Opt-out for SMS
An opt-out list is created when you sign up. You do need to include an opt-out method when sending messages — however the way you set up your opt-outs will depend on your SenderID.
There are two ways for recipients to opt-out:
Recipients can reply with the keyword “STOP” (or a custom keyword) to unsubscribe automatically. Available in SMS Campaign only.
You can include an unsubscribe link (e.g., StopMsg.me/xxxxx) in your message.
Note: Neither the Reply STOP option nor the unsubscribe link is available in Quick SMS — you can still prompt recipients to reply STOP by including the phrase manually in your message body.
SenderID type | Opt out method |
Shared number | STOP keyword or unsubscribe link |
Alpha Tag | Unsubscribe link, or include your ClickSend Dedicated Number if you have one in the message body so recipients can reply STOP to it — this still works with your Inbound Rules for the STOP keyword. |
Own number | Only unsubscribe link |
Dedicated number | STOP keyword or unsubscribe link |
You can create the unsubscribe link when building an SMS Campaign. A unique link will be added to each message and the recipient will be moved to an opt-out list when they click the link.
If you're using an Alpha Tag as your sender ID and don't want to use an unsubscribe link — or you're sending via Quick SMS, which doesn't support unsubscribe links — you can include a phrase like: “Reply STOP to +61412345678 (ClickSend Dedicated Number)” in your message. The number must be your ClickSend Dedicated Number so our system can receive the inbound reply.
Opt-outs for email
Currently, you can only send transactional emails via ClickSend. Opt-outs are not automatically managed for transactional messages. You must handle these manually.
Set up automatic opt-outs
The automatic opt-out system is already set up on your account. Once the recipient opts-out they will be moved to the opt-out contact list. Just remember, you must use the correct opt out method and store your contact lists in ClickSend for the system to work.
Opt-outs are important so if you have any questions, please contact customer support.
Removing opted-out contacts from other lists
When a recipient opts out, they're only added to your Opt-Out List — they are not automatically removed from any other active contact lists. If you keep sending to those other lists without cleaning them up, opted-out recipients may still receive messages.
To remove opted-out contacts from a specific list:
Go to Contacts and open the list you want to clean up.
Click Clean Up and select Remove Opted-out.
In the pop-up, select the list that contains your opted-out contacts (e.g. your Opt-Out List).
Click Remove to delete any contacts from the current list who also appear on the selected opted-out list.
You need to repeat this for each active contact list individually — removing opted-out contacts from one list does not clean up any others.
Importing and sharing opt-out lists
If you have multiple subaccounts, you need to make sure every account has an updated opt-out list. Here’s two ways you can import and share opt-out lists:
Import previously opted-out contacts:
Navigate to the Opt-Out List in the Dashboard.
Click Import Contacts and upload a list.
Or, click + New Contact to manually add opted-out numbers.
Share opt-out lists across subaccounts:
Opt-out lists can be shared or kept separate for each subaccount. This setting is linked to the Share Contacts permission. Learn more: sharing contacts across subaccounts.
Re-add the opt-out rule
If you accidentally delete the opt-out rule, that’s ok. You can set it up again in a few steps.
Select Messaging Settings.
Select SMS & MMS and select Inbound Rules.
Give the rule a name and select the dedicated number.
In Match For select Message starts with. For the Search Term enter Stop (not case sensitive).
Under Action select MOVE_CONTACT and under Contact List select Opt-Out List.
Click Save.
You can change the opt-out keyword. By default, STOP is used to trigger opt-outs. You can add other keywords or customise this rule via Inbound SMS Settings.