When you’re working hard to grow your newsletter, seeing your subscriber count fall can be a difficult experience. However, making unsubscribing easier for your readers is crucial to preserving your newsletter quality.
For this reason, the Gmail unsubscribe button can be instrumental in helping your newsletter and email marketing succeed, from facilitating email list clean-up to maintaining compliance with policies like the CAN-SPAM Act.
Unfortunately, easy unsubscribes aren’t automatically built into your Gmail messages. Let’s talk about how the Gmail unsubscribe button works and how you can add it to your emails.
What is the Gmail unsubscribe button?
The Gmail unsubscribe button is the “Unsubscribe” link displayed in the header of an email message, next to the sender’s email address. Also supported by email providers including Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple Mail, it’s more generally known as the list-unsubscribe header.
The list-unsubscribe header was created in 1998 by RFC 2369. By adding it to their emails, senders can make unsubscribing more accessible to uninterested recipients. This convenience can make the difference between a reader unsubscribing and sending your email to spam.
How the Gmail unsubscribe link can help your newsletter
Adding the list-unsubscribe header is a necessary step in running a high-quality publication. For one, it communicates to your readers that you’re confident in the value that your newsletter delivers. In other words, you don’t have to hold them hostage to get them to read it.
Additionally, thanks to the CAN-SPAM Act, commercial email senders are required by law to tell recipients how to opt out of receiving messages. The penalties for non-compliance are hefty, with violators facing fines of up to $46,517. While many publishers certainly employ more discreet opt-out options, adding a list-unsubscribe header demonstrates that you’re doing your best to guarantee a good user experience for your subscribers.
Lastly, giving readers an easy way to unsubscribe reduces the risk of them hitting the spam button instead. All too often, a busy or exasperated user may not be bothered to scroll to the bottom of every email to unsubscribe when cleaning their inbox. Instead, they’ll go through and report spam on any message that doesn’t offer a convenient way to opt out. In turn, this lowers your deliverability and flags your messages as potential spam emails.
How to add the Gmail unsubscribe link to your emails
There are two ways to add a list-unsubscribe header to your emails:
- A mailto unsubscribe
- An unsubscribe http or URL
Mailto
Adding a mailto method to your list-unsubscribe header enables your mail client to send an unsubscribe request to a dedicated email address when a recipient clicks the link.
To set up a mailto, create an email account to receive unsubscribe messages. Then, give that address to your email service provider (ESP) to place in the header. While some ESPs may offer a built-in list-unsubscribe functionality, others will require a more manual process.
Your list-unsubscribe header will look something like:
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto: [emailprotected]?subject=unsubscribe>
As you receive unsubscribe emails, you’ll need to go through and manually remove recipients from your list.
Http
By including an http or URL to your header, you’ll be able to control the unsubscribe flow by adding another step. When the user clicks the Unsubscribe link, they’ll be directed to a landing page where they can complete the unsubscribe process.
After adding a URL, your list-unsubscribe header will look something like:
List-Unsubscribe: <http://www.newsletter.com/unsubscribe.html>
Many senders aim to make the most of their unsubscribe landing page. Some may just ask visitors, “Are you sure?” in an attempt to get them to reconsider. Others might pose a quick exit question, allowing visitors a chance to share why they’re unsubscribing. By gathering this data, senders can try to find ways to improve the newsletter in the future.
Some publishers may also use this as an opportunity to let readers specify their preferences. For instance, Morning Brew set up an unsubscribe landing page where readers can select which newsletters they’d like to receive. Other companies will break down their options based on communication type, including product releases, special offers or account notifications.
When it comes to unsubscribe landing pages, try not to make your exit flow too long or complicated. If visitors think you’re trying to trick them or waste their time, they might give up on unsubscribing and send your email to spam instead. Limit your page to one screen, and keep questions quick and optional.
Should I use mailto or http?
For the over 1.5 billion email users with a Gmail account, mailto and http are both valid unsubscribe options. However, many mail clients have much more limited list-unsubscribe functionality. For instance, Outlook and Apple Mail both support mailto, but they won’t be able to handle http. Therefore, to make sure that your link works for Microsoft and iOS users alike, it’s safest to include both methods in your list-unsubscribe header.
You can use two methods by including both in your header, separated by a comma:
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto: [emailprotected]?subject=unsubscribe>, <http://www.newsletter.com/unsubscribe.html>
Just to note…
Before setting up your list-unsubscribe link, you’ll want to consider how it may affect other aspects of your newsletter. For example, Gmail’s auto-unsubscribe feature uses information from your list-unsubscribe link to figure out how to remove recipients from your list.
This feature pushes notifications to subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in the last 30 days, asking if they’d like to unsubscribe. While this may have made some publishers weary at first, it’s still no reason to avoid the Gmail unsubscribe feature. In the end, an unsubscribe is still preferable to having your unwanted emails sent to the spam folder.
Check out more ways to improve your newsletter
Adding the Gmail unsubscribe button to your newsletter is one of the best ways to keep your messages legally compliant and away from the spam filter.
Learn more about how to run a successful newsletter with our latest blog posts:
- What Is BIMI, and How Can You Set It Up for Your Newsletter?
- Update on Gmail’s Deliverability Guidelines
- How to Handle Bot Clicks in Your Newsletter
- How To Launch an Email Referral Program in 5 Steps
- A Step-by-Step Guide to A/B Testing Your Email Newsletter
