Why am I getting repeated re-engagement emails after unsubscribing?

Key findings

• Legal grace period: Email senders legally have up to 10 business days to process an unsubscribe request under regulations such as the CAN-SPAM Act. This means you might still receive emails for a short period after unsubscribing.
• Re-engagement programs: Some companies employ re-engagement campaigns designed to win back inactive subscribers or confirm interest before removing them from a list. These campaigns are usually not intended for recent unsubscribers but can sometimes be sent in error due to poor segmentation.
• Segmentation errors: A common cause is a mistake in list segmentation, where unsubscribed users are inadvertently included in a re-engagement segment. This often happens if the suppression list is not updated immediately or correctly.
• ESP migration: When a company switches email service providers, there can be complexities in migrating subscriber data and suppression lists. This might lead to unintended sends as they transition, especially if they are trying to determine which subscribers to port to the new system.
• Lack of integration: If a company's customer relationship management (CRM) system or other databases are not fully integrated with their email platform, an unsubscribe request might not sync across all systems, leading to continued messages.

Key considerations

• Understand unsubscribe processes: Familiarize yourself with how unsubscribe requests are handled, including the legal processing time. This helps set realistic expectations.
• Verify unsubscribe method: Ensure you are using the official unsubscribe link provided in the email, rather than simply marking it as spam. The List-Unsubscribe header can also offer a quick way to opt out.
• Monitor re-engagement campaigns: As a sender, carefully segment your audience for re-engagement efforts to avoid targeting recent unsubscribers. Our guide on how to re-engage inactive subscribers provides best practices.
• Impact on sender reputation: For senders, repeated emails to unsubscribed individuals can lead to increased spam complaints, which negatively affects your sender reputation and overall email deliverability. This is a key reason why people get emails after unsubscribing in the first place.

Key opinions

• ESP migration challenges: Marketers frequently cite issues during migrations to new ESPs, where the transfer of disengaged audiences and suppression lists can be complicated, sometimes leading to unintended re-engagement attempts.
• Logic and segmentation errors: Poorly configured segmentation or logic errors within their email platform (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud) can result in emails being sent to individuals who have recently unsubscribed.
• Aggressive re-engagement tactics: Some marketers use aggressive subject line tweaks in re-engagement campaigns, even for those who have just unsubscribed, hoping for a last-ditch effort to retain them.
• Disengaged audience strategy: There's an ongoing challenge for marketers to manage large disengaged audiences and determine the most effective, compliant way to either re-engage them or remove them permanently. This impacts deliverability when re-engaging subscribers.

Key considerations

• Data synchronization: Ensure that unsubscribe requests are promptly and accurately synchronized across all marketing systems and ESPs, especially during migrations. This helps prevent deliverability issues after an ESP migration.
• Segmentation refinement: Regularly review and refine audience segments to exclude recent unsubscribers from re-engagement flows or general promotional sends.
• Unsubscribe process clarity: Make the unsubscribe process clear and easy, as confusion can lead to spam complaints rather than effective opting out.
• Risk assessment of re-engagement: Marketers should weigh the potential benefits of re-engagement against the risks of increased spam complaints and negative sender reputation if not executed carefully. Emma's blog highlights reasons why people unsubscribe, which are crucial to consider.

Key opinions

• Compliance is paramount: Experts emphasize that respecting unsubscribe requests is not just a legal requirement (e.g., the 10-day rule) but a critical factor for maintaining a positive sender reputation and avoiding blocklists.
• Segmentation failures: Many instances of post-unsubscribe emails are attributed to inadequate segmentation, where suppression lists aren't properly applied to re-engagement or promotional campaigns.
• Negative impact on reputation: Persistent unwanted emails lead to higher spam complaint rates and direct unsubscribes, both of which signal negative engagement to internet service providers (ISPs) and can result in your emails being filtered to spam folders. This highlights why your emails are going to spam.
• Importance of authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) ensures that unsubscribe requests are processed securely and that legitimate senders are not mistaken for spammers. Our simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM covers these fundamentals.

Key considerations

• Strict suppression management: Implement robust processes to immediately add unsubscribed addresses to suppression lists and ensure these lists are applied to all outbound campaigns, regardless of their nature.
• Audit re-engagement flows: Regularly audit re-engagement campaign logic to confirm they do not target recent unsubscribers. Consider only targeting inactive users who haven't opened emails in a significant period (e.g., 6-12 months) and who have not explicitly unsubscribed.
• Prioritize list hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list by regularly removing disengaged and unsubscribed contacts is crucial for long-term deliverability and sender reputation. This is a common theme discussed on platforms like SpamResource.
• Transparency: Be transparent with subscribers about your unsubscribe process and any re-engagement efforts to build trust and avoid misunderstandings.

Key findings

• Timely processing: The CAN-SPAM Act mandates that unsubscribe requests must be processed within 10 business days, prohibiting further commercial emails after this period.
• Clear unsubscribe mechanism: Documentation requires that a clear and conspicuous unsubscribe link be included in every commercial email, making it easy for recipients to opt out.
• No additional charges/information: Recipients should not be required to pay a fee, provide additional personal information beyond their email address, or take any steps other than sending a reply email or visiting a single web page to unsubscribe.
• Suppression list maintenance: Senders must maintain and honor their suppression lists, ensuring that unsubscribed addresses are not subsequently sold or transferred to other entities for sending commercial emails.
• Transactional vs. marketing: Unsubscribe requirements generally apply to commercial emails, while certain transactional or relationship-based messages might be exempt, though best practices often advise a clear preference center for all communications.

Key considerations

• Adherence to legal standards: Marketers must strictly adhere to the legal requirements for unsubscribe processing, such as those outlined by the CAN-SPAM Act, to avoid penalties and maintain deliverability.
• Utilizing preference centers: While not strictly mandated for every email, offering a comprehensive preference center (often tied to the Gmail "Manage subscriptions" feature) allows users granular control over their subscriptions, reducing the need for full unsubscribes and minimizing complaints.
• Monitoring deliverability metrics: Regularly reviewing metrics via tools like Google Postmaster Tools can help identify high complaint rates that might indicate issues with unsubscribe processing or re-engagement tactics.
• Ensuring technical compliance: Implement technical standards, such as the List-Unsubscribe header, to facilitate easier one-click unsubscribes for recipients and assist ISPs in automatically handling opt-out requests.