Opt-in confirmation, otherwise known as double opt-in, is the process of allowing a contact to subscribe to your email list by providing their email address, and then sending a confirmation email to that contact. The contact must click on the link provided in the email to confirm their opt-in before being added to your list.
Read this article to learn more about the pros and cons behind double opt-in and single opt-in.
Opt-in confirmation has traditionally been tied to a user’s email lists, so that a contact goes through the double opt-in process when they subscribe to a specific list. In ActiveCampaign, opt-in confirmation is tied to forms. A contact must fill out a form to begin the opt-in process. We do it this way so that, if you’re using an integration that adds contacts to your ActiveCampaign lists from another platform, those contacts aren’t required to go through the double opt-in process.
This is your guide to everything you need to know about configuring and customizing your opt-in confirmation message in ActiveCampaign.
Turning Opt-In Confirmation ON/OFF
Opt-in confirmation is enabled by default on all ActiveCampaign forms. To customize your opt-in message, or to turn opt-in confirmation off, open the form editor, navigate to the “Options” tab on the right-hand side panel, and click on the pencil button under “Form Action”.
Note: The opt-in options will only appear if you add the “Subscribe to a list” form action.
Designing the Opt-In Confirmation Email
When you have opt-in confirmation turned on, a contact will receive a confirmation email containing a link to confirm their opt-in after submitting their email address via your form.
The default confirmation email looks like this:
To make changes to this email:
- Navigate to the “Options” tab in the form editor
- Click the Pencil button under the “Form Action” section.
- Click the Edit button next to “Opt-in Email:”
In some platforms, the text and formatting you’re able to modify in this email is limited, which makes for a rather generic confirmation message. You’ve probably seen plenty of similar emails in your inbox.
But in ActiveCampaign, you have plenty of customization options to create an email with a more personal touch–you can modify the email’s text, customize your formatting, change the colors and images, etc.
The only element you cannot change is the opt-in link that is automatically generated in the email. This link is necessary because contacts have no way to confirm their opt-in without it.
Aside from the freedom to edit your email as you like, the ability to customize to this degree is great because it allows you to create a confirmation email that doubles as a free offer delivery.
For example, if you’re sending an ebook to contacts who sign up for your email list, you can include a message that lets them know that clicking on the confirmation link will direct them to your ebook download page, as well as confirm their opt-in to your email list:
Confirmation Link
You may notice that the confirmation link is represented by a personalization tag: %CONFIRMLINK%.
The confirmation email and link are only delivered to contacts who are not subscribed to a list. For this reason, they cannot be used in an automation.
Confirmation Action
After contacts click the confirmation link in your email, you can either show them a thank you message or direct them to a specific link.
In the free ebook offer example we’ve been using, you would direct them to the download page for your ebook. You can do this from the “Edit Form Action” module that appears when you click the gear icon under “Form Action:”
If a contact submits your form but has already successfully subscribed to your email list, they will bypass the opt-in confirmation step and automatically be directed to the confirmation action you specify.
So, in this example, a contact who is already subscribed to your email list can still fill out the form. But they will not receive your opt-in confirmation email and instead will be immediately directed to the download page for your ebook.
However, if a new contact not currently subscribed to your list fills out the form, they will first receive your opt-in confirmation email in their inbox. They will have to open the email and click on the confirmation link to be directed to your ebook download page.
Note: If an opt-in confirmation is enabled and a contact submits the form but does not click the link in the confirmation email, they will appear in ActiveCampaign but will not join a list. This will set their status as unconfirmed and you can resend the confirmation email if you wish.
Learn More
The thing to remember about opt-in confirmation in ActiveCampaign is that it is managed by forms rather than lists, and by default is turned ON.
You have many options when it comes to customizing your opt-in confirmation email, including the ability to modify the text, change fonts and colors, and add elements such as images and dividers.
To learn more about using forms, explore our guides to creating and styling forms, adding forms to your website, and building multi-step forms.
For further guidance, check out our step-by-step instructions for creating a form, enabling confirmation opt-in, editing your confirmation email, and enabling single opt-in.
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