Everything You Need To Know About Double Opt-In

Jason Rowse - 2020-06-08T21:00:00.000Z

Written By Jason Rowse - Digital Marketing Expert

Updated: 09/05/2021

Capturing email information is one of the most important tasks in marketing and lets us communicate with our potential customers. However, just as important as it is to get the email, so too is the quality of the email list you are building.

Double opt-in is a method email marketers use to ensure the quality of their list by adding an extra stop in the verification process. You might think this will hinder conversion and it may actually lower it overall. Still, the quality of your list will remain high and you can ensure that you’ll keep those open rates and click-through-rates intact by doing so.

What Is Double Opt-In?

Unlike single opt in where a user enters the email and then is automatically sent content, double opt-in takes it a step further. With this method, a user has to go through an extra step in the confirmation process. After they enter their email, they are then sent another follow-up email with a link to confirm their subscription.

This extra step allows you to generate higher quality leads and increase email engagement. You can rest assured that if someone confirms their subscription, they certainly want to be receiving your emails and reading them.

The Cases For And Against

In the world of email marketing, this is a hotly debated topic. Marketers want to capture information as quickly as possible so they can nurture prospects through a funnel. However, when you do that, you risk maintaining the quality of the list and you will ultimately hurt your email metrics.

That’s why putting an extra step in the verification process will allow you to ensure the quality of your list as you can know for certain that your subscribers want to be receiving your emails. It also reduces the risk of being sent to spam.

When To Utilize It

There are a number of reasons to choose to do a double opt-in email.

More engaged list
Reduce risk of sent to spam
Increase sender reputation

First, if you aren't focused on audience growth and want to grow a solid email marketing list, then choosing this strategy is a good idea. The focus is on generating quality leads and organic growth. Again, this all depends on your goals and what KPIs are being measured.

Aside from a more engaged list, you reduce the risk of being sent to spam, you increase your sender reputation, and will ultimately have more accurate subscriber information. Double opt-in is also used to satisfy regulations that apply in certain countries or markets.

These are all important factors to consider when strategizing about your email marketing efforts. By using this method, you ensure that every website visitor wants to subscribe to receive your content which signals higher intent leads.

Who doesn't want that?

Single Vs. Double Opt-In

The choice to use single versus double opt-in depends on a number of factors. Let’s dive into the differences between these two different email capturing methods.

Single Opt-in

If your goal is to grow your email list quickly and capture as many emails as possible, high quality or not, then single opt-in is your best bet.
You don't need to worry about unconfirmed subscribers waiting in limbo because everyone who is on the list will be getting and hopefully reading the email.
However, the downside is that you need worry about deliverability issues such as being sent to spam. This can also affect your overall sender reputation which can have another negative impact.

Double Opt-in:

Increase the quality of your email list by ensuring your subscribers want to receive your emails. Your open rates and CTR will be positively impacted by this.
Your emails are less likely to go to spam so you can keep your sender reputation healthy.
It keeps your list clean and free of spammers who use fake emails when they sign up for services.
Since all members are confirmed, the subscriber data is accurate and you don't have to waste money or time sending irrelevant emails.