🛡️ Protect Your List from Bot Chaos

How to Protect Yourself from Bot Signups

Bot signups can be a real headache if you don’t take steps to guard against them. Over the past two years as a CRM specialist, I’ve juggled building customer journeys, updating segments, and proofreading emails for millions of subscribers. The last thing I wanted to worry about was deliverability issues caused by bots. Working across marketing agencies, e-commerce brands, and ESPs has taught me one thing: everyone hopes someone else will handle the bot problem—until it’s too late. Here’s how to protect yourself, based on what I’ve learned.

Why Bots Are a Problem

Bots clog your email list with junk addresses, tank your deliverability, cause a spike in complaint rates and skew your metrics. Whether it’s fake signups for a lead magnet or automated drive-by attacks, they waste your time and hurt your sender reputation. The good news? You can stop them with the right tools and tactics.

Validate Emails at Signup

• Confirmed Opt-In (COI): Require subscribers to confirm their email before joining your list. It’s not foolproof—some bots slip through—but it filters out casual garbage entries (like those random emails we all use for public Wi-Fi at airports or trains, right?).

• Tools like Kickbox or ZeroBounce: These services scrub your list by validating email addresses in real time. They catch typos, disposable emails, and outright fakes—perfect for removing junk before it pollutes your system.

• People sometimes enter throwaway emails to grab a freebie without committing. Validation ensures you’re only keeping real, engaged subscribers.

Outsmart Bots with Traps

Honeypot Technique: Add a hidden field or pixel to your signup form—something invisible to humans but irresistible to bots. When they interact with it, you’ve caught them. Block or flag those submissions instantly.

Bots don’t “see” like we do—they scan code. A well-placed trap exploits that, keeping your list clean without bothering real users.

Use Anti-Spam Plugins

• Akismet Anti-Spam: If you’re on WordPress, this plugin is a lifesaver. It quietly cuts off bots at the subscription page, no extra effort required.

• It’s a set-it-and-forget-it solution that’s battle-tested across millions of sites. Pair it with a CAPTCHA for extra protection if needed.

• Map out your signup process: where subscribers enter, how you filter bots, and what happens post-signup.

• A simple flowchart could look like: Signup Form → CAPTCHA/Honeypot → Email Validation → Welcome Email

• Visuals clarify your strategy for you and your team, ensuring everyone’s on the same page.

Final Thoughts

Bots don’t have to hurt your email plans, KPI’s and BAU campaigns. Pick one or two of these tactics—validation, traps, or plugins—and test them. You’ll save time, protect your deliverability, and keep your focus where it belongs: building a brand people love.

What’s your biggest bot headache? Let me know—I’ve seen it all!

Around the Industry 📮 

Notion Blows Up X: Notion just dropped a bombshell on X, offering early access to Notion Mail via a comment from @Notionmail. In case if you didn’t know: Notion Mail, launching in early 2025, is an email client from Notion that initially supports only Gmail integration. It promises a customizable, database-style inbox with AI to streamline organization. Well, 🤞 potentially it will help to organise that 100k unchecked email chaos by syncing with your Google account. Whether it’ll finally clear those daunting app popup numbers? That depends on how well its AI and Notion’s workflow magic can sort through the mess!