Summary
The overwhelming consensus from both email marketing experts and official documentation is that purchasing email lists is detrimental to email marketing efforts. Purchased lists often contain outdated or inaccurate information, leading to low engagement, high bounce rates, and spam complaints. Using these lists violates anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR, which can result in hefty fines and damage to sender reputation. Experts emphasize the importance of building email lists organically through permission-based methods, such as opt-in forms and lead magnets. Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is also crucial for maintaining deliverability. Guarantees from list vendors should be viewed skeptically, as they cannot control recipient behavior or list quality.
Key findings
- Legal Risks: Using purchased lists violates anti-spam laws (CAN-SPAM, GDPR), leading to potential fines and legal repercussions.
- Deliverability Problems: Purchased lists result in high bounce rates, spam complaints, and blacklisting, negatively impacting email deliverability.
- Reputation Damage: Purchasing lists damages sender reputation, making it harder to reach subscribers' inboxes.
- Low Engagement: Recipients on purchased lists are not genuinely interested in your brand, leading to low engagement rates and conversions.
- Vendor Guarantees are Unreliable: Guarantees from purchased list vendors are often meaningless due to their lack of control over recipient behavior and list quality.
- Importance of Permission: Ethical and effective email marketing relies on obtaining explicit consent from subscribers before sending emails.
Key considerations
- Build Organically: Focus on building an email list organically through opt-in forms, lead magnets, and valuable content.
- Comply with Laws: Ensure all email marketing activities comply with anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR.
- Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS.
- Verify Consent: Ensure that all subscribers have given explicit consent to receive emails from your organization.
- Avoid Guarantees: Be skeptical of guarantees offered by purchased list vendors and prioritize building a high-quality, permission-based list.
- Email Authentication: Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability and protect your sender reputation.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
The consensus among email marketers and documentation sources is overwhelmingly against using purchased email lists. These lists often contain outdated or inaccurate information, leading to low engagement, high bounce rates, and spam complaints. Sending emails to purchased lists violates anti-spam laws like CAN-SPAM and GDPR, damaging sender reputation and potentially resulting in fines. Experts recommend building email lists organically through opt-in forms, lead magnets, and valuable content to ensure a permission-based and engaged audience. Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
Key opinions
- Low Engagement: Purchased lists typically result in low engagement rates due to the lack of relevance and interest from recipients.
- Deliverability Issues: Using purchased lists leads to high bounce rates and spam complaints, negatively impacting email deliverability.
- Legal Violations: Sending emails to purchased lists often violates anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR, potentially resulting in fines.
- Damaged Reputation: Purchasing lists can severely damage sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues and lower engagement rates.
- Ineffective Targeting: Purchased lists lack proper targeting and relevance, leading to low conversion rates and wasted marketing efforts.
- Organic Growth: Building an email list organically through opt-in forms and valuable content is a much more effective and sustainable approach.
Key considerations
- List Quality: Evaluate the source and quality of email lists before considering purchase. Ensure the list is up-to-date and contains accurate information.
- Compliance: Understand and comply with anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM and GDPR before engaging in email marketing activities.
- Sender Reputation: Monitor sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to identify and address deliverability issues.
- Engagement: Prioritize building a permission-based email list to ensure high engagement rates and better deliverability.
- Alternatives: Explore alternative methods for growing your email list, such as offering lead magnets, creating valuable content, and using social media to drive sign-ups.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares ways to grow your email list organically, including offering lead magnets, creating valuable content, and using social media to drive sign-ups. These methods ensure you're reaching engaged and interested subscribers.
30 Jun 2022 - Neil Patel
Marketer view
Email marketer from HubSpot suggests building your email list organically through opt-in forms, lead magnets, and valuable content. This ensures you're reaching people who are genuinely interested in your brand and increases engagement rates.
20 Jun 2024 - HubSpot
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts across different platforms caution against using purchased email lists. Resources share information highlighting the legal ramifications under CAN-SPAM, the worthlessness of vendor guarantees, and the importance of permission-based email marketing. They universally agree that building lists organically and adhering to best practices ensures better results and compliance.
Key opinions
- Legality: Harvesting email addresses or using automated means to collect them for unsolicited commercial emails is illegal under CAN-SPAM.
- Worthless Guarantees: Guarantees from purchased list vendors are unreliable due to their lack of control over recipient behavior and list quality.
- Best Practice: Sending emails only to those who have explicitly granted permission is crucial for effective and ethical email marketing.
Key considerations
- Legal Compliance: Ensure all email marketing activities adhere to CAN-SPAM and other relevant regulations.
- Vendor Trust: Exercise skepticism towards guarantees offered by purchased list vendors.
- Permission-Based: Prioritize obtaining explicit consent from recipients before sending any marketing emails.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that under the CAN-SPAM act it is illegal to harvest email addresses or use automated means to register for multiple email accounts for the purpose of sending unsolicited commercial email.
6 Aug 2024 - Spamresource.com
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares a similar resource to the original Mailchimp page about purchased email lists: <https://www.shouldiuseapurchasedemaillist.com>
13 Nov 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Documentation from various sources consistently advises against using purchased email lists due to legal and deliverability issues. Violations of CAN-SPAM and GDPR can result in fines, while Spamhaus warns of IP blacklisting. Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS highlight the negative impact on sender reputation and deliverability, emphasizing the importance of monitoring these metrics.
Key findings
- Legal Risks: Using purchased lists violates CAN-SPAM and GDPR, leading to potential fines from the FTC and other regulatory bodies.
- IP Blacklisting: Sending unsolicited emails from purchased lists can result in your IP address being blacklisted by Spamhaus, hindering legitimate email delivery.
- Reputation Damage: Purchased lists negatively impact sender reputation, as indicated by Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS, increasing the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
- Consent Requirements: GDPR mandates explicit consent for email marketing, making purchased lists non-compliant due to the lack of recipient permission.
Key considerations
- Legal Compliance: Ensure adherence to CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations to avoid legal repercussions.
- Reputation Monitoring: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS to monitor sender reputation and identify potential deliverability problems.
- Permission-Based Marketing: Focus on building permission-based email lists to improve engagement and maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Ethical Considerations: Avoid using purchased lists due to the ethical implications of sending unsolicited emails and the potential harm to recipients.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that you can monitor your sender reputation and identify any deliverability issues. Using purchased lists can negatively impact your reputation and lead to emails being marked as spam.
20 Jul 2022 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft SNDS helps you monitor the health of your IP address. Sending to purchased lists often increases spam complaints, damaging your reputation with Microsoft and impacting your ability to deliver emails.
27 Aug 2023 - Microsoft
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