From time to time, our favorite brands send us a privacy policy change email. And let’s be honest, most of the time, we just skip them and pay them no attention.
As an email marketer, though, you might be required to send these emails. Luckily, you only have to send privacy policy notices when you update your privacy policy—which is usually only once per year (the CCPA requires this, in fact).
So how do we make these less than exciting, but important emails at least worth reading? Let’s get into it.
Can privacy policy emails hurt your email reputation?
While sending privacy policy emails provides users with transparency, they can hurt your email sender reputation. To many sending platforms, privacy policy emails and terms of service emails often look like spam (the irony). This is likely due to fact that these emails are usually all text and send to the masses. Luckily, there are ways to lower the risk of being exiled to the spam folder.
Best practices for sending privacy policy emails
1. Send in small batches
As tempting as it might be to just press “send” once and be done with it, we recommend sending these emails in batches for 1,000-5,000 recipients depending on your list size. Gmail and Outlook specifically look at large sends as spam-like behaviour, which may lead to higher bounce rates, blocks, or the likeliness of landing in the spam folder. Some ways to organize your batches include:
- Segmenting your audience by levels of engagement or user activity. For example, send first to folks who recently engaged with an email and less likely to mark you message as spam.
- Adjust timing based on optimal hours when subscribers are more likely to engage based on time zones.
As you send each batch, be sure to monitor the performance to address any issues before scaling up.
2. Set the right intentions
We know you want people to open your email and that not everyone will say, “Oh cool, a new privacy policy! I can’t wait to read,” but honesty is the best policy. Make your subject line transparent about what it contains but also note it’s an important email to open.
Don’t get too wordy, but you can get a little cheeky and fun with it if this suits your brand. For example: “Our Annual Privacy Policy Update (We Know You’ve Been Waiting for It).”
Or take note out of the Really Good Email playbook and poke fun at the not-so-fun email with something like "Our lawyers made us send this boring update."
3. Write like a human
Privacy policies, like any other legal documentation, are usually full of complex legalese that’s dull at best and confusing at worst. Nobody wants to wade through a sea of legal mumbo jumbo, and let’s be real—if it feels robotic, it’s getting ignored. A human, conversation approach makes potentially sticky updates easier to digest.
We saw this first-hand from our friends at Really Good Emails. They connected with readers by being relatable, making the new updates easy to grasp, and dare we say entertaining. The result? 50% more opens and 40% more positive replies.
4. Don't waste people's time
As much personality as we can infuse to these type of emails, it doesn't change the fact that they're kind of boring. Keep things short and concise. Reel them by sharing the why behind the changes --what's the benefit they will get from these changes? This could be anything from "to better serve you" to "staying up to date with new regulations."
Then, highlighting the key changes in bullet points or bolded text. Avoid using legal terms. Finally, offer the ability for folks to learn more somewhere else if they're into that kind of thing.
This example by Skillshare does a great job at being concise.
The email is clear and straightforward but the most effective thing they do is break out what the updates are, just as importantly, why they’ve made them. They also include several links to the privacy policy and terms of service so they’re easy to find, and they offer a way for recipients to contact them with any questions or concerns.
5. Consider a different sender IP address
Using a different sending IP address for legal and transactional emails can help protect your primary domain's sender reputation in the case that your privacy email batch does get red flagged. Even if you take all the precautions, privacy policy updates can elicit less engagement from recipients which can negatively impact future campaign performance-- for that reason alone, we recommend using a different IP address for varying types of communications.
6. Stay recognizable
A simple way to stay out of the spam folder is to not look like a spam email. Infusing your branding is a simple, yet effective way of assuring your audience you are a trusted source, not some random bot trying to steal their data.
Plus, it’s a subtle reminder that you care about keeping things polished and interesting, even when the topic is not. The email below from Assemble is a perfect example of how even a privacy policy email can be a tool to reinforce trust, strengthen customer connection, and establish brand recognition.
Privacy policy templates and examples you can steal
Now you're ready to start crafting your own privacy email. Here are some templates you can steal to kick things off.
#1: Comedic relief
If you want to show a sense of humor and relate to your customers, try this template:
Subject: Our Eagerly-Awaited Privacy Policy Update
"Some pieces of news you just can’t wait to find out: the conclusion to that mystery novel you’re reading, why your boss scheduled a last-minute meeting, who will win Too Hot To Handle, and the changes we made to our privacy policy:
Okay, we know you’re not exactly on the edge of your seat, but the lawyers say we have to send this every year so here you go. Here’s what’s new:
[summarize the changes]
Look at you, breezing right through that and being ready to take another year by storm! You can contact us with any questions at [email address], but otherwise, keep rocking and we’ll see you around."
Portland-based bank Simple uses a similar strategy in their privacy emails:
This email is relatable and honest, not to mention funny and engaging. They relay the message in the way you’d probably relay it to a friend: they’re conversational, they’re human, and they’re understandable. They break down the update and translate it piece by piece for the reader to understand. According to a blog they posted about it, they had nearly 200 people reply with positive comments.
#2: Short and sweet
Keep your time and your recipients’ time to a minimum with this concise yet clear privacy policy email template:
Subject: Important Updates to Our Privacy Policy
"In an effort to maintain transparency about your data and how we use it, we’ve updated our privacy policy, effective on [date]. Here’s what has changed:
[summarize updates]
Click the button below to read the full privacy policy. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out at [email address]. Thank you for being a valued member of the [brand] community."
Hims is a telehealth company specializing in medications for men, and they’ve mastered the art of keeping it short and sweet:
They’re as concise as can be—just a few paragraphs stating what they’re emailing about and informing customers of their implied consent, along with a link to see the full text. This lets the recipients immediately know what the email’s about and decide if they want to dig into the full policy text.
What’s also done well here, though, is the branding. As simple as this email is, it follows the brand’s aesthetic so it’s easy for customers to recognize and trust.
Start crafting privacy emails worth reading with Beefree
A well-crafted, branded privacy policy email does more than just inform—it builds trust and strengthens your relationship with your audience. Beefree can make it easier to nail your next privacy policy email.
With our intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can effortlessly design emails that incorporate your branding, ensuring that even legal updates stay aligned with your company’s tone and identity. The best part? It's free.
