List Health and Consent Audit (Onboarding)

List Health and Consent Audit (Onboarding)

1. 01

   Pull the full subscriber record from the sending platform and export it to a working sheet

   Capture signup timestamp, source, last open, last click, and engagement tier for every contact before you propose any send calendar to the client.

2. 02

   Classify each acquisition source as opt-in, imported, or unknown

   Sources that cannot be traced to a documented consent event get quarantined rather than mailed, because a single complaint spike on a shared sending domain can degrade deliverability for every client on that infrastructure.

3. 03

   Segment the file into engaged, dormant, and never-engaged buckets using a 90-day and 180-day window

   Agencies that skip this step inherit a list where 40 to 60 percent of contacts have not opened in a year, which suppresses inbox placement for the segments that do perform.

4. 04

   Run a re-permission sequence to the dormant bucket before adding it to any promotional flow

   Two sends, one explicit confirmation click, and automatic suppression for non-responders keeps the list clean without a mass deletion that the client will resist.

5. 05

   Verify authentication records on the client's sending domain

   SPF, DKIM, and DMARC must all pass before the first campaign ships; a missing DMARC record is the most common cause of bulk-folder placement on new agency accounts.

6. 06

   Document the consent basis, suppression rules, and re-permission results in a one-page handoff note

   This note becomes the reference document when a client asks why a segment was excluded, and it protects the retainer when list size appears to shrink after onboarding.

7. 07

   Set a monthly list-health review date with the client contact who owns the data

   Bounce rate above 2 percent, complaint rate above 0.1 percent, or a 20 percent drop in engaged contacts triggers an immediate review rather than waiting for the next quarterly check-in.