Why Some Subscribers Don't Confirm Their Opt-In

12/28/21 • 35 min

As creators and email marketers, we’ve got a lot of important things keeping us up at night. From our marketing strategy, the hassle of freelance taxes, and, of course, those subscribers who don’t confirm their double opt-ins. But of all our worries, is an unconfirmed subscriber really something to stress over? After all, what’s “normal” subscriber behavior?

It might be time to rethink how you expect subscribers to engage with your emails. Because subscribers don’t follow the same rules you do, and what feels negative to you may feel normal to them. For example, according to a recent MailChimp study, 61% of subscribers never complete the double opt-in process.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk about why subscribers don’t confirm their opt-ins, when to know if it’s a real red flag, how to fix your double opt-in dilemma, and why you shouldn’t obsess over it. Because having unconfirmed subscribers doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong — sometimes, it’s just human behavior.

Key Takeaways

[03:38] - Subscribers may not confirm their opt-in if the confirmation email is confusing or unclear. Make your confirmation email simple and straightforward.
[07:47] - If subscribers don’t confirm the double opt-in, it’s also possible that they never signed up for your list. You may have been a victim of list-bombing.
[11:30] - While it sounds like a joke, it’s very possible that subscribers have not checked their inbox and that’s why they have yet to confirm.
[16:33] - It’s possible that your confirmation email bounced or went to spam.
[22:05] - If the number of unconfirmed subscribers is driving you crazy, it’s ok to remove the double opt-in, but make sure you’re securing your email list in some way.
[28:58] - If you’re stressed about unconfirmed double opt-ins, remember, there are better metrics to focus on.

Quotes

[11:06] - “I would rather see a bunch of unconfirmed subscribers on my list than see a bunch of confirmed ones who are never going to engage in my emails.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[31:44] - “It’s way better to have this small, engaged list that’s protected than to have a huge list where you let in anyone who wants to be there, but then a big chunk of them are marking your messages as spam or not opening your messages and your deliverability is tanked and now everyone receives your email in the spam folder. That is a reality we’ve seen happen for people who don’t clean their list and don’t protect their list with double opt-in.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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It's now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of 1,000 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: convertkit.com/pricing.

Key Takeaways

[03:38] - Subscribers may not confirm their opt-in if the confirmation email is confusing or unclear. Make your confirmation email simple and straightforward.
[07:47] - If subscribers don’t confirm the double opt-in, it’s also possible that they never signed up for your list. You may have been a victim of list-bombing.
[11:30] - While it sounds like a joke, it’s very possible that subscribers have not checked their inbox and that’s why they have yet to confirm.
[16:33] - It’s possible that your confirmation email bounced or went to spam.
[22:05] - If the number of unconfirmed subscribers is driving you crazy, it’s ok to remove the double opt-in, but make sure you’re securing your email list in some way.
[28:58] - If you’re stressed about unconfirmed double opt-ins, remember, there are better metrics to focus on.

Quotes

[11:06] - “I would rather see a bunch of unconfirmed subscribers on my list than see a bunch of confirmed ones who are never going to engage in my emails.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Links

Connect with our hosts

Stay in touch

Try ConvertKit's deliverability in action

It's now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of 1,000 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: convertkit.com/pricing.

Previous Episode

Protecting Your Email List and Reputation

As creators, trust is everything. The trust between you and the subscribers who stay tuned is the foundation of your business and the source of your creative freedom. And while it can take months or years to build up hard-earned trust, it only takes one spammer to derail it.

In the tech-driven twenty-first century, spamming is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, an email list and an ESP mean you’re a prime target for spammers seeking lists, data, and, above all else, subscribers who trust your domain. As such, it’s important to take steps toward staying secure and spam-proof, for your peace of mind and for the sake of your business.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the top three steps for stopping spam, hacks, and phishing. From two-factor authentication to securing forms, double opt-ins, and the beauty of DMARC, here’s everything you need to know.

Key Takeaways

[03:55] - An email list backed by a trusted ESP is valuable email currency. This currency makes you especially vulnerable to spammers and phishers.
[06:48] - Using two-factor authentication at your ESP is essential.
[10:19] - The most common damage spammers do is buy loads of subscribers or followers and send them spam or phishing links.
[14:18] - Data breaches have long-lasting impacts. The two seconds it takes to double authenticate are worth it to avoid years of potential fallout.
[15:06] - Use double opt-in and reCAPTCHA to prevent list bombing.
[25:57] - Aside from spam prevention, double opt-ins ensure your list has the most engaged subscribers.
[27:38] - Implement DMARC to prevent spoofing.

Quotes

[03:56] - “You might be thinking, ok, email spam is annoying, but how does this affect my email list? As someone with an email list and an account with an ESP, you have an asset that’s valuable to spammers.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[14:38] - “You could have someone send spam from your account or phish, and then it could take you months to build that up again. But it would only take one send for them to ruin your whole reputation.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[26:00] - “Double opt-in is so great to make sure the people in your list are the most high-quality. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

Connect with our hosts

Stay in touch

Try ConvertKit's deliverability in action

It's now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of 1,000 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: convertkit.com/pricing.

Next Episode

Utilizing BIMI to Display Your Logo in Subscriber's Mailboxes

What happens when security and style combine? Enter BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, a text record that lives in your DNS records and helps verify your email address against phishers with malicious intent. This verification can be found in the brand’s logo, conveniently embedded in a sender’s email.

While this high-tech security option may be a tough bet for small creators working alone, if you’ve got a large following and an equally large team, BIMI is a great way to increase your security.

According to the Harvard Business Review, companies are falling victim to hackers at an alarming rate, with COVID and remote work leaving us vulnerable to keyboard bandits and email spoofing more than ever before. Needless to say, security is important, and anything you can do to protect your own brand and the privacy of your subscribers saves you face and money. If you can add a personal branded touch, all the better.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the importance of mixing style with security, the technicalities behind implementing BIMI, and why security is so important for big brands, small creators, and everyone in between.

Key Takeaways

[05:08] - The goal of BIMI is to provide another layer of trust to your emails. With the embedded logo, subscribers can verify that the email is coming from your brand.
[10:05] - While massive data breaches aren’t a top concern for the average creator, email spoofing can happen to anyone, and BIMI protects against spoofing.
[12:06] - To start using BIMI, you have to be using a strict DMARC record. BIMI is incentivizing senders to use DMARC.
[17:38] - Aside from setting up a strict DMARC record, if you’re a ConvertKit user, you have to set up a verified sending domain.
[19:51] - You must also have a proper TXT record in your DNS.
[21:55] - Keep in mind that not all mailbox providers support BIMI. Yahoo, AOL, Netscape, Gmail, G Suite, and Fastmail are mailbox providers that do.

Quotes

[11:45] - “We care a lot that email is a safer place and that people aren’t being spoofed. And then, on the other end, a lot of people who send mail probably aren’t as interested, don’t care as much about it. But [BIMI] gives them an incentive to start to really crack down on their security.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[18:17] - “I feel like people think that they have to have all these things. A lot of new senders think, ‘Oh I need to change things in my DNS settings and I need to add a DMARC record’, and you don’t have to do anything. It’s not like those things will make you land in the inbox more often.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[19:03] - “At the end of the day, [BIMI] encourages people, or it should encourage people, to really work on their sender reputation if they want to have these things set up, which is a good thing.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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