Double Opt In List

A double opt in list is an email list of people who have signed up to an e-zine or newsletter and have confirmed that they want to subscribe to that specific email list. Those who sign up confirm their "opt-in" to the list twice; first when they submit a form with their name and email address to the list owner, second when they confirm their subscription in an email they receive.

As you understand, what makes an email list "double opt-in" is that when you sign up to a newsletter list or similar, you have to confirm your sign-up (or opt-in) afterwards. You must kind of 'opt in' twice. The first time is when you type your name and email address in a form on a website and click on the 'Submit' button.

Then, after the initial sign-up is received by the email list service (see below), a special confirmation email is sent to the email address you entered into the form. This is the second opt-in.

The email contains a link you must click to confirm that you wish to subscribe to the newsletter. As soon as you click on the confirmation link, you will be added to that double opt in list and will now receive further emails from the list owner.

Autoresponder
It's a good idea to employ an autoresponder service like Aweber or GetResponse to take care of and automate the opt-in process. Within your autoresponder account you can set up an automated system that registers the first opt-in submission from the opt-in form on your website.

Then the system immediately sends a confirmation email to the subscriber, asking to confirm his subscription (or opt-in). When (if) they click on the confirmation link in that email, they gets added to your list.

Note that a person will not be added to a double opt in list if s/he doesn't click on the confirmation link. Nothing further will happen if that link doesn't get clicked.

Once set up in your autoresponder, this procedure is totally automated. To create the opt-in form for your website, you get a code from you autoresponder service which you will copy and paste into your web pages.

Why Is Double Opt In Important?
Double opt-in confirms that a person actually wishes to subscribe to an email list, and is necessary for anti-spam reasons, among other things. If this second confirmation were not present (single opt-in), then any person who knows your email address could sign you up without you knowing or wanting it.

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If it should happen that someone tried to sign you up to a double opt in list, you would receive an email asking you to click on the confirmation link. You could just ignore that email; as long as you don't click on the link, you won't be added to the list.

Another reason for using a double opt in email list, is the need for having a quality list - not only a list. As the list owner you will want only people to sign up who are truly interested in your business and what you have to offer.

If you used a single opt-in method and, someone could enter hundreds of email addresses of people who did not want to get onto your list. Thus you might end up with a very poor quality list as many of your subscribers wouldn't be interested in what you have to offer.

A double opt in list is more profitable
Of course, making money from your email list is your ultimate goal when you are running an online business. The kind of subscribers you want on your mailing list, are people who are genuinely interested in your business and potentially will become customers.

By double opting in to your subscriber list people verify that they are interested in your business. This way you avoid getting your list stuffed with people who don't care about your offers, so using a double opt-in list is extremely important in keeping your subscription list high quality.

Double opt-in will reduce SPAM complaints
All email list owners get unsubscribers and spam complaints from time to time – it’s the nature of email marketing. Again, using the double opt-in system will reduce spam complaints to a near zero. Single opt-in, however, may lead to complaints from lots of people, and potential banning of your domain name by the major ISPs (Internet service providers).

Tip: Two of the most reputable autoresponder services on the market, Aweber and GetResponse, are highly respected by the ISPs, and using one of them (and double opt-in, of course) you will certainly not run into any trouble.

Take your email list building seriously
The saying, "The money is in the list" is still true. However, to earn from your list you should have a high quality email list with subscribers truly interested in your business and products. A very important factor to making your email list profitable, is building a double opt in list.

Another major factor is the quality of the emails you send to your list. To keep them interested and and willing to buy, you have to provide value to your subscribers in your newsletter or e-zine. You can't just 'sell' to them all the time, as many will then get annoyed and unsubscribe.

People want something valuable to stay on your list – tips, ideas, information, advice etc. on the topic of this list. You have to give something to get something back.

If you are serious about building a quality email list, then double opt in is a must. Using a single opt-in list is the sign of a spammer, which you surely don't want to be associated with. Build a high quality double opt in list, cultivate it carefully and with patience, so it can be your biggest asset in your online business.

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