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List building: Double opt-in or Single opt-in...which is better?

by CatherineC Banned
21 replies
I'm reading everything I can find about list building to try and learn about it but I'm a bit confused on the benefit of single opt-in versus double.

Both are apparantly legal but I would guess there's a higher spam/cancel rate on the single opt-in people later no?

Anyone have experince with both methods?

Thanks!!!
#building #double #list #optin #optinwhich #single
  • Profile picture of the author williamrs
    The spam/cancel rate doesn't seem to vary a lot for me.

    I prefer double opt-in and use it most of the times. However, sometimes it seems to be necessary to use single opt-in in order to have a decent opt-in rate (e.g. PPC campaigns on Facebook).

    Having the name of your subscribers and establishing a more personal relationship is always good, but IMO the opt-in rate is even more important. 2 emails are worth more than an email and a name.


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  • Profile picture of the author David Bleidt
    hmm what do you mean with a double opt-in? you will make the visitor to sign up and then let him sign up again? dunno why this should be effective? this sounds weird ^^
    Can you please explain?

    Reptor
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  • Profile picture of the author CatherineC
    Banned
    That sounds right william and dary.

    I would imagine that you can affect the percentage of valid emails on single opt-in if your traffic came in pre-warmed, and really wanted the niche-specific freebie on the squeeze page...versus going single opt-in from a cold source in which there would probably be a lot more nonsense going on, haha!
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Iannotti
    Look at it this way. I like single. If they decide to use a fake emaill address, that's fine. My freebies are in the followup emails, so if they are dumb enough to use a fake email, they don't get the free item, and to be honest, I'd rather not have em on my list to begin with.

    If they are willing to use a fake email, chances are it's the same people that buy stuff and 10 minutes after purchase ask for a refund...
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  • Profile picture of the author Landis
    single optin is better, imo. double optin doesnt "qualify" a prospect anymore than single optin. Yeah, sometimes youll get people that put in a fake email address but thats true of people who double optin as well. Theyll subscribe and optin with a a throwaway account. Regarding spam complaints, a double optin does not automatically make you CANSPAM compliant, contrary to popular belief.
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  • Profile picture of the author macchiavelli
    Single optin all the way.

    They cant accuse you of spamming them because Aweber records exactly when and where they signed up to your list!
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Fier
    I'm about 50/50 on the subject. I've tried both but I usually use double opt-in for my list so I know they are going to actually be there when I send them emails. I'm not all about trying to grow the biggest list possible, I'd much rather have one that is responsive.

    So on my typical offers I use double opt-in because I have seen better open and click thru rates. When I'm doing something like a CPA offer, I'll usually just go with single opt-in so I know they're going so see the promos I send... as they probably aren't going to be as targeted of a subscriber.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    I'll take confirmed opt-in (double opt-in is technically someone filling out the form twice). Most people say "double opt-in" when they really mean "confirmed opt-in." I like it better because I don't want to bother with people who can't be bothered to confirm before they get my free report or video or whatever. I don't need someone like that on my list. In some business models, maybe unconfirmed opt-ins ("single opt-in") work, but your list is not all about the numbers, imo.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Henshaw
      Yes, as stated , double opt in is actually confirmed opt in, as your potential sign up is simply clicking a link to confirm that it was they who placed their email into your sign up box.

      The problem with single opt in is that any Tom, Dick or Harry can input a false name or more especially someone else's email address into your sign up box. Let's assume that someone inputs Jane's email address (without her knowledge or consent).

      If Jane then receives any email from you she may regard it as spam. If Jane makes a complaint, the onus is on you to prove that you did not spam her. You will have a lot of work to do to disprove her complaint.

      You can forget looking at email headers, ISP addresses and all the rest. If you are a small player in the market, then it's easier for your provider to cancel your account, (whether it be an autoresponder and/or an ISP account) than waste their time and money in resolving your issue.

      I am not suggesting not using single opt in as it has it's place in certain situations.

      IMHO however, if you are a marketer with lots of money and an Internet lawyer on retainer, then do as you please. Otherwise, confirmed optin is the best option for small players - unless you like sleepless nights!

      Just my thoughts,
      Jeff.
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      • Profile picture of the author entrepreneurjay
        Originally Posted by Jeff Henshaw View Post

        Yes, as stated , double opt in is actually confirmed opt in, as your potential sign up is simply clicking a link to confirm that it was they who placed their email into your sign up box.

        The problem with single opt in is that any Tom, Dick or Harry can input a false name or more especially someone else's email address into your sign up box. Let's assume that someone inputs Jane's email address (without her knowledge or consent).

        If Jane then receives any email from you she may regard it as spam. If Jane makes a complaint, the onus is on you to prove that you did not spam her. You will have a lot of work to do to disprove her complaint.

        You can forget looking at email headers, ISP addresses and all the rest. If you are a small player in the market, then it's easier for your provider to cancel your account, (whether it be an autoresponder and/or an ISP account) than waste their time and money in resolving your issue.

        I am not suggesting not using single opt in as it has it's place in certain situations.

        IMHO however, if you are a marketer with lots of money and an Internet lawyer on retainer, then do as you please. Otherwise, confirmed optin is the best option for small players - unless you like sleepless nights!

        Just my thoughts,
        Jeff.
        Good answer Jeff couldn't of said it better myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ellen Violette
    I was marketing my butt off for a year writing articles and I thought I had added 6,000 people to my list, but it turned out the majority never finished opting in with double opt in so I switched to single opt in. When I tried to get them to finish opting in later when I realized the problem less than 1/2 of 1% did. So it was a lost year.
    If you use double opt in make sure it's such a crystal clear process that it's a no-brainer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
    I'd say it is niche dependent, I don't think confirmed opt-in is necessary if you are going to email them a baking recipe, however for a market such as IM, I would most definitely use confirmed.

    As for which makes the most money, I don't think anybody has ever truly tested which makes more properly in a reliable manner, most people who say one or the other does are usually expressing an opinion which isn't based on fact.

    There is also the problem of spam complaints and deliver-ability, but confirmed or not, people are going to report you as spam anyway, so that argument may not necessarily hold water but at least with confirmed opt-in you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the person them-self did opt-in to your list, which you can't really do with single opt-in.

    Moral of the story, do what works best for your business.

    Respectfully
    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Coby
    I actually use both . . . For downloads, like the ones I use in giveaways I make them confirm in order to get the download links. I do this because these are 'freebie seekers' and I want to make them work a little bit. If they can't do a confirmed opt-in in order to get the download, then I don't want them on the list.

    However, I have two squeeze pages that I run as single opt-in because they are both 7 day e-courses and I don't think someone would use a fake email. Also because I use these squeeze pages in solo ads alot so I noticed I was losing a lot of subscribers because they weren't confirming. So in order to get the most for my money I use non-confirmed single opt in on these lists.

    Just go with what works, do some testing and find which one fits your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
    I use single opt-ins. If someone wants to enter a fake email address, they will do so no matter whether you use single or double optin.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate View Post

      I use single opt-ins. If someone wants to enter a fake email address, they will do so no matter whether you use single or double optin.
      I use single opt-ins less and less as time goes on. The reason has nothing to do with fake addresses or spam complaints, though.

      Back in the day, it was considered quite clever to set up an email address with an automated response (like a one-shot autoresponder), put one's offer in the 'vacation message' and then use that to sign up at every opt-in form you could find. Unless they used a null address, they got your offer by return email.

      Bad enough, but many email programs had their own responders which acknowledged the original email. Can anyone say 'endless loop'?
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  • Profile picture of the author globalpro
    I didn't see this mentioned.

    I use 'confirmed-optin' for squeeze pages, to get the confirmation before download and single optin for buyers of products I sell. Works well for me.

    Like it was stated above, test and see what works best for you and your market.

    Thanks,

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    I use single most of the time.

    I also, from time to time, send out free list-building offers that
    build double opt-in lists from my single opt-in lists. This is a
    form of segmentation by interest.

    With certain list building methods I use, double is just not
    practical. If you want to grow your list fastest I'd say
    go single and be a cool marketer - you won't get complaints
    if you're cool.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fabian Tan
    I would answer both.

    Single Opt-In: For paid traffic sources where you
    want to make the most of every dime you spend. If
    you're spending $0.30 per click on Adwords, for
    instance, you don't want to waste the lead just
    because the guy was too busy to confirm his opt-in
    as something cropped up to distract his attention.
    It is also needless to make customers confirm
    their opt-in after they have purchased a product.
    A single opt-in will suffice.

    Double Opt-In: For free traffic sources like
    article marketing and forum marketing where the
    traffic is more targeted (a.k.a warm) and they are
    more likely to confirm their subscription since
    they had just consumed some valuable information
    from you beforehand.

    The ideal scenario is to use single opt-in all the
    time. The only danger is that it may be outlawed
    in the far future, and it is not likely to happen
    anytime soon. Single opt-in is also more
    susceptible to list poisoning, where people sign
    up with fake email addresses, but these are not
    major problems if you use a reputable list service
    provider. From my experience, spam complaint rates
    are similar to those for double opt-in lists.

    Fabian
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    • Profile picture of the author mrbawb
      I'd say go with double.

      They have to take that extra step to get that which is promised.

      This way you know they are worthy of adding to your list.

      Otherwise you can end up with a lot of non-responsive entries.

      Are ya gonna lose a few prospects with the double optin? Most likely.

      You don't want those anyway.
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      • Profile picture of the author Fred_Acker
        hmm what do you mean with a double opt-in? you will make the visitor to sign up and then let him sign up again? dunno why this should be effective? this sounds weird ^^
        lol... I once asked myself this same question David. Double opt in means they have to confirm their subscription before they get entered into the system. Usually via an email.

        Single vs. Double?

        I think that's been answered.

        But one thing I didn't see mentioned is - When using a double opt in make sure YOU walk them through the procedure and DO NOT direct them to desired page until they DO confirm their subscription.

        This will help keep the 'Pending' status to a minimum. Plus, it'll get you in the habit of telling your readers what to do next - step by step.
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