Gaining explicit permission for email marketing is not only a best practice—it’s required by Keap and most reputable email service providers. Sending marketing emails without permission damages your sender reputation, lowers deliverability, and ultimately costs you leads and customer trust.
What Is Explicit Permission?
Explicit permission means a contact has voluntarily and knowingly requested to receive marketing emails from your business. This includes two important elements:
- Clear consent – The contact actively agrees to receive your marketing emails.
- Proper expectations – The contact understands what kind of content they’ll receive and how often it will arrive.
Example: A web form that says “Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter with product updates, special offers, and event invitations.”
How to Obtain Explicit Permission
- Web forms: Use a checkbox that is unchecked by default so the contact chooses to opt in. Clearly describe the type of emails they will receive and the expected frequency (e.g., “weekly tips,” “monthly updates”).
- In-person or phone interactions: If you collect emails at an event, over the phone, or through direct messages on social media, ask explicitly if you can send ongoing marketing emails—not just transactional or one-time follow-ups.
- Follow-up confirmation: Consider using double opt-in (sending a confirmation email after signup) to verify consent and set expectations right away.
What Is Not Considered Explicit Permission?
- Collecting emails for a one-time purpose (e.g., sending a receipt, providing a download) and then adding them to marketing lists.
- Assuming that a customer who purchased a product automatically consents to marketing emails.
- Buying or renting email lists from third parties.
- Using borrowed or shared lists from other businesses.
- Forcing or coercing contacts to provide an email address (e.g., requiring it for a discount, account signup, or gated access).
Key point: Permission is only explicit when it is voluntary and informed.
What to Do With Contacts Who Haven’t Given Permission
- Opt them out: Do not send bulk marketing emails until permission has been clearly obtained.
- Seek permission directly: Ask in person, by phone, or in one-to-one communication channels if they would like to receive ongoing marketing emails.
- Never assume consent: Past purchases, inquiries, or casual interactions are not enough to qualify as explicit permission.
Example of Collecting Explicit Permission
On your signup form, include language like:
“Yes, I’d like to receive [weekly tips/product updates/special offers]. I understand I’ll get about one email per week, and I can unsubscribe anytime.”
This sets the right expectations for both content and frequency, ensuring subscribers know exactly what they’re signing up for.
Final Tip
Always align your email collection practices with the principles in our Email Marketing Best Practices Handbook. Setting clear expectations and gaining explicit permission helps protect your reputation, improve deliverability, and build lasting trust with your audience.
Looking for extra help?
If you’d like professional guidance with your email practices or recommended tools to improve your email practices and deliverability, check out these trusted partners:
- Email Deliverability specialist training, consulting and software
- List Cleaning
- Form Security