Introduction
The journey to excellent email deliverability begins long before an email is sent. It starts with how contacts enter your system, known as email acquisition. High-quality leads are the foundation of a good email list hygiene. Follow our guidance on how to acquire contacts the right way, and what to avoid. Next, let’s explore key email acquisition techniques and strategies every marketer should know.
TL;DR: Strong email deliverability starts with how you acquire your contacts. Focus on quality, permission-based sign-ups through gated content, opt-in forms, and verified registrations. Always use double opt-in, be transparent about your value and privacy, and never buy lists. A clean, well-segmented email list sets the foundation for consistent inbox placement and engaged subscribers.
Email Acquisition Techniques
- Gated content: Offering valuable resources like e-books, whitepapers, or webinars in exchange for an email address. This demonstrates genuine interest.
- Opt-in forms on high-traffic pages: Strategically placed, clear, and concise opt-in forms on relevant pages of your website.
- Event registrations: Collecting email addresses from attendees of webinars, conferences, or workshops.
- Direct sales interactions: Sales teams collecting email addresses from qualified prospects during calls or meetings.
- Partnerships and co-marketing: Collaborating with reputable partners to cross-promote content and gather leads from a relevant audience.
Recommendations for Email Acquisition
- Double opt-in: Always, always use double opt-in. This means that after a user submits their email, they receive a confirmation email with a link they must click to verify their subscription. This significantly reduces the chances of spam traps, typos, and unwilling recipients, leading to a much cleaner list and better engagement.
- Clear value proposition: Clearly communicate what subscribers will receive and how often. Manage expectations upfront.
- Transparent privacy policy: Link to your privacy policy near every sign-up form to build trust.
- Segment at Acquisition: If possible, include optional fields on your forms to gather preference data (e.g., interests, frequency) to enable early segmentation.
- Avoid purchased lists: Never buy email lists. These lists are notorious for containing spam traps, invalid addresses, and disengaged users, which will severely damage your sender reputation.
Maintaining a High Quality Email List
Ultimately, a great email deliverability strategy is a continuous process. It starts with how you get contacts and continues through every stage of their journey with you. By building a high-quality list from the get-go, keeping it clean, welcoming new subscribers with a great email series, and then sending emails based on how engaged they are, you can build a strong reputation as a reliable sender. Remember, a clean and engaged list is your most valuable asset—and consistent, smart list management is the key to always landing in the inbox.
To learn more about our Deliverability Services, contact us. Current customers, reach out to your customer success manager or account manager directly!
Summary
The foundation of email marketing is built with ethical and strategic email acquisition, ensuring every contact is genuinely interested and properly verified. Email acquisition techniques like gated content, opt-in forms, event sign-ups, and partnerships help marketers grow high-quality lists.
To maintain list hygiene, follow best practices such as using double opt-in, providing a clear value proposition, and linking to a transparent privacy policy. Avoid shortcuts like purchasing lists, which can harm sender reputation and deliverability.