a single source, nothing corroborates it

Wait a week before you answer the backlash

Negative reaction to a big change builds rather than peaks: one rename ran about five percent negative on day one and thirty to forty percent a few days later, so the first day is not the verdict. Get on calls with the loudest critics, who often turn out to resent the work the change imposes on them, rewriting affiliate links and swapping logos, rather than the change itself. If you reverse it, spend a week or more on the letter and have people you respect read it first, and expect a second backlash of similar size from everyone who liked the change and said nothing the first time.

The method

1. 01

   Do not read the first day's reaction as the verdict: negative sentiment builds over the following days.

2. 02

   Get on calls with your loudest critics; often what they resent is the work your change imposes on them, not the change itself.

3. 03

   Spend a week or more getting the reversal message right and have people you respect read the letter before it goes out.

4. 04

   Expect a second backlash of comparable size from the people who liked the change and said nothing the first time.

What it returned

• 5%

  Reaction ran about 5% negative initially and 30-40% negative a few days in

• Critics turned out to be more frustrated about rewriting affiliate links, swapping logos and updating reviews than about the name

• They took a week and a half rather than responding immediately

• Cancellations, an attempted hostile hashtag, and a well-known blogger closing his account after the reversion

Sources

• There and back again: the story of renaming ConvertKitNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · The reaction · 2020-08-04