Why “Double Optin” May No Longer Be An Option
By Anna Johnson on September 18th, 2008Email service providers (“ESPs”) are increasingly encouraging – if not forcing – their clients to build “double optin” subscriber lists.
“Double optin” – more accurately known as CONFIRMED OPTIN is where someone signs up to your list and, before you send out any real content, you send them a message asking for confirmation that they really did sign up to your list and want to receive your material.
This process is designed to weed out subscribers who give you a fake email address, someone else’s email address, or who are unsure about, or not all that interested in, your material.
By all accounts, the result is that those who do confirm their subscription are more motivated – and more qualified – leads.
The downside is that you don’t get any “lukewarm” leads – people who may be legitimate prospects, but aren’t sure enough of you or the quality of what you have to offer, to confirm their name and email address. Nor do you get people who, for whatever reason, accidentally ignore your confirmation message (it happens!)
While this is a shame, the fact is, if you use an ESP you may not have any choice but to use a confirmed optin process. I don’t know of any ESPs that make this compulsory yet, but I do know that if you select confirmed optin for a given list with some ESPs (e.g. GetResponse and Aweber) they won’t let you change your mind and switch to single optin later.
You see, ESPs allow numerous clients to send email from the same mail servers. If someone uses one of these mail servers to send unsolicited email (spam) and this causes one or more ISPs to block email from this mail server, EVERYONE – including the legitimate emailers – using this server will have their email blocked.
Understandably, ESPs are no longer putting up with this… which means that YOU may eventually have to switch to confirmed optin.
What’s the immediate impact of this? Get used to lower (legitimate) signups to your list.
While fans of confirmed optin will say that “it’s the quality, not the quantity” of your list that counts, single optin advocates point out that you will end up missing out on a lot of legitimate leads that, for one reason or another, just don’t confirm their sign-up.
Blame it on the spammers.
Nevertheless, if you use a confirmed optin approach, there are things you can do to maximize the number of people who confirm their subscription. I’ll send you some tips on this in a future issue of the newsletter…
September 18th, 2008 at 7:58 am
hi Anna
how are you today? hope youenjoyed the little videos. now as to the opt-in, double optin and fourteen times optins you have to do to get some simple info. it really pisses me off when i want some simple info and have to sign up, resign up and agree again that it is indeed me that is wanting the info.
why the big deal over it if i was indeed the one to order it? it came from my computer so all it can be is me or someone in my family and if it is my family i will know about it.
I have thought about this alot and to me there is only one reason for the zillion optins you have to go through. the vendors are all selling crap and they are selling our email addresses to anyone with any money. now before you say i am full of crap let me ask you this. if i do not go to porn sites how the hell do i keep getting ads to “make my package “bigger, longer, fatter and so on? where do i get the ads that want to tell me how to go all night like when i was 18, be the man i should be and so on? i get these crap ads from people who swear they are not selling the addresses when in fact they are lying. someone is selling them and it aint my kids. (by the way i dont have any kids, just a dog and even though he is smart he is not smart enough to use the computer.)
so these optins to me are a waste of my time. i should only have to ask one time for anything . repitetion seems to serve no purpose as far as i can see. if they stop selling email address’s then they wont have to worry about being sure you are the one that emailed them in the first place.
September 19th, 2008 at 12:57 am
When I first began my online business I was encouraged by my mentor to only have single optin. I can see the advantages of having double optin… yet I don’t think they outweigh the benefits of only a single optin.
I have a similar view to the comment above… it’s just more clicking and more time… and sometimes the double optin doesn’t work. I don’t know! There is the safeguard given when money exchanges — and that’s essential. I don’t think it is the issue when free info is given away!
Jeanne