How do mailbox providers handle unsubscribe requests and multiple mailing lists from the same sender?

Email marketer from HubSpot shares to segment your email lists based on audience interests, demographics, or behaviors. This allows for more targeted messaging and reduces the likelihood of users unsubscribing from everything because they're receiving irrelevant content.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that many users don't understand the concept of multiple lists. They expect an unsubscribe to remove them from *all* marketing communications. The user recommends using a clear preference center where people can choose which lists they want to be on.

Email marketer from a forum explains that if a company has multiple brands, it's best to use separate sending domains or subdomains to clearly differentiate the email streams. This allows users to unsubscribe from a specific brand without affecting subscriptions to other brands. A global unsubscribe should still be offered.

Email marketer from Mailchimp support shares that best practice is to allow a subscriber to unsubscribe from all lists or individual lists. They recommend using a preference center to allow users to manage their subscriptions, providing granular control over what they receive. They explain that it's the sender's responsibility to manage the scope of the unsubscribe request.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that MBPs won't know senders have multiple lists, and won't care. If you have multiple lists all sending from the same domain, they'll consider it one list, as will your recipients. Solution: One list, or multiple sending (sub)domains.

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that preference centers allow subscribers to control what emails they receive. This is crucial when a sender manages multiple lists or types of communication. This helps avoid unsubscribes and spam complaints by giving users more control.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that users often expect an unsubscribe to apply to all communications from a sender, unless clearly differentiated (e.g., transactional vs. marketing). Senders should manage expectations by providing clear options and a preference center.

Email marketer from StackExchange suggests implementing a 'global unsubscribe' option. If someone clicks unsubscribe, give them the choice to unsubscribe from everything or manage their preferences. Make it easy to opt-out completely.

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares that it’s crucial to provide a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe link in every email. It should be a one-click process, and unsubscribes should be processed quickly. They recommend honoring global unsubscribes to avoid spam complaints and protect sender reputation.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains the importance of preference centers. Laura Atkins suggests that well-designed preference centers can reduce unsubscribes and spam complaints by allowing users to control what types of emails they receive and how frequently. They also recommend making it easy for users to update their preferences.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if your mail streams aren’t clearly branded and distinguishable then an unsub can reasonably be expected to apply to all your content (other than account and transactional) as the user wants “no more stuff like this”, and they can’t distinguish between your mail streams. They’re all the same stuff, and they should all stop.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that MBPs can recognize when a sender has a trend of not honoring RFC8058 unsubscribe requests, and assuming mail is sent correctly technically, it’s the happiness of your recipients that the MBP will care about.

Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of proper list hygiene and honoring unsubscribe requests. They share that promptly processing unsubscribes and maintaining accurate lists is crucial for avoiding spam complaints and maintaining a good sender reputation with mailbox providers. They suggest regularly cleaning your lists to remove inactive or disengaged subscribers.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if you’re sending actual newsletters, with clearly distinguished branding and content, then an unsub can reasonably be expected to apply only to that newsletter. As can a subscription.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the email is authenticated by the sender, so the MBP can identify the mailstream. If the user hits the unsubscribe link and keeps getting the mail and reports it as spam that mailstream is going to have a bad time.

Documentation from Validity shares that sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Failing to honor unsubscribe requests, or having high complaint rates because people are still receiving emails after unsubscribing negatively impacts sender reputation.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that the List-Unsubscribe header provides a standardized way for recipients to unsubscribe from mailing lists. It details the expected behavior and syntax, including handling multiple options (e.g., mailto and HTTP URLs) for unsubscribing. Mailbox providers should respect the user's choice of unsubscribe method.

Documentation from Google explains that high spam complaint rates negatively impact sender reputation. If users continue to receive mail after unsubscribing and mark it as spam, it significantly damages deliverability. Google expects senders to honor unsubscribe requests promptly across all lists.

Documentation from Microsoft shares that senders should monitor their SNDS data for spam complaints. High complaint rates indicate problems with email practices, including failing to honor unsubscribe requests, which can lead to deliverability issues.