Should I send an update preferences email after a user marks an email as spam?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 7 Jun 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
6 min read
It seems logical, doesn't it? When a recipient hits the 'This Is Spam' button, especially if your company has diverse email streams like newsletters, alerts, or transactional notifications, the immediate thought might be to offer them an 'update preferences' email. This way, you could potentially retain their engagement with content they actually want, instead of losing them completely.
However, the reality of email deliverability and sender reputation is far more nuanced than this initial instinct suggests. While the intention to be helpful is commendable, sending any email, even a preference update, to someone who has explicitly marked your message as spam carries significant risks. It's a delicate balance between respecting user intent and safeguarding your domain's ability to reach inboxes.
The impact of a spam complaint
When a user clicks 'This Is Spam', it's the strongest possible negative signal they can send to an email service provider (ESP) or mailbox provider. This action communicates a clear desire to stop receiving emails from you. ESPs and mailbox providers take these complaints very seriously because their primary goal is to protect their users from unwanted mail.
Each spam complaint, especially those reported through feedback loops (FBLs), directly impacts your sender reputation. A high complaint rate signals to mailbox providers that you might be sending unwanted mail, leading them to filter more of your emails directly to the spam folder, even for recipients who haven't complained. This isn't just about the individual who complained, but about your overall standing. You can find more details on what ESPs do with spam complaints in our guides.
Ignoring these signals by continuing to send emails could lead to more severe consequences, such as your sending IP address or domain being added to a public or private blocklist (or blacklist). Once on a blocklist, your emails are likely to be rejected by many mail servers, severely damaging your deliverability across the board. Learn more about what happens when your domain is blacklisted.
Understanding user intent
Users mark emails as spam for a variety of reasons, and it's not always because they genuinely believe your email is malicious junk. Sometimes, it's simply the easiest way to stop unwanted mail, even if a proper unsubscribe link is available. This is a common phenomenon in the email world.
The key distinction to remember is that marking an email as spam is a far stronger signal than clicking an unsubscribe link or updating preferences. An unsubscribe means, 'I don't want this specific type of content anymore.' A spam complaint, however, typically means, 'I do not want any emails from you, and I consider this unsolicited.' You can read more about why recipients mark email as spam from industry sources.
The user is unlikely to differentiate between your various email streams when hitting that button. From their perspective, they are telling their email provider to stop all communication from your sending domain. Attempting to send a preference update email after this action might be perceived as disregarding their explicit request, further aggravating them.
The risk of re-engaging spam complainers
The risks of re-engagement
Ignoring Signals: Mailbox providers view a spam complaint as a definitive request to cease all mail. Sending another email, even a helpful one, can be interpreted as ignoring this signal.
Reputation Damage: This practice can lead to a damaged sender reputation, causing your emails to be sent to spam folders for a broader audience. This significantly impacts your overall email deliverability rate.
Blocklisting Risk: Persistent disregard for spam complaints can result in your domain or IP being added to a blocklist (or blacklist), making it impossible to reach your recipients.
In almost all cases, sending an 'update preferences' email after a user marks your email as spam is a bad idea. When a user files a spam complaint, especially through a feedback loop, it triggers an immediate notification to your ESP. Continuing to send mail to that address after receiving such a notification, even a preferences email, is a clear violation of trust and industry best practices.
Such actions can have severe consequences for your email program. Mailbox providers like Google may penalize your sending reputation, leading to lower inbox placement rates for all your legitimate emails. It can even result in your sending account being suspended by your email service provider, as they have strict rules against sending to known complainers.
Strategic approaches to managing complaints
The most prudent action when a user marks your email as spam is immediate and complete suppression of that email address from all future mailings. This applies to all email streams, whether marketing, promotional, or even most alerts. While it might feel counterintuitive to lose a subscriber, preserving your sender reputation is paramount for long-term deliverability.
For companies with diverse email streams, a critical strategy is to use separate sending domains or subdomains for different types of emails. For example, your transactional emails could come from yourcompany.com, while marketing emails use marketing.yourcompany.com. This segregation allows for more granular control over complaints. If a user complains about a marketing email, they can be suppressed from that subdomain without affecting crucial transactional communications. We have more information on how to manage email spam complaints.
Single domain sending
Impact: A single spam complaint affects the reputation of your entire domain, potentially impacting all email types.
Suppression: A spam complaint typically necessitates suppressing the user from all future emails from that domain.
Segmented subdomain sending
Impact: A spam complaint on one subdomain (e.g., marketing) only affects its reputation, leaving other streams (e.g., transactional) unaffected.
Suppression:Suppression can be managed per subdomain, allowing a user to still receive critical transactional emails if desired.
Ultimately, prevention is better than a cure. Focus on building highly engaged lists with clear opt-in processes. Regular list hygiene, removing unengaged subscribers, and providing clear unsubscribe options will significantly reduce the likelihood of spam complaints in the first place. This proactive approach helps maintain a healthy sender reputation and ensures your emails reach the inbox.
Protecting your sender reputation
Maintaining a strong sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability. While it might seem like a good idea to try and win back a subscriber who marked your email as spam by offering preference updates, the risks generally outweigh the benefits. The immediate and complete suppression of such recipients is the industry standard and best practice.
Focus on ensuring your initial opt-in process is clear, your content is relevant, and your unsubscribe process is straightforward. By doing so, you minimize spam complaints and build a truly engaged audience, which is far more valuable than clinging to a disengaged one. This proactive approach supports robust email deliverability rates overall.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always suppress a user immediately after they mark an email as spam to protect your sender reputation.
Utilize distinct subdomains for different email streams, such as transactional versus marketing, to isolate any negative impact.
Prioritize clear opt-in processes and easy unsubscribe options to prevent spam complaints from occurring initially.
Common pitfalls
Attempting to send an update preferences email after a spam complaint, which can be seen as disregarding the user's explicit request.
Not segregating email streams by subdomain, leading to all email types being affected by a single spam complaint.
Underestimating the long-term damage that high spam complaint rates can inflict on your domain's reputation.
Expert tips
Monitor your feedback loop (FBL) complaints carefully; they are critical signals from mailbox providers.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove disengaged subscribers before they become a deliverability issue.
Educate your team on the importance of respecting user signals to maintain a positive email sending environment.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says removal and suppression is the standard expectation, and any deviation must be strongly justified, not just convenient.
2021-12-27 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says if you send more email after someone has indicated they don't want it, the relationship with that recipient will not improve.
