Can I email people from Flodesk asking them if they want to join our newsletter?

Short answer: No — you can’t send “permission-asking” emails from Flodesk.
Good news: There is a safe and compliant way to invite people to join your list.

Flodesk is an email marketing platform, which means it can only be used to email people who have already given clear permission (also called express, first-party opt-in consent) to receive marketing emails from you.

If someone hasn’t opted in yet, you can’t email them from Flodesk—even just to ask, “Hey, want to join my newsletter?”

This helps protect:

• Your deliverability

• Your account

• Your business’s compliance with anti-spam and privacy laws

It means the person:

• Knowingly signed up for your emails

• Clearly understood they’d receive ongoing email communication from your business

• Took the action themselves (for example, submitting a signup form)

If that hasn’t happened yet, Flodesk can’t be used to email them.

You can absolutely invite people to join your list. You just need to do it outside of Flodesk first.

Create either:

• A full-page form, or

• An inline form embedded on your website

Make sure the form clearly says they’re signing up to receive emails from your business. Learn how to add a marketing consent checkbox to your opt-in forms here.

Tip: You can connect this form to a new segment so new subscribers are neatly organized from day one.

Reach out using a non-Flodesk channel, such as:

• Your personal email

• A CRM or contact manager

• Social media DMs

This message should simply invite them to opt in, not add them automatically.

Important: This invitation email or message must not be sent from Flodesk. Sending permission-asking emails from Flodesk can lead to account interruptions.

Once someone fills out your form:

• They’re added to your Flodesk audience

• An opt-in record is created

• You’re free to email them moving forward

This opt-in record also protects your business if there’s ever a spam complaint.

Note: We also recommend learning more about your regional anti-spam and privacy laws to make sure you're compliant. These laws vary between countries and regions, so it's best to work with a legal advisor familiar with your regional requirements.

To grow your list faster (and compliantly), share your opt-in forms:

• On your website

• In your social media bios

• In blog posts

• On landing pages

The more visible your signup opportunities are, the easier it is for people to say “yes.”

• You can’t email people from Flodesk to ask if they want to join your newsletter

• Flodesk can only email people who have already opted in

• You can invite people to sign up using other channels

• Once they opt in through a Flodesk form, you’re good to go

No. Even one permission-asking email sent from Flodesk is not allowed and may affect your account.

Verbal permission isn’t enough. Opt-in needs to be recorded through a signup form so there’s a clear, documented consent.

This helps support compliance with common anti-spam and privacy regulations like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and similar regional laws. Since laws vary by location, it’s always best to check with a legal advisor familiar with your region.

Use Flodesk opt-in forms and let subscribers sign up themselves. This keeps your list healthy, your deliverability strong, and your business protected.