"Proper" Bulk Mailing

or: How to set up a mailing list without being a Spammer

The Basics

Opt-In, not Opt-Out.
Confirm new subscriptions!
Form default is "No".
Send all messages from your domain with a valid return address.

Misconceptions

Many well-intentioned businesses fall into the trap of believing that "bulk mail is an effective way to market". They believe (or are convinced by bulk mail companies) that it's the same as postal mail marketing but cheaper.

First, let me dispel the belief that it is cheaper. It is not. You are using other people's resources instead of your own. Spam is more comparable to sending unsolicited faxes than to sending bulk postal mail. You're using their paper and tying up their phone line. Spam uses their disk space and ties up their network bandwidth. It requires ISPs to hire people to deal with the problem, costing them money. But is it cheaper for you? No. Once you are labelled as a "spammer", people will not trust your business. For example, if we receive spam from a company we work with, we will warn them once of the peril of being called a "spammer". If they do not "repent", we will move our business elsewhere as soon as it is expedient.

There is a right way: Opt-In lists.

Bulk mailers will quote you proposed laws that state that Opt-Out lists are the "legal" and best way to send spam. The Internet community, however, will blacklist your (or their) mail servers for doing so, and will call you a spammer. The Opt-In list is acceptable:

Set up a form on your web site that allows people to subscribe to your mailing list.
You can integrate it with other forms - any form that asks for an email address can have a checkbox asking if they'd like to subscribe to your mailing list to receive special offers, etc.
Set the default for subscription checkboxes to OFF not ON.
If you have a form that is only for subscribing to a mailing list, of course, this doesn't apply. If your form includes an email address and offers to subscribe them to receive special mailing from you or third parties, give them a checkbox and default it to OFF. (Separate checkboxes for you and for third parties is good if you're planning on selling a list to third parties). This will help you build a good list of happy subscribers who want to hear from you. Catching people who just forgot to turn it off just makes you look bad.
Confirm the email address
Your subscribe program should then send an email to the address they entered welcoming them to the list and giving them a link to click or telling them to hit "reply" to confirm that they intended to subscribe. (see below for more info on why this is good).

If you have bought a mailing list and feel you must mail people to have them subscribe: You can send a one-time spam to your proposed list. The message should invite them kindly to visit your site and join your mailing list. Make it personal and of interest to them. Include your toll-free number, and MAKE IT COME FROM YOUR DOMAIN! If it has someone else's domain or falsified return information, it is Spam. Include personal contact information at the bottom of the message.

Note that you will probably still get some negative responses and at least temporarily added to some black lists. Even if it's a one-time spam, it is still spam.

Confirm new subscriptions!

When a person signs up on your mailing list, send an email message confirming they want to do so. Most mailing list software will do this and allow the user to either reply or click a link to confirm they want to be added. The confirmation message can mention that you respect their privacy and want to confirm that somebody else didn't enter their email address, etc. This also confirms that the email address is valid so you don't get bounces, fake subscriptions, or people subscribing you to "spam trap" addresses (addresses that automatically add you to spam RBLs and block your mail from multiple servers). Go sign up here for an example of a well-implemented mailing list.

What happens to "Spammers"?

Let me introduce the concept of an "RBL" or "Realtime Black List". There are a number of these lists, the "first" one being set up by Paul Vixie. Now there are many.

When a person receives what they consider to be "spam" or "UCE" (Unsolicited Commercial Email), they look up the server it came from and can add it to one or more of the RBLs out there. People who are tired of receiving spam can then subscribe their mail servers or personal accounts to one or more of these RBLs. If mail comes from a server listed in the RBL, the receiving person's server will reject the message.

In short, if you get "Black-listed", people will stop being able to receive email from you. Almost ALL email accounts use RBLs these days, so if you are thinking spamming is "good and cheap", don't expect to be sending any email for a while...

In addition, most people view companies that "spam" as illegitimate, and won't do business with them. Even established companies that start sending spam lose the respect of their customers. Don't be fooled: email spam is extremely damaging to a company's reputation.

so...

If you follow the guidelines above, you should do fine. Invite people instead of subscribing them, confirm the new subscriptions, and use your own domain to send the messages. You'll end up with a productive mailing list of responsive people that will appreciate your honest business approach.