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Unsubscribes, Do Not Contact, and when to stop contacting someone

How recipients opt out of your cold emails in Distro, what happens when they unsubscribe, how to block addresses and when to stop yourself.

Updated 3 min read

Everyone you email should have a clear way to stop hearing from you, and once they use it, you should never contact them again. Distro gives recipients several ways to opt out, records every opt-out on your Unsubscribed list, and checks that list before every email it sends.

Ways a recipient can opt out

Turn on Unsubscribe link in a campaign's Settings panel (an email campaign or an Email + LinkedIn campaign), or in Compose, and Distro:

  • Adds a small line to the end of every email: "Don't want to hear from me? Unsubscribe".
  • Adds the standard unsubscribe header that lets Gmail and other providers show their own one-click Unsubscribe option next to your name.

Each recipient gets their own personal link. Clicking it opens a simple confirmation page; nothing about the person is shown on it.

If you prefer to place the link yourself, use Insert variable… → Unsubscribe link in the email editor. That adds {{ system.unsubscribe_url }} wherever you put it, and Distro adds the one-click header as well.

The setting is off by default in email campaigns, Compose and Email + LinkedIn campaigns. Whether you use it is your choice, but we recommend giving people a clear way to opt out, whether that is the link or a line such as "Not relevant? Just reply and I won't follow up." An easy opt-out is far better for your reputation than a spam report. See Handling spam complaints.

2. Replying to ask

When someone sends a short reply that clearly asks to be removed (for example "unsubscribe", "remove me", "take me off your list" or "please stop emailing me"), Distro treats it as an unsubscribe. This works whether or not you use the unsubscribe link.

Distro is deliberately cautious here so normal replies are not misread. If someone asks in a longer or less direct way, block them yourself (see below).

3. Any other reply

A normal reply stops the sequence for that person through stop-on-reply, but does not add them to the Unsubscribed list. See How stop-on-reply works.

What happens when someone unsubscribes

  1. Their address is added to your Unsubscribed list under People with the reason Unsubscribed, and the contact is marked as unsubscribed.
  2. Their active sequences stop, across all campaigns in that product. In Email + LinkedIn campaigns they aren't contacted again on any channel.
  3. Every future send is checked against the list first, so they are left out of new campaigns and one-off emails.
  4. In the campaign, the person's status shows Unsubscribed. Unsubscribes through the link also count toward Unsubscribed on Analytics; a reply asking to be removed is counted there as a reply.

Hard bounces are added to the same list with the reason Bounced. For the full mechanics, see The Do Not Contact (suppression) list.

Block someone yourself

If someone asks not to be contacted by phone, on LinkedIn, in person, or in a reply Distro didn't recognise:

  1. Go to People → Unsubscribed.
  2. Select Block address.
  3. Choose Single email address or Whole domain.
  4. Pick a reason, such as They asked not to be contacted or Spam complaint, and save.

Existing contacts that match become ineligible straight away.

Resubscribing someone

Only resubscribe a person who clearly asked to hear from you again. In the Unsubscribed list, open the row's menu and choose Resubscribe…. Distro asks for the legal basis and what happened, and asks you to confirm the person asked to be contacted again. This is logged with your name and the reason.

When to stop on your own

You don't need an unsubscribe to stop. Consider ending outreach to someone when:

  • They have received your full sequence without replying. Give it months, not days, before trying again with something genuinely new.
  • They replied "not now" or "not interested". Respect it, and only follow up later if they invited you to.
  • They have left the company or the role no longer fits.
  • Several people at the same company have objected. Consider blocking the domain.

Laws on commercial and unsolicited email (such as CAN-SPAM in the US, GDPR and PECR in the UK and EU, or CASL in Canada) may apply depending on where your recipients are. They can include rules on opt-outs, identifying yourself and your lawful basis for contacting people. Check your own obligations. Distro's tools help you honour opt-outs, but this article is not legal advice.

Still stuck?

Email us at hello@usedistro.com with what you tried and what you see. Signed in? Help & support in the app has walkthrough videos and a message form.

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