What is a “this is spam” click inside the mailbox?
Still have a question, spotted an error, or have a better explanation or a source we should cite?
Every inbox has some version of a spam button. It might say "Report Spam," "This is Junk," or "Move to Spam" depending on the mailbox provider. When a recipient clicks it, they're doing two things simultaneously: moving your email out of their view, and sending a signal to the mailbox provider that they didn't want it.
That second part is what makes the spam button fundamentally different from other negative actions. An unsubscribe click tells you the reader is done. A spam click tells the mailbox provider. Gmail, Outlook, and others aggregate those clicks across all their users and use them as a reputation signal for the sending domain. Enough clicks and your future emails get routed to spam automatically, without individual review.
When someone clicks spam on your email, they're usually doing it because they couldn't find (or gave up on) the unsubscribe link. This is the most common driver. People rarely click spam on email they actually signed up for unless they feel trapped. That's why a simple, visible unsubscribe link in every email is not just a legal requirement, it's a spam button deterrent.
Your ESP may suppress the complaining address automatically if you're enrolled in a Feedback Loop (FBL). If it doesn't, that person will keep receiving your emails and keep having the option to complain again. Check whether your FBL is configured and whether complaint suppressions are happening. And if your complaint rate is rising, the fastest fix is usually making the unsubscribe link bigger and easier to find, not changing your content.
Contributors
Who worked on this answer
Every name links to their profile. Every company links to their site. Real people, real accountability.
