--- title: How to Configure and Personalize Opt-In Emails description: Learn how to set up, personalize, and troubleshoot double opt-in emails. Configure verified senders, duplicate tagged templates, and ensure deliverability. --- [Skip to content](https://help.indiegraf.com/configuring-and-personalizing-opt-in-emails#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [Publisher Portal](https://portal.indiegraf.com/tickets?hsLang=en) [![Indiegraf-PrimaryLogo-FullColor-1](https://help.indiegraf.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Indiegraf-PrimaryLogo-FullColor-1.png?width=262&height=60&name=Indiegraf-PrimaryLogo-FullColor-1.png)](https://help.indiegraf.com/?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - English Show submenu for translations - [Publisher Portal](https://portal.indiegraf.com/tickets) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Indiegraf](https://help.indiegraf.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [Indie Email](https://help.indiegraf.com/indie-email?hsLang=en) November 9, 2026 # How to Configure and Personalize Opt-In Emails ## Learn how to set up, personalize, and troubleshoot double opt-in emails. Configure verified senders, duplicate tagged templates, and ensure deliverability. An opt-in email is the confirmation message sent automatically when someone subscribes through a double opt-in form. It confirms the subscriber's consent, keeps your list clean, and protects your deliverability. You can choose which email is sent for each language, who it comes from, and personalize its design. ### **Each opt-in email needs a sender** The **Audience Building ▸ Opt-In Emails** page lists every opt-in email on your account, with the **Sender** it is sent from and the **Language** it applies to. You set up one opt-in email per language, and **each one must have a sender configured and applied here** — otherwise the confirmation message can't be sent, and new subscribers are never confirmed or added to your list. The **Sender** is the verified "From" identity recipients see on the confirmation email (its name, address, and Sender ID). It must be a sender you have already [added and authenticated](https://docs.cakemail.com/en/docs/senders/managing-senders); you then select it and apply it to each opt-in email (see the steps below). ### **Configure an opt-in email** In the left menu, go to **Audience Building ▸ Opt-In Emails**, then open the email you want to set up. The **Edit Custom Email** dialog opens. Fill in: 1. **Email Type**: the type of email, for example **Double Opt-In Email**. 2. **Language**: the language this email applies to (for example *French (Canada)*). You can configure a different opt-in email for each language you use. 3. **Sender**: the verified sender the email is sent from (for example *Jeanine Rose*). See [Adding a sender](https://docs.cakemail.com/en/docs/senders/managing-senders). 4. **Template**: the template used for this email (for example *Double opt in email - FR-CA Smart*). 5. Click **Save**. ### **Personalize the template** The **Template** field controls how your opt-in email looks. To go beyond the default and create your own version, you duplicate a double opt-in template. **This is the only way to create a personalized opt-in template.** You must take the template from **Resources ▸ My Email Templates**. This is the only place where you can get a template to use as an opt-in email. #### Before you start: choose the right template to duplicate You must start from a template that has the tag **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in**. Only a template with this tag can be used as an opt-in email, and only a duplicate keeps the tag. To check a template: 1. Go to **Resources ▸ My Email Templates**. 2. At the top right of the page, open the dropdown and select **All Templates**. By default, the list shows only **My Templates**, and the double opt-in templates provided do not appear there. 3. Open the template. 4. Look at the **Tags** table, on the **Usage** line: - ✅ **Usage** shows **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in**: you can duplicate this template. - ❌ **Usage** is empty, shows **Add Tags**, or shows a different tag: do not use this template. Its copy will not appear in the **Template** list of your opt-in email, and you cannot add the tag yourself. You can start from one of the default double opt-in templates (for example *Double opt in email - SMART*), or from one of your own copies that still has the tag. Keep the tag on your template at all times The tag **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in** must stay on your template for as long as you use it as an opt-in email. - **Never use Save Copy To Template** to create your opt-in template. The new template loses its tags, and you cannot add them back. - Do not start from a blank template or from a regular campaign template: they do not have the tag. - If the tag is missing, the template disappears from the **Template** list of your opt-in email. You must start again from a template that has the tag. #### Create your personalized opt-in template 1. In the left menu, go to **Resources ▸ My Email Templates**. 2. At the top right of the page, open the dropdown and select **All Templates**. By default, the list shows only **My Templates**, and the double opt-in templates provided do not appear there. 3. Find a template whose **Usage** line shows **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in** (see *Before you start*). 4. On the row of this template, open the actions menu and click **Duplicate**. 5. Open the copy and check the **Tags** table: the **Usage** line must show **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in**. You can rename the copy; renaming does not remove the tag. 6. Adjust the wording and design to match your brand. Your **Brand Kit** colors apply, so the email stays consistent with your other campaigns. 7. **Identify what the person is subscribing to.** Make it clear which service or list they signed up for, so they recognize the request and confirm with confidence. 8. **Leave every merge tag in place** — above all the confirmation link `[SYSTEM_EMAIL_DOUBLE_OPT_IN_LINK]` (see below). Deleting a merge tag while you edit is the most common way to break an opt-in email. 9. Save your changes. Then open the template again and check that its **Usage** line still shows **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in**. 10. Back in **Edit Custom Email**, select your personalized template in the **Template** field and click **Save**. Double opt-in: keep the confirmation link exactly as it is For a **Double Opt-In Email**, the confirmation link must be present, using exactly this merge tag: Code ``` [SYSTEM_EMAIL_DOUBLE_OPT_IN_LINK] ``` This is what lets a subscriber confirm their subscription. If this merge tag is missing, removed, or changed when you personalize the template, **confirmation will not work** and new contacts will not be added to your list. Always keep `[SYSTEM_EMAIL_DOUBLE_OPT_IN_LINK]` in your personalized version. **Troubleshooting** **My template does not appear in the Template list of my opt-in email** - Open the template and check the **Usage** line of the **Tags** table. If it does not show **System Emails: Contact Double Opt\_in**, the template cannot be used as an opt-in email, and you cannot add the tag back. - This happens when the template was created with **Save Copy To Template**, or from a blank or regular campaign template. - Start again: duplicate a template that has the tag (**Resources ▸ My Email Templates**, dropdown at the top right ▸ **All Templates**, then actions menu ▸ **Duplicate**) and redo your changes on the copy. **My personalized opt-in email isn't confirming subscribers** - Check that the `[SYSTEM_EMAIL_DOUBLE_OPT_IN_LINK]` tag is still present and unchanged in your template. - Confirm the correct **Template** is selected in **Edit Custom Email** for that **Language**. - Verify the **Sender** is a verified, authenticated sender. **The wrong language email is being sent** - Make sure you configured an opt-in email for each **Language** your contacts use. - Check the contact's language; it determines which opt-in email they receive. - 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