• 14 September, 2020
• No Comments

How to Send Mass Email Without Showing Addresses: 2 Great Workarounds

It can’t be reiterated enough that data privacy is precious commodity. In Singapore, laws have been put in place to ensure that no entity or organisation is left in the dark when it comes to stringent guidelines on data privacy.

The same respect to privacy should be observed even in the context of sending emails to multiple recipients. Of course, in cases when the recipients already know each other, or they are all part of the same project, then getting them lumped together in the same thread with their identities visible shouldn’t cause issues.

There are instances, however, when you don’t want to show the addresses to your recipients. A good rule of thumb is to understand the governing privacy and confidentiality standards. With these rules in mind, we’re ready to examine the workarounds on how to send mass email without showing email addresses.

Also Read: PDPA For Companies: Compliance Guide For Singapore Business

How to Send Mass Email Without Showing Email Addresses Through Gmail and Outlook

Before getting into the details, let’s first define what it means to ‘Cc’ and ‘Bcc’ in your email. To ‘Cc’ means to ‘carbon copy’ a recipient or recipients, and anyone added to this field will get a copy of your message.

On the flip side, to ‘Bcc’ means to ‘blind carbon copy’ a recipient or recipients and works almost the same as Cc, but with one difference: Addresses added to the Bcc field are hidden from all recipients. It should be noted that both features are available in Gmail and Outlook.

Utilising basic email tools to send mass email can work for you if:

1. you are not frequently sending mass email,
2. the content of your mass email is not for email marketing, or
3. you don’t want to spend on email marketing services.

The Gmail route

Gmail, which is simpler than Outlook, only takes three steps to send an email with hidden addresses.Go to Gmail and click ‘compose’ to create a new email.

First, go to Gmail and click ‘compose’ to create a new email

Next, in the ‘To’ field enter ‘Undisclosed recipients’ and add your address after it (for instance, [email protected]). Putting ‘undisclosed recipients’ will notify everyone that there are multiple recipients without revealing their identities.

Finally, click on ‘Bcc’ (upper right) and enter your addresses into the Bcc field. You are now ready to compose your email and send it out.

Sending via Outlook

First, find and add the ‘Bcc’ field in your message. Go to ‘Options,’ and in the ‘Show fields’ section, select Bcc.

The Bcc box will appear by default for every message. Similar to Gmail, you can hide recipient addresses by putting them all in the Bcc field. Also, similar to Gmail, you can alert recipients about your email being sent to several addresses by using the ‘Undisclosed recipients’ feature.

The downside

There are certain limitations to using Gmail and Outlook in sending mass emails.

• First, you will not be able to personalise your greeting because you are sending one email template to multiple recipients. In the noisy world of email inboxes, personalising your email is important if you want to get noticed.
• Second, both Gmail and Outlook strictly suppress sending spam to prevent suspicious activity. For Gmail, the daily sending limit is 500 emails.
• Third, emails with hidden recipients may be flagged as spam by ISPs. If so, there’s a high chance that some addresses will not receive your message. Bear this in mind if you’re considering sending mass email regularly. Adding the ‘Undisclosed recipients’ email can help you get around this dilemma.

If you find the disadvantages above hampering your mass email activity, then perhaps you might want to consider leveraging email marketing platforms.

How to Send Mass Email Without Showing Addresses Using Email Marketing Platforms

Sending bulk emails via basic email will only work for sometime. However, if you’re working toward email campaigns, email marketing platforms is your best course on how to send mass email without showing addresses.

The benefits of using an email marketing platforms cannot be denied:

• They give you access to delivery reports and campaign statistics.
• Your email has a low chance of ending up in the spam folder.
• They let you segment and personalise your emails, which can lead to higher engagement from your target recipients.

The downside

Email marketing platforms cost money. Hence, you really have to optimise your use of this platform should you decide to subscribe to one. Additionally, make sure you study your options well so you get the best platform for your email marketing needs.

Also Read: Is it Illegal to Email Someone Without Their Permission?

Final Thoughts

Determining the best way on how to send mass email without showing addresses all boils down to your purpose. The important thing to remember is that regardless of tools you use, adhering to existing privacy rules is of utmost importance.