Let’s be honest—we all get a little twitchy when someone unsubscribes.
You think:
“Nooo… come back. I promise tomorrow’s email will be better.”
But here’s the truth I’ve learned after years in the deliverability trenches:
If someone doesn’t want your emails, the best thing they can do is unsubscribe—fast and clean.
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:
“Honor unsubscribe: Needs work.”
Remove users from mailing lists within 48 hours of receiving unsubscribe requests.
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:
Use separate sending domains per list/brand
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-Unsubscribeheader 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 totoken=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.
