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Growing a quality list of subscribers can be hard work.

One common mistake I see people make is a poorly thought out program where "opt-in is required to get x".  These types of programs can be done right, but more often than not, the ones I see are geared only toward collecting as many email addresses as possible, and do not take into consideration the wants or needs of the recipient.

I see this frequently with websites that require an email address be entered (or an account set up) to gain access to anything from a photo gallery to a whitepaper.  More often than not, the information about how that address will be used is either buried in a linked privacy policy (am I the only one who reads those?) or isn't present at all (which, to me, says "expect to get a lot of junk")

And I'm not alone in being suspicious about adding an email address to such a form.  Slashdot recently polled their readers to ask how likely they are to enter correct data when prompted for this type of info.  Overwhelmingly, respondents admitted to entering fake information.

Laura at Word to the Wise recently expanded on this as a reason why companies find their lists riddled with spamtrap addresses.  And she's right.  If you're collecting email addresses simply as a requirement for access to something, you can expect fake entries.  And commonly used false addresses have a way of turning into traps.  And traps can hurt your deliverability and endanger your relationship with your ESP.

There are simple steps that you can take to avoid this problem:

• Set the right expectation: Allow the sign-ups to see exactly what they'll be getting (and do it there on your form).
• Give them a choice: "Yes, I'd like to receive tips and other information via email." or "No. I'm only interested in the whitepaper."
• Require confirmation: The greatest tool to avoid adding traps is a good confirmed-opt-in process, requiring the recipient to take action before receiving further emails.

Granted, if your primary goal is to send to as many email addresses as possible, you're not going to like that advice.  But why in the world do you want to waste your time and money sending to fakeaddress@leavemealone.com?

Take some time and think about how you're growing your list.  And if you'd like advice on designing (or redesigning) your program, give us a call.  We're glad to help.

Kris Dougherty | Director of Operations