Legal footer: unsubscribe link and postal address in marketing emails

What it means

Most countries have rules for marketing emails. Two well-known ones:

• CAN-SPAM (United States): commercial emails must not be misleading, must include a valid postal address and a working way to opt out, and opt-out requests must be honoured within 10 business days.
• GDPR and the ePrivacy rules (European Union): you generally need consent to send marketing emails to individuals, must be able to show that consent, and must let people withdraw it easily at any time.

This guide explains the usual basics. It is not legal advice: rules depend on your country and your readers' countries, so check with a qualified professional for your situation.

Why it matters

• Fines and complaints are possible when the rules are not followed.
• Mailboxes care too. Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to offer easy unsubscribe, and emails without one are more often reported as spam.
• A clear footer with a real identity builds trust: readers know who is writing to them.

How to check

• Send a test email: on the home page, copy your unique test address, send it a normal email from the mailbox or tool you want to check, then open the report. Look at the "Message text" section: the footer should be there, with an unsubscribe link and your address. In "Raw headers", check for List-Unsubscribe.
• Click the unsubscribe link in one of your own emails and check it works without asking you to log in.

How to fix it

What to put in the footer

1. An unsubscribe link, easy to find and written in plain words: "Unsubscribe". One click or one simple page, no login, no long form.
2. Who you are: your company or brand name.
3. A postal address: a street address, or a registered post office box where allowed.
4. Why they get the email: "You receive this email because you signed up on yourdomain.com."
5. A link to your privacy policy, especially for European readers.

Example footer

You receive this email because you signed up at yourdomain.com.
Example Ltd, 12 Example Street, 75000 Paris, France
Unsubscribe | Manage preferences | Privacy policy

Also add the header

Besides the visible link, add the List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers for one-click unsubscribe. Most newsletter tools do this for you.

Other good habits

• Process unsubscribes quickly and automatically. Do not email people after they leave, except a single confirmation if you wish.
• Keep proof of consent: date, source and form of each sign-up.
• Do not use a misleading subject or From name.
• Clearly mark advertising where your local rules require it.

Transactional emails

Receipts, password resets and account alerts are usually not marketing, so they do not need an unsubscribe link. If you add promotions to them, they can become marketing.

Official sources: the US Federal Trade Commission's CAN-SPAM compliance guide.

Check that it is fixed

Send a new test email from the home page from your newsletter tool. The message text should show the full footer, and the raw headers should include List-Unsubscribe.