Email Newsletters: Best Practices for Small Businesses

According to Lisa Barone, co-founder and chief branding officer of Outspoken Media, Inc., the only acceptable time to add people to an email list is after they have confirmed through a double opt-in. Any other means of populating an email address book is invasive and unethical, such as using an email address after a customer has registered for your site or entered a contest. Barone warns that it’s even bad practice to add peers or colleagues to an email list after they gave you a business card, for instance.