Current Issue
How Do You Define Permission Email . . .
By Abbie Drew
Dec 15, 2006, 16:32

As the email publisher of DEMC, as well as the administrator of accounts for our autoresponder email service SendFree I often am asked what really is permission email? What is spam? And what is better a single or double opt-in subscriber?

As both an email publisher of DEMC, as well as an ESP (email service provider) administrator I have a good perspective on all sides of the issue.

On the one hand, with DEMC I am a defendant of our email practices and believe in a more lenient definition of permission. I believe you can build a good response list simply through subscribers who are single opt in sign ups. You do not need to require subscribers to double opt-in.

What’s more single opt-in signs are easier to get and cost you less. On average if you can get 25% of your initial sign ups to confirm and become double opt in you are doing well. So the cost for a subscriber is 4x the cost of a single opt in sign up.

If you’re not familiar with the terms single opt in vs. double opt in here is the difference. Both single and double opt in subscribers are permission sign-ups. Single opt in means that an individual makes a requests to be on your list and that single request is sufficient permission for you to place the subscriber on your list. Double opt in means an individual makes a requests to be on your list and you then email the individual asking him/her to click a link in your email to confirm his/her sign-up. Only once the individual confirms, double opts-in, is that considered a new subscriber.

Now you might say, a reason to require double opt-in sign-ups is that they are more responsive. Sure you might get more single opt in sign-ups but because they’re not as qualified you’ll make fewer sales. So isn’t it better to get double opt in?

Well just this week, I read a case study that disputes that belief from Marketing Sherpa. The study was How Motley Fool Took Their Email List From Double Opt-in to Single Opt-in & Thrived.

The study outlines how Motley Fool by going to single opt-in subscribers acquired more sign-ups and as a result more sales. (Previously they were requiring all subscribers to confirm sign-up and their list growth and sales had become stagnant.)

The downside of single opt in subscribers, as noted in the Motley Fool study is the higher possibility of spam complaints. Single opt in sign ups can be forgeries. As a result of the forgeries you can end up with individuals on your list who never made a request.

Thus you could be accused of spamming. And being called a spammer can be disturbing and problematic for you.

Recently, I was speaking with a potential SendFree member who was so afraid of being called a spammer she did not even want to test out email marketing. When I explained to her the concept of using double opt in confirmation, I could hear her relief. She finally was willing to give email marketing a try just so long as she could use double confirmations.

Because double confirmation practically eliminate complaints, it also helps your email delivery. The fact is if you are called a spammer too often your email can be blacklisted by ISPs and never get delivered.

Due to the reality of increased spam complaints with single opt in sign-ups, as an administrator for SendFree, I would prefer a more restrictive definition of permission. I would like permission email to only be sign-ups who double confirm! :-)

However, I understand, as a publisher and business owner this definition of permission email is not realistic. Thus SendFree does not require double confirmations for direct list sign-ups. SendFree does, however, make the feature available. So any one who chooses to require double confirmation of their list members can do so.

As SendFree allows single opt in sign ups, I often end up having to be judge and jury on spam accusations. I have to weigh the evidence and make a decision of whether or not to cancel accounts of SendFree members who are accused of spam. To make a determination of guilt or innocence, I have to evaluate the number and validity of complaints, as well as contact the members for their input.

Frequently, the reasons individuals provide as to why their messages are not spam, however, are invalid. For example, their messages might say something to the effect of "I did not spam, I bought a targeted list" or "I did not spam, they emailed me first" or "I did not spam, we're both members of the same group".

None of these comments refute the spam accusations. However, it is obvious that the members do not know this fact. They are innocent of malicious spam but guilty of being ignorant about good email practices.

While it's pretty clear that buying a CD of email addresses and blasting out your adult ad message to people you don't know is spam. But, how would you address this question, I received -

"Is it SPAM if I send ads to people who have first emailed me?"

Or what about this one -

"I purchased a list from a service that provides targeted prospects of people looking for information about Home Based Businesses is it spam to email them?"


I thought, I would share with you my responses to the above inquiries as an educational lesson. I believe these two questions, highlight an important distinction businesses need to recognize between spam and permission email be it single or double opt.

In the case of emailing ads to people who email you first, you should not send ads back to people. The individual to whom you send your ad did not request your information. When you send back an ad in reply, it is unsolicited and thus spam. Even if you did not request his ad in the first place, you should not respond. As the old saying goes two wrongs do not make a right. If you requested the other's information and then you respond back with an ad, it looks as though you only made the request in order to send your offer. (It's still spam, just clever spam.)

On the other hand, if you write back to people who email you with questions, personal comments or thanks, you can and should include a promotional Signature tag in your message. The Signature tag is a brief, indirect ad about your offerings which allows those interested, to request more information. When people request your information from
your Signature tag, then you can send them your full ad without it being spam.

Now in the case of purchasing email lists, you should not purchase a targeted list, nor a list of prospects who've responded to a generic advertisement in your field. In both cases, the list is comprised of individuals who did not specifically request your information.

Lists of this nature are typically comprised of people who registered for information about a specific business offer. Perhaps in the fine print it said your information will be sold, but these individuals most likely did not read the fine print. Therefore, when their names are sold to 50 different companies all of whom send them offers, they are going to cry foul.

Your business is better off avoiding generic lists of this type, instead if you wish to buy prospects you should utilize a service which collects leads who are responding to YOUR specific offer and giving YOUR business permission to email them. A list of leads who request your offer will be receptive to your ad as they asked to be sent your information and your message to them will not be considered spam.

If you are interested in learning more about a how a service can provide you with a list of leads specific to your business' offer, visit our CustomLead Service.

The difference, I hope you've noted between spam and permission email is the personal request. Your prospects need to personally request your information, either via a single or double opt-in process, and your emails must have the information they requested included.

Please Note: There will be no issue of DEMC E-Magazine for the next couple of weeks. The next publication will be sent to you on Thursday, January 3, 2006.

Best wishes to you for the Holidays and New Year!

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Abbie Drew
DEMC Editor



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