Transactional vs Marketing Emails: Rules and Best Practices

Transactional and marketing emails serve different purposes and have different rules.

Transactional Emails

Triggered by user action: order confirmations, password resets, shipping notifications. No opt-in required.

Marketing Emails

Promotional content: newsletters, offers, announcements. Requires explicit consent and unsubscribe option.

Key Differences

• Consent: Transactional implied, marketing explicit
• Deliverability: Transactional higher priority
• Content: Keep promotional content under 20% in transactional

Conclusion

Don't blur the lines. Overloading transactional with promos hurts deliverability and trust.