Business Benefits
Increase the health of email lists and reduce spam filter triggers.
Turn on double opt-in in your email marketing platform.
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, and all other major email marketing platforms require you to turn on the double opt-in feature in your account settings. If you haven’t already activated this feature, do so by following the instructions provided by your email platform.
Make it clear on the initial opt-in form that readers will need to confirm their subscriptions.
A double opt-in allows you to verify subscribers, keep your email list clean, improve your sender reputation, and prove that consent has been clearly given. However, potential drawbacks include:
- Slower list growth.
- Subscribers failing to click the confirmation link.
Set expectations at the beginning to circumvent these potential issues:
- Include your standard email opt-in marketing language, and highlight the benefits of subscribing.
- Link to your privacy policy and terms of service, and mention that you won’t share or sell email addresses.
- Clearly specify that subscribers will be asked to confirm their subscriptions.
Update your thank-you page with a CTA.
After users enter their information in your opt-in form, they should be sent to either a thank-you page or see a thank-you message displayed within the opt-in form. The exact workflow varies based on your email platform and pre-existing funnel.
Whatever your personal workflow, update the thank-you page or thank-you pop-up with:
- An immediate CTA instructing subscribers to check their email inboxes.
- A mention that they will get an email confirmation from you. Tell subscribers to click the link in this confirmation email.
- A warning that no further emails will be received until they click the confirmation link. Tie this warning into whatever brand promise you offered on the initial opt-in page, a discount code or a free e-book, to motivate subscribers to confirm their subscriptions immediately.
Update the subject line for your double opt-in confirmation email to drive clicks to the confirmation link.
All major email platforms have a standard confirmation email that’s activated when you turn on double opt-in. While this standard email will suffice, to increase your email subscription opt-in rates:
- Use the subject line to make it clear who the email is from. Get straight to the point. For instance, it may simply read EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMATION from [your business name] or Confirm your subscription to [your newsletter name] now.
- Start the email with a reminder of why your reader subscribed. Ideally, subscribers will follow the instructions on your thank-you page and immediately check their emails. However, it may be a day or two before someone who signed up sees your double opt-in confirmation email. Be sure to remind them of your brand promise or value proposition. For example, Search Engine Land’s confirmation email simply states, Confirm your subscription now to receive the best news in search marketing each day.
- Link to the confirmation page. This is a dynamic link automatically inserted by your email platform. If you want to change the anchor text, follow your email platform’s instructions.
- End the email by reiterating what happens if subscribers don’t take action. For example, Click the link above today. You won’t receive our important updates until you do.
- Keep it very, very simple. This isn’t the time to promote your brand, talk about other initiatives, or sell a product. All attention should be directed to the confirmation link.
Optimize the opt-in confirmation thank-you page to give the reader optional next steps.
Subscribers who complete this step are clearly highly engaged readers who are interested in your material, so don’t let this marketing opportunity go to waste:
- Ask them to add your email address to their email whitelist.
- Tell them that their first email from you is coming soon, and build anticipation by mentioning the value of your emails.
- Offer them something special, such as a thank-you gift or discount code for your products or services.
- Point them to related resources or blog articles while they wait for your first email.
Last edited by @hesh_fekry 2023-11-14T15:35:34Z