Part of our responsibility as an email service provider (ESP) is to reduce spam. We require that all your subscribers sign up, or opt in, to receive your emails. To build your list, we recommend that you use a TinyLetter signup form, since the double-opt in process is built in. A double opt-in signup helps verify that you have permission to send mail to a subscriber.
In this article, you'll learn about the double opt-in process and its advantages.
How Double Opt-In Works
The TinyLetter double opt-in process is a two-step process, where a subscriber fills out your signup form and receives an email with a link to confirm their subscription. Your TinyLetter form options also includes a confirmation email and unsubscribe page that you can customize to match your brand and messaging.
To set up double opt-in, create a signup form and an opt-in confirmation email, and customize the available forms, confirmation pages, and emails.
Signup Form
The signup form is the first step in the double opt-in process. A potential subscriber fills out your signup form and clicks Subscribe. If there are any mistakes on the form, we'll show the signup form with alerts version so they can correct the errors and resubmit the form.
Opt-in Confirmation reCAPTCHA
After the subscriber fills out your signup form, they'll check a reCAPTCHA box to verify their subscription. This step protects against spambots adding fake data to your list.
Opt-In Confirmation Email
Inside the confirmation email, the subscriber will see a link to confirm their subscription. To be added to your list, they must click the link. If they skip this step, they won't be added to your list. This step is required by Mailchimp forms.
All of TinyLetter’s signup forms require the double opt-in process. If you import contacts from your CRM or other database to your TinyLetter list, we trust that your contacts have opted in to your mailings. However, you should never import stale lists, purchased lists, or other noncompliant lists since they can cause compliance issues in your account.
Benefits of Double Opt-In
Increased Engagement
The double opt-in method ensures that you target subscribers who really want to hear from you. These types of lists have much higher engagement levels over time, which means more opens and clicks and fewer bounces and unsubscribes.
Plus, since we send a confirmation email, each subscriber has to have a valid email address to be added to your list. There's no way to add a fake, non-existent, or old email address to your healthy list. That cuts down on bounces, which is good for engagement.
Protection from Scammers
The email confirmation step makes it impossible for someone who doesn’t manage a subscriber's email address to consent to receive messages from you.
More important, double opt-in protects against malicious bots and scammers. Our hosted signup forms include confirmation reCAPTCHA, which safeguards your list against spambot signups. Even if the scammer is human, the double opt-in process saves the confirmation IP address, time, and date, so you'll be able to prove that they confirmed interest in your list