How does resubscribing users affect one-click unsubscribe reporting in Gmail?

Summary

Resubscribing users who have previously unsubscribed affects one-click unsubscribe reporting and overall email deliverability in Gmail significantly. All sources emphasize the critical need for explicit, verifiable consent, typically achieved through a double opt-in process. Non-compliance with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM can lead to severe penalties. While Gmail doesn't directly track resubscription events, recipient behavior, such as marking emails as spam, greatly impacts deliverability. Maintaining proper list hygiene, including accurate record-keeping of unsubscribe/resubscribe events and providing a transparent re-permission process, is essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation and avoiding deliverability issues.

Key findings

  • Explicit Consent is Mandatory: Resubscribing requires explicit and verifiable consent. Passive consent (e.g., pre-checked boxes, purchases) is not sufficient.
  • Impact on Sender Reputation: Improper handling of resubscriptions can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Compliance with Regulations: Adherence to GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other email marketing laws is crucial.
  • Recipient Behavior Matters: Gmail primarily uses recipient behavior (e.g., spam complaints) to determine deliverability, not direct tracking of resubscription requests.
  • One-Click Unsubscribe: Gmail's one-click unsubscribe feature must be respected and implemented correctly.

Key considerations

  • Implement Double Opt-In: Use a double opt-in process for resubscribes to guarantee explicit consent.
  • Maintain List Hygiene: Actively manage email lists, removing unengaged users and properly processing unsubscribe requests.
  • Provide a Preference Center: Offer a preference center to allow users to customize their subscriptions and control the types of emails they receive.
  • Track Engagement Metrics: Monitor key engagement metrics (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints) to identify and address potential deliverability issues.
  • Ensure Transparency: Provide clear and transparent information to users about how their data will be used and why they are receiving emails after unsubscribing.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Resubscribing users who have previously unsubscribed significantly impacts one-click unsubscribe reporting in Gmail. The consensus is that explicit consent, often through a double opt-in process, is paramount. Failure to obtain clear consent can lead to spam complaints, damage sender reputation, and result in deliverability issues. Maintaining accurate records of unsubscribe and resubscribe events is also crucial for compliance with anti-spam laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM. A smooth, transparent resubscription process that respects user preferences is essential for a healthy email marketing strategy.

Key opinions

  • Explicit Consent: Resubscribing users requires explicit, affirmative consent, often best achieved through a double opt-in process.
  • Impact on Reputation: Improperly resubscribing users can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Compliance: Adherence to anti-spam laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM is mandatory, necessitating documented proof of re-opt-in.
  • Engagement Metrics: Resubscribing users can affect engagement metrics; monitoring open rates and spam complaints is crucial.
  • Transparency: Transparency is key to maintaining a healthy relationship with subscribers.

Key considerations

  • Double Opt-In: Implement a double opt-in process for resubscribes to ensure explicit consent.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean and engaged email list, actively pruning unengaged users.
  • Record Keeping: Keep accurate records of unsubscribe and resubscribe events for compliance purposes.
  • Preference Center: Consider offering a preference center to allow users to customize their email subscriptions.
  • Monitoring: Continuously monitor engagement metrics, spam complaints, and deliverability to identify and address potential issues.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid explains maintaining a clean and engaged email list is essential for deliverability. Resubscribing users who previously unsubscribed can affect engagement metrics if not managed properly, they recommend using a double opt-in process and monitoring open rates to avoid deliverability problems.

December 2021 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares that resubscribing users requires explicit consent, they emphasizes the importance of a clear opt-in process and highlights the need to respect unsubscribe requests to maintain a healthy sender reputation and avoid spam complaints.

December 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that resubscribing users must adhere to email marketing compliance laws. Underscoring that a clear opt-in process is essential to ensure that users actively want to resubscribe. They say to make it clear to them that they are choosing to be back on the list, and why.

April 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that resubscribing users necessitates clear, affirmative consent. Mailchimp emphasizes adherence to anti-spam laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM, mandating documented proof of re-opt-in before resuming email communication. They also highlight the importance of maintaining accurate records of unsubscribe and resubscribe events.

June 2022 - Mailchimp
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares Gmail's one-click unsubscribe requires senders to process unsubscribe requests. Emphasising the need for a smooth and immediate unsubscribe process and also a smooth resubscribe process.

July 2023 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit responds that resubscribing users who have unsubscribed without proper consent can lead to spam complaints and deliverability issues. They advise against resubscribing users unless they have explicitly re-opted in.

October 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog explains that resubscribing users who previously unsubscribed requires explicit consent and proper list management to avoid deliverability issues and spam complaints. He emphasizes the importance of honoring unsubscribe requests and only resubscribing users who have re-opted in through a clear and documented process.

January 2022 - Neil Patel Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot shares that resubscribing users requires a clear re-permission process. They highlight the importance of obtaining explicit consent to comply with regulations and maintain a positive sender reputation. Underscoring that transparency and respect are key to maintaining a healthy relationship with subscribers.

August 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that resubscribing users who have unsubscribed can negatively impact sender reputation if not handled carefully. Suggests to ensure a double opt-in process for resubscribes and monitoring engagement metrics closely to identify any deliverability issues.

February 2024 - Reddit

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts agree that resubscribing users requires explicit and verifiable consent. Sending emails to users who haven't actively opted back in, or who only interacted with your brand through a purchase, can lead to spam complaints and damage sender reputation. While Google doesn't directly track resubscription requests, recipient behavior (like marking emails as spam) significantly impacts deliverability. Maintaining good list hygiene, including properly handling unsubscribe requests and using confirmed opt-in for resubscriptions, is crucial.

Key opinions

  • Explicit Consent is Key: Resubscribing requires explicit and verifiable consent. Passive actions (purchases, pre-checked boxes) are insufficient.
  • Sender Reputation Impacts Deliverability: Poor list hygiene and unsolicited emails damage sender reputation, affecting deliverability to Gmail and other ISPs.
  • Spam Complaints are Monitored: Spam complaints are a strong signal to Gmail, even more so than unsubscribe rates.
  • Recipient Behavior Drives Deliverability: Google primarily tracks recipient behavior (e.g., marking emails as spam) to determine deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Implement Confirmed Opt-In: Use a confirmed (double) opt-in process for all resubscriptions to ensure explicit consent.
  • Prioritize List Hygiene: Actively prune unengaged users and properly manage unsubscribe/resubscribe requests.
  • Avoid Passive Opt-Ins: Do not automatically resubscribe users based on purchases or other interactions. Require explicit re-consent.
  • Monitor Spam Complaints: Pay close attention to spam complaint rates as a key indicator of deliverability issues.
  • Consider a Preference Center: Provide users with a preference center to manage their email subscriptions and specify the types of content they wish to receive.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states Google cannot track subscription requests, other than by recipient behaviour in response to future mail. They can’t tell whether a previously unsubscribed user resubscribed or not, but they can tell whether they’re happy about it.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that if a former subscriber indicates they want to subscribe again, start sending them email. Mentions he can't imagine Gmail is tracking who unsubscribed and trying to bust you for sending email in the future - that would be too much data to sift through. Suggests that if you find a lot of unsubscribes/resubscribes and it seems to be causing problems, claim a technical difficulty prevents it and require them to provide a new email address.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains if a user signs up for mail again intentionally, it's okay to proceed. However, refrain from doing so if they merely make a purchase, interact with you, or inadvertently leave a pre-checked "opt-in" box checked on a form. Informed, explicit consent is crucial. Also that on a mechanical level spam complaints are more monitored than unsubscribes. Sending mail after opting out tends to cause complaints.

August 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource shares if users resubscribe then mark email as spam then this is a bad look for the sender. To ensure users dont mark as spam, ensure you have explicit consent when resubscribing users and also include a preference center, to let users define what they want to receive, if they resubscribe.

August 2024 - Spamresource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that resubscribing users who have previously unsubscribed should only occur with explicit and verifiable consent. She emphasizes that poor list hygiene, including mishandling unsubscribe and resubscribe requests, can severely damage sender reputation and negatively impact deliverability to Gmail and other ISPs. They also suggest actively pruning unengaged users and using confirmed opt-in for all new subscriptions, especially resubscriptions.

January 2022 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Documentation from Google Support, CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and RFC 2369 highlights that resubscribing users requires explicit consent and adherence to regulations. Gmail's one-click unsubscribe feature simplifies opt-outs, and senders must promptly honor these requests. Any future subscriptions, particularly after an unsubscribe, must be treated as entirely new and require affirmative consent that is freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. Sending emails to unsubscribed users, unless they have resubscribed, is a violation.

Key findings

  • Explicit Consent: Any future subscriptions must be treated as entirely new and require explicit consent.
  • One-Click Unsubscribe: Gmail's one-click unsubscribe feature must be supported, and requests honored promptly.
  • Compliance with Regulations: CAN-SPAM and GDPR mandate adhering to opt-out requests and obtaining explicit consent for renewed communication.
  • Consent Definition: GDPR highlights consent needs to be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous.

Key considerations

  • Renewed Communication: Ensure any renewed communication aligns with consent guidelines.
  • Transparency: Provide users with transparent information about how their data will be used upon resubscription.
  • Unsubscribe Mechanism: Ensure one-click unsubscribe functionality is properly implemented as per RFC 2369.
  • Avoid Assumptions: Do not assume consent based on previous subscriptions or other interactions; always require explicit re-opt-in.
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that Gmail's one-click unsubscribe feature allows users to easily opt-out of email lists. Senders must process these requests promptly. While the documentation doesn't explicitly address resubscribing, it implies that any future subscriptions should be treated as entirely new and require explicit consent.

May 2023 - Google Support
Technical article

Documentation from GDPR explains that consent is needed for data collection and processing. It highlights that users must give explicit and informed consent before being added to a mailing list, particularly after they have unsubscribed. Consent needs to be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous.

March 2022 - GDPR
Technical article

Documentation from RFC 2369 explains standardized email headers for automated mail processing, including list-unsubscribe. Underscoring that these headers enable one-click unsubscribe functionality and that this must be adhered to.

October 2022 - ietf.org
Technical article

Documentation from CAN-SPAM Act explains compliance for unsubscribe requests, mandating honoring opt-out requests promptly. While not directly addressing resubscribing, it underscores that any renewed communication must align with consent guidelines. It mandates that once a user unsubscribes you should never email them again, unless they resubscribe.

June 2021 - Federal Trade Commission