Block lists vs exclusion lists

Overview

Block lists and exclusion lists are not the same.

Block lists are supported by email platforms like Smartlead, Instantly, and EmailBison. Where exclusion lists are supported by HeyReach.

This article explains the difference between them. It also includes some general guidance to ensure you maintain compliance, and don't suffer negative consequences from your outreach by messaging people you shouldn't.

Block lists

Smartlead, Instantly, and EmailBison all offer block lists. These are lists of email addresses or email domains that you do not want to contact. They can be applied both before and after campaign enrollment.

In other words, if an email address or email domain is added during a campaign, the no further communication will go to that email address or email domain.

Exclusion lists

On the other hand, HeyReach offers only exclusion lists based on individual B2B social profiles. An exclusion list is applied only before a lead is enrolled in a HeyReach campaign.

In general, OutboundSync recommends using more caution when it comes to exclusion lists because they can't be applied mid-campaign.

When doing campaigns with HeyReach, it's best to make sure they are eligible rather than relying on the exclusion list. And shipping more campaigns, that are shorter in duration, and have fewer steps, can reduce the likelihood of outreach to social profiles who should be excludued.

Considerations for omnichannel outreach

Given the nature of how these two types of lists work, you can thread email more tightly with other channels when running omnichannel sequences because the block list can be applied at any time.

Many OutboundSync users will do a staggered omnichannel approach, going one channel at a time, to reduce the likelihood of channel conflict.

Another method would be to reserve social channels for automation (like send connection requests, follow requests, or liking posts), while reserving other steps (like direct message) to manual delegation to a sales representative.