Unsubscribe and compliance basics for outbound email
Honor unsubscribes fast, keep consent records, and treat compliance as part of deliverability — not paperwork after the fact.
Outbound email compliance means you can justify who you contact, how you obtained their address, and how you stop messaging when asked. Laws differ by region (CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and local equivalents), but the operational bar is consistent.
Non-negotiables
- Include a working unsubscribe path in commercial mail.
- Process unsubscribes promptly — do not wait for a weekly batch if you can avoid it.
- Keep records of source and consent where required.
- Do not email purchased or scraped lists you cannot defend.
- Identify your organization clearly in the message.
Compliance protects reputation
Complaint rates and spam folder placement track how recipients feel. Ignoring unsubscribes is both a legal risk and a deliverability risk.
How OutboundOS fits
OutboundOS orchestrates journeys and exposes unsubscribe handling while you send through your own SMTP. You still own policy, consent, and list source decisions — the software does not legalize a bad list.
Read our Terms for acceptable use, and start a workspace only when your compliance basics are in place.