How do you make sure your mailing list is really yours?
Check three things before you collect a single address. Every subscriber should have chosen to join; you should be able to download the whole list whenever you like; and you should be able to move it to another service tomorrow. A list that passes all three is yours.
Litopia Editorial, with Peter CoxUpdated
What does a subscriber agree to?
To hear from you, and nothing more. That agreement is the whole value of the list, so protect it from the first name onward.
- Double opt-in: a new subscriber gets a confirmation email and joins only when they click the link in it. It stops mistyped and borrowed addresses, and records that each reader agreed.
- An unsubscribe link in every letter, and leavers removed at once. Good services do both for you.
- No surprises: say what you’ll send and roughly how often, then keep to it.
Consent rules differ between countries, so check what applies where you and your readers live.
Can you take the list with you?
Find out before you need to. A service that lets you export your full list, names and addresses, as a spreadsheet passes the test. One that keeps some subscribers out of reach, or only shows you a count, doesn’t. As Rented or owned shows, services do change these rules.
Once you can export, do it every few months and before any move. Treat the file with care: keep it private, use it only for your newsletter, delete old copies, and never add back anyone who unsubscribed.
Which service should you choose?
The one that passes the three tests and suits the way you write. Before you sign up, check:
- Export: a full download, whenever you like, with no fee or request to support.
- Consent built in: double opt-in, unsubscribe links and a record of when each person joined.
- Your readers left alone: no advertising in your letters, and no promotion of other writers to your subscribers unless you choose it.
- Costs you can live with as the list grows, and nothing taken from your book sales.
- A welcome email that greets new subscribers automatically, since it’s the letter almost everyone opens.
The Author Platform® guide to choosing where to build compares the main options side by side, Litopia’s included, and its newsletter guide covers the technical side of delivery.
What about subscribers who never open anything?
Ask them, kindly, once or twice a year. A short letter saying “Still want these? Click here to stay” keeps the readers who care and lets the rest go. A smaller list of interested readers delivers better and tells you more than a bigger one full of silence.