{"id":52094,"date":"2024-04-19T13:09:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T17:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/?p=52094"},"modified":"2025-08-13T14:35:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:35:33","slug":"the-ultimate-guide-to-list-unsubscribe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-guide-to-list-unsubscribe","title":{"rendered":"The Email Marketers Guide to Using List-Unsubscribe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Saying goodbye to subscribers is hard, but sometimes it\u2019s for the best.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And when a subscriber wants to leave, the process needs to be as easy as possible. While you should still have an unsubscribe option within your emails, there\u2019s another tool for email marketers and subscribers: list-unsubscribe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down what list-unsubscribe is, why it actually benefits everyone, and how to use it.<\/p>\n

What is list-unsubscribe?<\/h2>\n

While marketers are used to putting unsubscribe messaging<\/a> inside emails themselves, list-unsubscribe is a native unsubscribe option offered by popular inbox service providers (ISP) that gives subscribers a consistent and easy way to opt out of your future messages.<\/p>\n

Clicking the ISP-provided \u2018unsubscribe\u2019 link in the inbox or email removes subscribers from a mailing list with a single click or directs them to an unsubscribe landing page.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How does list-unsubscribe look in the inbox?<\/h3>\n

List-unsubscribe shows up as a link or button at the very top of an email, typically next to the sender name and email address. Some inbox service providers, like Gmail, also use a hover-effect \u2018Unsubscribe\u2019 button in the inbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\"email\n

Gmail\u2019s list-unsubscribe features hyperlinked text.<\/em><\/p>\n\"email\n

Gmail users can also unsubscribe from emails without opening the message.<\/em><\/p>\n\"iOS\n

<\/figure>\n

iOS Mail uses a more prominent button for its list-unsubscribe option.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Is list-unsubscribe the same as automatic unsubscribing?<\/h2>\n

Since 2018<\/a>, Gmail has suggested when to unsubscribe from newsletters, including the Gmail promotions tab<\/a>, that users don\u2019t engage with. These automated unsubscribe suggestions are not the same thing as list-unsubscribe.<\/p>\n\"Phone\n

Gmail asks subscribers if they want to unsubscribe from newsletters they haven\u2019t opened in a while. Image via Gmail<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Do I have to use list-unsubscribe?<\/h2>\n

List-unsubscribe used to be an optional email header in inbox providers like iOS Mail, Gmail, and Outlook.com. Now, Gmail and Yahoo have new email deliverability rules<\/a> for mass senders, and mandatory list-unsubscribe is one of them<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Email senders have to include list-subscribe headers in their messages and honor unsubscribes within two days.<\/p>\n

Benefits of list-unsubscribe for marketers and subscribers<\/h3>\n

Email marketing is a channel of relationship-building and trust, and easy unsubscribes are a pillar of that. Here\u2019s why list-unsubscribe is actually a good thing for everyone involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marketers get better deliverability, engagement, and brand equity<\/h3>\n

50%<\/a> of consumers have marked an email as spam because they couldn\u2019t easily figure out how to unsubscribe\u2014yikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

List-unsubscribe is insurance against those frustrated spam clicks, but that isn\u2019t the only way it helps marketers:<\/p>\n