Set up double opt-in for emails

Double opt-in adds an extra confirmation step to verify each email address added to your contact database. This ensures that you are only sending marketing emails to contacts who wish to receive them. 

When this setting is turned on, contacts who are created through a HubSpot form, non-HubSpot form, lead ad form submission, or via the Forms API will automatically receive a follow-up email with a link to confirm their email subscription. You will not be able to email these contacts until they've confirmed their subscription. 

Learn more about managing double opt-in emails in multiple languages. 

Understand limitations & considerations

• Double opt-in only applies to marketing emails and cannot be used to manage WhatsApp or SMS subscriptions.
• If double opt-in is turned on only for some forms and pages, contacts created from pages not selected for double opt-in:
  • Will not receive a confirmation email and cannot be sent one manually. 
  • Do not require double opt-in to receive marketing emails.
• Double opt-in settings are tied to specific email addresses. If a contact's primary email address changes, their previous confirmation status will not apply to their new email address. 
• Follow-up emails from forms that use double opt-in will only send to contacts once they've confirmed their subscription. 
• If you have a workflow configured to send an email to an enrolled contact, and the contact hasn't yet confirmed their double opt-in status, the workflow will send them up to three automated marketing emails until they confirm their opt-in status. If the contact still hasn't confirmed their double opt-in status after three attempts, the workflow will stop retrying and move on to the next action.

Understand contact double opt-in status

When you turn on double opt-in, the following types of contacts will be considered confirmed: 

• Existing contacts who have previously been sent marketing emails in HubSpot. 
• Existing who are sent a double opt-in email and click the confirmation link.
• New contacts who convert on an applicable form and click the confirmation link. 
• New contacts who are created manually or via import, are manually sent a double opt-in email from the contact record, and click the confirmation link. 

When you turn on double opt-in, the following types of contacts will not be considered confirmed: 

• Existing contacts who have never been sent a marketing email in HubSpot. 
• New contacts who have converted on an applicable form and not yet clicked the confirmation link. 
• New contacts created from a HubSpot Sales extension who have not yet clicked the confirmation link. These contacts can still be sent sales emails. 
• If you have data privacy settings turned on, any contacts who have not yet provided consent to communicate.

Turn on basic double opt-in features

In accounts with Marketing Hub Starter or HubSpot's free tools, you can use basic double opt-in functionality. A default confirmation email will be used, although you can customize the sender, language, and subject line. Double opt-in will apply to all forms and pages. 

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Marketing > Email.
3. Click the Double opt-in tab.
4. Toggle the Send double opt-in email switch on.
5. Click the Sender dropdown menu and select a user. This user's sender information will be used to send the double opt-in confirmation email. 
6. Click the Double opt-in email language dropdown menu and select the language that will be used in your double opt-in confirmation email. 
7. In the Subject line field, enter the subject line of your double opt-in. 
8. To use a first or last name personalization token in the subject line, click the Personalization token dropdown menu ands select a token. 
9. In the bottom left, click Save. 

Turn on advanced double opt-in features

With advanced double opt-in features, you can turn on double opt-in for only some forms and pages and customize your double opt-in confirmation email. 

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Marketing > Email.
3. Click the Subscriptions tab.
4. In the Double opt-in section, toggle the Turn on double opt-in switch on.
5. Click the Select where DOI should be turned on dropdown menu and select an option:
   • All forms and pages: use double opt-in on all your HubSpot forms, pages, and non-HubSpot forms. New contacts created through an import or using the import API will need to have their subscription types confirmed.
   • Turn on for some forms and pages only: limit double opt-in to specific pages or forms. Then, click the Pages and Forms dropdown menus and select the checkboxes next to the associated pages or forms.
   • Turn off for some forms and pages only: double opt-in will be enabled for all pages and forms except the ones you configure. Click the Pages or Forms dropdown menus and select the checkboxes next to the pages or forms you do not want double opt-in to be enabled for.

Please note: configuring double opt-in for specific forms with the Brands add-on is not currently supported.

6. To select the page a contact will visit by clicking the confirmation link in the email sent after their form submission:
   
   • Click the Confirmation page dropdown menu, then select a landing page or website page you've created in HubSpot.
   • If you don't have a confirmation page ready, you can click Create new page to create a new landing page.
7. If you want your contacts to receive an additional follow-up email after they confirm their email subscription, select the Include follow-up email checkbox.
8. To customize and publish your email, click Publish follow-up email. If you've already created a follow-up email, you can click Edit follow-up email to review your follow-up email and make additional changes.
9. In the bottom left, click Save.

Send a contact a double opt-in email

Once you have double opt-in turned on, you can manually send an opt-in email to an unconfirmed contact from the contact record. Unsubscribed contacts cannot be sent opt-in emails. 

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to CRM > Contacts.
2. Click the name of a contact.
3. On the contact record, click the Actions dropdown menu at the top of the record and select Send opt-in email. This email will not be sent if the contact has already confirmed their subscription. 

Bulk update double opt-in status

Once you have double opt-in turned on, you can update the double opt-in status for contacts in bulk. Bulk updating contacts as confirmed for double opt-in will not send the double opt-in email, but instead mark them as already confirmed. 

This option should only be used for specific use cases, such as updating contact records to reflect the double opt-in status stored in another marketing platform. 

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to CRM > Contacts.
2. Select the checkbox next to each contacts you want to update.
3. At the top of the table, click the More dropdown menu and select Update double opt-in status.

4. In the dialog box, select an option: 
   • Unconfirm double opt-in for selected contacts: clear the contacts' double opt-in confirmation. 
   • Confirm double opt-in for selected contacts: set the contacts as confirmed for double opt-in. 
5. Click Save. 

Turn off double opt-in

You can turn off double opt-in at any time. You should consider the following before turning off double opt-in: 

• Lack of confirmation will no longer mean a contact can't be emailed. 
• Any workflow emails not sent to enrolled contacts due to lack of confirmation will be sent immediately to any contacts still in the workflow.

You can turn off double opt-in from your email account settings:

1. In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
2. In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Marketing > Email.
3. Click the Double opt-in tab.
4. Toggle the Send double opt-in email switch off.