Keep your newsletter out of the spam folder by requiring a response up front.

Don't let your newsletter get lost in the spam folder after all that hard work. Send it straight to subscribers' inboxes and get more opens by requiring a response to your Welcome email.

When someone signs up to Alex Garcia's newsletter, Marketing Examined, he sends an email asking the new subscriber to respond, and explains that he won't send any further emails until he hears back. Think of it like a double opt-in, with the added benefit that when the subscriber responds, they signal that they trust the sender. This ensures that Alex's emails go right to their inbox — not the spam folder or promotions tab. And that means a higher open rate and more eyes on his hard work. As with double opt-ins, you may lose some of your new subscribers, but this can be mitigated and many feel that the benefits outweigh the costs. Make sure to explain why you require a response and show your appreciation in your email. And check out Alex's tweet to see the exact message he sends. He says it's one of the most effective ways to stay out of the spam folder, and it has contributed to him increasing his open rate to ~46% with about 15k subscribers.