Why You Should Avoid Scraping Emails For Email Marketing
When I talk to business owners, they often tell me they have 3,000+ email addresses. When I ask how, the response is usually either, “A friend shared their list with us,” or, “I bought it online.”
If you’re in this box, the rest of this post will address why you should avoid scraping emails for email marketing.
Email marketing is permission-based. It’s an ethical way to build a database of potential customers who have given their consent to receive marketing emails
Thus, building an email marketing list takes time.
However, only some people are patient enough to build their email list from scratch. Some try to cheat their way to the top with scraper tools.
But, why scrape emails if the purpose is not for cold outreach?
Just curious…
What is Email Scraping?
Email scraping is a way of collecting email addresses from the internet (websites, social media, online directories) using automated or special software.
Is email scraping legal?
Email scraping is a quick way to generate email contacts for marketing purposes, but it’s often seen as unethical and could lead to (legal) penalties.
I tell people, “If you’re not doing cold outreach, you have no business scraping emails for your business.” It looks promising but, it’s not worth the risk.
Is email scraping effective?
From my experience with this strategy, email scraping is effective for cold outreach (Cold email). But then, you have to follow tons of rules and tactics to ensure success.
Testing between a ‘Loom-video’ and the wordplay strategy, the subject line, body copy, and follow-up sequences have to be on the spot, and so on.
One mistake, and you are starting all over again.
Definitely not the perfect strategy to build relationships and grow your audience.
I love cold emailing. I do cold outreach once in a while to secure new clients. However, cold emailing takes a different approach to sales and client acquisition.
Email Scraping Risks (dangers of email scraping) for Email Marketing
What are some of the dangers of scraping emails for email marketing you should know?
These 3 should stick in your memory.
- Low-quality leads
Scraped emails are often unverified, not properly targeted, and collected without recipients’ consent. Because of this, these recipients are less likely to respond to your emails, leading to low open and click-through rates.
2. Legal and Ethical Risks
Email scraping typically violates privacy laws like GDPR (EU), CAN-SPAM Act (US), and CASL (Canada). These violations can result in fines, blacklisting, or even lawsuits.
3. Spam Risks
Here’s another risk associated with email scraping: scraped or harvested lists often contain spam traps. Sending emails to these addresses raises the likelihood of flagging your messages as spam.
Check my last post on ‘how to avoid spam folders”.
As you know, your emails landing in spam do not only waste your marketing efforts, you’re tainting your domain.
How To Collect Emails for Email Marketing
So how can you collect emails for email marketing legally and professionally?
Here are some ways to start an email list from scratch:
- Build a pop-up form
Adding a pop-up form to your website is one of the easiest ways to capture email addresses. These forms grab the attention and invite visitors already interested in your content or products to sign up before they leave.
For example, you could use a pop-up to promote a special discount or exclusive updates. With tools like Mailchimp, you can customize pop-ups that turn casual visitors into subscribers.
- Use lead magnets
Lead magnets are free resources — like eBooks, checklists, or discounts — that you offer in exchange for someone’s email address. They work because people love getting something valuable upfront.
Think of a fitness brand offering a free meal plan, or an online store giving a 10% discount on the first purchase. Using lead magnets helps streamline your leads to only people interested in what you offer.
- Promoting your mailing list on social media
Your social media followers are already interested in what you do. This makes them perfect candidates for your email list. Use platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter to invite them to sign up for exclusive tips, updates, or offers.
You can share posts, create stories, or include a link in your bio to drive traffic to your signup page.
Why Avoid Scraping Emails For Email Marketing
If “email marketing” is the goal, opting to use scraped lists is a perfect way to introduce your product or service as spam, attract sanctions, and ruin your business’ reputation.
When you build your email list by yourself, you’re not doing it to “obey the laws”. It ensures you have a sustainable environment to create meaningful long-term connections with your audience.
Trust me, every inch of effort is worth it.