The “Fake Unsubscribe” Button That Reveals Why Users Are Leaving

In the fast-paced world of startups, user churn is a silent killer. But what if there were a way to turn those dreaded unsubscribes into valuable insights? A new, slightly controversial growth hack is making waves across startup circles — and it all starts with a fake button.

The Problem: Users Are Leaving, and You Don’t Know Why

Most startups know how many users are unsubscribing from their product. But they don’t always know why. Traditional feedback forms and post-cancellation surveys often get ignored or skipped. That leaves founders and growth teams in the dark, guessing at what’s broken.

The Hack: Add a Fake Unsubscribe Button

Here’s the play:

• Place an “Unsubscribe” button in a highly visible area of your app — the profile page, settings screen, or billing tab.
• But here’s the twist — this isn’t the real unsubscribe flow. 
  • When users click it, they’re shown a Typeform (or similar survey) asking a simple question: > _“We’re sorry to see you go. Could you tell us what’s not working for you?”_
• Once the user answers, you can then redirect them to the actual unsubscribe process.

Why It Works: Timing and Intent

This approach works for two psychological reasons:

• The user is still engaged — they haven’t fully committed to leaving yet.
• They feel heard — you’re giving them a chance to share their frustration, which often softens the urge to cancel (or gives them the satisfaction of expressing it).

Even if they still leave, you’ve gained something extremely valuable: real-time insights into why they’re unhappy.

Run It in Bursts: The Monthly Churn Audit

To avoid annoying users or triggering backlash, don’t leave the fake button up permanently. Instead, run the test in short 1-2 week bursts, maybe once a month.

Each run becomes a churn audit, giving you up-to-date data on what’s bugging your users right now — whether it’s a broken feature, confusing UI, or lack of value.

Use that data to fix issues fast and even re-target those users later with “We fixed it” messages.

Is It Ethical? 

Some critics might call this deceptive UX. But others see it as a clever way to gather feedback you’d otherwise never get. The key is transparency after the survey — make sure users can still unsubscribe easily.

If done respectfully, this strategy can be both insightful and user-centered.

The Takeaway for Startups

If your churn rate feels like a black box, this small tweak might shine a spotlight on the real issues before they sink your retention. As with all growth hacks, it’s best used sparingly, tested carefully, and always with the user in mind.

Because understanding why users leave is the first step to getting them to stay.