Are paid 'top email marketing companies' lists worth it?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Litmus shares that purchased email lists are ineffective due to low engagement rates and potential spam complaints. Building a permission-based list ensures a more receptive and engaged audience.
Email marketer from Warrior Forum explains that the cost per conversion from a purchased list is much higher than from an organically grown list, due to low engagement and high bounce rates. Building a targeted list through content marketing is more cost-effective in the long run.
Email marketer from Quora answers that purchased email lists usually consist of people who have not opted in to receive emails from your company, leading to low engagement rates, spam complaints, and potential damage to your sender reputation.
Email marketer from G2 explains that sending emails to purchased lists often leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints. Which harms your sender reputation and makes it difficult to reach your target audience with future campaigns.
Email marketer from MailerLite answers that purchasing email lists is not recommended. Many providers sell outdated or inaccurate data, leading to poor results and potential legal issues. Building an organic list results in better engagement and deliverability.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares the ethical concerns with purchasing email lists, stating that recipients didn't opt-in to receive your messages. This can lead to negative brand perception and poor customer relationships.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign responds that it is more effective to build your own email list by offering valuable content, incentives, and easy opt-in forms. Proper segmentation and personalization lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.
Email marketer from Forbes explains that while paid lists can offer a quick way to reach a large audience, the quality of leads is often low, and the risk of damaging your sender reputation is high. Building your own organic list is recommended for long-term success.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that scammers negatively impact the reputation of SEO and email marketing, drawing a comparison between scammers affecting SEO and spammers affecting legitimate email marketers.
Email marketer from Reddit states that buying email lists is generally a waste of money. The lists are often outdated, filled with spam traps, and unlikely to convert. It's better to invest in building your own list.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource (Laura Atkins) warns that buying lists, even seemingly targeted ones, is dangerous due to potential spam traps and the likelihood of recipients not wanting the email, which leads to deliverability issues.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that ethical list building is crucial, and buying lists is not an ethical practice. Focus on obtaining permission and providing value to subscribers to maintain a healthy sending reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks shares an experience of receiving an unsolicited offer to be listed in a "10 best email marketing companies" list, highlighting the low value and questionable practices associated with such offers, including scraping emails and violating CAN-SPAM.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Campaign Monitor says that sending unsolicited emails to people on a purchased list could violate the CAN-SPAM Act, leading to significant fines and legal repercussions. Permission-based marketing is always the best approach.
Documentation from Mailchimp says that purchasing email lists is against their terms of service because it leads to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and potential legal issues, negatively affecting overall deliverability and sender reputation for all users.
Documentation from Sendinblue explains that using purchased email lists can violate GDPR and other privacy regulations, as recipients have not given explicit consent to receive emails. Building an opt-in list ensures compliance and fosters trust.
Documentation from HubSpot states that buying email lists damages sender reputation, leads to low engagement, and violates anti-spam laws. Focusing on inbound marketing strategies to organically grow your list yields better results.
Documentation from Constant Contact responds that using purchased email lists can lead to legal problems and damage your sender reputation. Subscribers need to explicitly opt-in to receive your emails, and purchased lists are almost always non-compliant.