​[Read the browser version right here]​

Hey!

Let's get right into it.

Here's what's percolating in today's edition:

→ A solution to the single vs. double opt-in dilemma (FREE GUIDE)
→ The Facebook ad creatives the top newsletters use →
→ The 4-Hour Email Templates to 35% more clicks
→ How Save Time Building Lazy Lead Magnets

... let's get after it, shall we?

How I Built My Own Version of Double Opt-In.
​Without The Risks.

You know what sucks?

Getting a bunch of new subscribers—that never open an email, go cold, and cost you money.

But you know what sucks more:

Working hard to acquire new subscribers. Only to lose them to your ESP's double opt-in confirmation.

AKA email list purgatory where potential subs go to die 💀
(All because they don't click these emails 👇)

(Here's the TL;DR: single opt-in & double opt-in both have their faults.

So I created a free guide that walks you through our solution: The False Double Opt-in.

Just hit reply with the words "FDO GUIDE" and I'll send you the free guide that gets you out of this sh*tty predicament.)

Why Double Opt-In Is A Problem

Chances are, a lot of people will click the "Confirm your subscription" button in the double opt-in email.

But a lot of people won't.

And if they don't, you can never email them again. Ever.

That is stupid (and not your fault).

But I'm here to combat the stupidity. And I've done it (I think!)

I took the best parts of Single Opt-In AND Double Opt-In and built...

*drumroll*

The False Double Opt-in (FDO)* Free Guide.

Here's my favorite part:

→ the FDO ensures a new subscriber wants to be on your email list—but if they miss that confirmation email from you, no sweat! You can send them a follow-up.

And if they never engage, no sweat! The FDO will eventually unsubscribe them for you. Automagically 🪄

Gone are the cold subscribers who never do you the favor of unsubscribing but instead count towards your email list count and impact your deliverability.

That is exactly why many of us choose double opt-in: to ensure only genuine, engaged humans are subscribing to our newsletters, right?

Right. But it can come at a HIGH cost...

A Dire Warning: Double Opt-In Dread

We had LinkedIn experts Dave & Marsden Kline on the podcast last year. Their email list at the time was over 43,000 subscribers. Impressive!

BUT!

Because they had the double opt-in setting turned 'ON', they had 55,000 potential subscribers sitting in email purgatory aka "unconfirmed" status.

Fifty. Five. Thousand.

Ouch.

55,000 potential leads.
55,000 potential sales.
55,000 potential clients.

Gone. Unreachable.

Instead of a 43k newsletter, they could have had a 98k newsletter — if they'd used this FDO strategy. (Click below to watch the exact spot where Dave admits their mistake.)

​

Want the free FDO Guide?

So that's why I'm so bullish on the FDO.

And it's why Chenell & I have discussed this strategy a lot on the podcast.

But we never had a proper guide to share. So I spent the last few days putting this one together.

It's a Google Doc that walks through the 4 Steps to build an FDO.

It includes:

1. The exact 4-step walkthrough of how to set this up in Kit (but also repeatable in a different ESP)
   ​
2. An example of my pre-Welcome email (aka a better, segmented confirmation email) that I send to my new subs.
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3. The exact Kit automation I use to execute this (with an image + shareable automation link).

If this sounds helpful, just hit reply with the words "FDO GUIDE" and I'll send it to ya.

And please bear with me as I'll be replying manually to everyone — I'm not quite automating this part of my newsletter (yet!)

*I can't honestly remember who came up with the name False Double Opt-In so while I'd love to take the credit, I can't in good conscience.

Newsletter Hits
Of The Week ⚡

​

⚡ The Referral Program that helped build a 250k newsletter →

​

⚡The 4-Hour Email Template I use to 35% more lead magnet downloads →

​

⚡ How To Build a Lazy Lead Magnet That Converts →

​

⚡ The Facebook Ads Used By The Best Newsletters on The Internet →

​

⚡ A teardown of Beehiiv's State Of Newsletters report →

Does growing your newsletter feel like this?

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→ Hop on a Hot Seat with Chenell to solve newsletter & business challenges.
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Need more newsletter support?

Here are a few ways I can help you:

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2. Improve your newsletter engagement & reduce unsubscribes! It all starts with how you treat new subscribers. Book a Newsletter Onboarding Audit >>​
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3. Get daily newsletter support in a private setting from myself, Chenell Basilio, and dozens of other newsletter creators. Join the Growth In Reverse Pro Community today >>​

See you in the inbox,

Dylan

​LinkedIn | Twitter | Substack | IG

PS - Last year I choked on a fungus gnat. In the middle of our podcast recording. These pests are unavoidable when you have a house plant addiction jungle in your office. UNLESS... you get something that actually enjoys eating fungus gnats: carnivorous plants. And so I did!

If you're keeping score:
Fungus Gnats = 1
Dylan = 3

* indicates affiliate links. I get paid a small commission if you use these links to purchase a product or service.

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