How do I add an unsubscribe button to the email header and what is RFC 8058?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that adding a List-Unsubscribe header allows recipients to unsubscribe directly from their email client (like Gmail or Outlook) without opening the email. He also says it increases deliverability and reduces spam complaints.
Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends including both a mailto: and an HTTP/HTTPS URL in your List-Unsubscribe header for maximum compatibility. The mailto: option allows for one-click unsubscribe, while the HTTP/HTTPS provides a fallback for email clients that don't support mailto.
Marketer from Email Geeks confirms that the unsubscribe button on the email header refers to RFC 8058.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that adding an unsubscribe link in the email header is crucial for CAN-SPAM compliance and maintaining a healthy sender reputation. It also enhances user experience by providing an easy way to opt-out.
Email marketer from Gmass shares that it's better to always use one-click unsubscribe since the big providers want to see it, and will start to penalize emails that don't make it easy for the recipient to unsubscribe.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains one-click unsubscribe allows recipients to unsubscribe directly from the email header, and that RFC 8058 defines standards for this functionality.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that providing a clear and easy unsubscribe process, including visible unsubscribe links and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly, is essential for maintaining a good sender reputation and complying with regulations.
Email marketer from Stackoverflow explains the List-Unsubscribe header is added in the headers like: 'List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:list@example.com?subject=unsubscribe>, <http://example.com/unsubscribe.html>'. This allows mail clients to provide an unsubscribe button.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that one way to implement one-click unsubscribe is using a mailto link in the List-Unsubscribe header, pointing to an address that automatically processes unsubscribe requests. This is useful, but ensure you properly process the requests.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that your ESP should handle the single unsubscribe option in the header.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise answers the question about the new Yahoo and Google requirements by explaining that senders need to implement one-click unsubscribe functionality in their emails as mandated by the new rules. It is crucial to adhere to these guidelines to ensure successful email delivery.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that implementing both mailto and URL options for the List-Unsubscribe header is a best practice. Ensure that both methods function correctly and promptly.
Expert from Email Geeks explains Gmail only shows this for 'good' senders, based on volume, complaints, and domain history. He advises to check and support the functionality, but don't be surprised if it doesn't always show up.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from ietf.org explains RFC 8058 defines a standardized method for one-click unsubscription from email mailing lists using the List-Unsubscribe header field with the mailto: URI scheme.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that bulk senders must support one-click unsubscribe. Including both a visible unsubscribe link in the message body and a List-Unsubscribe header. Senders must process unsubscribe requests within two days and the one-click unsubscribe must remove the subscriber immediately.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains you should include a List-Unsubscribe header in your emails so that users can easily unsubscribe from your mailing list. The article also notes to specify a mailto: or https: URL, and use both for best results.