Campaigner (owned by j2 Global, part of Ziff Davis) is a legacy US email marketing platform serving SMBs and mid-market companies since 1999 with autoresponders, workflow automation, and drag-and-drop templates. The unsubscribe mechanism uses the %%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%% merge tag with triple percent delimiters, auto-injected into every campaign footer. Campaigner emits RFC 8058 headers automatically for authenticated domains. Consent is tracked account-wide via the global Unsubscribed status flag, syncing across all lists and campaigns. This guide covers the tag, the delimiter quirk, and how to verify the setup end to end.
Campaigner unsubscribe link
| Tag syntax | %%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%% |
| Placement | Auto-embedded in every campaign footer |
| Scope | Account-wide Unsubscribed status |
| Config path | Setup > Account preferences > Email defaults |
| RFC 8058 one-click | Yes, automatic for authenticated sending domains |
How to add the unsubscribe tag in Campaigner
Place the merge tag exactly as shown below in the email template. Campaigner replaces it at send time with a signed URL scoped to the recipient and campaign.
%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%For custom HTML templates, wrap the tag in an anchor to render a proper hyperlink in the delivered email:
<a href="%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%">Unsubscribe from this list</a>Auto-embedded in every campaign footer
Yes, automatic for authenticated sending domains 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.
Campaigner uses triple percent delimiters (%%%) which conflict with templates copied from ExactTarget or Salesforce Marketing Cloud (which use double percent %%). Copying templates between these platforms requires converting the delimiter format. Campaigner rejects tags with the wrong delimiter format at send time, not save time, so validation errors surface late in the workflow.
Testing your Campaigner unsubscribe link
- Send a test message to a controlled Gmail address you own via the Campaigner 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
Want the full 222-platform reference?
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 Campaigner unsubscribe link (step by step)
Campaigner drag-and-drop templates include the unsubscribe link in the default footer, but custom HTML templates require the tag inserted manually with the exact triple percent delimiter format.
- Open your campaign or template in the Campaigner editor.
- Add or edit a text block in the footer where the unsubscribe link should appear.
- Insert the merge tag
%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%. Campaigner replaces it at send time with a signed URL unique per contact. - Wrap it in an anchor with your preferred label:
<a href="%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%">Unsubscribe</a>. - Add the physical postal address block. Campaigner reads it from Setup > Account preferences.
- Send a test to a seed address and verify the rendered link routes to the Campaigner-hosted unsubscribe confirmation page.
Account-wide Unsubscribed status flag
Campaigner tracks unsubscribes at the account level via the global Unsubscribed status flag. A contact who unsubscribes from any campaign is flagged Unsubscribed across every list and every campaign in the account, simpler than per-list opt-out models. This suits single-brand senders that want account-wide compliance without per-list overhead. Multi-brand agencies must use separate Campaigner accounts to segregate opt-outs, since the global flag applies uniformly within an account.
RFC 8058 one-click headers
Campaigner added RFC 8058 one-click unsubscribe automatically ahead of the Google and Yahoo February 2024 requirements. The List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers inject on every marketing send from domains authenticated under Setup > Sender authentication. SPF and DKIM records must be verified. Unauthenticated domains fall back to shared Campaigner infrastructure without one-click compliance.
Delimiter conflict with ExactTarget/SFMC templates
Campaigner uses triple percent delimiters (%%%) which conflict with templates copied from ExactTarget or Salesforce Marketing Cloud (which use double percent %%). Copying templates between these platforms requires converting the delimiter format. Campaigner rejects tags with the wrong delimiter format at send time, not save time, so validation errors surface late in the workflow. Templates copied from Mailchimp (which uses *|MERGE|*) or SendGrid (which uses <%tag%>) require full merge tag conversion, not just delimiter adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Campaigner unsubscribe tag?
The tag is %%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%% with triple percent delimiters. Campaigner replaces it at send time with a signed URL unique per contact. Use it inside an anchor: <a href="%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%">Unsubscribe</a>.
Why does Campaigner reject my template with the SFMC unsubscribe tag?
SFMC uses double percent (%%unsub_center_url%%) while Campaigner requires triple percent (%%%UNSUBSCRIBELINK%%%). Templates copied from SFMC or ExactTarget must have the delimiter converted before send. The validation error surfaces at send time, not save time.
Does Campaigner support one-click unsubscribe for Gmail and Yahoo?
Yes, automatically for authenticated domains. Campaigner injects List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers on every marketing send from domains verified under Setup > Sender authentication.
Can I offer per-list opt-out instead of account-wide?
Not natively. Campaigner defaults to account-wide Unsubscribed status. To offer per-list opt-out, run separate Campaigner accounts per brand or product line, since the global flag applies uniformly within an account.
Can I resubscribe a contact who unsubscribed from Campaigner?
Not through the API. Campaigner enforces permanent suppression on opt-outs. The contact must re-opt in through a Campaigner signup form or explicit consent capture, which resets the Unsubscribed status flag.
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.
About SMTPedia
SMTPedia is an independent email industry reference covering SMTP, IMAP, POP3, email deliverability, marketing platforms, DNS authentication, and email verification. Every article is researched from official provider documentation, IETF RFCs, and industry best practices. Settings and configurations are verified quarterly.
We are cited as a source by ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and thousands of email professionals worldwide. Learn more about our editorial process.
