:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T16:53:13","slug":"why-i-just-deleted-some-of-my-subscribers-and-why-thats-a-good-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/why-i-just-deleted-some-of-my-subscribers-and-why-thats-a-good-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Just Deleted Some of My Subscribers (And Why That’s a Good Thing)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just went through my subscriber list and removed everyone who hadn’t opened one of my last 20 emails. If that sounds like a big cut, it was \u2014 but I want to explain why I did it, and why I think it’s actually the right way to run a free resource like this one.<\/p>\n

The Math Nobody Talks About<\/h2>\n

Running “Norwegian Genealogy and Then Some” doesn’t cost me much, but it isn’t free either. Every subscriber on my list costs something to reach, whether that’s a flat fee or a per-contact charge, depending on the tier I’m on with my email provider. It’s a small cost per person \u2014 but it adds up, and it adds up regardless of whether that person ever opens the email.<\/p>\n

I don’t run this blog to make money. It’s a labor of love, and I intend to keep it that way. But “labor of love” doesn’t mean “unlimited resources,” and I’d rather spend what I do spend on the people who are actually reading \u2014 not on maintaining a number that looks good in a dashboard somewhere.<\/p>\n

What “20 Unopened Emails” Actually Means<\/h2>\n

I didn’t pick that number lightly. Twenty emails, at the pace I send them, is a stretch of many months \u2014 plenty of time for someone to be genuinely busy, on holiday, or just quietly not that interested anymore. It’s not a one-strike policy. It’s a “we’ve clearly drifted apart” policy.<\/p>\n

I didn’t send a “please stay” email first, and I did that on purpose. If twenty emails in a row haven’t earned a single open, one more email asking for attention isn’t likely to either \u2014 and I’d rather not spend even that one extra send chasing an inbox that’s already tuned me out. I just went through the list and removed anyone past that threshold.<\/p>\n

Why This Isn’t About Vanity Numbers<\/h2>\n

It would be easy to read this as chasing a “better” open rate for its own sake, but that’s not really the point for me. A handful of things matter more:<\/p>\n