How do I test and validate one-click unsubscribe functionality in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Slack Channel recommends using aboutmy.email to check if one-click unsubscribe is valid. Also suggests using curl to test and verify if the unsubscribe 'worked' in the internal systems.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips states that if the one-click unsubscribe button isn't showing in Gmail, it might be related to a low sender reputation or insufficient email volume, advising focusing on improving sender reputation.
Email marketer from Litmus notes that not all email clients display the one-click unsubscribe button, so testing across multiple clients (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) is crucial to ensure it works as expected for a wide range of users.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests using tools like Postman or other HTTP clients to test the unsubscribe URLs and check the backend.
Email marketer from Salesforce Trailblazer Community mentions that if the one-click unsubscribe passes initial tests but still doesn't function as expected, the next step is to contact SFMC support to investigate potential configuration issues or bugs.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests after triggering one-click unsubscribe, verify the subscriber status within SFMC to confirm the unsubscribe was successful and the subscriber is no longer active.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow suggests checking the email headers to ensure the List-Unsubscribe header is correctly configured and that the URL is valid.
Email marketer from Email on Acid advises using seed lists to send test emails and then manually triggering the one-click unsubscribe to see if it functions correctly and updates the subscriber status in SFMC.
Email marketer from MarketingProfs suggests using Postman (or similar tools) to send a POST request to the unsubscribe endpoint and then checking the backend systems (SFMC) to confirm that the subscriber has been successfully unsubscribed.
What the experts say9Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests using curl to test one-click unsubscribe functionality, referencing a Word to the Wise article for details. Emphasizes ensuring the RFC8058 unsubscribe is valid, not just the in-body unsubscribe.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that one-click unsubscribe links need to be headers as specified in RFC8058. Recommends inspecting the actual email sent to see if the headers are present and using aboutmy.email to check.
Expert from Email Geeks refers to Salesforce documentation stating one-click unsubscribe is automatic and required for all commercial sends. Recommends contacting SFMC support if issues persist after passing tests.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that a correctly formatted HTTP POST request with curl should trigger the list-unsub-post. If the subscriber status isn't updating after a successful curl request, suggests contacting SFMC support.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Gmail doesn't always show the unsubscribe button due to reputation or volume. Recommends testing with tools like aboutmy.email and Outlook.com.
Expert from Spam Resource responds with webinar crash course on list-unsubscribe. Covers testing POST requests, HTTP request, and general list unsubscribing processes. The webinar can help when diagnosing if it is working correctly.
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that curl is used to check one-click unsubscribe and going to the URL in the browser checks non-one-click unsubscribe. A script doing a POST should unsubscribe and done. A person loading the URL, should see a landing page / profile page.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that testing one-click unsubscribe involves using curl to send a POST request to the unsubscribe URL. The article details the necessary components of the request, emphasizing the importance of including the `List-Unsubscribe` header set to `One-Click`. It also suggests verifying that the subscriber's status is correctly updated in the system after the curl command is executed.
Expert from Email Geeks advises to ignore the HTML response from a curl test, focus on checking the subscriber status internally to ensure the unsubscribe worked.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Salesforce Help explains that Salesforce Marketing Cloud automatically includes one-click unsubscribe headers in commercial emails. It advises checking with SFMC Support for any remaining questions after confirming the feature is enabled.
Documentation from SparkPost explains how to use curl to simulate an HTTP POST request to the unsubscribe URL, checking for a successful response and verifying the subscriber’s status change in SFMC.
Documentation from datatracker.ietf.org details the RFC8058 standard which requires List-Unsubscribe header and the handling of HTTP POST requests for one-click unsubscribe functionality.
Documentation from SendGrid explains the importance of correctly formatting the List-Unsubscribe header with both the mailto: and HTTP URL, providing detailed instructions on how to set this up to ensure compatibility with various email clients.
Documentation from Oracle Help Center highlights that the List-Unsubscribe header should include both a mailto: and a URL option to ensure compatibility with different email clients and provide a fallback mechanism.