Launching a soft opt in with old mailing list

[rinsethenerd-dotcom]

Listmonk version: v[xx] (install: Docker/binary)
OS/Infra: [e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 on EC2]
PostgreSQL: [version]
SMTP provider: [SES/Mailgun/etc]

Goal:Take an old mailing list, as the client for a company who has never launched a newsletter or done any email campaigns, from customers they've built on paper and over time through legit means.

What happened: Unable to send emails to customers without them being subscribed through listmonk.
Ideally I'd like to give their customers a chance to subscribe to the newsletter for offers, and remove all who wish to unsubscribe with a single soft opt in campaign.

What I've tried: sent a test campaign to a small number of emails which all came back as unconfirmed.

Tried to subscribe through listmonk with multiple emails and have never been sent an email to subscribe.

[candidexmedia]

What happened: Unable to send emails to customers without them being subscribed through listmonk.

You have two options:

1. Have your client send a regular email to their customers announcing the new newsletter, and provide a link to the hosted signup page (like this one). This is a great option if there are multiple lists to opt into, and this method ensures that everyone subscribed is there because they want to be.

2. Opt-in campaign: Create a private double-opt-in list, and import your contacts into the list as unconfirmed. Go to the Lists page, and click on "Send opt-in campaign". The system should send the corresponding system template (see docs).

3. Opt-out campaign: Depending on your client's location and local laws surrounding implied consent expiry (see: example from Canada and general explanation), you could import the contact list into a private single-opt-in list, and send that list a custom opt-out campaign. Consult the templating variables in the docs for your unsubscribe link.