When a recipient clicks the unsubscribe button in Gmail, should they be unsubscribed from all thematic newsletters or just the one they clicked from?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that a successful email marketing strategy should have an unsubscribe option that's easy to find and it is useful to give subscribers the option to unsubscribe from certain lists and newsletters or from all of the emails.
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions that Yahoo/Google guidelines are generally satisfied as long as emails don't generate spam complaints. List-Unsubscribe serves to prevent spam complaints.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog explains that providing granular unsubscribe options, like unsubscribing from specific lists, enhances user experience and reduces the likelihood of being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that providing clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe options, including preference centers where subscribers can choose which lists to unsubscribe from, is essential for compliance and user satisfaction.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog shares that giving subscribers control over their subscriptions, including choosing which lists to unsubscribe from, leads to better engagement and a cleaner list.
Email marketer from Mailchimp states that a clear unsubscribe link and a preference center is vital for respecting recipients and staying compliant with laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog shares that preference centers that allow users to manage their subscriptions are a great way to reduce unsubscribes and keep subscribers engaged.
Email marketer from Reddit shares, based on user experiences, that users often expect unsubscribing from a specific newsletter should only unsubscribe them from that particular newsletter, not everything.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog explains that offering both global and list-specific unsubscribe options is a best practice for maintaining a healthy email list and respecting subscriber preferences.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks advises to do what the user expects, which sounds like unsubscribing from the specific newsletter and associated content, rather than all newsletters. He notes that mailbox providers assess compliance based on user complaints, so user satisfaction is key.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that the right approach depends on the customer base's expectations, suggesting that users expect the list-unsub header to unsubscribe them only from that specific list, not globally.
Expert from Email Geeks explains the functionality of the unsubscribe button. If a user hits unsubscribe, the mail client does a POST and gets a success response back… that’s a working unsubscribe. Beyond that it’s all customer complaint rates.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that tracking is primarily done through complaints.
Expert from Word to the Wise advises providing clear options so customers can make informed choices about which emails and newsletters they want to receive, rather than forcing an all-or-nothing scenario.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from RFC Editor explains the List-Unsubscribe header specification, which allows for a single-click unsubscribe mechanism. It doesn't explicitly dictate global vs. specific unsubscription, leaving it to the sender's discretion.
Documentation from SparkPost Documentation states that handling unsubscribes promptly and correctly is critical for deliverability and reputation. It recommends offering clear unsubscribe options and respecting subscriber choices.
Documentation from Gmail Help states that Gmail respects the List-Unsubscribe header, and when a user clicks it, the sender should process the unsubscribe request, implying that handling of specific vs. global unsubscription is sender's responsibility.