PushMail

Understanding the basic terminologies of email marketing is helpful to grasp some of the words used in this Wiki:

WYSIWYG

Definition: What You See Is What You Get. This describes a web editor interface that lets you design newsletter templates using buttons similar to those in a word processor like Microsoft Word.

Examples: Buttons for bold, italic, headings, inserting images, and more.

Autoresponder

Definition: Sends an email to a subscriber automatically.

Types:

• Single Autoresponder: Typically replies to a subscriber when they sign up.
• Sequential Autoresponder: Allows scheduling a series of predefined emails to be sent out on a specified schedule to each subscriber.

Email Lists

Definition: A list of contact email addresses, usually created by personal contact, subscribed, registered, or customers that have purchased products or services.

Subscriber Lists

Definition: Lists created either in a physical store or website, where email addresses were acquired by opt-in processes.

Examples: A customer providing an email address in a store or a website visitor subscribing to a newsletter.

Unsubscribed Lists

Definition: Lists of contacts that did not ‘opt-in’, sign up, register, or subscribe in giving out their contact information.

Examples: Lists acquired from public records or websites.

Purchased Lists

Definition: Lists bought from a company that include contact information such as email addresses.

Risks: Higher risk of blacklisting with Email Marketing Service Providers (EMSP) due to potential complaints from recipients.

List Segmentation

Definition: Sending messages to subsets of your subscriber base for more relevant newsletters.

Criteria: Demographics, purchasing history, geographic location, and more.

Attachments

Policy: Most EMSPs do not allow attachments due to spam and virus risks.

Alternative: Use inline links to hosted files for safer delivery.

Spam Score/Checking

Definition: Tools to determine the likelihood of your newsletter ending up in a spam box before sending.

Opt-In or Unconfirmed Opt-In

Definition: Recipients have agreed to receive emails from the sender.

Process: Recipients opt-in but do not need to confirm their subscription.

Double Opt-In or Confirmed Opt-In

Definition: Recipients have signed up and confirmed their subscription, usually by clicking a link.

No Opt-In Requirements

Definition: Few EMSPs allow email addresses to be imported without opt-in requirements to reduce spam.

List Verification

Definition: Process to verify that email addresses exist.

Impact: High bounce rates can lead to blacklisting.

Spam Triggers

Definition: Words or phrases that can flag an email as spam.

Examples: Words like “free,” “for sale,” and excessive use of emphasis (e.g., exclamation marks).

Internet Protocol Address (IP Address)

Definition: A unique number assigned to devices that allows them to communicate on a network.

Risk: High bounce rates can lead to IP blacklisting.

Domain Name System (DNS)

Definition: Translates IP addresses into words for easier recall.

Risk: High bounce rates can lead to DNS blacklisting.