Setting up email unsubscribes

Below, we'll go over how unsubscribes work in Tenon, how to set them up, and what happens if/when someone opts out.

How unsubscribes work in Tenon

Unsubscribes are managed by sending domain, rather than an individual campaign, journey, or list.

When someone unsubscribes, they’ll stop receiving emails from that sending domain until they resubscribe.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• You only need to set up unsubscribes once for each sending domain — not for every email.
• If you send from multiple domains, unsubscribe preferences are managed separately for each one. Someone can unsubscribe from one domain and still receive emails from another.

The short version

Tenon can enable unsubscribes for your sending domain. Once enabled, an unsubscribe link is automatically added to your emails, opt outs are recorded, and future emails to unsubscribed recipients are suppressed.

There are also a couple of other setup options if you want more control over where the link appears or what happens after someone clicks it.

Choose how you want to handle the unsubscribe link

There are three options. You can choose a different approach for each sending domain.

Option 1: Let Tenon add it for you — Recommended

Tenon can enable unsubscribes for your sending domain through our email delivery service.

This setting isn't available in the Tenon interface, so reach out to your Tenon customer success contact to have it enabled.

Once it's enabled, an unsubscribe link will automatically appear in the footer of every email sent from that domain. You don't need to add anything to your templates or remember to include the link each time you send an email.

The wording and styling of the link can also be customized to match your brand. Just let your Tenon contact know how you'd like it to look.

That's it! Just confirm with your Tenon contact that unsubscribes are enabled for each domain you use to send marketing emails.

Option 2: Add the link to your own footer

If you've designed your own email footer and want the unsubscribe link to appear within it, you can add the link directly to your template.

First, ask your Tenon contact to turn off the automatically appended unsubscribe link for that sending domain.

Then add this exact value as the link destination:

%unsubscribe_url%

A few important things to keep in mind:

• Add %unsubscribe_url% to the link destination or URL field, not as the visible link text.
• Enter it exactly as shown. Don't add spaces, punctuation, or change the capitalization.
• Type it directly into the field instead of copying and pasting it from a styled document, which can sometimes bring unwanted formatting with it.

When you use the merge tag this way, Tenon records the opt out the same way it does with Option 1. The recipient will also see Tenon's standard confirmation page after unsubscribing.

Option 3: Create a custom unsubscribe experience

If you want to send recipients to your own branded unsubscribe page, you can use a custom URL instead.

You'll also need to create a Tenon journey that opts the recipient out of the sending domain when they click the link. The journey is what actually records the opt out, so this step is required for a custom flow.

This option gives you the most control, but requires some additional setup. Talk to your Tenon contact before setting it up so we can help you plan the flow.

Which option should I use?

For most teams, Option 1 is the easiest place to start. Tenon handles the unsubscribe link automatically, so you don't have to manage it within individual templates.

If you decide later that you want more control over the placement of the link or the unsubscribe landing page, you can move to Option 2 or 3.

Import your existing unsubscribes

If you were sending marketing emails before moving to Tenon, you'll want to bring your existing unsubscribe records with you.

Send your Tenon contact a list that includes these five fields for each person:

• Email address
• Status: Unsubscribed
• Sending domain: The domain they opted out of
• Recipient type: Email
• Date: The date they opted out

If someone has unsubscribed from more than one of your sending domains, include a separate row for each domain.

It's important to complete this step before sending your first campaign so people who have already unsubscribed don't begin receiving emails again.

Test your unsubscribe setup

Before you start sending, run a quick test:

1. Send a test email to your own email address.
2. Check the footer and make sure the unsubscribe link is clickable. If you're using Option 2, you should see the actual unsubscribe link — not %unsubscribe_url% displayed as text.
3. Click the link and complete the unsubscribe.
4. Ask your Tenon contact to confirm that the opt out was recorded for your email address and sending domain. If you have access to the contact consent list, you can also check it there.

What happens after someone unsubscribes?

Once unsubscribes are set up, Tenon handles the rest automatically.

When someone opts out:

• Tenon records their email address, sending domain, and the date of the opt out.
• Future emails to that person from that sending domain are suppressed.
• Consent records refresh nightly to keep statuses current across your sending domains.

You don't need to maintain a separate suppression list.

If someone contacts your team directly and asks to be unsubscribed or resubscribed, a Tenon admin can also update their status manually for a specific domain.

Send your Tenon contact the person's email address, sending domain, and the status you'd like applied.

Troubleshooting

%unsubscribe_url% appears as plain text in the email

If you're using Option 2 and %unsubscribe_url% appears in the email instead of a clickable link, it's likely been added to the visible text field rather than the link destination field, or the editor reformatted it.

Enter %unsubscribe_url% again in the link destination field and send another test.

Someone is still receiving emails from one of our brands

Remember that unsubscribes are managed separately for each sending domain.

Check that unsubscribes have been enabled for the domain that's still sending email and that the person's unsubscribe history for that domain was imported.

Your Tenon contact can confirm both.

Helpful terms

Sending domain
The domain your email is sent from. Unsubscribes are tracked separately for each sending domain, so different brands or business units can have different statuses.

Consent record
The record Tenon keeps for a person and sending domain, including their current status and the date it changed.

Merge tag
A placeholder added to an email template that Tenon replaces with the appropriate value when the email is sent.

Suppression
Preventing an email from being sent to someone who has opted out of that sending domain.

Journey
An automated flow in Tenon. For unsubscribes, a journey is only required if you're creating a custom unsubscribe landing page.

Reference

The information below provides additional technical detail for teams that need it, including ServiceNow administrators. You don't need it to complete the setup above.

What Tenon records when someone unsubscribes

Opt outs are written to the x_cadso_automate_contact_consent table. Tenon checks this table before every send to determine whether an email address should be suppressed.

Viewing consent records in ServiceNow

If your marketing operations team has ServiceNow access, you can view these records directly.

In the ServiceNow navigator, search for Contact Consents and open:

Tenon - Automate Administration → Contact → Contact Consents

From there:

• Filter by email address to see the person's status for each sending domain.
• Filter by domain and status to see who is currently suppressed for a particular brand.
• Sort by date to see the most recent activity, which can be useful after a campaign or unsubscribe import.

The contact consent list should be treated as the source of truth for consent.

In practice, this list should be read-only for most users. Creating or editing records is an admin action. If a status needs to be changed, send your Tenon contact the email address, domain, and status you'd like applied rather than editing the record yourself.

One person can have different statuses across domains

Consent records are unique to an email address + sending domain combination.

That means the same person can be subscribed to one domain and unsubscribed from another:

If you're importing consent records, the same email address can appear multiple times as long as each row identifies the appropriate sending domain. The records won't overwrite or conflict with one another.

Comparing the three unsubscribe options

Marketing email regulations such as CAN-SPAM, CASL, and GDPR require a working opt out in marketing emails. Option 1 makes it easiest to ensure the unsubscribe link is consistently included.