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Glossary entry

Double opt-in

The practice of requiring two confirmations before adding someone to an email list — initial subscribe form + confirmation email click. The deliverability + compliance gold standard for marketing lists. Reduces spam complaints, bot signups, and typo-emails. Less relevant for cold outbound (which by definition has no prior opt-in) but critical for marketing automation. Now legally required in EU + Canada for marketing lists.

Category: Compliance & Deliverability Reading time: 2 min

01Definition

TLDR
The practice of requiring two confirmations before adding someone to an email list — initial subscribe form + confirmation email click. The deliverability + compliance gold standard for marketing lists. Reduces spam complaints, bot signups, and typo-emails. Less relevant for cold outbound (which by definition has no prior opt-in) but critical for marketing automation. Now legally required in EU + Canada for marketing lists.

02Why it matters

The difference between a marketing list that lands in inbox and one that lands in spam. Adoption pays for itself within 60 days.

03Example

Worked example
Webinar signup → user enters email → confirmation email sent → user clicks link → user added to nurture sequence.
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