Good morning, Chase and Jimmy here!

You’ve worked hard to grow your list. But if spam bots are sneaking through your forms, they’re quietly wrecking your deliverability, your metrics, and your ESP bill.

This morning, we're breaking down what spam bots really do to your email marketing, 9 ways to block fake signups (without annoying real people) and how to clean your list if the bots already got in.

Also in this edition:

📈 DTC Wins: Kizik’s cause marketing play with the Parkinson’s Foundation

🎯 How Gamehide uses Omnisend to convert 7.7% of new subs

🧾 What product classification actually means (and why it matters)

Let’s send it.👇

🏹 Inside Gamehide’s Email + Push Setup That Converts Like Crazy

Gamehide’s old setup was holding them back. Limited automation, no SMS, and clunky segmentation made it tough to scale.

So when they migrated to Shopify, they chose Omnisend — and built a high-performing email and push strategy that actually converts.

By pairing simple, optimized automations with segmented giveaway signups and push nudges, they keep customers engaged from day one.

The results speak for themselves:

• 7.7% conversion rate on their welcome automation

• 45% avg open rate across all automations

• 7% click rate on push notifications

• 5,700+ new subscribers annually from in-store giveaway tags

"The platform itself is intuitive, the integration is seamless, and the support team — especially our Customer Success Manager Emory — has been incredible. It’s not just great tech — it’s great people behind it.” - Matthew Brueske, Director of eCommerce at Gamehide.

💡 Knowledge Drop:

Real talk = real results.

@Social_Savannah shares a scroll-stopping ad format rooted in how people actually shop—voice notes, outfit links, and texting your friends “what are you wearing?”

Relatable. Visual. Built to convert.👇

🤖 Spam Bots Are Wrecking Your List (Here’s How to Stop Them)

Spam bots are the worst.

You work hard to grow your email list, only to end up with a bunch of fake signups. Meanwhile, your deliverability drops, your metrics get skewed, and your ESP bill climbs. Ugh.

But don’t stress. We’ll dive into what these pesky bots are, why they hurt your email marketing, and (most importantly) how to kick them out for good.

What Are Spam Bots and Fake Signups, Exactly?

Spam bots are little programs that roam the internet looking for forms to fill.

They sneak into your newsletter signup forms and flood your list with either made-up email addresses or (even worse) real ones that didn’t give consent.

Annoying? Sure. But they’re also dangerous.

Let’s take a deeper look at why spam bots = doom for your marketing.

Why Fake Signups Are Terrible for Email Marketers

Spam bots are NOT harmless fluff. They actively sabotage your performance.

Here’s what can happen if you let them stay:

📉 Deliverability drops like a rock. When you send emails to invalid addresses, you rack up hard bounces. Email providers see this as spammy behavior and may shove your messages into the junk folder.

📊 Your metrics lie to you. Open rates look sad. Click-through rates tank. You might even start questioning your content or offers, thinking they’re the problem. But it’s not you. It’s the bots.

💰 Your email platform costs escalate. Most email platforms charge based on list size. Why pay for fake contacts that never convert?

👥 You don’t know your real audience. With enough spam signups, your list gets polluted. That makes it hard to understand your actual subscribers, like where they’re from, what they like, or when they shop.

⌛ You’re burning your team’s time. Segmenting, analyzing, optimizing… it all becomes a mess when your data’s dirty. Your team ends up spending hours fixing bot-made problems instead of growing your business.

And that’s just the start.

But let’s talk about what you can do to keep spam bots away.

9 Ways to Keep Your Signup Forms Bot-Free

Time to clean house. Here’s how to keep your list healthy and human.

1. Add reCAPTCHA to your forms

One of the easiest ways to stop bots is by adding reCAPTCHA to your forms. It’s a tool from Google that identifies non-human behavior and blocks bots before they ever make it to your list.

The newer version (reCAPTCHA v3) works in the background and won’t ask most users to jump through hoops. This one small addition can stop thousands of automated signups in their tracks.

2. Use double opt-in

Double opt-in adds a confirmation step to your signup process. When someone enters their email, they’ll get a follow-up asking them to click a link to confirm their subscription.

Here’s an example from Nuud:

Since bots can’t confirm emails, this step automatically weeds out most fake signups. It also helps catch typos and ensures your subscribers actually want to hear from you.

3. Set a “honeypot” trap

A honeypot field is an invisible form field that only bots can see. Humans won’t fill it in, but bots (programmed to complete every field) will. If the field is filled out, you know it’s fake.

Since it works silently in the background, there’s no disruption to the user experience. It’s easy to implement too – just ask your developer to add a few lines of CSS.

4. Block high-risk traffic

If you’re getting floods of spam signups from specific countries and they’re clearly not your target audience, consider geo-blocking them at the IP level or via Google Analytics.

It’s definitely a more aggressive move, so only go this route if you’re pretty sure those countries aren’t bringing in real customers.

5. Use email verification tools

These handy add-ons check if an email is legit before it gets added to your list. They’ll catch fake domains, typos, disposable addresses, and even gibberish like “[email protected].”

You can easily integrate email verification tools like ZeroBounce or Clearout right into your forms. It’s a simple way to keep your list clean and bounce rate low.

6. Blacklist sketchy IPs

Bots often come from the same IP address and can register dozens of fake signups in minutes. If you notice a flood of signups from a single IP, that’s a red flag.

You can block repeat offenders manually or set up automatic protections using tools like Cloudflare. You can even apply rate limiting – slowing down traffic from any IP that’s moving too fast. Most bots don’t have the patience for that and will move on to easier targets.

7. Watch for signup spikes

Getting 200 signups at 2 a.m. might sound exciting… until you realize they’re all fake. If you're not running a campaign and suddenly see a burst of new subscribers, it's worth a closer look.

Keep an eye on signup timestamps. If a bunch came in at the same weird time, especially with sketchy email formats, pause and review. Better to filter early than clean up the mess later.

8. Break up your forms into steps

Instead of asking for everything up front (name, email, location etc.), use multi-step forms to break down the signup process into chunks.

It helps discourage bots (who love to dump garbage in one go) and also makes the whole thing more interactive for your real users.

9. Scrub your list regularly

Even with all your defenses up, some junk will still sneak through. That’s totally normal, but it’s also why regular list cleaning is a must.

• Remove contacts that haven’t engaged in 3 to 6 months

• Use validation tools to scan for fake or inactive emails

• Look out for strange formats or disposable domains

A clean list means better deliverability, lower costs, and a much higher chance your emails reach the right inbox.

How to Deal with Spam Signups You Already Have

Let’s say the bots have already crashed your party. Here’s how to clean up the mess:

• Segment inactive users and give them a sunset email or remove them entirely

• Check for red flags in email addresses (random characters, gibberish domains, etc.)

• Cross-check signup times to spot suspicious spikes

• Use email validation tools to confirm legitimacy before re-engaging

The Bottom Line

Spam bots and fake signups might be sneaky, but with the right tools and habits in place, you can stay one step ahead. Here’s what to remember:

✅ Use smart form protections like reCAPTCHA, double opt-in, and honeypot fields to stop most bots before they even get on your list.

✅ Keep an eye on signup activity. Sudden spikes, weird email formats, or repeat IPs are all signs of bot traffic.

✅ Break up your forms into steps to make life harder for bots and more engaging for real humans.

✅ Clean your list regularly to remove dead weight, reduce bounce rates, and improve deliverability.

✅ Use email verification tools and traffic filters to keep your data clean, costs down, and email ROI strong.

A little prevention goes a long way. Your list (and your inbox placement) will thank you!

⚠️ Misclassify a product? It could cost you.

Sales tax isn’t just about rates — it’s about getting the classification right.

One wrong tax code, and you’re looking at penalties, refunds, or a full-blown audit.

Here are 5 quick tips to avoid common product classification mistakes:

✅ Understand taxability by state — SaaS might be taxable in one state, exempt in another.

✅ Don’t rely on product names alone — “Book” doesn’t mean it’s exempt (especially if it’s an eBook).

✅ Watch for product lookalikes — Like supplements vs. medicine — similar format, very different tax rules.

✅ Bundle with caution — Each item in a bundle could be taxed differently.

✅ Audit regularly — Product details change. Tax laws change. Your classifications need to keep up.

Sound complicated? It is.

That’s why Kintsugi automates all of it — so you don’t have to second-guess a single SKU.

🎁 Exclusive offer: EEM subscribers get 3 free months. No contract. No stress.

🔥 DTC Wins: Kizik Champions Movement with Parkinson’s Foundation

Kizik just launched its Made to Move initiative with a powerful first step: a year-long national partnership with the Parkinson’s Foundation.

The goal? Make movement easier and more accessible for the 1M+ Americans living with Parkinson’s.

Here’s what they’re doing:

• Donating hands-free shoes + funds to support the Parkinson’s community

• Hosting internal training to build empathy and spark innovation

• Showing up at Moving Day walks across the country to engage with families firsthand

• Featuring Parkinson’s Foundation leaders at their company-wide summit

Smart cause marketing with real-world impact.

And a reminder that the best DTC brands don’t just sell products—they solve meaningful problems.

Annnnd that’s a wrap for this edition! 

Thanks for hanging with Chase and me—always a pleasure to have you here.

If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim & Chase Dimond

Love this newsletter but want to receive it less frequently? Let us know by clicking here!