Heyo, Reader!
I'm feeling super fired up since my my suspicions were confirmed last week:
An old email address of mine is on a list that at least one marketing "expert" is selling. π€
What tipped me off is I received yet another pitch from an author about their new book that has zero connection to my old blog - this time about a steamy new romance novel.
(While I enjoy a good romance novel, why would I promote that to my audience who's there to learn how to make jewelry?)
Despite their Mailerlite template footer claiming I was receiving this pitch because I'd either signed up on their website or made a purchase from them...
....when prompted the author told me they they hired a freelancer who sold them a number of lists of email addresses (including mine) π€¦π»ββοΈ
Listen, I get it.
Growing an email list takes effort, experimentation, time...and a whole lotta patience.
Unfortunately, there are no short cuts - and there's no better way to get me all fired up than adding people to your email list without their consent.
As I shared in a LinkedIn post:
Buying email lists - and in general, emailing people who didn't give you explicit consent to add them to your email list - is a bad practice that could cost you in the long run.
Here's four reasons why:
β‘οΈ All of your emails could end up in sp@m
People often mark email lists they didn't sign up for as sp@am, especially if it's irrelevant content.
With the deliverability updates that (theoretically) went into effect this month, if you go over a certain threshold of spam complaints (.3% in Google's case), you run the risk of all of your emails from your domain going to spam moving forward.
Let's say you bought an email list of 1,000 people. It would take just 3 Gmail users to mark you as spam to have all of your emails to Gmail addresses going to spam folders moving forward. π±
β
ββ‘οΈ Depending on where those subscribers live, it could cost you
Disclaimer: this one is not legal advice, always consult your lawyer to review privacy laws.
This one's a little murky, but if there are people on your email list are in an area that falls under the jurisdiction of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which includes the European Union, and you've added them to your email list without their explicit permission and they report you, it's possible you could be fined.
β‘οΈ Your email marketing software most likely bans it
Doing a quick Google search, I found articles for Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, and MailerLite which all outright say that you aren't allowed to use email lists that are purchased, scraped, or borrowed.
And using these types of lists could get your account permanently closed.
β‘οΈ You don't have their consent.
Full stop. π
π»ββοΈ
We're living in a time when many of our inboxes are being overrun with emails. We should all be considerate human beings and take a moment to reflect:
Do I want to be added to email lists I didn't sign up for?
If not, then please don't do that to other people.
(And even if you don't personally mind being on the receiving end, don't do it to other people. It's bad form.)
Take it one step at a time,
Bev
P.S. What are some ways you've grown your email list that are rooted in consent? Since I know many people struggle with list growth, I'm going to put together a newsletter & blog post and would love to feature you.
Hit reply and let me know.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link I might earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.β
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π Currently reading
βHomemodies by Tembe Denton-Hurstβ
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Bev Feldman (she/her), Your Personal Tech Fairy π
Personalized ConvertKit Support & Email Marketing Automation Strategy that's rooted in consent, deliverability best practices, and human connection.
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As a solopreneur, I strive to incorporate my values of environmentalism and anti-racism and to build an inclusive and equitable business. I believe Black Lives Matter and I stand for LGBTQIA+ rights.
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