Anti-spam laws require you include an unsubscribe link in the footer of every email you send, with no exceptions. When a subscriber clicks that link, they'll be unsubscribed from your entire list.
But what if a subscriber only wants to opt-out of a specific sequence or topic — not your entire email list?
You can give them that option with custom unsubscribe links. These come in particularly handy for allowing your subscribers to opt-out of launch sequences or promotions, while still remaining on your email list.
A custom unsubscribe link is just a link trigger with a specific purpose. ⚡️
We have a separate guide on how to create and use link triggers here, and the process in this article is the same. For a custom unsubscribe link, you'll simply set up your link trigger so that it prevents whoever clicks it from receiving further emails on the associated topic.
This can be achieved in a variety of ways, which will vary based on how you choose to keep track of your subscribers' interests and actions. Here are some common use cases:
Unsubscribe them from a sequence — remove them from the sequence they're receiving on that topic, so they won't receive any further emails from it
Add a tag that specifies they have opted out — you can use this tag to exclude them from further related emails.
Remove any tag(s) that indicate interest in the topic they're unsubscribing from — which you can use to prevent them from receiving that type of content in the future.
Again, your mileage will vary here. The general idea is for the link trigger to somehow prevent them from receiving emails on the specified topic.
NOTE: If you'd like to remove tags from subscribers who opt out of receiving emails on certain topics, our topics of interest feature will help you do this more easily than setting up custom unsubscribe links using link triggers. Learn more about setting up topics of interest here.
☝️ Don't forget that a single link trigger can have multiple actions associated with it!
You can add multiple actions in the rightmost column when configuring your link trigger, and all of those actions will be executed simultaneously when it fires:
That also means you are free to "mix and match" actions from the list of suggestions above! For example, you can set your link trigger to unsubscribe them from a sequence and add a tag that indicates they have opted out.
💡 TIP: Keep in mind that opting to click a custom unsubscribe link (rather than the main unsubscribe link) is your subscriber's way of telling you they want to keep receiving your content, just not this particular topic. To keep them as a subscriber, you'll want to respect that feedback, and tailor the content you send them going forward.
What to do when your custom unsubscribe link trigger is ready
Refer to this tutorial for how to add it to your broadcast and/or sequence emails, and/or this tutorial for how to add it directly to your email template.
Last but not least, remember that the main unsubscribe link is still a requirement in all emails. A custom unsubscribe link is an optional add-on, not a replacement.
We recommend differentiating your custom unsubscribe link by using clear text for its call to action, such as "Click here to stop receiving launch emails".
A subscriber opting to use the custom unsubscribe link over the main unsubscribe link is a good thing, so you don't want to conceal it as an option and risk them unsubscribing from your entire list instead!