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Capturing unsubscribes in your own system

Posted by Mathew Patterson on August 9, 2007

We've posted about this quite a while back but it remains one of the most common questions we get.

How can I get the address of people who just unsubscribed, so I can keep my database up to date?

Since we first answered, we've added a full API which has a method for getting a list of people who have unsubscribed since a specified date. If you have some development skill available, that's a great way to keep things in sync.

However, you don't have to use the API - a simple way of getting hold of those unsubscribed addresses is to use the custom unsubscribe confirmation page. You can find it under 'Unsubscribe Options' for any list, and it lets you enter a URL that we will send people to after they unsubscribe from your list.

You can just have a static 'sorry to see you go' page there, but you can also pass through the unsubscribing email address, and send it to whichever internal system you have.

It's very simple - just make your unsubscribe URL something like:

www.yourwebsite.com/goodbye.php?emailaddress=[email]

That [email] tag will be replaced with the relevant address, and passed onto your pag, and from there it's up to you. Anyone who unsubscribes via a link in your campaign or an unsubscribe form will be handled in this way.

4 comments so far

Doug Bertlesman

wrote on September 25, 2007 2:25 AM

Are other data fields available - that is, is the list (or lists) they unsubscribed from available to post to a URL?

Bryan

wrote on October 16, 2007 6:51 AM

Surely this method doesn't also apply to emails removed due to bounces? I suppose I'll need to use the API call, but it would be a nice feature if your system could proactively call URLs when addresses are auto-unsubscribed as well.

plusbryan

wrote on October 17, 2007 10:34 AM

Hey guys, you might want to update the inline documentation at: http://app.campaignmonitor.com/subscribers/unsubscribeForm.aspx?
To reflect this new feature. Also, you're missing a question mark after this sentence:
"What web page ... in your email."

james

wrote on March 14, 2008 7:31 AM

+1 for updating the inline documentation as mentioned already.

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