Understanding Double Opt-In

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What is Double Opt-In?

Double opt-in offers an extra confirmation step to verify each email address that signs up for your list. When this setting is enabled, contacts that sign up via your display(s) will automatically receive a follow-up email with a link to confirm their email subscription.

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Double Opt-In vs. Single Opt-In

Unlike a single opt-in process, where visitors provide their email address through a display and are immediately added to an email list, double opt-in adds an additional layer of protection between the signup event and any future messaging. This extra protection helps prevent fake email addresses or contacts who aren’t that interested in your emails from joining your mailing list. 

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Benefits

Double opt-in has a few stand-out benefits compared to single opt-in: 

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Double Opt-In’s Impact on Contacts

What happens if a contact does not confirm their subscription?

Suppose a visitor submits a display on your site with double opt-in enabled but fails to confirm their status in the double opt-in message. In that case, Privy creates a profile with the provided information (e.g., Name, Email, etc.) from the display submission and applies an “unset: not mailable” email permission to the profile. This permission means the contact won’t be able to receive messages from you, including after signup or welcome series emails, until they confirm their status. 

That said, the contact can still be shown a specific display using audience targeting. Their ineligibility for emails does not affect the information associated with their profile and cookie.

How does double opt-in impact existing contacts?

When double opt-in is enabled, contacts who have already signed up for a display using the single opt-in setting will remain mailable. The double opt-in process will only apply to new contacts. 

What if a customer asks me to opt in for them on their behalf?

You are unable to manually opt for a customer to be added to your mailing list. If a customer expected to receive your emails but missed the double opt-in message, they should: 

1. Search their inbox for the original opt-in message, including any promotional or spam folders specific to their email service provider. 

2. If the original email cannot be located, the customer should submit another display with the double opt-in setting enabled. A new double opt-in email will be sent to them. 

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How to enable Double Opt-In

• Navigate to Convert > All Displays.

• Select or create a display that you’d like to utilize double opt-in. 

• Head to the display’s Settings

• Click to Show Advanced Settings in the lower left and select the Opt-In card.

• Select the Double Opt-In option and Save.

Contacts that sign up via this display will now go through the double opt-in process.

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Review your Double Opt-In Email

To review the double opt-in email and confirmation page that your contacts will see: 

• Click on your Business Name in the upper right corner of your Dashboard and select Business Settings from the dropdown menu.

• Navigate to the Double Opt-In page under Email Settings.

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Double Opt-In for SMS

Along with Double Opt-In for email sign ups, Privy also uses Double Opt-In for SMS sign ups. If you are on our Growth Plan and you’re collecting SMS contacts, your new sign ups must reply ‘Y’ to their Double Opt-In text message in order to become textable. You can preview your Double Opt-In text message in your Text Settings page within your dashboard.

Check out this guide for more details on SMS Consent and how Double Opt-In works for Privy Text.

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Best Practices

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Thank You Page

If you have Double Opt-In enabled, it’s best practice for your display’s Thank You Page to remind your contacts to check their inbox for an opt-in email. Make the reminder clear, concise, and action-oriented.