Fake addresses on lead magnets: spot them, stop them.
A white paper, a checklist or a free check brings in leads, and a good share of them with addresses nobody reads. This guide shows how to spot fake and mistyped addresses in your lead list, what validation and emailed download links really fix and how visitors can verify their address with one sent email.
- Why lead magnets attract fake addresses
- Validation and download links compared
- A verified address with one email
Christian Schätzlein, Founder and developer of Sendity
3 min read
Which leads are useless?
Tap the suspicious leads, then reveal.
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Real Company address, looks fine.
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Useless Keyboard mash: all that mattered was the download.
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Useless Typo: your follow-up never arrives.
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Useless Throwaway inbox, gone in an hour.
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Real Private address, but real.
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Cannot tell Looks real. Whether Sabine typed her own address or a colleague’s, no list can tell.
Sign-ups by message. No form, no code.
Sendity is a sign-up widget for your website. Instead of filling in a form, your visitors send one short message via WhatsApp or email. Sendity checks who it came from and hands your site the name and the confirmed phone number or email address.
See how Sendity works →-
One message instead of a form Visitors tap send in WhatsApp or their email app. Nothing to type, no confirmation email to click.
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Confirmed by the message itself The contact comes from the sender of the message, so typos and made-up addresses never reach your list.
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Pay per confirmed contact Start with 1,000 free credits, no credit card. After that, prepaid packages with no subscription.
Visitors want the download, not your follow-up. The form is the price, and some pay it with a made-up address.
What it costs
Sales calls nobody answers, bounces that hurt your sender reputation and a cost per lead that looks better than it is.
Validation
Checking syntax, domain and known throwaway providers catches keyboard mash and some typos. It cannot tell whether the address belongs to the person who typed it.
Download link by email
Sending the file only by email forces a real inbox. It adds a step, the email may land in spam, and throwaway inboxes still receive it.
One email from the visitor
With reverse OTP, the visitor sends a prepared email to get the download. The address comes from the sender, Sendity checks its signature (DKIM), and throwaway inboxes that can only receive drop out.
Contact details from the signature
Business emails usually carry a signature with name, company and phone. Sendity can take these over, so you need fewer form fields.
Download in three steps.
How a lead magnet works with one sent email instead of a form.
Request the download
The visitor taps the button next to your white paper.
Send one email
The email is prepared in their mail app; they only tap send.
Download starts
Your page releases the file, and you have a verified address.
Form or sent email?
What ends up in your lead list.
| Aspect | Form with download link | With Sendity |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Typed, unchecked | Sender of the email |
| Typos | Possible | None |
| Throwaway inboxes | Get through | Mostly cannot send |
| Company details | Extra form fields | From the email signature, where present |
What a sent email changes.
Fewer leads that look good and lead nowhere.
Addresses sales can use
Every lead has written to you from this address.
Shorter than a form
One tap on send instead of five fields.
Signature instead of fields
Name, company and phone from the signature, where the visitor has one.
Live on your page in minutes.
Sendity runs as a compact widget on your page. Pick the path that fits your website.
Lead magnets: common questions.
May I send marketing emails after the download?
Only with consent. Whether you may tie the download to a newsletter consent is disputed; check with your data protection advisor.
What if someone sends from a private address?
Then you get that private address, verified. You know it is real, and you can see that it is not a company address.
How does it work on a computer?
The button opens the mail program with the email prepared. Alternatively, visitors scan a QR code and send from their phone.
Can visitors use WhatsApp instead?
Yes, if you enable it for the campaign. Then you get a verified phone number instead of an address.
Keep reading.
Reviewed for accuracy in by Christian Schätzlein.
Leads with a verified address.
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