Permission

When do I have to go through approval?

The first time will be when you send to a list of around about 1,000 or more people. We don’t reveal the exact numbers (you can guess why) but it is about that level. Read on below to find out how the process actually works.

Will I have to do it more than once?

If your list size grows dramatically, you may need to go through a new approval process later on, because the approval process is a tiered system. Each time the list grows above your currently approved level, you will need to be re-approved so we can make sure our records are up to date.

For example, if your list is approved for 1,000 or so, then you won’t need approval to send again until it grows much larger, closer to 18,000. Until then you can send without being held up at all.

How to start the approval process

1. Create a new campaign, with your final content ready to go or at least a close draft.
2. Using the ‘define recipients’ step, select which list you would like to send it to.

If your list is larger than the level you are already approved to, you’ll notice an alert at the top of the Campaign Snapshot, like the screenshot below.

If you follow the two steps, and no alert appears, then you will not require approval to send out the campaign.

Clicking the link in this notice, or proceeding to the next step in the Create/Send process will take you to an approval form just like the one below.

As soon as you complete the form and provide us with an answer about how you obtained permission to contact your recipients, an email will be instantly sent to our approvals team. They can then check out your creative, subscriber list and the explanation provided.

9 times out of 10 they will approve your campaign on the spot and send you an email confirming the campaign will be ready to send. This is normally a one-off process, but you may need to be reviewed again if you send to a significantly larger list. In most cases this process shouldn’t take more than 24 hours to complete.

How can I get the fastest or earliest approval?

To get your campaign reviewed and approved in advance, we recommend going through the steps mentioned above (actually creating the campaign, importing the content and selecting the recipients) two or three days before you plan on sending the campaign. This will give our team more than enough time to approve your design and also leave plenty of time for you to make any changes we might occasionally request.

To avoid us having to ask you for more information, it is best if you provide as much relevant information as you can in your original request. The kind of details we need are:

• A list of all the different ways you’ve collected the addresses. For example, did some come from in-store sign ups, and some on your website? List both, and give us the URLs for the website at the same time.
• If there were any offline signups, explain in detail how people actually joined. For example, did they verbally agree to be added to your list at a tradeshow? Or sign a form at an event?
• If these are paying customers, let us know how long ago they were customers, and how often you’ve emailed them since they bought from you.

You should also ensure that your email marketing campaign is almost complete, because we do review the email marketing content as well as your explanation.

Is this particular list ok?

For some more detailed discussion of types of permission, and what we do and do not allow, read our common questions about permission.

It’s been more than 24 hours and I have not got a reply yet!

We absolutely always reply within 24 hours, even on weekends and holidays, so the most likely explanation is that our email has not reached you. Check your spam filters, and make sure that you are checking the email address registered in your account.

You can also see the status of your approval request directly in your account. On the saved drafts list, campaigns will be flagged with their current status. If the campaign is ‘Under review’ it means we have not yet completed our review of your last request.

If we’ve replied, then there will be a message ‘Awaiting your reply’ to let you know that we need some more information from you. Click the link to read the full conversation, and add your reply.

You’ll also see a notice at the top of the snapshot page if you click through into the campaign. That notice will explain that status of your approval.

Will being approved automatically send my campaign?

No it won’t, so you can safely start the approval even if you are not quite ready to send. We’ll just notify you once you’ve been approved, then you can send it out whenever you like.

If you have any questions at all about what might hold approval up or need any more information about this process, don’t hesitate to contact our support team.