Earning with affiliate marketing is not always easy. Affiliates should have certain knowledge and experience to overcome challenges on their way successfully and earn money in this field.
So, beginners are usually in search of some easy ways of making money with affiliate marketing to get some experience. SOI offers are exactly one of these easy ways. That’s why they are worth trying if you are getting started with affiliate marketing.
In this article, we’ll explain what single opt-in is, how the SOI process works, and outline the pros and cons of SOI offers. On top of that, we’ll help you find the answer to a very important question – is single opt-in illegal?
Table of contents
What is Single Opt-In and How Does It Work?
Single opt-in offers collect users’ data by filling out the form with the necessary information and submitting it. Basically, it is an email subscription method that doesn’t require confirmation of the user’s email.
Single-opt-in (SOI) is one of the easiest ways to collect user data for a company. According to the statistics, over 90% of companies that use subscription forms to collect users’ data for their marketing strategies prefer a single opt-in process.
How Does SOI Work?
Single opt-in (SOI) is known for its easy and straightforward subscription process that doesn’t require any confirmation.
- A user submits his/her data via an online form.
- An affiliate gets a new subscription.
With single-opt-in CPA offers, affiliates get a conversion each time a user fills in an online form and submits private data such as email, age, interests, etc. That’s it. This sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Single opt-in helps companies collect the contact data of their prospects and customers. This data can be used for various marketing purposes later: for example, to share company news, provide free ebooks, inform users about specials, and updates, offer discounts, etc.
Now, we’ll give you an example of single opt-in offers. Content Marketing Institute uses this single opt-in offer. According to this SOI offer, users can stay up-to-date on articles and news posted on a daily basis. In addition, users get an exclusive ebook if they submit their email and join the program.
With this SOI form, users need to do the following:
- Enter their email address
- Click on the Send Me Updates button
That’s it. The subscription process is finished. Send Me Updates is an easy-to-locate button that catches the user’s attention, so it doesn’t take users too much time to find the button and complete the signup process.
Pros and Cons of Single Opt-in
A single opt-in conversion has its own pros and cons, and affiliates should be aware of them.
Pros of Single Opt-in
Easy subscription process. The process itself is simple and doesn’t require any email or call confirmation, which is why it’s easy to convert with a single opt-in. Such a simple process is more appealing to users. SOI forms provide a user-friendly experience.
Immediate lead generation. Filling in the form and submitting the data doesn’t take too much time. Once the subscription process finishes, a user joins the database.
Low failure rate. A user has to take one step only during the sign-up process. Almost all people who choose to submit the form turn into conversions. That’s why the risk of failure is minimized, and the subscription rate is high with SOI offers. As a result, you’ll manage to get a larger list of subscribers and reach a wider audience.
Fast list growth. Single opt-in is a good option for recently launched companies. New businesses need to expand quickly, reach the target audience, and increase brand awareness. Due to its simple registration process, a single opt-in makes it possible to attract a large number of users quickly and achieve fast list growth.
Cons of Single Opt-in
Fake email addresses. People can use fake emails during the sign-up process. Users don’t confirm emails. So, it’s possible to use fake emails to submit the form. Fake emails mean fake subscribers which are useless.
High risk of spam complaints. Users, who fill in the form and submit data, subscribe to the list automatically. If affiliates use the list for email marketing, users get emails. Confirmation is an effective way to prevent spam. If users confirm registration, they agree to receive emails. No confirmation means risks of getting spam complaints is higher.
Is Single Opt-In Illegal?
Single opt-in is legal, but only if it’s GDPR compliant. Confirmation of an email makes the process more GDPR compliant. However, collecting data without the confirmation of the registration is legal as well. So, it’s legal to add a user to the list of subscribers after he/she finishes the sign-up process.
What do the laws say?
Each country has different data privacy laws, but all of them protect people’s data privacy rights and prevent unwanted marketing communications.
Affiliates have to respect these laws when using a single opt-in process to collect the user’s data. That’s why it’s so important to know how to work legally with single opt-in offers in different countries.
The vast majority of affiliates want to ensure that their work is legal. They don’t want to receive complaints or face problems during their work. That’s why the question “Is single opt-in illegal?” often arises.
Tips you need to follow to meet the GDPR guidelines and collect the data in a legal way:
Tip # 1. Are you planning to use a single opt-in to collect the data for email marketing? If so, you can add a checkbox and make it possible for users to confirm that they agree to receive emails after subscription. So, a user finishes the registration only if he/she selects a checkbox during the sign-up process. A single opt-in with a checkbox helps minimize the risk of complaints. If users select a checkbox, that means that they confirm the subscription and agree to provide their personal data.
Tip # 2. Create a GDPR-friendly single opt-in form to collect users’ data. Make sure that users find it easy to figure out what they are signing up for. Write opt-in text in an easy-to-understand language. When writing single opt-in texts, you always have to be honest and stay positive with the target audience. You should try to keep your message short as well. Such forms help build good relationships with the target audience from the very beginning.
Tip # 3. Make a promise that you’ll never share users’ data with third parties. For example, you can write this on a single opt-in form. By doing so, you’ll manage to increase your trust and get more conversions. Most importantly, you always have to keep a promise when collecting users’ private data.
Tip # 4. You must collect data from users who are at least 18 years old or older. It makes sense to add age verification to a form. While submitting data, users will have an opportunity to verify their age.
Tip # 5. It’s a good idea to provide a link to the Privacy Policy page in a single opt-in form. You can describe how you’ve processed the data that you’ve collected from users on this page. So, users can visit the page and familiarize themselves with what they are going to subscribe for.
Affiliates should always do every single thing possible to promote SOI offers in a legal way. Following these tips will help you promote single opt-in offers correctly and reduce the risk of complaints.
CAN-SPAM Act in the USA
The CAN-SPAM Act regulates direct marketing in the United States. According to the CAN-SPAM Act, the process of getting a new subscriber to the list doesn’t require confirmation of registration (double opt-in). The act allows companies to send B2B and B2C emails without permission.
However, it’s a good idea to use a so-called double opt-in process to prevent bad things from happening. The act also says that a sender doesn’t have to use false information in an email header.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU
The European Union uses GDPR legislation. According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, you don’t have to use the double opt-in process to collect users’ data.
Double opt-in is a recommendation, but it’s not a legal requirement. However, if you collect the private data of users, you have to make it clear how you process them.
Legal Requirements in Other Countries
The laws in such countries as Austria, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland say that the data collection process requires double opt-in. So, it’s necessary to use double opt-in to collect users’ data legally in these countries. That means that after submitting a form with data, users also have to confirm the registration.
Conclusion
Single opt-in is a great way to get started with affiliate marketing. This type of conversion has great benefits for beginners. It makes a lot of sense to consider working with single opt-in CPA offers if you have little or no experience in affiliate marketing.
Promoting SOI offers will provide you with the valuable experience that you need to succeed with affiliate marketing. Later, you can also try to work with DOI offers.
Good luck!
