🧼 Why I Love the Unsubscribe Button

Let’s be honest—we all get a little twitchy when someone unsubscribes.

You think:

But here’s the truth I’ve learned after years in the deliverability trenches:

That’s why I’ve always made unsubscribing stupid simple:

• Unsubscribe link in the header and footer

• One-click unsubscribe (not those shady “re-enter your email” pages)

• If someone replies with “unsubscribe,” “stop,” or an impressively creative NSFW insult—I remove them manually

Because here’s the alternative:

They hit the SPAM button.

And that kills your reputation a whole lot faster.

📬 Good News: Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft Are Finally Helping

All the big inbox providers have now mandated one-click unsubscribe for bulk senders.

✅ Gmail
✅ Yahoo
✅ Outlook (starting May 2025)

They’ve even added native unsubscribe buttons—big, bold, and easy to spot at the top of the email. It’s like a VIP exit for subscribers.

And that’s a good thing. Because fewer frustrated users = fewer spam complaints = better inboxing for the rest of us.

⚠️ But Here’s the Problem: Some of You Are Failing the Follow-Through

Google Postmaster now shows a warning like this:

Translation:

Google knows someone unsubscribed…

And you kept sending them emails anyway.

That’s a huge red flag—and it could land your domain on the naughty list.

🧠 Why It Happens (And How to Fix It)

Here’s where it gets tricky:

You might be running multiple lists under one domain—say you’ve got a health brand with:

• Nutrition tips

• Workout plans

• Recipe newsletters

• Mental wellness content

If someone unsubscribes from “Workout Plans” and you only remove them from that list—but you keep emailing them recipes and meditation tips—Google doesn’t care.

To Gmail, it looks like you ignored their unsubscribe.

They expect you to treat that one-click unsubscribe as a global opt-out unless you're properly signaling list-type unsub behavior via RFC 8058 List-Unsubscribe-Post headers (yep, it's technical).

🧩 The Fix:

If you’re running multiple newsletters or segments under one sending domain, you must either:

1. Use separate sending domains per list/brand

2. Or configure your unsubscribe logic to match modern sender requirements

Otherwise, you’re gonna keep seeing that “Needs work” warning—and eventually, the spam folder will do the unsubscribing for you.

To implement one-click unsubscribe while managing multiple lists under the same sending domain without unsubscribing users from all lists, you'll need to take a list-specific unsubscribe approach. Here's how to do it correctly:

⚠️ Warning: The content below this line may cause eye-glazing, spontaneous Googling, or an urgent need for coffee.

If you're not the tech person, just forward this to your ESP or dev team and pretend you understood it all. 😎

✅ 1. How ISPs Treat the Header

ISPs like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook don’t care about the internal meaning of your unsubscribe link — they just look for a valid, functional unsubscribe method in the header.

They will:

• Look for a List-Unsubscribe header with a URL (<https://...>) or mailto (<mailto:...>)

• Detect and render a one-click “Unsubscribe” button if the link meets their standards

• Trust that clicking the link results in the user being unsubscribed from that specific email context

✅ 2. How You Encode list_id for Your Own Use

In the URL:

List-Unsubscribe: <https://yourdomain.com/unsub?list=weekly_digest&token=XYZ>

• list=weekly_digest: clearly indicates which list the unsubscribe applies to

• token=XYZ: a signed token that prevents tampering and verifies the request

Your backend uses the list or decodes the token to determine which list to unsubscribe from.

In a mailto::

List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe_weekly_digest>

You can parse the subject line or local part to determine the list.

✅ 3. Add List-ID Header

While not required for one-click unsub, the List-ID header helps identify your mailing list to email clients and spam filters. Format:

List-ID: Weekly Digest <weekly_digest.yourdomain.com>

This is mostly for filtering and categorization on the ISP side, but it does help your reputation and transparency.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: List-ID is mandatory if you are managing multiple lists from a single sending domain. This identifies which list each email is associated with, and which one-click unsubscribe you should honor.

✅ 4. Key Guidelines for ISP Compatibility

To ensure ISPs like Gmail render the one-click unsubscribe:

• The link must be HTTPS

• The URL must respond with 200 OK and instantly unsubscribe without confirmation

• Avoid redirects to landing pages or preference centers from the one-click link

• You can include a secondary link inside the email body for managing subscriptions

BEFORE YOU GO

Better Inbox Placement Starts Here

If your emails aren’t landing in the inbox, they’re not doing their job. I’ve seen too many brands struggle with deliverability issues without knowing why.

The truth is, a few key optimizations can make all the difference in getting your emails seen, opened, and clicked.

TL;DR

• Make unsubscribing as easy as possible

• One-click = required

• Honor the unsubscribe fully, not halfway

• If you're sending across multiple lists, configure your headers right—or consolidate

The unsubscribe button isn’t your enemy.

It’s your spam shield.

Don’t you dare unsub,

Chris Miquel

PS: If you’re getting flagged for “Honor unsubscribe” issues and don’t know why, hit reply—I’ll point you in the right direction.