What is double opt-in in e-mail marketing and why do you need it

There’s nothing more irritating than spam – or being bombarded with marketing messages you don’t want. This is why it’s so important to employ double opt-in in e-mail marketing… Don’t make your customers hate you. But what is double opt-in and what is the process?

What is double opt-in?

Double opt-in is a method used in email marketing to ensure that subscribers have given their explicit consent to receive emails from your organization. It is a two-step process that requires subscribers to first sign up for your email list and then confirm their subscription by clicking on a link in a confirmation email.

Here’s how the double opt-in process works:

Subscriber signs up for your email list: A potential subscriber provides their email address and opts in to receive emails from your organization.
Confirmation email is sent: Once the subscriber has opted in, a confirmation email is sent to the email address they provided. This email contains a link that the subscriber must click to confirm their subscription.
Subscriber confirms subscription: The subscriber clicks the link in the confirmation email to confirm their subscription. This confirms that they have given their explicit consent to receive emails from your organization.
Subscriber is added to your email list: Once the subscriber has confirmed their subscription, they are added to your email list and will start receiving emails from your organisation.

The double opt-in process is considered best practice in email marketing as it helps ensure that subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving emails from your organisation, and that their email address is accurate. This helps reduce the risk of spam complaints and improves email deliverability.

Double opt-in also provides a legal basis for sending emails to subscribers, as it provides evidence that the subscriber has given their consent to receive emails from your organization. This is particularly important if you are based in a country with strict email marketing laws, such as the European Union and its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).