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Email Compliance · Consent and opt-in

Email consent management checklist for 2026

Short answer

A complete email consent management checklist has 5 setup items and 2 things to audit against. Work through setup in order, then schedule a quarterly review.

Setup checklist#

  • ☐ Use an unchecked checkbox or a dedicated signup form; never pre-tick.
  • ☐ Record timestamp, IP, source, and the exact wording shown at consent.
  • ☐ Use double opt-in for marketing lists where feasible.
  • ☐ Separate consent for different purposes (newsletter vs partner offers).
  • ☐ Refresh consent for contacts older than two years with no engagement.

Audit checklist#

  • ☐ Confirm you are not: bundling marketing consent into terms of service acceptance.
  • ☐ Confirm you are not: losing consent records during a CRM migration.

Ongoing monitoring#

  • ☐ Weekly: review provider dashboards (Postmaster Tools, SNDS) and bounce logs
  • ☐ Monthly: re-run the setup verification after any vendor or DNS change
  • ☐ Quarterly: full audit against this checklist

Frequently asked questions#

Is double opt-in required by law?

Not explicitly in most jurisdictions, but it is the easiest way to prove consent under GDPR and CASL and it improves list quality.

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