GDPR Is a Feature, Not a Bug

GDPR compliance is often seen as a burden. In reality, it makes your email marketing better. When every subscriber has explicitly opted in, your engagement rates are higher, your deliverability improves, and your audience is genuinely interested in what you send.

The companies that treat GDPR as a competitive advantage build trust with their European customers. A clear privacy policy, transparent consent, and easy preference management signal that you take privacy seriously. In a market where data breaches make headlines weekly, this trust is valuable.

Consent Management Is Table Stakes

The most important GDPR feature in your email tool is consent management. You need to record when consent was given, what it covers, and provide a way for subscribers to withdraw consent at any time. Every email needs an unsubscribe link. Every signup form needs clear language about what the subscriber is agreeing to.

Double opt-in adds a confirmation step that provides clear evidence of consent. While not always legally required, it is the gold standard. The subscriber who confirms their subscription is more engaged and more likely to remain subscribed long-term.

Transactional vs Marketing: The Legal Distinction

GDPR draws a clear line between marketing email and transactional email. Billing notifications, password resets, and service updates are transactional. They do not require marketing consent because they are necessary for delivering the service.

Newsletters, product announcements, and promotional content are marketing. They require explicit consent. Your email tool should support separate sending for each type, with different consent requirements and different unsubscribe handling. Mixing the two in a single email risks violating consent requirements.