New Feature: List-Unsubscribe Header

In response to users' frustrations with trying to figure out how to unsubscribe from mailings, Hotmail and GMail have created features in their interface to standardize unsubscribing and make it easier. Users can now simply click one link in their email interface to unsubscribe from a mailing. This feature offers an alternative to using the Mark As Spam button to unsubscribe. We are now supporting this List-Unsubscribe Header option for GMail and Hotmail users.

On Wednesday, July 29 we will turn on this option on for all of our customers. This feature does not apply to transactional emails. You can turn this feature off or on by following these steps:

1. Click on My Options and Settings in your JangoMail account.

2. Under Reply Management, choose Unsubscribe Options.


3. Find the Use List-Unsubscribe Header checkbox. To turn on the List-Unsubscribe feature, keep the box checked. To turn off this feature, uncheck the box.

4. Save your preferences by clicking the Update Unsubscribe URL button.


This feature adds code into the header of the email that includes two links for an email client to use to unsubscribe the user:

1. A URL that will unsubscribe the user when visited
2. A mailto address that the email client can use to send the unsubscribe request

The header of the email looks like the below screenshot:

Click to Enlarge

The email client will follow one of these links to unsubscribe the user. If they follow the URL, JangoMail can match that unsubscribe to the email campaign it came from and it will show up in your Reporting. If the email client uses the mailto address, the unsubscribed address will only show up in your universal unsubscribe list and JangoMail won't be able to track it to a specific campaign. Unfortunately, it's up to the email client to choose which of these two links to use.


GMail users can unsubscribe from a mailing in two ways:

1. Mark the mailing as spam and choose the Unsubscribe option

2. Click the "show details" link in the top right hand corner and click "Unsubscribe from this sender"


Hotmail users can unsubscribe simply by hitting the "Unsubscribe" link at the top of the page when they are reading the mailing.

As more email clients adopt the List-Unsubscribe Header, they will be adding their own link for recipients to unsubscribe.

For the official website on the List-Unsubscribe Header, visit: http://www.list-unsubscribe.com/

To read the technical specification on the List-Unsubscribe Header, visit: http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2369.html

To read about GMail's implementation, visit: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/unsubscribing-made-easy.html