# Unsubscribes and consent What happens when someone unsubscribes, what a consent record holds, and when you can opt someone in yourself. Every person on your marketing list is there for a reason, and 53° keeps that reason on record. This explains what's recorded, what unsubscribing does, and when a member of your team can opt someone in by hand. ## What happens when someone unsubscribes Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and mail apps such as Gmail show their own unsubscribe button beside your name.

The link opens a page with your logo and one Unsubscribe button. Nothing changes until they press it, so a mail scanner that follows the link doesn't unsubscribe anyone.
A mail app's own button unsubscribes them straight away.
It takes effect at once, and covers all of your organisation's marketing email, on every list.
It only applies to your organisation. If the same person is a contact of another organisation, nothing changes there.
Their page shows Unsubscribed beside Marketing. They stay in your contacts, and you can still write to them one to one.
If they unsubscribed by mistake, the same page offers Subscribe again.

## Who can opt an unsubscribed person back in

They can, by signing up again on one of your forms or choosing Subscribe again on the unsubscribe page.
You can, only if they asked you to. On their page, change Marketing to opted in and choose They asked to be added or They signed up somewhere else.
Being an existing customer isn't a reason to undo an unsubscribe, and importing a file never does.

## What a consent record holds Each change to someone's marketing status adds a record: what changed, when, and on whose word. | How it happened | What's kept | | --- | --- | | They signed up on a form | The response, the sentence they agreed to, the privacy policy it linked to, and their IP address and browser | | They confirmed their email address | The time, and their IP address and browser | | They unsubscribed, or subscribed again | The time, and their IP address and browser | | A member of your team opted them in | Who did it, the reason they chose, and any note | | An import opted them in | Who ran it, and the reason given for the file | | Their address was blocked | Whether email bounced or was marked as spam | Records are kept for as long as you keep the contact. If you delete the contact, their records are kept for 3 more years, so you can still answer a question about an email you sent, and are then deleted. ## Opting someone in yourself When you opt a person in from their page, in a bulk edit or in an import, you choose why you can:

They asked to be added: they told you they want your marketing email.
They are an existing customer: they've bought from you, and you're writing about similar things.
They signed up somewhere else: they agreed on a paper form, at an event or on another system.

You can add a note, such as where they asked. Choose the reason that's true: it's what you'd point to if the person asks why you wrote to them. Switching **Marketing** off for someone needs no reason. It isn't recorded as an unsubscribe, because the person didn't ask to stop. ## Who marketing email is from An owner or admin sets this under **Organisation settings**, **Integrations**, **Marketing email**.

From name is your organisation's name unless you enter another.
Send from starts as noreply@ your domain. It isn't one of your addresses, so it doesn't count towards your plan. You can choose one of your own addresses instead.
Send replies to starts as nowhere. Choose one of your addresses to have replies arrive in your inbox.

The same card lists what's still missing before you can send: a verified domain, and your organisation's postal address. The postal address goes at the foot of every marketing email, as anti-spam laws require. Add it under **Organisation settings**, **Branding**, **Details**. ## Good to know

Only people can be opted in, not companies, and only with an email address.
A blocked address can't be opted in by anyone, the person included. See Why a contact can't be emailed.
Merging two contacts never adds consent. If either had unsubscribed, the contact you keep is unsubscribed.