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Ask HN: Email Marketing

2 points by medianama ↗ HN
Does anyone here has any experience with sending bulk mails to acquire new users. I believe, if targeted appropriately it offers best ROI and in very short time...

Should a startup engage in bulk mails to buildup user base or is it an abuse of the system and must be avoided (at the cost of growth)..

If yes, to what level before it is considered SPAM?

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PS: Assume I have a very targeted list and I am offering product/service that they are really looking for..

My question is - How many can I send before I am being labeled as a spammer by the anti-spam filters on mail server?:-)

I plan 500 mails daily.. is it too much/too little?

11 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 86.6 ms ] thread
pclark
where are you intending on getting your list of users to email from?
medianama
I got a very targeted list of users who I know are looking for product/service I offer..
moswald
For most if not all ISPs, using a purchased email list is against the TOS. It doesn't matter how targeted it is. You have not stated that you have a purchased list, but I'm assuming it is from your wording.

You should contact your ISPs data security department(not tech support) and ask them to advise you on mail limits. Typically these are based on mails per hour. Im not suggesting you send the mails, because I think it's a bit tacky for a quality product, but they will best be able to answer your questions. Also be aware that the number of emails is not the only way you will be labeled a spammer by an ISP. The amount of email just triggers a port filter and equally or more important is the nature of your mail, the source of the addresses and the response of the people receiving it.

When I was doing data security and TOS work for an ISP, spam complaints meant us cutting your service off. People hate unsolicited email. Find another way.

satyajit
I almost never give in to direct email marketing (and these emails almost always get marked as spam, so lot of prospective candidates also do not recv it) - but I do trust my friends tell me to join a site, and I do. May be it works differently for diff people, but I think spreading thru a social networking platform may work better. My 2¢
matthewking
The sort of emails I clarify as spam are selling viagra, fake watches and all sorts of pills. They're sent in mass, multiple copies per day, every day to the same email and are in no way targeted.

A targeted one off email, to a business that you honestly think will benefit from your product or services is OK, surely? If it is spam, its not quite in the same camp as the above.

medianama
My question is - How many can I send before I am being labeled as a spammer :-)

I plan 500 mails daily.. is it too much/too little?

matthewking
If you send a single email to each person on your list and don't email them again unless they request more information or signup to your news list, then I don't think it matters how big your list is, the only question that comes to mind is if your list is too big, it reduces the odds that its well targeted?

I guess it depends who the target market are, and how big it is. In my business id probably hand pick the companies on my list.

medianama
Its not to businesses but consumers...
tomsaffell
When you say, "My question is - How many can I send before I am being labeled as a spammer :-)"

Do you mean:

a) How many can I send before I am being labeled as a spammer by the people who are receiving the emails?

OR

b) How many can I send before I am being labeled as a spammer by the anti-spam filters on mail server?

Most responses so far are to (a), but I'm guessing you might mean (b)..?

whatusername
To me as a consumer - If I haven't given you my email address - then it's spam. (Even if I've left a box ticked saying that "partners can email through special offers', then I still see it as spam).

However - I'm likely not your target audience.