Things to consider when changing from confirmed opt-in to single opt-in

If you've been using confirmed opt-in previously, you may wonder what the impact of your list will be if you switch from confirmed opt-in to single opt-in. Making this change can impact your list in a number of ways, and whether it will be effective for you depends on your needs. In this article, we will cover the implications of switching from confirmed opt-in to single opt-in.

What is confirmed opt-in?

First, let's review what confirmed opt-in is.

Confirmed opt-in is a process where subscribers acknowledge they would like to join your mailing list by clicking a link in your confirmation message. Once subscribers click the link, they will become actively subscribed on your mailing list and can begin receiving your messages.

Using confirmation (confirmed opt-in)

Having a confirmation message sent out to subscribers does provide its own advantages and is best for lists using a public facing sign up form. When using confirmation, you receive several benefits:

• Prevents sign ups from invalid or malicious submissions
• Creates a digital audit trail of permission for your subscribers to receive that information
• Creates email engagement with your subscribers from the start of their sign up
• Helps improve deliverability as you're less likely to receive complaints and undeliverable addresses

Using no confirmation (single opt-in)

When using single opt-in, subscribers who sign up for your list will automatically be added without needing to click a link in your confirmation message (they are not sent a confirmation message). This is ideal for situations where you're sending time sensitive messages or you're delivering a paid product to subscribers. With single opt-in, you would see:

• Subscribers are added without an additional step and can start receiving content immediately
• No subscribers drop off your list by failing to confirm their subscription
  
  

Changes to your list when changing from confirmed opt-in to single opt-in

When transitioning your list from confirmed opt-in to single opt-in, there are several things you want to account for first:

• Subscriber Expectations - With single opt-in, make sure your subscribers are aware they are being added to a mailing list when providing their information to you. This would be the same for sign up form submissions or for subscribers who purchase your product and are added to your AWeber mailing list.
  
  
• Success Page - If you were previously using a custom Success Page for your list, you would have to move your list's custom success page URL to either your Thank You Page or to the first message in your series. Since the Success Page is the website URL where subscribers are directed to after they confirm, this step would be skipped when using single opt-in.
  
  
• Thank You Page - Whether using single opt-in or confirmed opt-in, subscribers are directed to your Thank You Page after signing up. If using an AWeber basic Thank You Page, the Thank You Page either explains to subscribers that they will need to confirm to be added (confirmed opt-in) or that they've been successfully added (single opt-in). If using a custom Thank You Page, subscribers are directed to the custom URL you've indicated. With custom Thank You Pages, you can change that Thank You Page at any time.
  
  
• Content Within Your Confirmation Message - If you have any important customized information in your confirmation message that you would like subscribers to be aware of, as it will no longer will be used with single opt-in, you will want to move that content to your automated series instead.
  
  
• Welcome Message - Since subscribers will be added directly to your list without receiving any confirmation, having a welcome message is a great way to welcome them to your mailing list, provide them any content you may have promised before their sign up, and further set expectations about the content they're going to be receiving going forward.
  
  
• Sign Up Form Expectations - If you have expectations on your sign up form that refers to a confirmation message, you would want to update that content on the sign up form to reflect the new expectations for your subscribers.
  
  
• Customized Confirmation Message (confirmed opt-in or single opt-in): Any role based email addresses will always be sent a confirmation message before they can be actively subscribed to your list (when using confirmed opt-in or single opt-in). For more information on this, please see our article on role-based email addresses here. Due to this, it is important to still have a customized confirmation message in your list for any subscribers who may use a role-based email address to sign up.
  
  

I always want my subscribers to be sent a confirmation message

If you prefer for a confirmation message to be sent for all subscriber submissions to your AWeber mailing list, we can help with that! Just contact our Customer Solutions team and we would be happy to help make those adjustments on a list by list basis for you!