As of November 2026, no law or major mailbox provider requires a permission reminder (“You are receiving this email because…”). It is still worth adding to any list that gets mail rarely, irregularly, or long after signup. What changed is the cost of forgetting: since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo hold bulk senders to a spam complaint rate under 0.3%, and since May 2025 Microsoft Outlook.com holds high-volume senders to SPF, DKIM and DMARC. A confused subscriber who clicks “Report spam” now does more damage than when this post was first written. A one-line reminder near the unsubscribe link is cheap insurance, but it does not replace a clear welcome email and a steady sending rhythm.
It really depends.
A post from No Man is an Iland discussed the pros and cons of placing a permission reminder in your emails, the familiar “You are receiving this message because…” line.
Several things decide whether you should use permission reminders. If your email service provider (ESP) does not add this line automatically and you do not send on a regular schedule, you should definitely remind subscribers why they are getting your message.
Subscribers often get messages and can’t tell why they were sent. Quite often the honest answer from the reader would be “I have opted-in but don’t remember doing it.” When people don’t recognise a sender, they are more likely to hit the spam button than to look for the unsubscribe link. Under the current Gmail and Yahoo rules, those complaints count against your sender reputation.
If you start the relationship well, with a welcome message that sets expectations about how often you will send, and then you stick to that schedule, you may not need to remind subscribers why they receive your emails.
If you use your list for random, one-off messages, remind subscribers why they are hearing from you. Then build a sending plan so the question doesn’t come up again.
A good reminder is short and specific. Say where and when the person signed up, for example: “You’re getting this because you signed up for order updates at checkout on example.com in March 2026.” Put it in the footer next to the unsubscribe link and your postal address. A vague line like “You are receiving this because you are a valued customer” doesn’t help anyone remember.
FAQ
Does CAN-SPAM require a permission reminder?
No. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM rules require honest header and subject information, a valid physical postal address, a clear way to opt out, and opt-outs honoured within 10 business days. A “why you’re receiving this” line isn’t on that list. Violations can still be expensive: the FTC’s maximum civil penalty is $53,088 per violation, a 2025 level it is keeping for 2026.
Do Gmail and Yahoo require a permission reminder?
No, but their rules make one more useful. Since February 2024, bulk senders (Google defines this as more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail addresses) must authenticate with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail, process unsubscribes within two days, and keep spam complaint rates below 0.3%. Google recommends staying under 0.1%. A reminder that stops even a few complaints helps you stay inside those limits.
Where should the permission reminder go in an email?
Most senders put it in the footer, close to the unsubscribe link and postal address. Some put it in the preheader or at the top when the email is unusual, such as a re-engagement campaign or the first email after a long gap. A list that hasn’t been mailed in months benefits from the reminder at the top.
Does a permission reminder replace a welcome email or reconfirmation?
No. The welcome email sets expectations about content and frequency, and the reminder only backs that up later. For subscribers who have been inactive for a long time, Yahoo’s Sender Hub best practices suggest sending a reconfirmation email rather than mailing them forever. Remove the people who don’t respond.
Does the reminder help with GDPR consent?
Partly. Under GDPR you must be able to show when and how each person consented. Storing the signup source and date in your ESP does that job. The reminder is the reader-facing version of the same record. Printing it in the email doesn’t count as proof of consent.
Can Apple Mail Privacy Protection hide the effect of a reminder?
Yes, if you judge it by opens. Since Apple added Mail Privacy Protection in 2021, opens from Apple Mail users are pre-loaded and inflated, so open rates say little. To see whether a reminder is working, track spam complaints in Google Postmaster Tools, unsubscribe rates and clicks instead.
Sources
- Google: Email sender guidelines
- Yahoo Sender Hub: Best practices
- Microsoft Tech Community: Outlook’s new requirements for high-volume senders
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act, a compliance guide for business
- Federal Register: FTC adjustments to civil penalty amounts (2025)