Is ZoomInfo's interpretation of CAN-SPAM accurate regarding email marketing best practices?

ZoomInfo's interpretation of CAN-SPAM, suggesting that opt-in is unnecessary as long as opt-out is provided, is widely considered inaccurate regarding best practices. CAN-SPAM provides a legal baseline, but doesn't ensure deliverability or a good sender reputation. ESPs, mailbox providers, and regulations like GDPR have stricter requirements. Experts and marketers emphasize obtaining explicit consent (opt-in), maintaining clean lists, and providing valuable content to build trust, improve engagement, and avoid spam filters. Relying solely on CAN-SPAM can damage sender reputation and lead to poor email marketing outcomes.

ZoomInfo's interpretation of CAN-SPAM, which suggests that opt-in consent is unnecessary as long as an opt-out option is provided, is generally considered inaccurate regarding email marketing best practices. While CAN-SPAM sets the legal minimum standard, it doesn't guarantee good deliverability or sender reputation. Email Service Providers (ESPs) and mailbox providers have stricter requirements that emphasize permission-based marketing and explicit consent. Relying solely on CAN-SPAM can lead to low engagement, spam complaints, and damage to sender reputation. Best practices involve obtaining explicit consent, maintaining clean email lists, and providing valuable, relevant content to subscribers.

Experts agree that while CAN-SPAM compliance is necessary, it is not sufficient for good email marketing practices. CAN-SPAM permits sending emails without explicit permission (opt-in), unlike stricter regulations like GDPR. Building a strong sender reputation and achieving high deliverability require going beyond CAN-SPAM by prioritizing explicit consent, maintaining clean email lists, and engaging subscribers with valuable content. Simply adhering to the minimum legal requirements of CAN-SPAM does not guarantee success in email marketing.

While the FTC documentation confirms that CAN-SPAM primarily focuses on providing an opt-out mechanism and avoiding deceptive practices, Mailchimp and Sendgrid documentation highlight the importance of going beyond CAN-SPAM for effective email marketing. Obtaining explicit consent (permission marketing) builds trust and improves sender reputation. Furthermore, simply adhering to CAN-SPAM may not be sufficient to avoid spam filters as mailbox providers are constantly updating their policies to protect users.