Making it hard to unsubscribe is a terrible business strategy

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Last month, I lost hours to unsubscribe to a service, and I got mad. It should have been a simple click.

The dark pattern problem

Many companies use what's called "dark patterns" to make unsubscribing as difficult as possible:

• Tiny, gray-on-gray unsubscribe buttons

• Endless confirmation popups

• "Please contact our sales team" messages

They hope you'll give up and keep paying. These tactics might seem clever, but they're actually counterproductive.

Why this strategy is BAD

When someone wants to leave your service: → They will leave anyway → They'll be frustrated by the experience → They'll likely never return → They might even share their negative experience with others

My vision

When I started building IACrea, I made a promise to myself: never treat my customers this way. I wanted to build a company I'd be proud to be a customer of.

• My unsubscribe button is as prominent as my subscribe button

• It takes maximum 2 clicks to leave

• No manipulative questions or "pause your subscription" tricks

Here's why this works better:

1. Customer Trust: Users appreciate transparency and respect

2. Brand Reputation: Happy customers, even former ones, can become your best advocates

3. Future Opportunities: A positive experience means they might return when their needs change

Key Takeaway

Making it hard to unsubscribe is like trying to keep someone in a relationship by locking the door. That person will stay a bit longer, but will HATE you (and sue you in that case).

Focus on creating value that keeps customers coming back willingly, not on trapping them in your service 🙏 🙏 🙏