Problem

How do I setup 'one-click unsubscribe' headers in my mail-shots?
I have unsubscribe links in my mail-shots, but I'm still having trouble with email delivery. Why?

Overview

Many email service providers (see list below but not limited to) now require that senders MUST implement 'one-click unsubscribe' headers in their email mailshots to yahoo domains.

• Microsoft Office365, Outlook, Hotmail
• Google Googlemail, Gmail and GSuite
• Yahoo
• AOL
• Apple iCloud
• and more..

This requires that you configure your mail-shot application to insert a correctly formatted header in all outbound bulk email. The format of this header is specified in RFC8058, and provides two methods for capturing the recipient's desire to unsubscribe from your email. Note that this is not the same as having an unsubscribe link within the body of the email (which is also best-practice) - it is an additional requirement on your email generation procedure.

1. Method 1 - MailTo URL
2. Method 2 - HTTP URL

This knowledge base article outlines how the 'one-click unsubscribe' header "List-Unsubscribe:" works, and how you need to configure it in a minimum and a preferred method.

This applies to the following (but not limited to) types of emails

• Bulk emails
• Newsletter emails
• Marketing emails
• Promotional emails

We have recently seen email users mark genuine emails regarding invoices, purchase orders and even their own wage slips as spam.  Of course if you have the relevant feedback loop for that senders domain setup you will receive notification but very quickly your domain could hit the spam rate of 0.3% or higher and find yourself having emails rejected.  Even though emails like payroll and invoicing are for a legitmate business purpose you must also ensure you have the appropriate unsubcribe in both the email header and body of the email.

The 'List-Unsubscribe:' Email Header

'Email Header' has a specific meaning in the world of email, it is part of the internal construction of an email - not just an HTML Heading in the body of the email.

RFC8058 specifies the format of an email header that must be included in emails to enable simple unsubscription from a mail service. It describes a mechanism that either uses an HTTP URL or a 'mailto:' URL.

The URL will be used by the receiving mail system to trigger either a POST to the HTTP webpage (which should be used to remove the relevant recipient from future mailings), or by sending an email to the email address specified in the mailto: URL.

How the header is inserted into your generated email will depend on the system/application you use to create each individual email. The value of the header will depend on how you want to collect the unsubscribe request.

Steps to Implement

1. Understand RFC 8058: RFC 8058 provides a standard for handling unsubscribe requests in email communications. It specifies how to format the List-Unsubscribe header.

2. Add the List-Unsubscribe Header: Include the following header in your email: 

   List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:unsubscribe@example.com?subject=unsubscribe>

   Replace unsubscribe@example.com with your actual unsubscribe email address.

3. Setup Your Unsubscribe Email:

   • Ensure the email address you use for unsubscribing is monitored.
   • Configure your email service to automatically process unsubscribe requests sent to this address.

4. Testing:

   • Send a test email to yourself.
   • Verify that the unsubscribe header appears in the email source.
   • Send an unsubscribe request to confirm that it is processed correctly.

5. Best Practices:

   • Clearly communicate the unsubscribe option in your email content.
   • Consider adding a web link alongside the mailto: method for additional convenience - see RFC 8058.

Conclusion

Implementing a one-click unsubscribe header using the mailto: method in accordance with RFC 8058 enhances user experience and compliance with best practices and is a minimum requirement for delivery to many email providers (including Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, 365, etc mailboxes).

Ensure regular monitoring of unsubscribe requests to maintain your email list's integrity and process requests within 48 hours as required by many email providers (including Yahoo).