# Configuring and Personalizing Opt-In Emails

## Why this matters

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](/en/docs/senders/managing-senders); you then select it and apply it to each opt-in email (see the steps below).

![Opt-In Emails list: each email shows its assigned Sender and Language](/images/audience-building/configuring-opt-in-emails.png)

## 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:

<Stepper>

1. **Email Type**: the type of email, for example **Double Opt-In Email**.

1. **Language**: the language this email applies to (for example *French (Canada)*). You can configure a different opt-in email for each language you use.

1. **Sender**: the verified sender the email is sent from (for example *Jeanine Rose*). See [Adding a sender](/en/docs/senders/managing-senders).

1. **Template**: the template used for this email (for example *Double opt in email - FR-CA Smart*).

1. Click **Save**.

</Stepper>

## 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**.
1. 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.
1. Open the template.
1. 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.

<Callout type="caution" title="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.
</Callout>

### Create your personalized opt-in template

<Stepper>

1. In the left menu, go to **Resources ▸ My Email Templates**.

1. 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.

1. Find a template whose **Usage** line shows **System Emails: Contact Double Opt_in** (see *Before you start*).

1. On the row of this template, open the actions menu and click **Duplicate**.

1. 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.

1. Adjust the wording and design to match your brand. Your **Brand Kit** colors apply, so the email stays consistent with your other campaigns.

1. **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.

1. **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.

1. Save your changes. Then open the template again and check that its **Usage** line still shows **System Emails: Contact Double Opt_in**.

1. Back in **Edit Custom Email**, select your personalized template in the **Template** field and click **Save**.

</Stepper>

<Callout type="info" title="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:

```
[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.
</Callout>

## 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.

## Related articles

- [Adding a sender](/en/docs/senders/managing-senders) - Set up the sender for your opt-in email
- [Managing your email templates](/en/docs/email-templates/managing-email-templates) - Edit and organize templates
- [Default sender address and language](/en/docs/audience-building/default-sender-address-and-language) - List defaults
- [Subscription confirmation email campaign](/en/docs/audience-building/subscription-confirmation-email) - Re-confirm an existing list
- [Creating a form](/en/docs/audience-building/working-with-forms) - Where double opt-in starts