How to grow an email list with DPDP-friendly consent

Consent helps growth

It is tempting to see consent rules as a brake on list growth. In practice, a list built on clear consent performs better. People who knowingly signed up open and click more, complain less and stay longer. Mailbox providers notice that engagement and place your emails in the inbox more often, which helps every campaign you send.

A list padded with people who never asked to hear from you does the opposite. They ignore your emails, some mark them as spam, and your reputation drops for everyone else on the list too.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The DPDP Act and its Rules are being brought into force in phases. For decisions about your business, speak to a lawyer who works on data protection.

What good consent looks like

Under the DPDP Act, consent should be free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, given by a clear affirmative action. Here is what that means for an email sign-up.

Where to collect sign-ups

• An embedded form on your website: in the footer, at the end of blog posts and on high-traffic pages such as your size guide or menu.
• A pop-up, slide-in or top bar, timed so it appears once visitors have shown some interest.
• A hosted landing page for social media bios, QR codes, print ads and events. It needs no website.
• Checkout, with an unticked box such as “Email me offers and new arrivals”, separate from the order itself.
• Your shop counter or exhibition stall, with a QR code that opens a sign-up page on the visitor’s own phone instead of a paper register.
• Event registrations, with an optional consent box for future emails alongside the ticket.
• Lead ads on Facebook and Instagram, with a consent question added to the lead form.
• Webinars, workshops and free classes, where the registration form can include a separate opt-in for your newsletter.

Give people a reason to join

“Subscribe to our newsletter” rarely persuades anyone. Tell visitors what they will get and why it is worth an email address. The best incentives are useful on their own and closely tied to what you sell, so the people they attract are likely customers.

A few ideas that suit Indian businesses: a printable size and fit guide for an apparel brand; a festive recipe booklet for a sweet shop; a GST compliance checklist for an accounting firm; a previous-year paper analysis for a coaching institute; early access to the end-of-season sale for a fashion store; a monthly local events round-up for a café or venue.

A first-order discount works too, but it attracts some people who want the code and nothing else. If you use one, say clearly that joining the list is how they receive it, and keep the welcome series focused on why your products are worth buying at full price as well.

Word your form so the consent is clear

1. Say what you will send and how often For example: “Get our weekly newsletter with new arrivals and one or two offers a month.” Specific expectations reduce later unsubscribes and complaints.
2. Keep marketing separate If the form also does something else, such as booking a demo or downloading an invoice, put marketing consent in its own unticked box.
3. Add a short notice One line under the button is enough, with a link to your privacy notice: “We’ll email you about offers and news. Unsubscribe any time. See how we use your data.”
4. Ask only for what you need An email address and perhaps a first name and city. Every extra field lowers sign-ups, and data you don’t collect can’t be misused.
5. Confirm what happens next The thank-you message or page should repeat what was promised and when the first email will arrive.

Use pop-ups without irritating visitors

Pop-ups are often the biggest single source of new subscribers, and also the most likely to annoy. A few settings make the difference.

• Wait until the visitor has shown interest: a delay of several seconds, a scroll past the middle of the page, or the moment they move to leave.
• Show it once, then leave people alone for a week or more if they close it.
• Never show it to people who are already subscribed.
• Check it on a phone. A pop-up that covers the whole screen with a tiny close button is frustrating on mobile; a bar or slide-in is often kinder there.
• Make the close button obvious, and don’t use guilt-trip wording such as “No thanks, I don’t like saving money”.
• Test one change at a time, such as the headline or the offer, and keep the version that converts better.

Double opt-in: when it is worth it

With double opt-in, a new subscriber receives a confirmation email and must click a link before they are added. It keeps out typos, fake addresses and sign-ups made by bots or by someone else, and it gives you strong evidence that the person who owns the address agreed.

The cost is that some genuine people never click the confirmation link, so your list grows more slowly. Many businesses use double opt-in on public website forms, where fake sign-ups are most common, and single opt-in where the person is clearly present, such as checkout or a form filled in at your counter on their own phone.

If you do use it, make the confirmation email short and obvious, with the button above the fold and a subject line such as “Please confirm your subscription”. Tell people on the thank-you page to check their inbox and Promotions tab.

Keep records and honour withdrawal

• Store the source of every contact: which form, page, event or import they came from.
• Keep the date, time and the wording they agreed to, plus confirmation details if you use double opt-in.
• Offer a preference centre so people can choose topics or pause emails instead of leaving entirely.
• Process unsubscribes immediately and keep unsubscribed addresses suppressed, including when you import new lists.
• Be ready to answer requests to see, correct or delete a person’s data, and publish how people can contact you with a grievance.
• Take special care with anyone under 18. The DPDP Act requires verifiable consent from a parent or guardian before processing a child’s data.

What not to do

• Buy, rent or scrape email lists. They break consent rules and are full of spam traps.
• Add everyone from your billing, CRM or invoice records to marketing emails without asking.
• Treat a visiting card, a phone enquiry or a chat as permission to send newsletters.
• Pre-tick the consent box, or hide it inside your terms and conditions.
• Make a purchase or a free download conditional on agreeing to marketing in a way the person can’t refuse.
• Re-import people who unsubscribed on another platform.

Set it up in MailNesto

1. Build the form Create an embedded form, pop-up, bar, slide-in, full-screen form or hosted landing page in the visual form builder. A consent field type and an editable consent line under the button are built in.
2. Choose when it appears For pop-ups, set a delay, a scroll depth or exit intent, how many days to wait before showing it again, and whether to hide it from people who are already subscribed.
3. Turn on double opt-in where it fits Double opt-in is set per form, with editable confirmation emails and pages. Bot protection uses invisible checks, a challenge or CAPTCHA.
4. Tag the source Each form can add people to a list and tag them, and hidden fields can capture UTM values from the page link, so you know which campaign or channel brought each subscriber.
5. Connect other sources carefully Shopify customers are synced only if they accepted marketing. Facebook Lead Ads can be set to add only people who answered yes to a consent question, and Razorpay payers are subscribed only if you choose to.
6. Check the record Each contact has a consent history showing the form, the time, the IP address and whether they confirmed by email.