Definition

When someone explicitly gives permission to receive marketing communications, theoretically because they actually want them. A legal requirement dressed up as customer courtesy.

Example Usage

Our opt-in rate is 12%, meaning 88% of people would rather die than receive our newsletter, which is honestly fair.

Origin

Emerged from email marketing best practices and anti-spam legislation in the 1990s

Fun Fact

GDPR made opt-in mandatory across Europe, instantly decimating email lists and causing marketers to mourn their lost spam privileges.

Source: Email marketing and privacy regulation terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

marketing

The art of convincing people they need things they didn't know existed, using a combination of psychology, data analytics, and attractive people in stock photos. It's where companies spend vast sums to create "brand awareness" while claiming every campaign was a massive success. The department that everyone else in the company thinks has the most fun while actually drowning in spreadsheets.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Intermediate

shoppable post

Social media content with integrated purchasing capabilities, allowing impulse buyers to complete transactions without leaving the platform. It's Instagram's answer to QVC, turning mindless scrolling into mindless spending.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Beginner

relabel

The business equivalent of putting a new sticker over the old one—whether you're rebranding a product, reorganizing files, or giving a failed initiative a fresh name to try again. In tech, it's reassigning labels in databases or systems; in marketing, it's how last quarter's disaster becomes this quarter's 'learning opportunity.' Same thing, better branding.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Intermediate

display network

A collection of websites, apps, and videos where your banner ads can appear, giving you access to millions of placements ranging from premium publishers to extremely questionable mobile games. It's the democratization of ad placement, for better or worse.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Beginner

up-funnel

Marketing activities focused on early-stage awareness and consideration rather than immediate conversion. Where brands spend money talking to people who definitely aren't ready to buy yet.

📣 Marketing / Advertising
Beginner

media mix

The combination of different advertising channels and platforms used in a campaign, from traditional print to digital display to carrier pigeons if your budget allows. It's the marketing equivalent of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

📣 Marketing / Advertising

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See “opt-in” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

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solicitation

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