What is a permission-based list?
A permission-based list is a list of contacts that all agreed to receive marketing emails specifically from you. The following lists aren’t considered permission-based:
- lists that you borrowed
- lists that you bought
- lists that are shared publicly online (even if they are published in view of being used for mailings)
- lists built with co-registration methods
- so-called “safe-lists.”
Third party lists, even your friends, family, or your Facebook or LinkedIn contacts, won’t qualify as permission-based lists. You even need permission from your previous customers before you add them to your mailing list. Being your customer isn’t the same as giving you permission to email.
Basically, you need a verifiable proof of permission. By this, we usually mean the sign-up IP, and the date of subscription. If someone subscribed during an event, a subscription sheet will be sufficient too.
How do I know if my list is permission-based?
Before you start sending emails, it’s a good idea to make sure that you have explicit permission to do so from your contacts. This will keep your account in good standing and boost your statistics. It will also have a positive influence on your inbox placement, and on GetResponse deliverability as a whole.
Below are five questions to consider if you’re not sure about the quality of your list.
- Do you have explicit permission to email your contacts?
- Do you make it easy to unsubscribe from your list?
- Did you email the people on your list within the last 6 months?
- Did you remove all invalid, bounced or unsubscribed addresses?
If you answered “Yes” to these questions, and if you email the contacts on your list regularly, you can go ahead and upload your list.
Note: our security system will still check your list for bounces, invalid addresses etc. Not all your contacts might make it into the account, and your list might still be rejected. In such cases, please contact our Compliance Team.
If you answered “No” to all or some of these questions, or if you’re unsure about the answers, there’s a risk that:
- your list will be rejected by our evaluation system
- your list will generate a lot of bounces, complaints and unsubscribes, which will harm your sender reputation.
Make sure to review your list and take the necessary steps to make it permission-based before you import it to your account. If you have any questions about your list and its quality, go ahead and reach out to our Compliance Team.
