Opt-in email: Email that is explicitly requested by the recipient. The term single opt-in simply means that actions were taken to sign up for the email in question. The term double opt-in means that the subscriber has actively confirmed their subscription, typically by responding to an automatically-generated message sent to the email address. Create a relevant message to your target market – Prospecting to the right target audience does not guarantee success to a direct marketing campaign. If the message is not relevant to the prospect, they simply will not buy your product/service. Hit the right market, at the right time, with the right message. The From Line – Clearly identify who the email is from. Any fictitious information here will construed as misleading and against the can-spam act. The Subject Line – In order to comply with the can-spam act, the subject cannot be deceptive or misleading in any way. The subject line should also be concise, not to be more than 35 characters. It needs to catch the eye of the reader and make them want to read the actual body of the email. Make sure words such as free and win are not here as mail filters will catch this. A few other things mail filters catch is dollar signs, all caps, and exclamation points. The Body – 500 words or less is best for the body of the email. Links to your website homepage are not recommended. If the message is an html, try avoiding slow loadings graphics. An enticing html graphic at the top third of the message will show up on most preview screens. Avoid using symbols in the text as some recipients will not be able to read. Response Vehicle – Make sure to drive potential customer to a specific page on your website and not your home page. As with the message needing to be relevant, so does the way your customers will respond to you. Set up a page on your website to reflect the offer you are making.