What’s a Double Opt In?
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If you’ve ever wondered what a double opt-in is or whether you should be using a double opt in when subscribers sign up to your email list or to receive a lead magnet, then this post is for you.
What’s a double opt-in? And how do you use it?
If you’ve been online for the tiniest amount of time you know that email plays a very important role in your marketing strategy. So no doubt you've come across the term double opt in and maybe wondered what exactly it is and how (or if) you should be using it.
If those are the questions you’re asking right now, then stick around because this post is your complete introduction to double opt-ins. You’ll find out…
What a double opt-in is
Whether you need a double opt-in for GDPR (plus what GDPR means for your business)
The pros and cons of using a double opt-in
How a double opt-in works so you can decide if you want to implement one
Plus links to guides on how to set up a double opt-in for several Email Service Providers
What IS a double opt-in?
A double opt in is a process that you put in place to make sure the person entering their email address has not only inputted the correct email address, but also that they do want to receive the information connected.
I’m sure there have been many pranksters out there who, to get revenge, have added an ex’s email address into random opt-ins to flood their spurned lovers inbox with emails.
Also there are these weird things called bots (you may have heard of them) that crawl the internet adding email addresses to opt-in boxes for goodness knows what reasons.
So for someone like you who owns the email list, you end up with a list full of bots, spurned loves and possibly genuine people who have misspelled their email address.
And you know what? When you get to a certain level of subscribers (with most Email Service Providers) you will be paying for those subscribers.
Wouldn’t it be nicer if you had a list full of people who are real-life human beings who had a genuine interest in reading your emails?
If you answer is YES, then read on!
What about GDPR for emails?
(Skip to the next heading if you already know what GDPR is and just need the answer to whether you NEED a double opt-in for GDPR)
Along your journey, you’ve probably also come across the term GDPR. Which is a legal term concocted by a bunch of big-wigs in Europe to protect your data.
Basically, there have been too many instances of data breach world-wide and the good people of the European Union (or some such legal body) decided it would be a good idea that when people hand over their details (which includes name, address, DOB, email address, credit cards… you get the picture) that they had full control over how that information is used.
When it comes to email marketing, that means anyone residing in Europe is protected under GDPR and you need to comply with the rules for anyone in that area.
This means making sure that when they give their email address you can only continue to email them if they’ve given you permission to do so. This also includes getting permission to use their email and any other details they hand over to you for other uses like retargeting and marketing.
There’s a whole other ball-game when it comes to website usage which is not what I’m covering here, so please make sure you use that bad-boy Google to do your own research on this topic. You may want to make sure you have the correct “verbiage” (that means...wording) on your site to tell users how you collect their data and use it. You can get hold of some great templates for this at The Contract Shop here.
Do I need a double opt-in for GDPR?
The answer is NO.
Most ESPs (Email Service Providers) now come with the ability to add GDPR compliance check boxes at the opt-in stage, so that is taken care of. So you don’t NEED a double opt-in for GDPR.
However, you may be wondering… does a double opt-in work for GDPR compliance? (instead of those check boxes)?
This is a bit of a grey area. But the premise of GDPR is that you gain your subscribers permission to email them for anything more than what they originally sign up for.
For example, If they opt-in for a free guide, essentially they are requesting the free guide and not a bunch of marketing emails or newsletters. However, if you put in your double opt-in that once they confirm their email address they are consenting to receive further emails, that could be considered as permission.
Again, I’m no legal expert so don’t take my word for it. If your ESP has the ability for you to do the check box stuff, then do that.
And remember if you’re uploading subscribers to a new ESP platform, adn already have their permission from the old ESP, then make sure that you tick the relevant boxes to say you have GDPR permission because if you neglect to do that then that’s a whole world of headaches to go get permission from them again, because usually the new ESP won’t let you give backdated consent to your upload.
Phew, now that the boring and yet all-so important GDPR stuff is out the way (anyone else get a headache when that gets mentioned?) let’s get on to...
What are the benefits of a double opt-in?
You make sure you get great quality subscribers on your list. You know, the ones who really want to hear from you and will open your emails… which also has a domino effect on your deliverability. When you have more people opening your emails, that sends a signal to the subscribers email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook…) that you’re not sending spam and there’s more chance of your emails hitting the Inbox, rather than the Promotions tab or even the Spam folder.
You aren’t paying for dud leads or subscribers because random bots (or people) have been entering the wrong email address. This again conversely can affect your deliverability, The more bounces or unopened your ESP gets from you sending your emails, the less likely you’ll end up in the “good subscribers” inbox.
Having a double opt-in also “trains” your subscribers to look out for your emails AND read them. Because you’re setting the standard of getting them to open and confirm the original email, they’re more likely to open further emails from you – it’s a psychological tactic.
What are the drawbacks of a double opt-in?
It can be frustrating when you can see people opting in for your lead magnet and yet they’re not appearing as a new subscriber in your ESP. Often this can cause you to believe that there’s something wrong with your funnel, but it’s down to the fact that they haven’t confirmed their email.
If you’re just starting out, your email address may not be warmed up to the main email services like Gmail and Outlook and so your confirmation emails may go to Spam. Your subscriber may really want your lead magnet, or other freebie, but can’t find the confirmation email so at that point, you may lose your subscriber.
It also adds friction to the subscriber journey process. You may have heard the term “grease the slide” which means to make it as easy as possible for your subscriber or customer to take action and receive the result. Having a double opt-in adds to the steps your potential subscriber needs to take to become a golden member of your community.
How does a double opt-in work?
For those whose minds are particularly wired to understand the technical aspect of it all, here’s a quick run-down of how the double opt-in works.
STEP 1: Your potential subscriber is enticed to enter their email address into a subscription/ opt-in box or form so that they can receive some valuable information like a checklist, a quick guide, an ebook etc.
STEP 2: They are sent to a thank you page to tell them to go and confirm their email address
STEP 3: They go to their inbox and search out your email and in that email click the link or button that says something like “YES! I want your [insert ting you’re sending them]”
STEP 4: They get sent to another page that says, thanks for confirming. You can also add a download link on this page for the thing they requested, or the link in the confirmation email could be a direct download.
STEP 5: They receive an email with their lead magnet and/ or they are triggered into a welcome sequence to tell them more about how you can help them.
How to set up your opt-in
If you’re wondering how to set up an opt-in form using your ESP I have a few guides you might want to check out below.
How to Add a Mailerlite Sign Up Form to SquareSpace
How to Add a ConvertKit Sign Up Form to SquareSpace
How to Integrate Mailchimp with Squarespace
Even if you don’t use Squarespace, these guides will help you to understand how to set up the stages of the opt-in forms and then you can take the code and embed that in whatever website platform you use.
If you have any questions about double opt-ins you can always email me via the contact page.
Are you going to do the double opt-in?
Hopefully you have a much better idea of what a double opt-in is and why people use it, and now you have all the information to make your decision as to whether you implement an opt-in for your emails or not.
As always, the choice is yours :)