We are often asked by volume email senders just why we urge people to use confirmed opt-in (or "double opt-in") whenever possible. After all, they know that they are being ethical and only adding to their mailing lists people whom they believe really want their mailings. Why should they have to go through the added "hassle" of using confirmed opt-in? Here's why.
We talk a lot about email opt-in here, and you may be wondering "what is a good opt-in definition" or "what is the definition of confirmed opt-in" or even "how does double opt-in work?" (We get all of those questions.) If you are not sure about the exact definition of opt-in when it comes to building email marketing lists or other types of email lists, or the definition of spam, here is a quick review of what each of them mean.
The title of this article, "Not all double- or confirmed opt-in requires a confirmation email" may seen at first like an oxymoron. But it's not.
Many email senders are reluctant to move existings lists to a confirmed opt-in (sometimes called "double opt-in") model for fear of losing many of their existing users, and reducing the size of their mailing lists. When called upon to confirm or reconfirm a mailing list - say, for example, when moving their mailing list to a new email service provider (ESP) - they balk, and will even go to a second tier ESP that doesn't require reconfirmation. The reason is always the same: "We don't want to lose a portion of our users." But what these senders overlook is that they actually will improve - sometimes dramatically improve - the responsiveness of their mailing lists - and the financial return that they receive from those lists. In fact, we have the email deliverability white paper to prove it.