The Do's and Don'ts of Sending Emails to a Purchased List: Best Practices for Success

Sending emails to a purchased list can be an effective strategy to grow your email marketing database, but it comes with significant challenges. If not done correctly, it can harm your domain's reputation, lead to low engagement rates, and even get your emails blocked. However, by following best practices, you can still leverage purchased lists effectively.

This guide will cover how to send emails to a purchased list while minimizing risks and maximizing success, including the critical tip of always sending from a secondary domain to protect your primary domain's reputation.

The Do's of Sending Emails to a Purchased List

If you're set on sending emails to a purchased list, follow these best practices:

1. Use a Secondary Domain: When sending emails to a purchased list, always use a secondary domain to protect your main domain from potential reputation damage. Purchased lists typically contain contacts who have not interacted with your brand before, which can lead to low engagement rates and spam complaints. By sending from a secondary domain, you can safeguard your primary domain’s reputation and ensure the deliverability of your main email campaigns.

   • Register a similar domain name to your primary one, but ensure it’s distinct enough.
   • Warm up your secondary domain gradually by sending a low volume of emails to gain a good sender reputation.
   • Monitor deliverability metrics closely to avoid getting the secondary domain blacklisted, which can still impact your brand.

2. Compliance with Email Regulations: Always comply with email regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act or GDPR. This includes providing a clear and visible unsubscribe link in every email and being transparent about how you obtained the recipient’s contact information. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and reputational damage.

3. Segmentation and Targeting: Even though the list is purchased, segmentation is key to better engagement. Divide your contacts based on available information such as industry, job title, or region. Tailor your emails for each segment to increase relevance and engagement, which improves your sender reputation and ensures better deliverability.

4. Introduce Yourself Properly: Your first email should focus on introducing your company and explaining why you're reaching out. Be transparent about how you acquired their information and highlight the value of what you’re offering. Building trust and rapport in your first communication will improve your chances of future engagement.

5. Implement a Double Opt-in Process: Encourage recipients who show interest to confirm their subscription through a double opt-in process. This ensures that your future communications are going to people who are genuinely interested in your brand and helps build a clean and engaged email list over time.

6. Craft Engaging and Relevant Content: Focus on creating compelling, informative content that resonates with your audience. Avoid pushing products right away; instead, offer valuable insights or solutions related to their industry or interests. The more value you provide, the more likely recipients will engage with your emails.

The Don’ts of Sending Emails to a Purchased List

1. Don’t Bombard Recipients with Emails: Sending too many emails too quickly can frustrate recipients and increase spam complaints. Start by sending emails in small batches, focusing on quality over quantity. Gradually increase your frequency once you’ve built rapport.

2. Avoid Misleading Subject Lines: Don’t use clickbait subject lines to boost open rates. This tactic can backfire, causing high unsubscribe rates and hurting your sender reputation. Always ensure your subject lines are honest and reflect the content of your email.

3. Don’t Ignore Deliverability Metrics: Sending to a purchased list can result in high bounce rates or spam complaints if the list is not clean. Regularly monitor your metrics like open rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints. Remove invalid or inactive email addresses to maintain a healthy sender reputation.

Additional Best Practices for Cold Emailing Purchased Lists

1. Email Warmup: If you’ve purchased a list and plan to send cold emails, warming up your sending domain is crucial. Start by sending smaller batches of emails to build your domain’s reputation. Gradually scale up the number of emails you send to avoid overwhelming ESPs with large volumes of cold emails.

2. Authenticate Your Domain: Ensure that your sending domain is authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to improve deliverability and credibility. This step helps email service providers verify that your emails are legitimate, reducing the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

3. Use Email Validation Tools: Purchased lists often contain outdated or invalid email addresses. Use email validation tools to clean your list before sending emails. This step reduces bounce rates and improves your sender reputation, which is essential for maintaining strong deliverability.

4. Personalize Where Possible: Personalization can go a long way, even with a purchased list. Use any available data points to tailor your emails. For example, address recipients by name and send content that aligns with their industry or interests. Personalization increases the chances of engagement and helps build a stronger connection.

Conclusion: Protect Your Domain and Follow Best Practices

Sending emails to a purchased list can be risky, but if you follow the best practices outlined above, you can mitigate these risks and improve your chances of success. Always send emails from a secondary domain, comply with regulations, segment and personalize your emails, and focus on delivering value in your content. Regularly monitor your metrics, clean your list, and adjust your strategy based on performance data.

By following these best practices, you can safely and effectively send emails to a purchased list while protecting your brand’s reputation and achieving better engagement.