Unsubscribing From Newsletters: How to Maintain Audience Loyalty

Unsubscribing from a newsletter means a user's decision to stop receiving emails.

Email footer with unsubscribe. Example from The Blonde Abroad blog.

Why an unsubscribe link is necessary

An unsubscribe link is an element in an email, most often found at the bottom (in the footer), that allows recipients to opt out if they no longer wish to receive your messages. It not only helps maintain the sender's reputation but is also required by law in many countries as part of anti-spam regulations.

Yes, it can be unpleasant to see someone leave your subscriber base, but an unsubscribe link is essential.

If your content is truly interesting and valuable, most readers will simply ignore the link. However, even the highest-quality emails may not appeal to some members of your audience. If those subscribers cannot find an unsubscribe link, they may mark your email as spam, which will harm your reputation.

How does sender reputation work? Read more in this article: What is a Sender Score and How to Improve It.

Why it is important to include an unsubscribe link in emails

An unsubscribe link is not only a way to keep your subscriber base up to date but also an essential element that offers several additional benefits:

Reducing inconvenience for customers. We've all subscribed to a newsletter at least once, only to find out later that it's not interesting to us. This can be frustrating, especially when an inbox is already overflowing with emails.

Don't create unnecessary inconvenience for your subscribers. It’s much better to provide them with an easy way to opt out of emails if they no longer wish to receive them. When someone tries to find an unsubscribe link and can't locate it, it becomes truly frustrating. Respecting your subscribers' preferences makes interacting with your emails more convenient and enjoyable.

Additionally, this improves the overall perception of your email content. A user's inbox should contain only the messages they are genuinely interested in.

An opportunity to receive feedback. A confirmation email after unsubscribing is a great opportunity to learn why a subscriber decided to leave. You can offer them a short survey or suggest other newsletters that might be more relevant to their interests.

This helps you understand what specifically caused the user to unsubscribe—perhaps they didn’t like the content, or the emails were sent too frequently. This data allows you to adjust your strategy and better meet the expectations of your audience.

Reducing the risk of being marked as spam. Having an unsubscribe link directly affects whether your emails reach recipients' inboxes or end up in spam. If a subscriber cannot find a way to opt out, they are likely to mark your email as spam, which negatively impacts your reputation.

However, that's not all—starting in 2024, having an easy-to-use unsubscribe link has become a mandatory requirement for mass emails sent to Gmail and Yahoo. If you send emails to users of these services (which is highly likely), you will need to include an unsubscribe link.

How can you avoid spam complaints? Read more in this article: How to Send Millions of Emails and Avoid Spam Filters.

Compliance with data protection laws. Violating personal data processing rules can result in serious consequences, including fines. Companies are required to ensure users' rights to protect their information. Under this law, users have the right to have their data deleted, and companies must fulfill unsubscribe requests. It is important to note that consent for data processing is not permanent — users can revoke it at any time to protect their personal information.

If a subscriber wants to unsubscribe, it is their right. By honoring this request, you not only comply with the law but also maintain trust in your brand.

Unsubscribe link requirements for 2025

Starting in February 2024, Google introduced new rules to enhance subscriber convenience. Now, mass senders who send more than 5,000 emails per day are required to include a one-click unsubscribe option. Yahoo has implemented the same requirements. This is one of the most reliable ways to avoid spam complaints since each complaint lowers your sender reputation.

What should you do?

Provide subscribers with an easy way to unsubscribe directly from the email service interface using list-unsubscribe headers.
Ensure internal support for processing unsubscribe requests and removing addresses from the mailing list within two days.

How to implement it?

Senders must add list-unsubscribe headers to the email header according to the specified requirements.

Not sure how to add list-unsubscribe headers or what they are? No worries! Try Altcraft's block-based email editor — just assemble emails from ready-made blocks like a constructor.

How to properly handle unsubscribes and retain subscribers

Here are a few tips to help you retain more subscribers while avoiding frustration for those who choose to unsubscribe.

1. Simplify the unsubscribe process. Make the unsubscribe link noticeable and do not require users to enter a login, password, or SMS confirmation.

2. Monitor unsubscribe reasons. Understanding why subscribers leave helps you better understand your audience and adjust your content or email frequency accordingly.

3. Offer an alternative. In addition to a standard unsubscribe option, allow subscribers to adjust their preferences — such as reducing email frequency or selecting only topics of interest. However, do not replace the unsubscribe link with this option. Instead, highlight the value of your content to encourage subscribers to stay.

The J. Crew blog offers lots of alternatives

However, inconspicuous text in the footer of an email does not always have a significant impact. Even if email preferences are actively promoted in separate emails or within a personal account, the reach remains limited. To effectively manage email frequency, it is better to focus on subscriber behavior: send emails less frequently to those who do not open them while maintaining the usual frequency for more active users. This approach helps reduce the number of unsubscribes. Often, to decrease the unsubscribe rate, you simply need to send fewer emails.

4. Use segmentation. Segment your email list to increase the effectiveness of your campaigns. Divide your audience into groups based on various factors such as age, location, interests, website behavior, or interaction with previous emails.

This level of personalization allows you to send each subscriber more relevant content that aligns with their needs and preferences. Segmentation not only improves the user experience but also reduces the number of unsubscribes. When subscribers receive information that genuinely interests them, they are much less likely to opt out of your emails.

For example, if someone is interested in discounts, send them messages with current offers. If another subscriber prefers news updates, provide them with only the most important information.

How does segmentation work? And how do you properly divide your target audience into segments? Read more in this article: Target Audience: Why to Define It, How to Classify and Segment It.

5. Encourage customers to leave feedback. After unsubscribing, offer the subscriber a chance to leave a comment about their reason for opting out. Feedback will help you understand what can be improved in your content or approach. Regularly conduct surveys to learn what people feel is missing from your emails and encourage customers to share their opinions. Not everyone is willing to provide detailed responses, so consider motivating them with discounts or bonuses.

6. Send email campaigns at the right time. For example, sending a promotional email from a bar on a Monday morning is probably not the best idea. This is an obvious example, but there are also more subtle patterns. Altcraft selects the optimal time to send emails based on subscriber behavior and preferences.

Self-learning algorithms analyze user activity and determine the moment when an email is most likely to be opened and read. This increases engagement and reduces the risk of your message getting lost in an overcrowded inbox.

Conclusion

Subscriber unsubscription from email campaigns is a natural part of working with an audience and provides valuable insights into the preferences of your target group.

A well-organized unsubscription process, consideration of subscriber interests, and adherence to regulations help maintain the effectiveness of your email campaigns and the sender’s positive reputation. Paying attention to audience needs fosters long-term relationships and increases engagement.