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How Can I Make My E-Mail Newsletters CAN-SPAM Compliant?

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 rewrote the rules of e-mail marketing, and those who ignore the Act do so at their peril. They risk not only legal action, but also alienating the audience they're trying so

hard to reach.

To comply with the CAN-SPAM Act, make sure you that you are conscientious about:

  • Misrepresentation. Don't try and lure your newsletter recipient into opening your e-mail with false information in the subject line. Similarly, don't misrepresent who is sending the e-mail.
  • Company address. Your e-mail must have your physical company address. P.O. boxes are not acceptable.
  • Disclosure. If you're sending a commercial e-mail to people who have not asked to receive it, you must state that the e-mail is an advertisement. If recipients have opted in, you're exempt from this rule.
  • Unsubscribe. Readers must be able to unsubscribe easily from your e-mail. You must remove them from your mailing list within 10 days of their request.
  • E-mail sharing. You cannot share the e-mail address of a person who has unsubscribed from your list.
  • E-mail harvesting. Don't collect e-mail addresses from other sources or randomly generate email addresses.
Internet Marketing: Don't Spam the Search Engines
Interview with Lee Odden, AllBusiness.com's Internet marketing advisor.