Choose Opt-in Settings

Each Mailchimp audience comes with an associated signup form, which you can customize and share on your website and other networks. Forms use a single or double opt-in setting that determines what steps are taken before a contact is subscribed to your email or SMS marketing.

In this article, you'll learn how to choose opt-in settings for your audience.

About opt-in

Mailchimp audiences use single opt-in by default: Someone fills out and submits your form and they're added to your audience as a subscribed email or SMS contact right away. Double opt-in requires that people confirm their signup via email or SMS. Both methods are easy and secure options for growing your audience. You’ll decide which method works best for your needs.

Single Opt-In vs. Double Opt-In

For a new audience

When you create a new audience in Mailchimp, you'll choose the opt-in setting you want to use with its associated signup forms.

To use double opt-in for a new audience, check the box next to Enable double opt-in to send a confirmation email each time someone signs up to your email marketing. Leave the box unchecked to keep your audience single opt-in and add new subscribed email contacts right away.

For an existing audience

You can change the opt-in settings for an existing audience at any time for your email contacts.

To change an audience's opt-in settings for email marketing, follow these steps.

1. Click Audience, then click Audience dashboard.
2. If you have more than 1 audience, click the Current audience drop-down and choose the one you want to work with.
3. Click the Manage Audience drop-down and choose Settings.
4. Click Audience name and campaign defaults.
5. Under Form Settings, check or uncheck the box next to Enable double opt-in as needed. The reCAPTCHA option will be automatically enabled with double opt-in.
   
6. Click Save Audience and Campaign Defaults.
   

For multiple audiences

If you have multiple audiences to update, you can make changes globally for your email marketing on the Opt-In Settings page. Apply the same opt-in settings to all of your audiences, or use a mix of opt-in methods.

To choose email marketing opt-in settings for multiple audiences, follow these steps.

1. From the Audiences page, click Opt-In Settings.
2. Check the box next to each audience you want to use double opt-in. Leave the boxes unchecked to use single opt-in for an audience.
3. Click Save.

For SMS

Change the opt-in method for your SMS Marketing program at any time on the Opt-in management tab of your SMS settings page.

To change the opt-in settings for your SMS Marketing program, follow these steps.

1. Click SMS.
2. Click Settings.
3. In the Opt-in Preference section, click Double opt-in or Single opt-in.