Should I send an update preferences email after a user marks an email as spam?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email on Acid states that if you receive a spam complaint through a feedback loop, the best practice is to immediately unsubscribe the recipient to avoid further issues.
Email marketer from Email Geeks questions the assumption that someone reporting an email as spam is referring only to that specific email; she thinks most people reach for the spam button after a pattern of unwanted emails, and the email may be the final straw.
Email marketer from Quora says you should respect the user's decision to flag the email as spam. Sending an email after being flagged as spam is never good practice.
Email marketer from Litmus notes that spam filters learn from user behavior. If users mark your emails as spam, filters are more likely to block future emails. Sending a preference update email after a spam complaint could reinforce negative signals.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that you should never send an email to someone who has marked you as spam. Doing so could hurt your sender reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that ideally, you must segregate your sending domain based on the email streams. Each of the sub-domains will have their own FBL process, so a subscriber who hits TIS on a newsletter email will be suppressed for that stream alone.
Email marketer from EmailMarketingForum.com suggests that after someone flags an email as spam, it's important to remove them from your list immediately to protect your email reputation. Avoid sending any follow-up emails, including ones asking to update preferences.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests that transactional emails should not be on same system/domain as promotional/marketing emails. So if someone hits "Spam" on promotions/marketing just unsubscribe from that system, whereas transactional emails will only be triggered when he takes some account related action and he will expect the email.
Email marketer from StackExchange says that you should not email a user after they've flagged as spam, as it's a clear opt-out. You should respect the user choice. There should be an opt-out link in the email.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests that after a spam complaint, automatically suppressing the user is the best course of action. Sending a preference update email could be seen as intrusive and further annoy the recipient.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares the importance of immediately removing subscribers who mark your emails as spam from your mailing list. They advise against sending further emails, including preference update requests, as this can further damage your sender reputation.
Email marketer from GlockApps emphasizes that good list hygiene, including promptly removing subscribers who mark emails as spam, is critical for maintaining high deliverability rates.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that removal/suppression is the expected behavior and any deviation needs to be super-compelling, not merely convenient. It's a risk to send further emails and better to act in expected ways and have to add a few people back in because they didn't understand what they were doing than to act in unexpected ways with unknown consequences.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks states if someone says they don't want your email and you send them more email there's no universe in which this ends well for your relationship with that recipient.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that when someone marks an email as spam, they're essentially unsubscribing in a very loud way. The best practice is to respect this signal and immediately remove them from all mailing lists to protect your sender reputation.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft explains that high spam confidence levels (SCL) assigned to your emails can lead to delivery issues. Reducing spam complaints is crucial for maintaining a good sender reputation and avoiding high SCL scores.
Documentation from RFC Editor describes Automated Feedback Loops (FBLs) as a mechanism where ISPs forward spam complaints to senders. Senders are expected to use this information to remove complaining users from their lists.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools indicates high spam rates can negatively impact deliverability to Gmail users. Focus on acquiring engaged subscribers and removing unengaged ones to reduce spam complaints.