Cold Email, Calls, and SMS Best Practices

9.2 Cold Email, Calls, and SMS Best Practices

Better Leads audiences can include verified emails, phone numbers, and mobile numbers — giving you multiple ways to reach your contacts. Each channel has its own rules and best practices.

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Cold Email

Cold email is one of the most common uses for Better Leads data. To keep your outreach lawful and effective:

• Send through a dedicated outreach tool. Do not send cold email through a shared mail server or a newsletter platform not designed for cold outreach. Use a dedicated cold email tool to protect your sender reputation and deliverability.

• Include a clear opt-out. Every email must give the recipient a way to unsubscribe or ask you to stop. This is required under CAN-SPAM.

• Include your physical mailing address. CAN-SPAM requires a valid physical postal address in every commercial email.

• Use honest subject lines. Do not use misleading or deceptive subject lines.

• Honor opt-out requests within 10 business days. CAN-SPAM requires you to process opt-out requests promptly.

• Keep your list clean. Remove bounced addresses, invalid emails, and opt-outs regularly to protect your sender reputation.

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Calls and SMS

Better Leads audiences can include valid phone numbers and skip-traced wireless numbers. Before calling or texting:

• Check the National Do Not Call Registry. Before calling anyone, verify they are not on the Do Not Call list unless you have prior written consent or an established business relationship.

• Follow TCPA rules for automated calls and texts. If you are using automated dialing or pre-recorded messages, TCPA consent requirements apply. Consult a legal professional if you are unsure whether your outreach method requires prior express written consent.

• Respect calling hours. Federal rules prohibit calls before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's local time zone.

• Honor do-not-call requests immediately. If someone asks you not to call or text again, add them to your internal do-not-contact list right away.

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Direct Mail and Door-Knocking

Consumer audiences in Better Leads can include residential mailing addresses. These are suitable for direct mail campaigns and canvassing.

• Use current addresses. Better Leads updates addresses against the National Change of Address database quarterly, but some addresses may still have changed since the last update. Expect a small percentage of undeliverable mail in any direct mail campaign.

• For door-knocking, always respect posted signs, gated communities, and any resident who asks you to leave.

• For direct mail, include a clear way for the recipient to opt out of future mailings if you are running a recurring campaign.