CAN-SPAM Act
White hat. Within platform rules and the law. Safe to use.
What is the CAN-SPAM Act?
The CAN-SPAM Act is a United States law that sets rules for commercial email. Among other things it requires accurate sender information and subject lines, identifying the message as an ad where applicable, including a valid physical postal address, and offering a clear way to opt out that is honoured promptly.
It applies to business-to-business email too. Other countries have their own, often stricter, rules, such as GDPR and the ePrivacy rules in the EU, CASL in Canada and PECR in the UK.
Why the CAN-SPAM Act matters
Breaking the rules can lead to penalties for each email. Following them is also simply good practice: honest, easy-to-leave emails get fewer spam complaints.
Related marketing terms
GDPR is the EU’s data protection law. It governs how personal data, including contact details used for outreach, may be collected and used.
Cold emailWhite hat
A cold email is a first message sent to someone you have no prior relationship with, to start a business conversation. It must follow anti-spam law.
SpamBlack hat
Spam is unsolicited, irrelevant or bulk messaging sent without regard for the recipient, by email, in comments, DMs or community posts.
Email deliverability is how reliably your emails reach the inbox rather than spam, shaped by authentication, reputation and content.