Awhile back, Automate with Heart newsletter community member Nicki of The Ruffled Purse, emailed me with this gem of a question:
“Based on the new deliverability updates, what are your thoughts on single vs double opt-in?”
While Nicki’s question is in light of the big email deliverability updates that Google & Yahoo are putting in place, I’ve expanded my answer to look at it from a few different angles. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page so you aren’t wondering what the heck I’m talking about.
What’s a Double opt-in vs. Single opt-in?
A double opt-in is when new subscribers are required to click on a link in an email to confirm that they signed up and want to receive your emails. If you have this enabled, someone new to your email list isn’t considered subscribed unless they take action and click on that button.
With a single opt-in, someone is considered automatically subscribed once they sign up for your email list or a freebie.
Alrighty, let’s unpack Nicki’s question and dive into the eternal debate: double opt-in vs. single opt-in.
We’ll tackle it from a few different angles:
- Consent
- Deliverability
- Human Connection
- Business model
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How email marketing consent factor into double opt-ins?
As long as you’re using permission-based email collection and following your email marketing software’s acceptable use policy, then you’re likely using consent-based email marketing practices.
And what exactly is permission-based email collection? Let’s kick things off by talking about what it’s definitely not.
This is pulled from Kit’s (formerly ConvertKit) acceptable use policy:
“The following is considered “inappropriate use” of a ConvertKit account: Purchased subscriber lists, scraped lists, or any other form of non-permission based list collection.
(Pst, even though I’m quoting Kit above, all of the email marketing softwares I researched, including Mailerlite & Mailchimp, have similar policies.)
Other examples of “non-permission based list collection” that you should not do include adding people:
- Who give you their business card
- You meet at a networking event
- After you signed up for their email list
- Who filled out an inquiry form
- Who visited your website and didn’t take action (yes, apparently that’s actually a thing 😳)
But what about GDPR and consent?
First off, GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. It’s the privacy policy that applies to the anyone marketing to residents of the European Union and several other European countries. Even if you don’t reside in any of those countries but you do any form of marketing, including email marketing, to people who do, then you need to abide by GDPR laws.
While a double opt-in has no bearing on whether or not your email marketing is GDPR-compliant, from what I uncovered in my internet sleuthing is you do need a double opt-in if you have subscribers in certain European countries.
This is what Google’s help doc has to say:
“Double opt-in is legally required in the following countries: Austria, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Norway. If your billing address is located in one of these countries, you’ll need to confirm your email address to subscribe to marketing emails.”
I won’t get into how you can do that from a technical standpoint, but there are some workarounds to enable this if you have subscribers in those countries. (Book a Power Hour if you’d like support with setting that up.)
How does whether have a double opt-in vs. single opt-in impact your email deliverability?
First off, let’s define email deliverability, which is your emails showing up in your subscribers’ inboxes (and yes, that includes the promotions folder).
Email engagement, which takes the form of clicking on and responding to emails, helps with email deliverability. This is more of a hunch, but wouldn’t it make sense for folks to be more engaged if they’ve already taken that first little step to click to confirm?
Hunches aside, the double opt-in also helps prevent spam sign ups, which will indeed tank your email deliverability.
Here’s what Yahoo had to say about the double opt-in:
“When users subscribe to your mailing list, send them an email asking them to click to confirm their opt-in. This will improve the experience for users (who won’t sign up accidentally or get signed up maliciously) and for your list (which won’t contain uninterested people, fake email addresses, or most robots).”
I think if you have good systems in place for identifying and removing new subscribers who don’t engage with your emails in the first month, AND if you have safeguards in place to prevent bot signups – such as enabling CAPTCHA – then from a deliverability standpoint I think you’re probably fine if you go the single opt-in route.
That being said, don’t forget to give your subscriber list some TLC every now and then. It’s like tending to your favorite houseplant – gotta keep it healthy and thriving by weeding it and removing the pests. Or in this case, periodically removing subscribers who aren’t engaging with your emails (the weeds) and the spammers (the pests).
Which brings us to what every email marketing dreads: spammers.
What happens if you have spam sign-ups?
Unfortunately I’ve seen this happen to several clients – including one who we by chance discovered during her email marketing Power Hour.
Too many people marking your emails as spam will ruin your reputation and deliverability. Plus you run the risk of your email software provider shutting down your account.
If you notice a bunch of fake signups or folks marking your email marketing as spam, then you should turn on the double opt-in immediately until you get to the root of how this happened. You don’t want those subscribers automatically added to your email list and receiving any additional emails beyond the double opt-in email.
Double opt-ins from a human connection standpoint
I look at email marketing and newsletters as tools for connecting with your community and creating pathways for a two-way dialogue. It’s why I invite my subscribers to reply to my newsletter emails, and why I try to respond back.
From a human connection point of view, I believe that as long as you have some automated way to welcome a new subscriber into your email community, then you can go either way with a double vs. single opt-in.
How does your business model and your community determine whether or not you should have a double opt-in?
A lot of online business coaches assume a very specific type of business model. For a more nuanced understanding of business models, I recommend you check out Jessica Lackey’s blog post about this topic.
Like all things with running a business, how to approach the double vs. single opt-in is a mix of experimentation, knowing your community, and understanding your business model to figure out what works best for you.
If you run the type of business that requires a large email list, then you probably want as little friction as possible and should consider going the single opt-in route.
If you have a business model like mine that’s built more around relationship-building since people are generally hiring me directly, then you might consider the double opt-in.
But when it comes to knowing your community, let’s spin the concept of double opt-in on its head a bit.
In particular, positioning why you’re doing a double opt-in if you have one.
For example, because I talk about email deliverability, I position the double opt-in around it when people sign up for my email list.
I’ve seen other business owners position it around the value of consent.
Perhaps the coolest example of positioning the double opt-in came up during an email automation audit review call with Diann Wingert, a business coach for ADHD-ish entrepreneurs.
As we discussed whether or not to enable the double opt-in, ultimately Diann decided to go with the double opt-in as a way for her new subscribers – and potential clients – to take intentional action.
As Diann said during our call, (sharing with her permission):
“Nobody’s ever actually going to move the needle in their business or life, merely passively consuming…So I’m asking you to take one small action, not to prove anything to me, but to prove to yourself that you can and it’s a habit that you want to develop.”
If you go with the double opt-in route, you might consider how you can use that double opt-in email as a way to position why you’re doing it.
By understanding these nuances of a single opt-in versus double opt-in, you’ll be equipped to make the best choice for your unique audience and business goals.
Wanna see how an email automation strategist does this?
Sign up for the Automate with Heart newsletter, the only newsletter for small business owners who want to be intentional & values-aligned with how you automate your email marketing.
