Announce #BackTheStack to our mailing list

[chadwhitacre]

Part of https://github.com/gratipay/inside.gratipay.com/issues/1160.

Let's use MailChimp (seems the category leader, ya?). We'll export email addresses from our database and load them into MailChimp and periodically sync over.

[chadwhitacre]

Discussed with @Richbrey11 and @dmk246: planning to add everyone to the mailing list and let them unsubscribe (vs. one-time initial ask for opt-in, since that would seriously curtail the size of our list).

[chadwhitacre]

$75/mo for MailChimp w/ 6,000 on the list. Is that annual price == $900? If so, cashflow is an issue and we'll need to look at options.

[chadwhitacre]

Hopefully this pricing is indicative of how much value we're going to get out of email as a marketing channel! :D

[Richbrey11]

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't the free account allow 12,000 emails a month? That is two email per person, per month.

We didn't plan on sending more than that anyway per person right? https://mailchimp.com/pricing/free/ [image: Inline image 1]

On Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 11:26 AM, Chad Whitacre notifications@github.com wrote:

Hopefully this pricing is indicative of how much value we're going to get out of email as a marketing channel! :D

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/gratipay/inside.gratipay.com/issues/1190#issuecomment-333569314, or mute the thread https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/Ae1_JsLMcY9S3NKJbDx5ZDEE6FlVBU_Pks5soQCkgaJpZM4PqzPG .

-- Rich Breymeier Digital Marketing Guru

Office: 412-212-7024 Direct: 724-681-5388 Email: rich@flashpoint.agency Web: www.flashpoint.agency

[chadwhitacre]

to a list of up to 2,000 subscribers

😕

[Richbrey11]

We could be cheater pumpkin eaters and create 3 mail chimp accts ha. At least until we have the dinero.

On Mon, Oct 2, 2017 at 1:38 PM, Chad Whitacre notifications@github.com wrote:

to a list of up to 2,000 subscribers

😕

— You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/gratipay/inside.gratipay.com/issues/1190#issuecomment-333607540, or mute the thread https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/Ae1_JmkeNHGNDTo0wyzS_jGuuTerJQnHks5soR9_gaJpZM4PqzPG .

-- Rich Breymeier Digital Marketing Guru

Office: 412-212-7024 Direct: 724-681-5388 Email: rich@flashpoint.agency Web: www.flashpoint.agency

[chadwhitacre]

Heh, there's an idea!

I've accessed the account you set up and configured three users:

• vendors@gratipay is the owner
• you and I have manager roles

[chadwhitacre]

Per their instructions, I've made the following DNS changes:

• Added a CNAME for k1._domainkey.gratipay.com → dkim.mcsv.net
• Added include:servers.mcsv.net to our SPF record.

I've also confirmed domain ownership via support@gratipay.com, which I've set as the From address.

[chadwhitacre]

How We Define Permission

Although people talk about permission in a variety of ways, it's something very specific when it comes to email marketing. Permission is express, verifiable consent to receive marketing communication.

Express means that when you asked for permission, your question wasn't tied in with another agreement. For example, a separate checkbox for "I would like to receive marketing email from XYZ company" is express and clear.

Because permission should also be verifiable, we recommend getting written or otherwise archived permission from each subscriber. When you use MailChimp's double opt-in signup forms, we handle all of this for you. The process requires a subscriber to click a button and confirm their email address. Behind the scenes, we track the date and time of each action, so that you have verified permission.

https://kb.mailchimp.com/accounts/compliance-tips/the-importance-of-permission/?

Everyone on your list should have opted in to receive emails from you, and their permission should be express and verifiable.

https://kb.mailchimp.com/lists/growth/requirements-and-best-practices-for-lists

[chadwhitacre]

Soooooo, the fact is that we don't have permission from anyone to send them mass marketing emails. 🐭

I think instead of proceeding anyway, we should send out a mail today saying that we're going to make an announcement later this week, and would you like to join our list to find out about it? [click here to opt-in]

Maybe we send a second invitation later in the week ... Wednesday if we're going to push the announcement on Thursday?

[chadwhitacre]

We don't say anything about marketing emails when adding an email address.

[chadwhitacre]

PagerDuty recently sent me emails saying, "We’re thrilled you’ll be joining us at PagerDuty Summit Chicago tomorrow." I don't want to be PagerDuty. I would rather have fewer people on the list that want to be there than thousands of people who don't.

[mattbk]

Mailchimp also has a way to buy credits if you're sending less than a certain number of emails. https://mailchimp.com/pricing/growing-business/

I doubt this would be worth it, though?

[chadwhitacre]

Yeah but that looks like it's twice as expensive as monthly I think.

[mattbk]

It works out if you send an email every other month or less.

[chadwhitacre]

It might make sense. If we're only sending one or two emails to the whole 6,000 list then we'll have much fewer subscribers after that.

[chadwhitacre]

P.S. slack

[chadwhitacre]

Okay! Ready to rock this.

I've exported our list from the database using:

gratipay::DATABASE=> \copy (select email_address from participants where claimed_time is not null and not is_closed and is_suspicious is not true and email_address is not null) to 'list.csv' with csv;

That's 6,138 addresses.

[chadwhitacre]

What we want to do is have two lists, one is the 6138, and the other is clean. The join link is for the new list (otherwise filling out the form gives an error "already subscribed").

[chadwhitacre]

I've created a Gratipay - Raw list and have uploaded the CSV. It is processing.

[chadwhitacre]

Interesting that it only took 6,078 of the addresses.

[chadwhitacre]

As expected. Let's see here ...

[chadwhitacre]

Heh, can't even test anymore. 🐒

[chadwhitacre]

We're good, it's just $75 (don't have to prepay a month).

[chadwhitacre]

Paid!

[chadwhitacre]

[chadwhitacre]

Final test ...

[chadwhitacre]

slack

[chadwhitacre]

💃

[chadwhitacre]

[chadwhitacre]

And 18 unsubscribes! :D

[chadwhitacre]

Before catching the bus:

[chadwhitacre]

[chadwhitacre]

Okay! Issue!

Our automated abuse-prevention system, Omnivore, has detected an action or content in your account that may be in violation of our Acceptable Use Policy.

[chadwhitacre]

Kind of confusing. I got a box asking for my name and a message, but no clear information about what I was being asked to provide. So I wrote:

Hi, there! What seems to be the problem, officer? :-)

Apparently it was a "compliance questionnaire"?

You submitted your compliance questionnaire on Oct 03, 2017 12:02 pm, and our team is reviewing your responses. While your account is under review, you’ll be unable to send live or test campaigns, but Campaign Builder, signup forms and reports still work.

We respond to users in the order their information is received, so someone will be in touch with you soon. Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm EST.

For further updates, please check your email vendors@gratipay.com.

[chadwhitacre]

Finding this in Freshdesk:

Hello Chad, Our automated abuse prevention system, Omnivore, reviewed your account with the username Gratipay (user ID: []). It detected content or actions which either conflict with our Acceptable Use Policy (mailchimp.com/legal/acceptable_use), or present a significant risk to our deliverability. The account has been disabled. You may log in at any time to export and back up your account data (http://eepurl.com/6BOJv), download reports, or close the account permanently (http://eepurl.com/6MHP9). If you have questions regarding why this account has been shut down, reply to this email or contact us directly at compliance@mailchimp.com. For questions related to billing, please contact billing@mailchimp.com.

[chadwhitacre]

Auto-reply to my "compliance questionnaire" is also in Freshdesk.

[chadwhitacre]

Looks like folks are still able to subscribe tho? 🤔

[chadwhitacre]

Now at 345. I guess plan B would be to export the clean list and use a different service than MailChimp. Emma?

[mattbk]

Mailchimp won't let us back in? Have you followed up any more?

[chadwhitacre]

We can get in we just can't send. Got a reply:

Thank you for reaching out to the MailChimp Compliance Team about this issue. I'm [], one of the Deliverability Advisors for MailChimp. No license or registration is necessary!

This account was flagged for investigation by Omnivore, MailChimp’s automated abuse-prevention system. As part of this investigation, we have some questions about this account, and mostly about the main list, called Gratipay / All.

-How do you collect recipients? The Permission Reminder states these were collected by Gittip, is the form for that still available to see? If you use an online signup form, please send us the URL, or describe the opt-in process you use. If you collect recipients offline, please send us images of any forms you use.

-Prior to sending through MailChimp, when was the last time you sent to this list of recipients?

-Before you had MailChimp, how did you handle your bounces and unsubscribes?

-Is any of your list data collected from a partner, affiliate, or other third party? If so, provide more details on this partner and process.

Thank you for your assistance with this process. We look forward to hearing back from you.

[chadwhitacre]

Draft

No license or registration is necessary!

Phew! :D

Easy questions first: none of our list data was collected from a partner, affiliate, or other third party. We didn't collect any of it offline, either. It all came from our own users entering their email address directly on our own website.

Second, regarding our name change: we were called Gittip for two years, and we've been Gratipay for three and a half years. The website and the service didn't change at that point, only our name did.

Now, here's the problem: to be honest, we did not do a good job of asking permission to send marketing email to these people when they gave us their email address. The ask was ambiguous at best. I've attached two screenshots, one showing the "Add an email address" prompt that most users would've clicked on to get started, and the second showing the email settings page that has the actual form on it. As you can see, the prompt isn't clear about what the address will be used for, and the settings page, if anything, suggests that it's just for transactional email.

The last marketing message we sent to this list was in 2015. We have been sending transactional mail up to the present. For both, we used Mandrill before the Big Change in 2016, at which point we migrated to SES. We handle bounces from there, and include a one-click unsubscribe in the footer that links back to our website.

Okay! I think that answers your direct questions, yes?

May I tell you a story? :)

---

Here's the story: we're getting ready to relaunch after a couple slow years. Obviously a list of 6,000 current and previous users is a valuable channel for announcing our relaunch, but now that we're a little wiser, we know we don't have clear enough permission to simply add all of these people to a marketing list. So we decided that the right thing to do was to ask for permission.

The message we sent the other day invites people to join a second list, the "Gratipay" one, which is the one we actually intend to use for our marketing campaigns in the future. Our plan before Omnivore flagged us had been to 1) send a second email today or tomorrow to the segment of the "Gratipay / All" list that didn't open the first message, and then 2) delete the "Gratipay / All" list.

Of the 5,963 non-bouncing recipients of Monday's message, 6.1% (367) have subscribed to the new list, which is well above the 3.9% (231) that have unsubscribed from the old list. We're excited about communicating with the people that have clearly opted-in to our new list!

I'm also attaching a third screenshot, showing the form we're using with the relaunch to collect email addresses. You'll see that it clearly asks for permission to send marketing messages.

---

So that's where we're coming from, []. I'm sorry for not getting in touch before we shipped the campaign on Monday. Hopefully our approach seems reasonable ... we'd love to continue using MailChimp as we relaunch our business. However, if that's not a possibility, we'll understand.

Thanks for your help, and let me know what additional info I can provide!

[chadwhitacre]

Sent!

[chadwhitacre]

I've also exported the new list, "just in case."

[techtonik]

I've just received the mail and subscribed. So are there any good news about Gratipay future?