Is email list rental coming back in style?
Imagine my delight when the
Author of “Email Marketing Rules” and Research Director at Litmus published a survey about email list rental.
I’ve responded to both the short version of have you done an email list rental? on the Litmus blog and also on their LinkedIn page.
I’ve copied and republished the detailed email list rental survey below.
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If your brand has ever rented an email list, how was it structured? Select all that were a part of your list rental experiences.
- We were given the list by the list broker/owner to use.
- We never saw the list that our message was sent to.
- We shared our suppression list with the list broker/owner.
- Our message was sent to the list on our behalf by the broker/owner using our sending domain and brand.
- Our message was sent to the list using the list owner’s sending domain and brand.
- When our message was sent to the list, it included the list owners unsubscribe link.
- When our message was sent to the list, it included an unsubscribe link so subscribers could opt out of future offers from us.
- The message sent was in opt-in based signup (i.e., the recipient had to opt-in to receive future offers).
- The message sent was in opt-out based signup (i.e., the recipient had to opt-out to avoid receiving future offers).
- I don’t know or our brand hasn’t ever rented an email list.
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Originally published by Litmus
For those who know me you’re clear on where I stand on this topic …
… having been the largest single purchaser of email list rentals as a media channel for years.
The opportunity for email list rental to form part of your media buying has never gone away, it has gotten better, cheaper, and it’s just not discussed in most circles.
Maybe it’s time to have the conversation again.
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your comments,
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responses below.
Head over to my podcast and have a listen to one of my many interviews with leading email marketing experts.
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3 BIG LIES
The Real Truth About Renting Email Lists
to Generate Targeted Leads and Sales
doug morneau
Most "AI consultants" have never run a $800K/week ad campaign. Doug has. Most haven't reverse-engineered the systems inside businesses doing 9-figures in revenue. Doug does it for breakfast.
For 40+ years, he's been the Fractional CMO and systems architect behind businesses that don't just grow—they compound. Marketing automation that turns leads into customers while you sleep. AI-powered workflows that eliminate bottlenecks before they choke growth. Media strategies that scale profitably, not just loudly.
Here's how Doug works: He audits your existing systems, identifies the revenue leaks and efficiency gaps, then delivers a detailed plan with projected ROI and investment required. No fluff. No 50-slide decks full of theory. Just a roadmap to implementation with numbers attached.
He's an active investor, international best-selling author, and podcast host who's built and sold businesses using these exact systems. Between client work and grandkids, he's at the gym throwing around Olympic weights. Because high performance—in business and life—requires intelligent systems, not heroic effort.
Minimum engagement: $10K. Maximum ROI: Depends on how broken your systems are.
