Why You Should Never Purchase Email Lists (+ 10 Better Alternatives)

Let me guess!

You find building an email list a tedious and time-consuming endeavour, but you have some cash stashed somewhere that you’re trying to ‘invest’ into your business.

So you’re thinking of purchasing an email list that someone already built for their audience. Sound familiar?

While buying an email list may look like the best quick fix for reaching more people, it can do more harm than good for your business.

In this post, we discuss some of the main reasons why you should never purchase email lists and offer you the ten best alternatives to help you build your email list effectively instead.

Why you should never purchase email lists

Most marketers use email to generate leads and it offers a much higher ROI than other channels. However, the risks of purchasing an existing email list for your email marketing far outweigh the benefits.

Here are some of the major drawbacks associated with buying an email list from a second or third party:

Legal implications

One of the most significant and grievous risks is that you may face a legal lawsuit and pay hefty fines for violating data protection laws. This is because the recipients in that list did not give you their explicit consent to receive marketing emails from you.

Buying someone else’s list of contacts and using them for your marketing campaign goes against regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) in Europe and the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States.

These regulations outline strict laws concerning consent and privacy in email marketing.

Therefore, before spending your money on an email list, ask yourself if you’re ready to put your business at legal risk, or might as well put in the work to build your list.

No guarantee of high returns

Email list sellers will promise you high returns when you buy bigger lists since they have more contacts who are likely to become your customers.

Well, this is just a trick to get more money from you!

Most of the time, purchased mailing lists will not contain your target audience and are less likely to convert for your business. I mean, they’ve neither interacted with your brand nor did they sign up for your emails.

Imagine sending emails promoting your fashion brand to a list that was initially built for car lovers (mostly men)! Would you expect high returns from that? Of course not!

And then there is the seller. They know your audience really well too, right? Nope.

Poor engagement rates

Engagement is one of the main KPIs of an email marketing campaign.

However, as mentioned, people who didn’t voluntarily sign up for your marketing emails are less likely to engage with your emails.

With a purchased email list, you’re likely to see poor engagement rates as registered by metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and response rates.

This will translate into a low return on investment (ROI) and means you’ll likely never meet your marketing goals.

Damaged sender reputation

Most email providers, including Gmail and Outlook, have sophisticated spam detection systems that detect unsolicited emails.

Therefore, with a purchased email list, they will detect that you’re sending emails to people who did not subscribe voluntarily. In return, they will flag your emails as SPAM, and they’ll always land in the recipient’s Spam folder.

Too many spam reports will tarnish your reputation and that of the email service provider you’re using. As a result, even your voluntary opt-in email addresses may be affected in the future.

Low-quality leads

Some crucial questions to ask yourself before buying an email list:

• Do you know when the list was built?
• Do you understand how the list was built?
• Can you verify that the contacts in the list are real and legitimate?
• When was the list last updated?

There are plenty of horror stories of people buying mailing lists and ending up with ‘dead’ contacts – outdated, irrelevant, fake, or inactive email accounts!

These are low-quality leads since you’ll never get an interaction from them, and they’ll never buy your products.

If you can’t get people to willingly share their contact details with you, you’re also better off saving your hard-earned money or using it somewhere else than buying an email list.

But worry not. Since you’re here, I’ll show you how to build your list organically without breaking the bank.

Poor brand image

Email marketing should help to strengthen your brand image and build more trust with your audience.

However, it does the opposite when you send unsolicited emails.

With a strange email list, people will feel annoyed when they see your emails rather than happy and excited about what you’re offering. They start seeing your brand as spammy, desperate, and untrustworthy.

Guess what happens in the end?

Negative perceptions about your brand and poor word-of-mouth marketing everywhere. Your business starts losing the trust of existing customers, while potential customers get scared away.

Then you lose revenue just like that!

High bounce rates

Another evident disadvantage of buying email lists is that it always leads to a high bounce rate.

Email bounce rate refers to the number of emails that fail to be successfully delivered as a ratio of the total number of emails sent.

When your email service provider notices abnormally high bounce rates, they’ll flag your domain as suspicious. This is likely to affect your future email marketing efforts.

Risk of spam traps

Spam traps are email addresses used by anti-spam organizations to catch spammers. These email addresses often do not belong to real users and are never used for real communication.

If you purchase an email list, there’s a high chance that some of the emails on the list are spam traps.

Sending emails to spam traps can result in your email domain being blacklisted. This means your emails will not be delivered to anyone, effectively shutting down your email marketing campaign efforts.

Waste of time and money

From all the disadvantages we’ve discussed, it’s safe to conclude that purchasing a mailing list is majorly a waste of your most precious resources – time and money.

While you may feel like you’re saving time, you’ll waste even more time sending marketing emails that do not convert.

And don’t forget the legal implications! Yes, you’re also likely to waste more time on fighting legal battles and more money paying legal fines.

10 better alternatives to purchasing email lists

Now that we’ve decided we’re not buying email lists, what are some of the most effective and ethical ways to build your own email list?

Here are a bunch of better alternatives to help you get started, whether you’re starting a list from scratch or expanding your existing list:

1. Build your email list organically

The best way to build an email list is by using organic methods. These are methods that attract people who are genuinely interested in your brand and are ready to spend their money on it.

Voluntary subscribers are more likely to open your emails, engage, and finally, convert.

There are several ways to build an email list organically.

First, start by adding sign-up forms to high-traffic pages on your website. You can also offer valuable resources on your website in exchange for contacts. Additionally, you can include ‘Sign Up’ call-to-action (CTAs) in your blog posts and social media pages so people who are interested in your brand can join your list voluntarily.

Though it may take longer, organic list building will reward your business with high-quality leads that become paying customers.

2. Create high-value lead magnets

As mentioned, one effective way to build a list organically is to offer valuable resources for free in exchange for contact information (email addresses and phone numbers)

Such lead capture resources are often called lead magnets.

A lead magnet is a lead generation tool that gives people a good reason to share their email addresses with you since they’re getting some value back.

Examples of effective lead magnets that can help you build an email list include:

• Free ebooks
• Free online courses
• Checklists and factsheets
• Free webinars and workshops
• Exclusive reports and case studies

When people visit your website, they see the ‘free offer’ and easily sign up for your email list.

You can build a landing page for your lead magnet or promote it on social media to maximize the returns.

3. Optimize website sign-up forms

Website sign-up forms are among the simplest ways to capture leads and grow an email list. However, most of them are just plain and carelessly placed anywhere on the website.

For your lead magnet to perform its duty well, it should be correctly designed and optimally placed.

For instance, make them colourful and place them in positions where website visitors will naturally look (e.g, the header, sidebar, or at the end of blog posts)

You should also keep them short and use persuasive copy to compel visitors to sign up. Additionally, ensure your lead magnet is mobile-friendly since most people will access your website on their mobile phones.

Examples of tools you can use to design lead magnets include:

• ConvertBox –Helps you create targeted sign-up forms based on user behaviour and intent data
• Getsitecontrol – Great for designing pop-ups, slide-ins, and other lead-capture widgets
• Visme – Best for professional-looking reports, infographics, and presentations.
• Beacon – Specialized tool for creating lead magnet PDFs and ebooks.

4. Use double opt-in procedures

Double opt-in procedures can help you add a layer of accuracy and authenticity to your email list.

They require your subscribers to manually confirm their email addresses after signing up.

It helps to weed out fake, inactive or mistyped emails that could increase your bounce rate. It also prevents spam complaints and preserves your sender’s reputation.

By implementing a double opt-in procedure, you end up with a healthier, more engaged, and more responsive audience in your list.

5. Rent a third-party email list

Maybe you’re in urgent need of promoting a product or a service, but you don’t want to go through the hassle of building your email list.

In this case, the best option is to rent a list from a reputable business that owns a big list.

Find a list owner whose business is in the same niche as yours and pay them an agreed amount to send your emails to their contacts on your behalf.

This way, you’re able to reach a similar audience as yours without risking legal complaints or spam reports. It also creates brand awareness among the new audience and has a higher chance of converting.

6. Promote sign-up forms on your social media

Are your social media pages earning you money?

If not, maybe you should start using them to build your email list. Social media platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, offer effective ways to promote email sign-up forms.

For instance, you can add a link to your sign-up page on your Instagram bio, Facebook ‘About’ page, and your LinkedIn profile.

If you have a budget, you can also run social media ads that lead your target audience to your sign-up page. Facebook Ads has even made it easier through the Instant Forms feature, which allows you to collect leads without your target audience leaving the platform.

7. Use exit-intent pop-ups to offer value

Exit-intent pop-ups embedded into your website can detect when a visitor is about to leave your website.

It then displays a final message to capture their email just before they leave.

Such pop-ups go a long way in converting abandoning visitors into subscribers.

Use them to offer something compelling, like a special discount or free shipping for e-commerce sites. You can also offer a limited-time bonus in exchange for their email addresses and phone numbers.

Although some website visitors find pop-ups annoying when done correctly, they can significantly increase conversions and help you grow your list faster.

8. Promote email-only offers

Did you know that people are more likely to join your email if they receive exclusive benefits in return?

Start creating email-only offers that give your audience a strong reason to join your list.

Examples of email-only offers that can encourage people to sign up include early access to new products or services, special discounts or promo codes, and members-only content like VIP tips.

After all, a report by LXA Hub shows that 63% of email subscribers open emails to find discounts.

Again, consider promoting these offers on your website, social media, and within your blog posts to increase sign-ups.

9. Use email verification tools to avoid spam traps

Remember we said if your email list contains outdated, invalid, or inactive addresses, your emails may get blocked by spam filters.

This means you should regularly clean your list to maintain deliverability and engagement.

Fortunately, there are several email verification tools that can help you do that. Some of the best ones include:

• ZeroBounce – Detects and removes invalid email addresses, spam traps, and abuse emails.
• Mailfloss – Ideal for content creators and entrepreneurs who need automated list-cleaning
• Hunter Email Verifier – Useful for verifying professional email addresses

With verified email addresses, you avoid falling under spam traps and lower your overall bounce rates.

10. Host webinars and live events

Finally, hosting a webinar or live event is a powerful way to provide value to your target audience while acting as a lead generation tool.

People who sign up for your webinar and events are likely to be interested in your content and more engaged with your brand.

Whether it’s a free event or a paid one, you can collect the attendees’ contact details and add them to your list since they’ve shown interest in your brand.

Examples of webinar ideas that can help you attract email subscribers include:

• Training sessions
• Industry trends review
• Expert interviews
• Product demonstrations
• Live Q&A sessions to address audience concerns

For maximum sign-ups, you can promote the webinar on social media, through partnerships, or on your website if you have high traffic.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can you buy email address lists?

Yes. There are online platforms that sell email lists, so you can buy one if you wish. However, keep in mind that purchased mailing lists come with several risks like legal penalties, high bounce rate, poor engagement rates and poor quality leads.

Is it illegal to purchase email lists?

While purchasing email lists is not declared illegal, it goes against the CAN-SPAM Act and other data protection laws like GDPR. It can violate anti-spam laws that protect user privacy and consent in email marketing, leading to legal battles.

Is it worth buying an email list?

No. Most of the time, buying an email list isn’t worth it as it doesn’t bring the expected ROI. You end up wasting precious time and money that you’d have used to build your own authentic list organically. Voluntary opt-in email lists perform better than purchased ones.

How much is a 1000 email list worth?

A typical 1000-email list goes for between $100-$400. The price varies based on the size of the list, who is on the list, and other demographics like geographical location.

Final thoughts

To wrap it up, we can all agree that the decision to purchase email lists can end up as a bad investment. Instead of taking the risky route, use that money to invest in strategies that build a high-quality, engaged subscriber base.

The methods we’ve discussed will lead to higher open rates, better conversions, and stronger customer relationships. Remember you can utilize email marketing automation tools to help you build an ethical list organically for long-term success.

So, start implementing these alternatives today and watch your email marketing efforts convert better than you ever thought!

Disclaimer: There have been some legal references in this article. It should go without saying but I’ll say it anyway; we are not lawyers or legal professionals. None of what we’ve written above should constitute legal advice. If you do have legal concerns regarding email lists or email marketing in general, you should consult a legal professional to ensure you’re getting advice that is tailored to your exact situation.