Field guide
Audit email opt-in records
Know where the subscriber asked to receive messages.
For a lifecycle program, the source, date and expectation of consent matter more than list size. Uncertain imports should be set aside until their status is clarified.
Decision brief
Keep consent understandable and usable
A list is ready for a journey when the team can explain how subscribers joined, what they expected and how they can leave. Review a small sample of records before sending. Unclear provenance should trigger exclusion, not an assumption that an address is usable.
Connect consent and suppression to the actual sending process. A request to stop must be reflected before the next message, regardless of which team member or tool handles the campaign.
What to do first
- Sample records from each signup source.
- Check signup language and whether it matches the proposed messages.
- Test unsubscribing and record how quickly suppression takes effect.
Run a small comparison
- Inspect signup source and expectation for a sample of subscribers.
- Test unsubscribe through the same workflow used for sending.
- Exclude uncertain records and review useful responses from the remaining segment.
Questions to resolve
- Can the subscriber recognize why this email arrived?
- Where is consent recorded?
- How is an opt-out propagated?
How to read the result: A smaller, well-understood segment supports a better journey than a larger list with unclear permission.
What this does not justify
- Merge event attendees or purchased lists into a newsletter without basis.
- Assume a prior purchase grants unlimited email permission.
MeasureShare of sampled records with clear source and working opt-out
Stop or revise whenDo not send to uncertain sources.