The other day a valued client asked me what I thought of safelists. Funnily enough, the question came at a time when I’d just come to the uneasy conclusion that I must be on someone’s safelist.

Why else would I be constantly be bombarded with promotions from Internet marketers I don’t recognize… and certainly haven’t opted in with or bought from. (Actually there are other explanations, but let’s go with the safelist…)

Now, to some extent, being on a safelist is my problem as an email recipient. But it’s also a problem for the Internet marketers sending out all these emails. Put it this way, if someone has added me to a safelist… and I don’t read any of the emails being sent to me… how many other subscribers are in the same situation? How many other people have been added to a safelist without any interest whatsoever in receiving the various promotional emails being sent to them?

And how many marketers are sending emails to these lists - perhaps having paid for the privilege expecting a decent response, and getting negligible results?

I think we all know the answer.

Perhaps safelists are cost-effective for some marketers. If you’ve had good results from them, please click on the ‘Click here to comment’ link below and let us know why and how they’ve work for you.

Otherwise, I recommend you think carefully before using a safelist. Don’t forget – you’re also risking being added to blacklists by people who have no clue they’re on a safelist. To them, you’re a spammer.

And if do want to try out a safelists… expect little or nothing by way of results.