A new email platform. The same audience choices.

Separate the platform change from the permission decision

Define which organisation sends the messages, which brands are included and what the audience expects to receive. Moving software does not itself create a new permission or authorise a different purpose. If sender, purpose or data use changes, assess that change explicitly rather than hiding it inside a technical migration.

The ICO distinguishes individual and corporate subscribers under PECR. Unsolicited marketing to individual subscribers needs consent or all requirements of an applicable soft opt-in. The guidance now distinguishes products-and-services and charitable-purposes soft opt-ins. Corporate rules differ, but sender identification and a valid opt-out address still matter. Do not classify every business-looking email address as a corporate subscriber.

Inventory what an address book leaves behind

Before cancelling the old platform, identify the records and controls that sit outside its simple contacts export.

Create a reviewed release file

Use separate queues for approved recipients, excluded records and cases that need review. Retain original collection dates and notice versions where relevant; an export date or import timestamp is not the date someone agreed to receive marketing. Keep the evidence where it can be retrieved without copying unnecessary personal details into every tool.

Reconcile duplicate records across lists before creating the destination audience. Check especially for an old subscribed record and a later withdrawal attached to the same address. Establish an approved conflict rule and record exceptions. Do not let the order of CSV rows make the decision.

Inspect supported destination import fields and test the mapping. In SendMailOS, do not assume that uploading an arbitrary permission, suppression or workflow-status column recreates the old platform's controls. Prepare the reviewed sendable group and verify its audience rules. A successful import proves that a file was accepted, not that marketing to its contents is appropriate.

Use a single, controlled cutover

1. Freeze a reviewable snapshot

   Record the source export, dataset counts and the time it was taken. Decide which system remains authoritative until the final switch.

2. Account for every pending send

   List scheduled campaigns and active journeys in the old system. Choose which finish there, which are stopped, and which are rebuilt. Avoid sending the same welcome or promotion twice.

3. Test a designated audience

   Check sender identity, domain configuration, subject, links, reply handling and unsubscribe behaviour. Verify that a test withdrawal affects subsequent marketing as intended.

4. Reconcile the final changes

   Capture new signups, edits and withdrawals received after the snapshot. Explain differences between the reviewed source counts and the destination audience.

5. Switch entry points and release

   Update forms and integrations deliberately, remove obsolete schedules, and enable the approved campaign only after the final audience is checked. Keep a named pause owner.

Make the first campaign easy to investigate

Start with a message that fits the audience's existing expectations. Save the content version, approved audience definition and route with the release record. Monitor unexpected recipients, complaints, withdrawals and delivery problems alongside useful responses. A move to a different platform does not justify suddenly increasing frequency.

Separate the audience review from the cost decision. Hosted delivery consumes your monthly allowance. Connected own-server sending is available from €12/month with no monthly platform email quota on that route, while VPS charges, capacity, warm-up, fair use, subscriber limits and other plan limits apply.

The worksheet below creates a local handoff document, not an import or legal assessment. Use dataset descriptions, counts and evidence references. Keep actual contact records in the protected system your organisation uses for that purpose.