Set up double opt-in for push integrations

A double opt-in strategy allows you to verify each email address added to your database and get proof of genuine interest. This step-by-step guide will help you to create a double opt-in scenario for your push integration.

What is double opt-in?

Double opt-in is a two-step process where the participant first opts in via your campaign’s form and then confirms their subscription via email.

While double opt-in is not required by the GDPR, it does offer an extra confirmation step that allows you to

• prevent spambots: your email list will be filled with valid email addresses,
• get proof of consent: people actually want to receive your emails,
• ensure genuine interest so as to keep your email delivery and engagement rates top-notch.

How double opt-in works in Qualifio

While setting up the integration with your email marketing software, asynchronous push integrations give you the possibility to enable double opt-in.

When double opt-in is enabled, participants who select an opt-in and submit a Qualifio form will receive an email containing a confirmation link. Once the participant clicks to confirm their subscription, they can be pushed to your subscriber list (or not).

How double opt-in impacts your push

• When double opt-in is enabled, contacts who have not confirmed the opt-in will be pushed to your list with opt-in = “ ” (empty) when the link expires. They can also be dropped from the push if you’re using a custom integration.
• Participants who were pushed from your Qualifio campaign before the double opt-in was enabled will be considered confirmed and remain eligible to receive emails from you.

Set up double opt-in for Qualifio push integrations

To set this up, you need to:

1. Activate the double opt-in for your account
2. Create the opt-in emails and landing pages
3. Adjust the double opt-in settings
4. Activate the double opt-in email for your opt-ins

Step 1: Activate the double opt-in for your account

• In your Qualifio account, click Integrations in the main navigation bar.
• Navigate to Integrations > Double opt-in.
• Click the toggle, then click Configure.

Step 2: Customise your confirmation email & landing page

Click on the Double opt-in tab and select a website. This will open up more customisation options described below.

• To customise the subject line, the sender (specifies who the email is sent from) and the content of the email that will go out to participants, select Double opt-in email.
• To customise the content of the page a participant will visit by clicking the confirmation link in the email (“thank you page”), select Confirmation page. You can insert the following elements:
  1. the double opt-in confirmation link is used to confirm a participant’s request to receive your email marketing.
  2. the double opt-in text refers to the text the participant was shown when choosing to subscribe to your communications.
• To customise the content of the page notifying a participant that the link has expired, select Expiration page.

Step 3: Customise the double opt-in expiration

By default, your confirmation link is valid for 15 days before it expires. You can use the Global variables tab to customise the length of time before the double opt-in link expires. For example, you can automatically expire pending subscriptions 7 days after the date that participants were sent the double opt-in email.

By default, this length of time is an account setting and applies to all websites and campaigns with a double opt-in flow. If you need to use different lengths of time for each of your websites or campaigns, you may configure the platform to do so. Please make contact with your Qualifio Expert or with our Helpdesk.

After selecting your desired number of days, click Save to keep and apply your changes:

If the time period is expired and the participant clicks the confirmation link, they will be pushed to your list with opt-in = “ ” (empty). They’ll need to sign up again and be sent a new double opt-in email.

Step 4: Activate the double opt-in email for your opt-ins

Once you have the double opt-in feature enabled, you must manually set at least one opt-in as requiring a double opt-in email.

• Navigate to your opt-in settings by clicking Content > Opt-ins > Opt-ins.
• Select your opt-in (or create one) and then click the Send double opt-in email toggle switch on.

Remember to click Save to save the opt-in configuration.

Don’t forget to test your double opt-in scenario yourself first. The key to this is funnel visualisation.

To find the double opt-in funnel report:

1. Sign in to your Qualifio account.
2. Navigate to your campaign.
3. Open Statistics.
4. Select Detailed report > Email stats.

In Qualifio, the main steps in the double opt-in conversion funnel are:

1. Sent
2. Opens
3. Clicks

Let’s break down what we see above into words.

• We sent out 10,222 emails to your participants.
• Out of the 10,222 emails that got sent, 8,060 were opened (79% open rate).
• Out of the 8,060 emails that were opened, 7,168 were clicked (89% conversion rate).

👍🏼 Great job! Your double opt-in scenario is now ready.

What happens next?

1. The double opt-in is activated (or not) in each campaign (not at the account or website level) depending on the assigned website, as well as on the data pushes and the opt-ins added to that campaign.
2. For campaigns with a double opt-in, all pushes are put on hold until the participant has confirmed their registration by clicking on the confirmation link. Participants won’t be in a pending state in the campaign statistics. That said, you can view the participants who actively confirmed their subscription (and those still in the “pre-opt-in” status) by running a Participation export.
3. After participants click the confirmation link in the email, they’ll see a message that you entered for the “confirmation page” or they’ll be taken to the “expiration page” (if the link has expired).