What are the consequences of sending emails without consent according to ESP policies and Spamhaus listings?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Litmus explains that ignoring consent will lead to lower engagement metrics (opens, clicks) and higher spam complaints, which directly affect deliverability rates. They recommend regularly cleaning your email list and focusing on engaged subscribers.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that if you ignore consent, expect your emails to land straight in the spam folder. High spam complaint rates will signal to ESPs that your email practices are unethical, resulting in penalties and deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Mailjet warns that consistently sending emails without consent will quickly damage your sender reputation. ISPs and mailbox providers will start filtering your emails to spam, making it difficult to reach legitimate subscribers.
Email marketer from StackExchange explains that consistently sending emails without consent can permanently damage your domain's reputation. Blacklists like Spamhaus will mark your domain as a spam source, making it difficult for your emails to reach any inbox, even if you later correct your practices.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that sending emails without consent is both illegal and unethical. They emphasize the importance of building trust with subscribers by respecting their privacy and providing valuable content.
Email marketer from EmailonAcid explains that sending unsolicited emails can severely harm your brand's reputation and customer relationships. Recipients may view your brand as intrusive and untrustworthy, leading to decreased engagement and loyalty.
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that sending emails without proper consent violates GDPR and other privacy laws, resulting in hefty fines. They also highlight the importance of double opt-in to ensure explicit consent and protect your business.
Email marketer from MailerLite Blog explains that sending emails without consent can severely damage your sender reputation and deliverability. ESPs have strict policies against it, and consistently mailing unengaged recipients can lead to increased bounce rates, spam complaints, and ultimately, being blacklisted.
Email marketer from Quora answers that violating email marketing regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM can lead to significant financial penalties. These fines can severely impact your business and damage your brand's credibility.
Email marketer from Email Geeks responds that NO reputable ESP allows non-consented mailings, and *all* inbox providers and ISPs consider non-consented mailings to be spam.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog explains that being listed on Spamhaus, due to sending emails without consent, can block your emails from reaching recipients across various ISPs. Removing yourself from the list requires demonstrating improved email practices and may take time.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that the Salesforce Marketing Cloud policy is consent-based and applies to both 1:1 and 1:many communications. They caution against moving non-consent messages to another platform because Spamhaus is likely watching and will list new IPs. They also mention that verification services are unlikely to help with trap removal, and Spamhaus won't remove listings until the consent issue is resolved. The user's only option is to move it in house but that will get your corporate mail servers listed.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that Kickbox does not want whatever the user is doing and if they’ve already stepped in the Spamhaus bear trap, they’ve gotta make them happy — they’re past the point of doing things on their own terms.
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that ESPs have strict policies to protect their reputation. Sending emails without consent leads to poor engagement, spam complaints, and ultimately, damage to the sender's reputation, resulting in deliverability issues.
Expert from Word to the Wise answers that failing to adhere to CAN-SPAM and other laws leads to legal repercussions, fines, and damage to sender reputation. Additionally, it harms deliverability, causing email to land in the spam folder.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft outlines the importance of following email marketing best practices, including obtaining consent and respecting unsubscribe requests. Failure to comply can lead to deliverability issues and being blocked by Microsoft's email services.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) is a primary reason for being listed on their blocklists. They actively monitor email traffic and identify senders who do not adhere to best practices regarding consent and list hygiene.
Documentation from M3AAWG highlights the importance of obtaining verifiable consent from subscribers. They advise implementing double opt-in processes and providing clear unsubscribe options to ensure compliance and maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools indicates that sending unwanted emails to Google users can negatively impact your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. They emphasize the importance of maintaining a clean email list and obtaining explicit consent from subscribers.
Documentation from RFC Editor defines unsolicited bulk email (UBE) as email sent to recipients who have not requested or consented to receive it. It emphasizes that sending UBE can lead to serious consequences, including being blacklisted and facing legal action.