Single Opt-in Vs. Double Opt-in Email Marketing

Single Opt-in Vs. Double Opt-in Email Marketing

Many countries around the world have laws and regulations that require email marketers to have the permission or the consent of their subscribers before they send their way any email communication. This is the case with the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing act CAN-SPAM in the United States, Canada’s Anti-Spam Law – CASL, the General Data Protection Regulation -GDPR on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area.

These regulations force email marketers to change the way the collect and use email addresses. We have two sign-up methods in email marketing: Single opt-in and double opt-in. These two methods provide the user a way to protect themselves when building single or double opt-in email lists for their marketing needs.

What are these sign-up methods about? How do they work? What is the benefit in using them? Which one should you use so you can at the same time be in compliance with the law and achieve your email marketing goals? Those are the questions I’m going to answer in this post.

Simple-steps-to-a-6-figure-business-with-affiliate-marketing

Single Opt-in Email Marketing

A single opt-in is a sign-up method that email marketers use to collect email address from their potential customers without asking them to take any additional step except entering their email address (and their name sometimes) and clicking on the “submit button.”

To comply with the laws requiring them to have the consent of their subscribers before sending any email communications their way, email marketers include links right below the submit button or in the footer area of the web page that take their page visitors to the privacy policy and/or the terms and conditions page.

They could say something like: “By clicking the submit button you agree to our privacy policy and terms and conditions” – a layer that protect them in case legal issues arise.

Even with chat bots, that security measure is added so users know what to expect when they submit their email address through the form provided.As you can see above, I’m personally doing what I’m preaching. Every successful email marketer will add this security measures to cover their back. But there is more you can do to cover your back when it comes to email marketing.

Double Opt-in Email Marketing

Contrary to what single opt-in sign up method is, double opt-in sign up does not add people’s email to your email list right after they clicked the submit button. The email marketing software is set in a way that when someone sign up to your email address, they will receive an automated email asking that they confirm their request for information.

This is how it works: Users typically go to a web page like this one here where they are asked to enter their email address to download a free book or a free report. After that step, instead of giving them access to the book or report you promised on the opt-in page, you send them back to their email address.

The first email they will receive will not even have the link for the free offer but a confirmation email with a link that if they don’t click it to confirm their request for information, they will not receive the second email that should give them access to the free download. See below…

The above is the journey your potential subscribers have to go through to be added to your email list if you are using double opt-in sign up method to build your email list. Next, I will walk you through the customization of the sign-up process whether it is for single or double opt-in method.

Signup Process Customization

The process to customize the sign-up process is very simple but needs to be done professionally as you need users to trust you before they can enter their email address into the system you built. Here they are:

– Create a Signup Form: This is the step #1 in the process; the page where you ask your visitors to enter their email address to continue with the process. You can build opt-in forms inside your email autoresponder but the problem I personally faced while doing that is the inability to customize the form the way I want. So, I use a second software called ClickFunnels that help helps me to build a professional opt-in page.

– A Thank You Page: The is the next step, the next page where you send your subscribers when they opt into your email list. Here also, I leverage the power of ClickFunnels to build a beautiful, eye-catching, and professional web page that gives people the confidence to do business with me. If you are using single opt-in sign up method, this is the place to give them access to what you promised on the opt-in page. But if you chose to use double opt-in sign up method, you just send them to their email address where they will be able to continue the process.

– An Opt-in Confirmation Email: If you are using double opt-in sign up method, this is the first email your subscribers receive and have to click on the confirmation link inside that email to be added to your email list and be able to receive the email with the link to get access to your free offer. It could be as simple as “Hey, thank you for your request. Please, click the link below to confirm you want to receive email communication from (your name) Talk soon!”

– Confirmation Thank You Page: This is the page where you send those who clicked on the confirmation link. There’s a default page included with your email automation software, but you can customize a page using Click Funnels, giving them access to your free offer on the page. If you chose to use the default page, the second email they will receive will be the one containing the link for their free download.

The Best Signup Method

Choosing one email sign up method as the best could be the most difficult thing to do in this post. You consider what your objectives are and choose one according to what you want. But there are two major aspects of email marketing that you need to consider before you choose the right method for your business needs.

  1. If you use single opt-in sign up method, you will grow your email list faster, but you can be subject to receiving fake email addresses into your email list. As a direct consequence, you get low subscriber engagement on your follow-up emails due to the un-deliverables. If that happen, your email service provider may take actions against you include but not limited to putting you on a bad IP which will make it impossible for you to get into your subscriber’s inbox or suspending your account.
  2. Double opt-ins sign-up method will drastically reduce your opt-in rate making it difficult to grow your email list in a record time. But believe me, you will get real email addresses into your email list, the opt-in rate on your follow-up emails will be one of the highest in the industry and your email marketing service provider will love you for that. You will then be able to almost always get your emails into the inbox of your subscribers.

One More Thing Before You Go


If you are new to email marketing, you will want to use email marketing service providers that will keep sending your emails to your subscriber’s inbox even if you are getting a few un-deliverables, low subscriber engagement on your follow-up emails or very low open rates when you send your broadcast emails.

I recommend you use Active Campaign, or GetResponse or Aweber if you are worried about getting your email marketing account suspended. You can try any of them for 30 days before you decide if you want to stay with them or not. I’ve been using them for a few years now and I can assure you they are doing a great job.

I hope you enjoyed this post about email sign up methods. If you do, please share it with your friends and family on social media. Will you have any question to ask, feel free to leave it in the comment section below and i will make sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

Please, use the links below to follow me on Social media

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Thank you for your time!

– Videgla M.

P.S. In case you want to know what I recommend you do online to make full-time income working from home, click here to see what I personally do to live life on my own terms.

 

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14 Comments

  1. Hello, I need my website to gain more organic traffic before I take that huge step. As for these two methods, I think the double opt-in seems good but it can also make your potential customers have doubts. When do you recommend someone who is less than 6 months into this business to start their journey towards email marketing?

    1. Thank you for your question. Building a successful online business demands a lot from us. That’s why I personally think that anyone that doesn’t have the time to open his email address and confirm his request for information to get access to my free offer is not worth being in my email list. Those people will rarely join your business opportunity.

      I always tell those who want to listen to me that they need to start their email marketing from day 1 of their business. Building an email list is not an option but a requirement to build a successful online business.

      If you decide to create your opt-in pages today, how many links you will need to update on your website? A lot, I think. Imagine waiting longer than this: you will need to update a lot of things on your website.

      But let me make this clear: if you are promoting physical products like on Amazon, asking people to provide their email address before they get access to the product IS NOT a good option. It works better with digital products like WA program.

      Thank you for your time!

  2. Hi Videgla. I have only used Sigle Opt-in email marketing in the past. And thankfully no issues have arise. But there were points I didn’t know and I learnt them reading here your post. Thank you very much.

    Here in my country that legal aspect of marketing is being reinforced. And I agree with it, but I should know it better myself. 

    1. That’s great, and you are on the right way. Thank you for your time on my website. May you have any questions, feel free to come back and leave them in the comment section below and I will make sure to get back to you in no time. Talk soon!

  3. Thank you very much for the nice post. Your post is informative as well as educative.

    I think everyone will benefit greatly from the discussion that a mail marketer has given you about collecting such beautiful and detailed emails.

    I’m a new email marketer, I collect email in a single opt-in manner, but most of my mail is invalid. I was very worried about how I could collect effective email. I will try to use the double-opt-in method when collecting mail from now because from your discussion I have realized that mail collection on a double opt-in system can work efficiently. I think I can share my good experience with you very soon.

    Thank you again for the post. I will share the post on my social media. I hope readers will be benefitted from this.

    1. I really love hearing stories like this where people reveal how beneficial my post has been to them. I’m happy I helped one more person today.

      Feel free to share it with your family and friends on social media if you think it will help them get better results with their email marketing campaigns.

      Thank you for your time.

  4. Hello, Your guide on both single opt in or double opt is very useful for me. I recently started my Journey with wealthy affiliate and hope soon I need to make my email list to send my updates. I also want to join autoresponder. Now I know these two methods provide the user a way to protect themselves when building single or double opt-in email lists for their marketing needs. Thanks for sharing such useful information in simple and easy way.

    1. You are very welcome, Bai Asha. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my new blog post. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will make sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

  5. Evagreene says:

    Hello there! Amazing article you’ve got here. For me I think the whole point of an opt-in email list is to attract people who subscribe demonstrating that they are prospects for what you offer and their request for information signifies this, that’s why using a double opt-in list is extremely important for keeping the quality of your email list high.

    1. You are so right! This is the main message I’m trying to share in this post. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will make sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

      Talk soon, my friend!

  6. Hi,

    Personally, I hate the number of emails with offers I receive from many companies.  Any more than 1, maybe 2 a week is too much.  With the double opt-in method, of course, you’ll have higher conversions because to confirm, they are actually in their email vs. the single opt-in.  Let’s be real, how many people actually read the privacy policies or terms of conditions, unless an issue arises, then they’ll read it after the fact.  I get that email, click funnels and now SMS messages are crucial tools for marketers, it’s just irritating to me.

    1. Hey my friend, thank you for your comment. You know, I don’t play with laws and regulations: you just need one person to sue you and you are out of business. That’s why I take it seriously.

      Also, we all know that building a successful online business demands a lot from us. That’s why I personally think that anyone that doesn’t have the time to open his email address and confirm his request for information to get access to my free offer is not worth being in my email list. Those people will rarely join your business opportunity.

      Plus, I’m so aggressive with my marketing strategy. If you join my email list through https://www.vickeyvidegla.com you will be receiving 1 email per day for over 35 days even if I’m sleeping. Those who don’t like it will unsubscribe, and that’s okay. They are not able to handle pressure and I don’t see how they will be successful with this online business thing that demands even more from them.

      Anyway, I’m really happy to have you around. Thank you for your time!

  7. Stephanie says:

    I’ve only been in the online marketing business for five months and I have not yet gotten into email marketing, I feel like I need my website to gain more organic traffic before I take that huge step. As for these two methods, I think the double opt-in seems good but it can also make your potential customers have doubts. When do you recommend someone who is less than 6 months into this business to start their journey towards email marketing?

    1. Stephanie, thank you for your question. Building a successful online business demands a lot from us. That’s why I personally think that anyone that doesn’t have the time to open his email address and confirm his request for information to get access to my free offer is not worth being in my email list. Those people will rarely join your business opportunity.

      For your second question, I always tell those who want to listen to me that they need to start their email marketing from day 1 of their business. Building an email list is not an option but a requirement to build a successful online business.

      You are 5 months into online marketing. If you decide to create your opt-in pages today, how many links you will need to update on your website? A lot, I think. Imagine waiting longer than this: you will need to update a lot of things on your website.

      But let me make this clear: if you are promoting physical products like on Amazon, asking people to provide their email address before they get access to the product IS NOT a good option. It works better with digital products like WA program.

      Thank you so much for your time today!