Reduce accidental unsubscribes

Unsubscribing is channel-wide: when a member clicks the unsubscribe link, their contact record is marked Email Do Not Disturb, and they stop receiving all marketing and promotional email from your organization, not just the newsletter they clicked from. Because a member who only meant to skip one email can lose every marketing email this way, the fix is to set clear expectations in the unsubscribe experience itself. You can add expectation-setting text around the default unsubscribe link, build a fully branded unsubscribe page, or offer category-level preferences so members can receive less email without unsubscribing entirely.

For the full picture of what happens after an unsubscribe, see Understanding unsubscribe and Do Not Disturb (DND) and Understanding Do Not Disturb (DND) Status.

Recommended unsubscribe-page language

Tell members, in plain words, that unsubscribing affects all marketing email before they click. Adapt these samples to your organization:

"Unsubscribing stops all marketing emails from [Organization Name], not just this newsletter. If you would like fewer or different emails, update your preferences instead of unsubscribing."

"Before you go: unsubscribing removes you from every marketing and promotional email we send. If you only want fewer or different emails, update your preferences instead."

Place this text directly next to the unsubscribe link so members read it before they act, not after.

Add expectation-setting text around the default unsubscribe link

The default email footer includes an unsubscribe link, controlled by the Include Unsubscribe Link setting under Settings > Business Profile > General. The text of the default link itself cannot be edited, but you can customize the text around it, which is where your explanation belongs.

1. Go to Settings > Business Profile > General and confirm Include Unsubscribe Link is enabled so the default footer link appears on your emails.

2. In each email, add a short sentence near the unsubscribe link explaining that unsubscribing stops all marketing email from your organization, and point to your preferences option if you offer one.

If you disable Include Unsubscribe Link, no footer link is added automatically, and you must insert the unsubscribe link manually in each email. In the Email Builder, use the UNSUBSCRIBE LINK custom value, found under the EMAIL custom values.

Build a branded unsubscribe page

For full control of the unsubscribe experience, build your own unsubscribe page and route link clicks through a workflow that marks the contact Email DND. Members land on your page, read your explanation in your own words, and confirm there.

1. Create a landing page that explains what unsubscribing does, and publish it.

2. Go to Marketing > Trigger Links > Add Link and create a trigger link that points to that page.

3. Build a workflow with the Trigger Link Clicked trigger, followed by a Set Contact DND action with Enable DND for Specific Channels set to Email.

4. Use this trigger link as the unsubscribe link in your emails, with your expectation-setting text next to it.

Offer preference management as the alternative

Preference Management gives contacts category-level control over what they receive, so a member who wants fewer emails can adjust their subscriptions instead of unsubscribing from everything. The unsubscribe link can include a Manage your preferences option, and contacts manage their category statuses from their contact record under DND > Subscription Status > Manage Email Subscriptions.

1. Go to Settings > Preference Management Hub and set up the email categories your organization sends, such as newsletters, event announcements, and education updates.

2. Include the Manage your preferences option in your unsubscribe link so members can reach their subscription settings directly from any email.

3. Mention this option in your expectation-setting text, so members who only want fewer emails choose preferences instead of a full unsubscribe.