Why Add an Unsubscribe Link to Cold Emails

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Cold emails are electronic messages sent to a user with whom the sender doesn’t have prior relationship to initiate the communication. Unlike spam emails which are irrelevant and bulk sent, cold emails are targeted, relevant, and personalized.

Is an Unsubscribe Link Required by Law?

Whether you are targeting leads with cold emails in the United States or European Union or in any other part of the world, the golden rule is to abide by local government regulations in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. 

Opt-Out Regulations for Cold Emails in the USA

In the USA, email rules are governed by the CAN-SPAM Act. According to the CAN-SPAM Act, the inclusion of an unsubscribe link is necessary unless the message complies with the “transactional or relationship” category outlined in the Act. The senders must:

• Explain an opt-out process clearly;
• Provide an easy way to opt-out: email or online;
• Honor unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.

Opt-Out Regulations for Cold Emails in Canada

In Canada, cold emails are subject to the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) where the key points are:

• Senders must acquire an explicit consent from a recipient before sending them commercial electronic messages;
• Each commercial electronic message must include a clear and functional unsubscribe option;
• Unsubscribe requests must be honored promptly.

Opt-Out Regulations for Cold Emails in the EU

In the European Union, senders must be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where these rules are stated:

• A functional, easy-to-find, and clearly visible unsubscribe link is mandatory in all marketing emails, including newsletters and cold outreach;
• The opt-out process must be simple, ideally one-click, allowing recipients to withdraw consent without justification;
• Unsubscribe requests must be honored immediately or within a very short time frame. 

Opt-Out Regulations for Cold Emails in the UK

In the United Kingdom, cold emails are legal but they must abide by the UK GDPR rules and by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) which outline rules for electronic communications, including email marketing. In particular, cold senders must obtain prior consent before sending marketing emails and provide clear opt-out mechanisms.

Opt-Out Regulations for Cold Emails in Australia

In Australia, electronic messaging, including email, is controlled by the Spam Act of 2003. The rules specified in this legislation must be followed when sending cold emails for marketing reasons. According to the Act:

• Cold emails sent for marketing purposes require the recipient’s consent;
• Cold emails must include a functional and free of charge unsubscribe option.

Additional Reasons for Including an Unsubscribe Link in Cold Emails

As mentioned above, the inclusion of an unsubscribe link in cold emails is required by law in many countries. Failure to comply with local regulations can result in serious consequences including significant fines.

However, it would be a mistake to assume that an unsubscribe link in cold emails is merely a legal requirement. It’s important to include an unsubscribe link in your cold emails for other reasons such as:

• Building trust and confidence.
  By offering an easy way to opt-out, you demonstrate your respect to the recipients and build confidence into your brand. This can result in better engagement with your emails in general.
  
• Protecting sender reputation.
  When there is no visible option to unsubscribe, the recipients may choose to report the email as spam. User reported spam rate is one of the factors contributing to sender reputation. A clear and functional unsubscribe option can reduce spam reports considerably safeguarding your sending domain and IP.
  
• Maintaining good deliverability.
  Google, AOL, and Yahoo already require a one-click unsubscribe option for commercial and marketing messages. Other providers will do the same in the future. Failure to comply with this rule can reduce deliverability of cold emails greatly.   

5 Common Mistakes That Should Be Avoided

It’s important to avoid these common mistakes when adding the unsubscribe link to your cold email:

1. Hiding or disguising the unsubscribe link.
   If the unsubscribe link is difficult to find, your spam complaint ratio is likely to rise affecting your deliverability and reputation. Therefore, use plain wording, such as “Unsubscribe” and put the link in a visible place, for example, at the bottom of the email.
   
2. Using an invalid unsubscribe link.
   An invalid link or non-working unsubscribe process will result in increased spam reports, break the recipient’s confidence and put you in violation of laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR. It’s crucial to test the whole opt-out process before sending cold emails to the audience.
   
3. Making it too complicated.
   The opt-out procedure must be straightforward and, ideally, one-click. Making the recipient take additional steps to be unsubscribed can provoke annoyance and can prompt them to click “This is Spam” instead.
   
4. Not processing unsubscribe requests timely.
   An immediate unsubscribe is the best practice. However, some regulations allow taking some time for processing unsubscribe requests. According to the CAN-SPAM Act in the US, honoring unsubscribe requests is possible within ten business days. 

5. Not offering a way to unsubscribe at all.
   Some marketers still omit an unsubscribe option in cold emails with fear of losing contacts. But if you don’t want to have reputation and deliverability issues and pay hefty fines, you won’t make this mistake.
   

What If I Don’t Add an Unsubscribe Link to Cold Emails

Skipping an unsubscribe link in your cold emails is a risky practice. Without an easy opt-out option, frustrated recipients may take action themselves, often in ways that have serious consequences for your brand. Here’s what’s on the line:

• Legal penalties.
  The legal consequences can be serious. In the US, breaking CAN-SPAM rules can cost up to $53 per email, and in the EU, GDPR fines can climb up to millions. These fines aren’t accidental — they’re meant to discourage non-compliance and protect recipients’ rights.
  
• Loss of confidence.
  Without a clear and functional unsubscribe option, your recipients quickly become frustrated and lose trust in your brand. This affects engagement and conversions.
  
• Boost in spam reports.
  When unsubscribing isn’t available, many recipients will just click “Mark as spam.” Those complaints can badly hurt your sender reputation and make it much harder for future cold emails to land in the inbox.
  
• Impact on sender reputation.
  Too many spam complaints tell ESPs that you can’t be trusted. This results in more aggressive filtering and email throttling – the emails are delivered hours after they are sent.
  
• Lower deliverability.
  The impact of not including an unsubscribe link on deliverability can be serious. Negative signals from the recipients will force inbox providers to filter out more and more cold emails as spam or even block them. 

Conclusion

Adding an unsubscribe link to cold emails is not merely about compliance with regulations. It simultaneously builds confidence with the recipients and inbox providers, enhances email deliverability, and protects your sender reputation.

Ignoring best practices on including an unsubscribe link and honoring unsubscribe requests has serious consequences such as legal penalties, reputational losses, spam complaints, and deliverability harm. You’ll position yourself for long-term, sustainable success by making your cold emails compliant with best email practices.

Do not hesitate to use the GlockApps tools to test your sender reputation, email spam score, and email placement in order to uncover deliverability issues and address them timely.