I'm Begging You to Stop "Cleaning" Your Substack Email List
Why deleting inactive subscribers might be hurting your growth more than helping it.
đ Hey, Iâm Casandra. I share really good business ideas to help you start and grow a business. I also share what Iâm learning about building a business on Substack.
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Every time I see a Substack publisher post something like this, I die a little inside.
Look, I get it. Youâve probably read the email marketing advice that says you should regularly scrub your list to boost open rates and keep your stats âclean.â
But if Iâm being honest, Iâm not surprised the author only has 269 subscribers, even nearly five years later. (Yes, itâs still active.)
Hereâs the thing: Substack is not like other email marketing platforms. And what works for traditional email marketing doesnât always apply here.
So let me say it clearly:
If youâre using Substack, stop âcleaningâ your list. Youâre probably doing more harm than good.
What People Think Cleaning Their List Does
People usually claim that they clean their list for one of these reasons:
To improve open or click-through rates.
To impress sponsors with a âhighly engagedâ list.
To reduce costs.
But most of those benefits donât apply to Substack.
Why List Cleaning on Substack Is Usually a Mistake
Hereâs why I donât clean my Substack list and why I donât think you should either.
1. âInactiveâ Doesnât Mean Gone Forever
Plenty of people still read your content without ever opening your emails. Substack has an app. People visit your site. Some folks binge on your posts once a month. Just because someone isnât clicking this week doesnât mean theyâre not paying attention.
2. The Data Might Be Wrong
Open rates and click-throughs arenât as bulletproof as they seem. Apple Mail Privacy Protection,1 Gmail image blocking,2 and browser quirks can all mess with the numbers. You might think someone isnât reading your content when they actually are. Cutting someone based on shaky tracking data is like firing a fan whoâs been quietly clapping from the back row.
The number of times Iâve seen people share stories about deleting what they thought were inactive subscribers, only to find out some were quite active, is sad!
3. Substackâs Model Is Different
On traditional email platforms, you pay by subscriber, so cleaning your list saves money.
On Substack? Not a thing. You can have 500,000 subs and pay $0. That changes the entire incentive structure
4. Youâre Losing Your Long-Tail Fans
Some subscribers will never comment, never like, and never open your emails until one day, they do. Maybe itâs when you write a post that hits just right. Maybe itâs when you finally launch a product or offer a premium subscription.
But if you deleted them? Theyâre gone. And so is that future value.
5. A Bigger List Gives You More Leverage
Whether youâre considering brand partnerships, cross-promotions, or landing a new gig, size matters. Substack publicly shows your total subscribers, and that number affects how youâre perceived. Cutting people hurts your momentum.
6. Advertisers Only Care About Impressions and Clicks
If youâre scrubbing your list because you think itâll help you earn more from advertisements, let me save you some time: theyâre not paying you for open rates.
They care about absolute performance:
How many total people saw their ad?
How many total people clicked their link?
How many total people bought their product?
Even if you delete inactive subscribers to improve your open and clickthrough rates, you do not increase the total number of opens and clicks.
7. You Have Better Things to Do With Your Time
Letâs be real: you didnât start a Substack to become a list janitor.
Manually scrubbing through subscribers, sorting engagement stats, and deleting people who might be inactive? Thatâs not the optimal use of your time, especially when the potential payoff is marginal at best.
Instead, you could be:
Or doing literally anything else that actually grows your business.
Substack is designed to reduce friction, not give you more busywork. So stop micromanaging your list and go make something great instead!
What to Do Instead
You donât have to ignore engagement metrics. But instead of cleaning your list, try this:
Create better content that earns attention over time.
Use hooks to make your existing content more compelling.
Segment your list and use engagement campaigns to invite quiet readers back in.
Be patient and let growth compound. Not every subscriber hits âlikeâ on day one.
Let People Be Quiet. Not Everyone Needs to Clap.
Some of your best subscribers lurk in the shadows, silently cheering you on. Just because they havenât opened an email in weeks doesnât mean theyâre not interested.
So stop cutting people off. Keep the door open.
Because one day, that âinactiveâ subscriber might just become your biggest fan.
Want more advice like this? Subscribe to Really Good Business Ideas, where we skip the fluff and share what actually works when building a business.
To endless possibilities,
Casandra
PS. đ I recently sat down with
from to talk about all things Substack!Substackâs growth and trajectory đ
Where it sits in the market and why its defensible moat is strong đŞ
Different approaches for growing and monetizing on Substack đ°
What itâs like to surf in NYC in the winter đââď¸
Listen or read the key takeaways below. You can also watch the episode on YouTube!
Amen to this!
You've got better things to do with your time than cleaning your list.
Here are people even sharing paid posts or courses on how to clean the list.... wouldn't do it.
For this the metrics here are too buggy.
On KIT you can do it. On Substack you'd be ill-advised.
Was wonderful chatting with you about surfing ---- I mean Substack's growth curve and future, Casandra.
Also, looking forward to our masterclass in July 2025