Is COI/DOI email opt-in still a relevant best practice?
Summary
What email marketers say16Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions that list cleaning isn't a substitute for proper list hygiene at inception and that list cleaning services are a waste of money.
Email marketer from GMass explains that double opt-in requires people to confirm their email address before being added to a list, leading to higher quality subscribers. It reduces the chances of invalid or mistyped addresses and filters out those who aren't truly interested in your content.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that COI is still a very relevant useful best practice that they recommend all senders use.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign responds that double opt-in is when people who subscribe to your email list must confirm their email address before they start receiving emails from you. This is achieved by sending a confirmation email to anyone who fills out your form.
Email marketer from Email Geeks disagrees on the take on Email Validation services. Mentions that BriteVerify tool has helped many clients clean up their lists / check a list they are legally required to send to / implement at point of sign up to catch typos or fake email addresses.
Email marketer from Omnisend shares that the advantages of using double opt-in are: Higher-quality subscribers, improved deliverability, more engaged audience, cleaner email list, and better sender reputation.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that if you use a random 3rd party optin form on your site that connects to your ESP with an API, they guarantee you have bots on your list if you aren't using COI.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that Webbula’s tech is stunningly great at helping legit senders avoid sending issues due to threats in “deliverable” email addresses and use that data intelligence to understand where the bad data is coming in from.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that Double opt-in (DOI) is an email confirmation process that verifies that your new subscriber actually wants to hear from you. DOI is triggered after a potential subscriber fills out your email signup form. After they submit their form, they receive an email asking them to confirm that they want to be added to your email list.
Email marketer from Klaviyo shares that double opt-in is still a relevant best practice because it helps build a cleaner, more engaged email list. They advise that while single opt-in might grow a list faster, double opt-in focuses on quality over quantity, which can lead to better long-term results.
Email marketer from Sleeknote answers that double opt-in (also known as confirmed opt-in) is the process of sending a confirmation email to people who have signed up for your email list. They only get added to your email list if they click the link in the confirmation email. As a result, you end up with a list of people who want to receive email from you, which improves engagement and helps you land in the primary inbox.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares the pros of COI such as ensuring correct subscriber information, better protection from spambots, reduced spam complaints, and higher engagement and the cons being more challenging list growth.
Email marketer from Email Uplers explains that Double Opt-In (DOI) has the potential to enhance your email list by leaps and bounds. DOI ensures that you only add real subscribers to your email list and that the probability of bot sign-ups is reduced significantly. Thus, it helps you enhance your sender reputation and improve email deliverability in the long run.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that confirmed opt-in (COI) is a process where subscribers must confirm their interest in receiving emails. They share that this practice ensures higher quality leads and better engagement rates by verifying email addresses and subscriber intent.
Email marketer from Email Geeks respectfully disagrees that hygiene services are a waste of money. They have dealt with a great many of them and they have provided some invaluable information when needed most.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that list bombing is still a thing, as are many bots and that anyone that says COI is harmful to real subscribers getting dropped hasn't run optin forms at scale. The majority of “real subscribers” that don't confirm are not real subscribers.
What the experts say1Expert opinion
Expert from Spam Resource explains that COI helps prevent list bombing by ensuring that only legitimate subscribers are added to the list. By confirming the subscriber's intent, it reduces the risk of malicious actors adding large numbers of fake or unwanted email addresses.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Sendinblue explains that double opt-in is a best practice because it improves list quality by ensuring subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving emails and verifying the email addresses are valid. They claim it reduces spam complaints and increases sender reputation, leading to better deliverability.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that a double opt-in process confirms that a subscriber wants to receive emails, which helps maintain list hygiene and improve deliverability. It reduces the likelihood of spam complaints and ensures only genuine subscribers are added to the list.
Documentation from WPForms answers that Confirmed opt-in is a method in which you require users to verify their email address before they're added to your contact list. This is done by sending a confirmation email to the address they signed up with. They must click a link inside that email to confirm their subscription.
Documentation from the European Data Protection Board explains that unambiguous consent is necessary for data collection. Implementing double opt-in helps demonstrate that subscribers have actively and deliberately given consent to receive emails, aiding compliance with regulations like GDPR.