Summary
Experts, marketers, and legal documentation overwhelmingly advise against cold emailing a list of police officers for an investigation. This practice is generally considered spam, ethically questionable, legally risky under GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, and Australian law, and can severely damage sender reputation leading to deliverability issues. The consensus suggests focusing on building relationships through targeted outreach, utilizing official channels or forums, networking, and prioritizing permission-based email marketing strategies for better results and legal compliance.
Key findings
- Reputation Damage: Cold emailing can harm sender reputation, causing deliverability issues across all campaigns.
- Ethical Concerns: Unsolicited emails without consent are ethically questionable and intrusive.
- Legal Risks: Violates GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, and Australian law if consent is not obtained.
- Ineffectiveness: Low response rates and high costs associated with purchased/scraped lists.
- Importance of Permission: Opt-in email lists lead to better engagement and prevent spam complaints.
- Relevance Matters: Irrelevant content can damage future email marketing efforts.
Key considerations
- Compliance: Ensure compliance with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, CASL, and other relevant anti-spam laws.
- Targeted Outreach: Focus on targeted and personalized communication for better results.
- Alternative Channels: Explore other methods like networking, official channels, or police forums.
- Building Relationships: Prioritize relationship building and consent-based marketing strategies.
- Avoid Purchased Lists: Refrain from using purchased/scraped lists due to legal and ethical concerns.
- Relevancy: Ensure emails are relevant to the recipients.
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
Email marketing experts overwhelmingly advise against cold emailing a list of police officers for an investigation due to ethical, legal, and deliverability concerns. It's generally seen as intrusive and could damage your sender reputation, leading to emails being flagged as spam. Instead, they recommend building relationships with key individuals, using official channels, networking, and prioritizing permission-based email marketing practices.
Key opinions
- Reputation Damage: Cold emailing can harm your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues for future campaigns.
- Ethical Concerns: Sending unsolicited emails without consent is ethically questionable and can be perceived as intrusive.
- Legal Risks: Cold emailing may violate anti-spam laws (GDPR, CAN-SPAM) if consent is not obtained.
- Poor Results: Cold emailing often yields low response rates and may not achieve the desired outcome.
- Alternative Methods: More effective methods include building relationships, using official channels, and networking.
- Importance of Permission: Opt-in email lists lead to better open rates and engagement.
Key considerations
- Ethical Implications: Consider the ethical implications of contacting police officers without their consent.
- Legal Compliance: Ensure compliance with anti-spam laws such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
- Targeted Outreach: Focus on targeted outreach and personalized communication.
- Alternative Channels: Explore alternative communication channels like networking or official department contacts.
- Sender Reputation: Protect your sender reputation by avoiding spam complaints.
- Relevancy: Ensure your email message is relevant.
Marketer view
Email marketer from LinkedIn suggests that instead of cold emailing, consider alternative methods such as contacting police departments through their official channels or networking with individuals who have connections within law enforcement. This can help build trust and improve the chances of receiving a response.
13 Oct 2024 - LinkedIn
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that the reporter needs to determine who would be more likely to talk and send 1:1 emails to these people. He suggests moving the conversation to Signal or a similar app and to be wary of using work emails.
21 Nov 2021 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts strongly advise against cold emailing lists of police officers for investigations. It's considered spam, carries legal risks, damages sender reputation, and is likely ineffective. Alternative approaches like using police forums or prioritizing relevance are recommended.
Key opinions
- Spam and Deliverability: Cold emailing harvested addresses is spam and severely harms deliverability.
- Legal Risks: Using work email addresses exposes the sender to potential legal action from police departments.
- Reputation Damage: Cold emailing can damage sender reputation, affecting all email campaigns.
- Ineffectiveness: Even with clean lists, cold emailing police officers yields horrible response rates and high costs.
- Relevance is Key: Irrelevant emails can cause damage to future campaigns.
Key considerations
- Alternative Channels: Consider using police forums or other online communities for outreach.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Evaluate the costs associated with buying and sending to email lists.
- Legal Ramifications: Understand the potential legal consequences of sending unsolicited emails.
- Relevancy: Email messages must be relevant to avoid being flagged as spam.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that sending unsolicited emails to a large list of police officers can seriously damage your sender reputation. If recipients mark your emails as spam, it can lead to deliverability issues across all your campaigns, affecting legitimate email communications.
21 Jul 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that cold emailing harvested addresses is spam and any service allowing it would have terrible deliverability. If the addresses are work emails, the police department could take legal action. He suggests the reporter use online forums that cops use and get a cop or two to post a link to spread the content.
23 Dec 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Emailing a list of police officers for an investigation without their consent is generally prohibited by laws like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, Australian law, and Canadian law (CASL). These regulations emphasize the importance of obtaining explicit consent for sending commercial electronic messages. Platforms like Mailchimp also prohibit the use of purchased or scraped email lists, recommending opt-in methods to ensure compliance and improve deliverability. Violating these regulations can lead to legal penalties, fines, and account suspension.
Key findings
- GDPR Violation: Sending unsolicited emails without consent violates GDPR.
- CAN-SPAM Act Compliance: Failure to provide an opt-out option in commercial emails violates the CAN-SPAM Act.
- Platform Restrictions: Using purchased or scraped lists violates Mailchimp's terms of service.
- Australian Law: Sending unsolicited commercial electronic messages is illegal under Australian law.
- CASL Violation: Sending commercial electronic messages without express consent violates CASL.
Key considerations
- Obtain Explicit Consent: Ensure you have explicit consent before sending emails.
- Opt-Out Mechanism: Include a clear and functional opt-out mechanism in all emails.
- Comply with Regulations: Adhere to the requirements of GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other relevant laws.
- Build Engaged Lists: Focus on building engaged subscriber lists through opt-in methods.
- Avoid Purchased Lists: Refrain from using purchased or scraped email lists.
Technical article
Documentation from GDPR.eu clarifies that under GDPR, sending unsolicited emails to individuals without their consent is generally prohibited. Police officers, as individuals, are protected by GDPR. Obtaining explicit consent is crucial for compliant email marketing practices.
5 Jun 2024 - GDPR.eu
Technical article
Documentation from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) explains that under Australian law, it is illegal to send unsolicited commercial electronic messages. This includes emails sent to police officers without their prior consent. Penalties for violating spam laws can be significant.
16 Dec 2024 - ACMA
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