Email Compliance and Best Practices

Understanding Contact List Compliance at Fello

Fello is built for high deliverability and genuine engagement, and that starts with the quality of your contact list.
Our system performs best when messages go to people who actually expect to hear from you. That usually means contacts who have either:

• Opted in to receive communication from you, or
• Have a clear, existing business relationship with you (for example, past clients, active leads, or recent inquiries).

Using permission-based and verified data helps ensure better inbox placement, protects your domain reputation, and improves conversion across all campaigns.

Can I Email Contacts Who Never Opted In?

In short: it depends on the relationship.

Under U.S. law (CAN-SPAM), it is technically legal to email someone who has not opted in, as long as your message includes an unsubscribe link, valid sender information, and is not misleading.

However, Fello’s Acceptable Use Policy requires that you have the legal right and proper consent to contact anyone you email through the platform. This ensures compliance and keeps deliverability strong for all users.

That said, we understand many users have legacy contacts or past relationships that do not fit a perfect opt-in model. If you are reaching out to past clients, past inquiries, or contacts who have engaged with you before, those cases often qualify as implied consent. The key is to communicate clearly, give people an easy way to unsubscribe, and make sure the message feels relevant and expected.

Lists That Commonly Cause Deliverability Issues

Some list sources create higher risk for spam flags and bounces, which can affect inboxing across all your campaigns. Avoid:

• Purchased or rented contact lists
• Lists shared from brokerages, associations, or MLS databases
• Contacts pulled from public records or scraped data

Even if these contacts are technically legal to email, they tend to perform poorly and harm your domain reputation long term.

What Happens If You Don't Follow These Guidelines?

Your deliverability tanks. High bounce rates and spam complaints tell email providers your domain is risky, which means your messages land in spam or don't get delivered at all.

Bottom line: poor contact database quality costs you conversions and damages your brand reputation. We're not here to police your database—we're here to help you get results. But if your contacts don't want to hear from you, no platform can fix that.

Recommended Best Practices

To get the best results when sending emails through Fello:

• Send only to people who have opted in or have an existing business relationship with you.
• Keep your contact database clean and up-to-date.
• Always include an unsubscribe link.
• Warm up older contacts with short, value-based reintroductions.
• Keep your messages relevant, personalized, and recognizable to the recipient.

A Practical Perspective

Fello is not here to restrict your outreach. We are here to help you do it smarter.
Our goal is to help you protect your sender reputation while maximizing your database’s value. If you are emailing people who have a reasonable expectation of hearing from you, and you are giving them control over how they engage, you are already in good shape.

It is all about balance: staying compliant, maintaining trust, and driving real results.