Permission fatigue
Permission isn't a deed to someone's attention. It's a renewable lease
We ask them for their email address. They say yes. That day, we promise value. Updates. Insights worth their time.
But somewhere between "welcome to our newsletter" and email 547, something shifts. They stop opening. Stop clicking. Stop caring. Not because our product got worse. Not because they don't need what we're selling. But, because we confused permission with ownership.
Permission isn't a deed to someone's attention. It's a renewable lease.Every email is like an audition. Every subject line, is like a first impression. Every send, is like a chance to earn tomorrow's open.
The moment we treat their inbox like our billboard, we've lost. The moment we email because it's Tuesday, not because we have something worth saying, we've lost. The moment we optimise for metrics instead of their experience, we've lost.
Permission fatigue isn't about email frequency. It's about value frequency. It's about who earns attention. And who assumes it.Our customers' attention is finite.
Their permission is fragile.
What if we sent half as many emails that were twice as valuable? What if we made unsubscribing as easy as subscribing? What if we treated every email like they might be the last one they'll ever open from us ?
Because it might be.
