By the end of this guide, you'll know how to add an unsubscribe link to your campaign emails, customize the unsubscribe text, and understand what happens when leads click it. You'll also learn how to manually unsubscribe leads or variables, and how to remove manually added unsubscribe entries when needed.

Every cold email needs a clear way to opt out. Laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM mandate easy opt-out options in cold emails; failing to include them risks fines and penalties. Where the law requires an unsubscribe link (for example, countries under GDPR), your emails must include one. Where it isn't legally required, an opt-out sentence (for example, "Reply 'unsubscribe' and I won't email you again") is enough. Beyond compliance, a clear opt-out reduces spam complaints, protects deliverability, builds trust with prospects, and shows professionalism.

Before you start:

Go to Campaigns and open the campaign where you want to add the unsubscribe link.

In the email editor, write the text where you want the unsubscribe link.

Typical placement: Right before your signature at the bottom of the email.

Text options:

💡 Placement matters: Bottom of email after the main content but before the signature is standard and expected.

Select the word or sentence where you want the unsubscribe link attached.

Example: Highlight "unsubscribe" in "Not interested? Click here to unsubscribe."

Click + Add, then select Add unsubscribe link.

✅ Verification: The text should now appear as a hyperlink inside the email editor.

What happens depends on the unsubscribe type:

The type used for a link click is set per campaign: campaign → gear icon → General → Unsubscribe contact: Unsubscribe the contact e-mail (email only) or Unsubscribe whole contact (general unsubscribe).

⚠️ Permanent action: If a lead clicked the unsubscribe link themselves, that unsubscribe should be treated as permanent for compliance reasons.

You can manually add entries to the Unsubscribe list without someone clicking a link. This is useful for excluding specific people, entire domains, phone numbers, or LinkedIn URLs from all campaigns. A single value blocks only its own channel for that lead.

Click your avatar in the bottom-left corner, then select Settings.

In Settings, go to Team settings → Unsubscribe, then click Add to unsubscribes.

In the modal, paste the values you want to unsubscribe, one per line, then click Unsubscribe variables to confirm.

Supported variable types include:

Email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]

Entire domains: @competitor.com

Phone numbers: +12025550123

LinkedIn URLs: https://linkedin.com/in/example

Key difference: Entries you add manually can be removed later if needed.

To find manually added unsubscribes, open Unsubscribes types... and select User.

Then select one or more rows using the checkboxes and click Remove variables.

Always give an opt-out - Add an unsubscribe link where the law requires one (for example, under GDPR). Elsewhere, an opt-out sentence is enough.

Place the link at the bottom - After the email content and near the signature is standard.

Make it visible - Don't hide unsubscribe links in tiny font or match the background colour.

Keep text clear - "Unsubscribe" or "Click here to unsubscribe" works well.

Respect unsubscribes immediately - Lemlist handles this automatically.

Use manual unsubscribes strategically - Helpful for domains, phone numbers, and LinkedIn URLs you never want to contact.

Review the unsubscribe list regularly - High unsubscribe rates can signal messaging issues.

Issue: Unsubscribe link not appearing in sent emails

Root cause: The unsubscribe link was not inserted before launch.

Fix: Edit the email step, highlight your unsubscribe text, click + Add, then choose Add unsubscribe link. Save the campaign. Already-sent emails won't update, but future emails will.

Issue: Need to manually block several contacts at once

Root cause: You want to exclude multiple emails, domains, phone numbers, or LinkedIn URLs in bulk.

Fix: Go to Settings → Team settings → Unsubscribe, click Add to unsubscribes, paste one value per line, and confirm.

Issue: Need to remove a manually added unsubscribe

Root cause: The entry was added manually and should no longer be blocked.

Fix: Go to Settings → Team settings → Unsubscribe, filter Unsubscribes types to User, select the entry, and click Remove variables.

Issue: Want to exclude an entire company from campaigns

Root cause: You need to block the domain, not just one email address.

Fix: Click Add to unsubscribes and add the domain using the format @companyname.com.