Introduction
Managing and communicating with a large customer base can prove difficult, especially if a significant portion of that base has previously bounced and been suppressed. In cases where you are dealing with a large volume of suppressed profiles, manually unsuppressing each account in order to send a mandatory message (such as an update to terms and conditions) may be overwhelming and inefficient. This post will guide you on how to automate unsuppression in bulk using an API endpoint, a workaround not directly available via the UI.
Problem
A common issue arises when a large number of accounts are marked as spam resulting in their addition to the suppression list. Consequently, these accounts stop receiving important emails. Attempting to unsuppress these accounts one by one turns out to be a cumbersome task marking the need for a more efficient solution to handle this issue in bulk.
Solution
The recommended approach to handle this problem in bulk is to leverage an API endpoint which automates the process of unsuppression. Although this method isn't directly available in the UI, it proves to be a practical workaround for managing a considerable number of suppressed accounts.
Important note: You should only unsuppress profiles when specifically requested by a customer (if they feel they were suppressed in error) or in order to deliver a mandatory update message to your entire audience. Repeatedly unsuppressing profiles that are on your list due to bounce or spam markings will lead to reputation issues, so use this method sparingly.
Here is an example code to use the API endpoint:
curl --request DELETE \
--url https://api.customer.io/v1/esp/suppression/{suppression_type}/{email_address} \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer REPLACE_BEARER_TOKEN'