Objective
Learn about Outreach's Opt-Out and Unsubscribe features.
Note: Though Outreach provides support to comply with the various laws and regulations that impact how organizations communicate with Prospects, it is recommended you engage a thorough review of applicable laws and regulations, and address any legal questions with your company's corporate lawyer.
Applies To
- Outreach Users
Outreach Unsubscribe and Opt-Out FAQs
Q: Is unsubscribing the same as opting out?
A: No. If granular opt-out options have been configured, Prospects unsubscribing from a communication are only removing themselves from that communication channel.
Q: What opt-out options does Outreach support?
A: Outreach provides users with the ability to manage opt-out options for emailing, calling, and texting.
Note: Customers must manually remove a Prospect from receiving texts.
For more information regarding Outreach's beta Text feature, refer to our Texting FAQ [Beta].
For more information regarding communication preferences and granular opt-out, refer to Communication Preferences (Granular Opt Out).
Q: How do Prospects opt-out of communication?
A: It depends on your setup. If configured, prospects are able to click on an unsubscribe link located at the end of your emails.
For more information on manually opting out a Prospect or multiple Prospects, refer to How to Manually Opt Out Prospects.
Q: Is unsubscribing the same as Do Not Contact?
A: No. Do Not Contact is a Prospect Stage that does not block you from communicating with that Prospect, but rather provides you an opportunity to better manage your Prospects. For more information regarding prospect stages, refer to How To Configure Prospect Stages in Outreach.
Q: How does providing an unsubscribe link impact my Prospects?
A: Providing Prospects with an unsubscribe link allows them the opportunity to remove themselves from your emailing list.
Q: Do I have to provide an unsubscribe link?
A: Using an unsubscribe link is helpful for a number of important reasons. It helps to keep data integrity, as Prospects who do not have the option to opt-out but want to remove themselves from your emails will have to reply directly to you and request an opt-out. In doing so, these Prospects are systematically counted as a Reply, which can negatively impact your reply rates.
Additionally, major email providers are applying more stringent requirements on bulk email senders -- such as the inclusion of clear unsubscribe links -- to avoid protective restrictions that would otherwise designate their emails as spam.
Lastly, unsubscribe links are a useful feedback loop from Prospects as to communication preference and overall interest, without the reputation pitfalls associated with delete/archive or mark as spam actions.
Q: Are there different options for a customer to opt-out and unsubscribe?
A: Yes! Outreach provides you with the ability to:
- Add unsubscribe language to sequenced mailings.
- Add unsubscribe language to bulk emails.
- Provide granular opt-out options.
- Provide a 1-Click method for unsubscribing.
- Customize an unsubscribe landing page and verbiage.
For more information regarding these features, refer to the applicable articles.
Q: How do I add an unsubscribe link?
A: For more information on adding an unsubscribe link, refer to How To Manage Outreach Email Unsubscribe Links.
Q: Does the unsubscribe link work for bulk-composed emails?
A: Yes! With the unsubscribe link enabled (available in Org Settings), Outreach will automatically add the unsubscribe link to your emails when you hit send.
For more information regarding adding an unsubscribe link to bulk-composed emails, refer to Outreach User Admin Settings: Org Email Overview.
Q: Will adding an unsubscribe link change my workflow?
A: No. Enabling unsubscribe links does not impact your workflow.
Q: Can I customize my unsubscribe link?
A: Yes! For more information on customizing your unsubscribe link, refer to How To Customize the Unsubscribe Signature Link.
Q: We enabled list-unsubscribe in the email header - why is it not displaying in the email list/header?
A: These do not always immediately show up. There is an algorithm for this on Google's side (same with Outlook and other mail clients) that controls whether this displays or not. There must have been enough unsubscribe link clicks before Google will approve and validate it.
You can also test your email delivery here (https://aboutmy.email/). Once you send your test email, check the 'Unsubscription' section, and you'll see the confirmation that we are indeed injecting the list-unsubscribe.