Describe the subscription offer
Tell people which business will contact them and what they are choosing to receive. A product newsletter, event update and sales enquiry should not share an ambiguous signup message. The campaign brief should include the intended purpose.
Choose the confirmation journey
Single and double opt-in have different completion steps. If confirmation is required, distinguish submitted addresses from confirmed subscribers in your reporting. Mailchimp’s documentation describes the form-plus-confirmation journey for double opt-in; implementation depends on the receiving platform.
Keep preference information with the handover
Specify the subscription choice, signup date and source fields needed by the receiving system. Agree how withdrawal or suppression information is handled. Do not drop these fields simply because another export format is easier to produce.
Plan a relevant first message
The first contact should match the offer that prompted the subscription. Keep the business identity and purpose recognizable. A campaign intended to introduce one service should not silently turn into an unrelated contact program.
Measure completion and engagement separately
Track form submissions, confirmations where required, accepted subscribers and subsequent enquiries as distinct stages. An email open is not the same event as a sales request. Judge the campaign against the outcome that was actually agreed.
Turn the checklist into a brief
Use the campaign builder to choose the category, market, quantity and fields. Add the relevant delivery or qualification requirements from this guide, then review the result before emailing it.
Further reading: Mailchimp’s double opt-in guide.