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Are my contacts opt-in?

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

Emails, SMS, and WhatsApp 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 phone numbers you are allowed to have on your marketing list. 

What are opt-in contacts?

Sendinblue users can ONLY upload opt-in contacts to their accounts. 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 are those who:

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

Opt-in requirements

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 CAN NOT 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, and relatives who may know you, but did not explicitly agree to receive your campaigns
  • Visitors to 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”)

For SMS marketing

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

For WhatsApp marketing

For WhatsApp marketing, contacts need to be 100% opt-in with an explicit consent given via:

  • SMS
  • Website
  • In a WhatsApp thread
  • In a form
  • By phone (using an interactive voice response (IVR) flow)
  • In-person or on paper (customers can sign a physical document to opt-in)

To learn more, check our dedicated article Collect your contacts' opt-in for WhatsApp.

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.