Act! CRM (by Swiftpage) is a legacy SMB CRM platform serving contact-driven small businesses since 1987, with Marketing Automation add-ons for email campaigns to CRM contacts. The unsubscribe mechanism uses the [!--UNSUBSCRIBE--] merge field in email templates for Act! Marketing Automation sends. RFC 8058 headers depend on the cloud sending infrastructure Act! uses under the hood. Consent syncs back to the Act! CRM contact record for unified sales-and-marketing consent visibility. This guide covers the tag, the CRM integration model, and how to verify the setup end to end.
act.com CRM unsubscribe link
| Tag syntax | [!--UNSUBSCRIBE--] |
| Placement | Manual placement in email template |
| Scope | CRM contact-level opt-out shared with sales workflows |
| Config path | Marketing Automation > Templates > Email footer |
| RFC 8058 one-click | Depends on Act! Marketing Automation sending infrastructure |
How to add the unsubscribe tag in act.com CRM
Place the merge tag exactly as shown below in the email template. act.com CRM replaces it at send time with a signed URL scoped to the recipient and campaign.
[!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]For custom HTML templates, wrap the tag in an anchor to render a proper hyperlink in the delivered email:
<a href="[!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]">Unsubscribe from this list</a>Manual placement in email template
Depends on Act! Marketing Automation sending infrastructure The recipient's mailbox provider (Gmail, Yahoo) uses the List-Unsubscribe-Post header to expose the native one-click button on the message. Requires domain authentication with DKIM and DMARC.
Act! Marketing Automation is layered on top of the Act! CRM database, meaning marketing consent is a CRM contact field but sales activities do not check the marketing opt-out flag by default. Sales reps sending 1-to-1 emails through Act! Contact History can inadvertently reach contacts who opted out of marketing, unless the CRM enforces the marketing_opt_out check in the send workflow.
Testing your act.com CRM unsubscribe link
- Send a test message to a controlled Gmail address you own via the act.com CRM campaign preview action
- Click the footer unsubscribe link and confirm the opt-out on the landing page
- Check the subscriber or contact record: the status should be Unsubscribed within seconds
- Verify the RFC 8058 headers in Gmail: open the message, click three dots, then Show original. Look for
List-UnsubscribeandList-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click
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See the pillar guide with the compliance landscape, the RFC 8058 deep dive, and the unsubscribe tag for every ESP: How to add an unsubscribe link: the complete 2026 guide →
How to add the Act! CRM unsubscribe link (step by step)
Act! Marketing Automation templates require manual placement of the unsubscribe merge field since the platform serves users building custom email templates from scratch.
- Open your Act! Marketing Automation email template.
- Add or edit a text block in the footer where the unsubscribe link should appear.
- Insert the merge field
[!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]. Act! replaces it at send time with a signed URL scoped to the CRM contact record. - Wrap it in an anchor:
<a href="[!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]">Unsubscribe</a>. - Configure the sender identity under Marketing Automation > Settings > Sender configuration.
- Send a test to a seed address and verify the rendered link routes to the Act!-hosted unsubscribe confirmation page.
CRM contact-level consent and sales workflow visibility
Act! Marketing Automation is layered on top of the Act! CRM database, meaning marketing consent is a CRM contact field visible to sales reps in the contact record. However, sales activities do not check the marketing opt-out flag by default. Sales reps sending 1-to-1 emails through Act! Contact History can inadvertently reach contacts who opted out of marketing, unless the CRM enforces the marketing_opt_out check in the send workflow. Configure workflow automation to check consent state before automated send actions.
RFC 8058 and cloud sending infrastructure
Act! Marketing Automation runs on cloud sending infrastructure provided by Swiftpage partnered ESPs. RFC 8058 one-click compliance depends on the underlying infrastructure configuration for the authenticated sending domain. For most Act! customers, RFC 8058 compliance is automatic once the sending domain is verified under Marketing Automation > Settings. Larger enterprise Act! customers using custom sending domains should verify with Swiftpage support that RFC 8058 header injection is active for their domain configuration.
Legacy Act! desktop vs Act! Premium cloud
Act! CRM has two deployment models: Act! Desktop (legacy Windows-only local database) and Act! Premium Cloud (SaaS). Marketing Automation add-ons work with both, but consent sync patterns differ. Desktop customers must run sync jobs to keep Marketing Automation consent aligned with the local CRM database; Cloud customers get real-time sync automatically. Desktop customers on Act! v20 and earlier have limited Marketing Automation features and should upgrade for full unsubscribe compliance tooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Act! CRM unsubscribe tag?
The merge field is [!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]. Act! Marketing Automation replaces it at send time with a signed URL scoped to the CRM contact record. Use it inside an anchor: <a href="[!--UNSUBSCRIBE--]">Unsubscribe</a>.
Does an Act! marketing opt-out block sales rep emails?
Not by default. Sales reps sending 1-to-1 emails through Act! Contact History can reach opted-out contacts unless workflow automation enforces the marketing_opt_out check. Configure sales workflows to check consent before send actions for tighter enforcement.
Does Act! CRM support one-click unsubscribe for Gmail and Yahoo?
Yes for Marketing Automation sends via Swiftpage cloud sending infrastructure. Verify with Swiftpage support that RFC 8058 header injection is active for your sending domain configuration, especially for custom enterprise sending domains.
What is the difference between Act! Desktop and Act! Premium Cloud for consent sync?
Desktop requires sync jobs to align Marketing Automation consent with the local CRM database. Cloud provides real-time bidirectional sync. Desktop customers on v20 and earlier should upgrade for full unsubscribe compliance tooling.
Can I resubscribe an Act! contact who unsubscribed?
Not through the API without explicit consent capture. Act! Marketing Automation enforces permanent suppression on opt-outs. Reactivation requires the contact to re-opt in through an Act!-hosted signup form or documented consent update in the CRM record.
About the Author
Alaa · LinkedIn
Email infrastructure specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience in SMTP, deliverability, and email verification. I’ve configured and troubleshot mail systems across Postfix, Exchange, and cloud relays, managed IP reputation and warmup campaigns, and built verification pipelines processing millions of addresses. My work spans DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), bounce handling, blocklist monitoring, and compliance frameworks including CAN-SPAM and GDPR. I write every article on SMTPedia to give email professionals, developers, and marketers the accurate, RFC-grounded reference they need.
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