Are my contacts opt-in?

In this article, we will explain what opt-in contacts mean in the email and SMS marketing industries, and why you should pay attention to it.

Email and SMS marketing are some of the most effective marketing channels when used correctly. They are personal channels, and so are our email inboxes and phones. Due to this most countries have strict guidelines about which email addresses and SMS numbers you are allowed to have on your marketing list. 

What are opt-in contacts?

Opt-in contacts are those who:

  • Explicitly requested to receive emails or SMS about your brand or organization
  • Made this request within the last two years
  • Are expecting to hear from you about a particular topic.

Sendinblue users can ONLY upload opt-in contacts to their account. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do, and because campaigns sent to opt-in contacts are proven to provide the best results!

Opt-in contacts requirements

For SMS marketing

For SMS marketing, contacts need to be 100% opt-in with explicit consent given via an SMS subscription form.

For email marketing

Not sure if your contacts are opt-in for email marketing? Use this checklist to determine if it’s safe to upload your contacts to Sendinblue:

Contacts you CAN import

Contacts you CANNOT import
  • People who subscribed via a subscription form on your website and intentionally checked an opt-in checkbox
  • Customers who made an online purchase and intentionally checked an opt-in checkbox
  • Clients who have agreed to receive information about your brand
  • People who visited your booth at an event or trade show and specifically asked to receive your email campaigns
  • Members of your association, nonprofit, or organization who agreed to receive regular updates from you
  • Customers who visited your store and gave their contact information to receive promotional updates
  • Friends, colleagues, relatives who may know you, but did not explicitly agree to receive your campaigns
  • Visitors of your website who didn’t subscribe to your newsletters
  • People who opted in to receive emails about a different brand or subject
  • Contacts that were purchased or rented
  • People who are on a list that you accessed by sponsoring an event, joining a chamber of commerce or political organization, or by any other indirect means
  • Contacts acquired by copying publicly visible email addresses from websites or social networks, such as LinkedIn (a.k.a. “scraping”)

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