Effectively Set Up Your Pardot Unsubscribe

December 18, 2021
Email Mailability, Greenkey Digital, Opt Out / Unsubscribe, Pardot Resubscribe

Every email needs an unsubscribe link.

Every. Single. Email.

In fact, Pardot won’t let you send an email without the unsubscribe or preference center link.

Keep reading to learn how to set up a Pardot unsubscribe and much more!

What is an unsubscribe?

Unsubscribe is a link at the bottom of your email that users click to opt out of future emails.

You can find your Unsubscribe page in Pardot Email > Unsubscribe Page.

Pardot offers a ready-made unsubscribe page. Create Pardot layout templates to style this page in the same way you would other landing pages.

Unsubscribe vs. Preference center

Key differences between an unsubscribe and a Pardot preference center:

Enable two-click unsubscribe

If you’re sending emails with the unsubscribe link, ensure that you have enabled a two-click unsubscribe.

Corporate scanners can accidentally opt-out prospects with a one-click unsubscribe. A two-click unsubscribe requires prospects re-confirm their unsubscribe request, preventing bots from inadvertently unsubscribing your prospects.

The single-click unsubscribe is the default setting, but I highly recommend turning on the two-click feature.

How to personalize your unsubscribe page

If you do nothing with your unsubscribe page, it looks like this. (Pretty blah.)

At a minimum, you should add your logo in the formatting section.

Otherwise, read Jenna Molby’s blog on How to Customize Your Pardot Unsubscribe Page.

How to add unsubscribe to your emails

Ok, let’s add the unsubscribe link to your email.

Type the word “Unsubscribe” in your email, highlight it, and click on the “link” icon. You can pick Unsubscribe Link in the Link Type drop-down.

NOTE: The unsubscribe link doesn’t always appear when you test emails. Add yourself as a prospect before you send the test email to check the link.

If you use the Email Builder, read this blog.

Unsubscribe best practices

1. If possible, try to use a preference center for the unsubscribe. Doing so can prevent prospects from unsubscribing while fostering trust with your readers. Read more.

2. Don’t hide your unsubscribe options or make them difficult to see.

3. Avoid text that tries to talk prospects out of unsubscribing. This can appear unprofessional. Honor your contact’s decision to unsubscribe and focus on those who want to engage with your content and products.

4. Include links to your company’s social media profiles so that users who would rather keep in touch on those platforms can easily follow along.