Summary
Mailbox Providers (MBPs) identify mail streams through sender authentication and track user engagement and spam complaints to determine sender reputation and deliverability. While MBPs might not inherently distinguish between multiple lists from the same sender domain, they monitor the overall recipient experience. User expectations are paramount, with many expecting an unsubscribe to remove them from all marketing communications. Therefore, senders must prioritize honoring unsubscribe requests promptly and provide clear, easy-to-find unsubscribe options, ideally one-click. Implementing preference centers, segmenting lists for targeted content, and using separate sending domains for distinct brands are best practices. Furthermore, maintaining list hygiene and adhering to standards like RFC 8058 are essential for avoiding spam complaints and preserving a positive sender reputation.
Key findings
- Authentication & Identification: Mailbox providers identify mail streams through sender authentication, enabling them to track sender reputation and deliverability based on user engagement and spam complaints.
- User Expectations on Unsubscribes: Most users expect an unsubscribe to remove them from all marketing communications, regardless of underlying lists or brands.
- Importance of Preference Centers: Preference centers provide subscribers control over what emails they receive and reduce unsubscribes and spam complaints by allowing users to manage subscriptions granularly.
- Impact of Spam Complaints: High spam complaint rates resulting from unhonored unsubscribes significantly damage sender reputation and deliverability.
- List Hygiene Crucial: Maintaining accurate lists and promptly honoring unsubscribe requests are crucial for avoiding spam complaints and preserving sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Honor Unsubscribes: Promptly process and honor unsubscribe requests (including RFC 8058 standards) across all mailing lists.
- Implement Preference Centers: Create user-friendly preference centers that give recipients control over their email subscriptions, including the ability to unsubscribe from specific lists or all communications.
- Segment Lists: Segment email lists based on interests, demographics, and behavior to deliver more relevant content and reduce the likelihood of users unsubscribing.
- Manage Branding: Clearly brand mail streams to manage unsubscribe scope; consider separate sending domains for distinct brands to allow users to unsubscribe from a specific brand without affecting others.
- Monitor Performance: Monitor sender reputation and deliverability using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS, paying close attention to spam complaints and other metrics.
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or disengaged subscribers, reducing the risk of spam complaints and improving engagement rates.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Mailbox providers (MBPs) primarily focus on user experience and spam prevention. They may not inherently differentiate between multiple lists from the same sender, treating them as a single entity. However, they track spam complaints and engagement metrics, which directly impact sender reputation and deliverability. Users generally expect an unsubscribe to remove them from *all* marketing communications, regardless of the number of lists. Therefore, senders need to manage user expectations and provide clear unsubscribe options to avoid spam complaints and maintain good deliverability. Implementing preference centers, segmenting lists, and using separate sending domains for different brands are recommended best practices.
Key opinions
- MBP Perspective: MBPs primarily focus on sender reputation based on user engagement and spam complaints, and may not differentiate between multiple lists from a single sender domain.
- User Expectations: Users generally expect an unsubscribe to apply to all marketing communications from a sender, regardless of the number of underlying lists.
- Preference Centers: Preference centers are crucial for allowing subscribers to control their subscriptions and avoid unsubscribing from everything.
- Global Unsubscribe: Offering a global unsubscribe option is a best practice to satisfy user expectations and prevent spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Segmentation: Segment email lists to deliver targeted messaging and reduce the likelihood of users unsubscribing due to irrelevant content.
- Clear Communication: Clearly communicate the scope of an unsubscribe request to manage user expectations.
- Separate Domains: If managing multiple brands, consider using separate sending domains or subdomains to allow users to unsubscribe from specific brands without affecting others.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your lists to remove inactive or disengaged subscribers to improve engagement rates and reduce spam complaints.
Marketer view
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.
11 Sep 2023 - HubSpot
Marketer view
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.
4 Aug 2024 - Reddit
What the experts say
6 expert opinions
Mailbox Providers (MBPs) identify mail streams through sender authentication and prioritize recipient happiness. Failure to honor unsubscribe requests, especially RFC8058, leads to negative consequences like spam complaints and deliverability issues. The scope of an unsubscribe depends on branding; clearly distinguished mail streams allow for granular unsubscriptions, while indistinguishable streams warrant a complete opt-out. Preference centers are crucial for user control and reducing complaints, allowing recipients to manage their subscriptions. Proper list hygiene and promptly processing unsubscribes are essential for maintaining a good sender reputation.
Key opinions
- MBP Identification: MBPs identify mail streams via sender authentication.
- Unsubscribe Impact: Failure to honor unsubscribe requests results in spam complaints and deliverability problems.
- Branding Matters: The scope of an unsubscribe depends on the clarity and distinction of the branding and content of mail streams.
- Preference Centers are Important: Well-designed preference centers allow users to control what types of emails they receive, reduce unsubscribes, and minimize spam complaints.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining accurate lists and honoring unsubscribe requests are crucial for avoiding spam complaints and preserving sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Honor Unsubscribes: Promptly process and honor unsubscribe requests, particularly those following RFC8058 standards.
- Brand Clearly: Clearly brand and distinguish mail streams to allow for granular subscription management.
- Implement Preference Centers: Implement user-friendly preference centers that allow recipients to manage their subscriptions effectively.
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or disengaged subscribers and maintain accurate data.
Expert view
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.
30 May 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
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.
3 Jul 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Mailbox providers rely on the List-Unsubscribe header (RFC 8058) as a standardized method for handling unsubscribe requests. High spam complaint rates, often resulting from unhonored unsubscribe requests, significantly damage sender reputation and deliverability. Senders should monitor spam complaint data and promptly honor unsubscribe requests across all lists to maintain a positive sender reputation and ensure email delivery.
Key findings
- Standardized Unsubscribe: The List-Unsubscribe header provides a standardized method for managing unsubscribes.
- Spam Complaint Impact: High spam complaint rates resulting from unhonored unsubscribes negatively affect sender reputation and deliverability.
- Reputation is Key: Sender reputation is crucial for deliverability and is directly impacted by how unsubscribe requests are handled.
Key considerations
- Respect Unsubscribes: Promptly honor unsubscribe requests across all mailing lists.
- Monitor Complaints: Monitor spam complaint data using tools like Microsoft SNDS to identify and address deliverability issues.
- Implement RFC 8058: Implement the List-Unsubscribe header according to RFC 8058 standards for a consistent unsubscribe process.
Technical article
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.
2 Aug 2024 - Validity
Technical article
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.
22 Dec 2024 - RFC Editor
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