How Do I Know if GDPR is Applicable to My MailChimp Newsletter?

First, I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one on TV! You should consult your legal advisors about GDPR if you are unsure about what to do.

Time is ticking and many people in the US are still scrambling to figure out if the new GDPR regulations apply to them. I won’t go into great deal about GDPR because you’ve probably received a ton of information on that already from various companies you are working with. But if you are a MailChimp user, you can read this over for a refresher!

One question I’ve received a lot is “How Do I Know if GDPR is Applicable to My MailChimp Newsletter?” Just follow these steps to see if GDPR applies to your newsletter.

Log in to your MailChimp account.

1. Select Lists from the top navigation bar.
2. Scroll through your list to see if any of your lists have the new GDPR bubble next to it.
3. If you see the bubble, click Stats on the right.

If you DO NOT see the bubble – then follow these steps to see if it displays there:

1. Click Lists at the top.
2. Next to your list, click the drop down arrow and select Settings.
3. Select “List name & defaults.”
4. Under “Form Settings“, check the box “Enable GDPR fields.”
5. Save it.

Go back to Lists and you should see the bubble.

Finding Countries

1. Scroll down to Audience Growth.
2. On the right hand side, click the gray drop down that says “Past 7 days.”
3. Select Past Year.

Scroll down to the bottom and you should see “Top Locations“. I recommend “Past Year” so you can see a bigger picture of your subscribers and who has opened your newsletters.

You can then cross reference your list with the list of EU countries which are:

If you don’t have any EU Countries, that’s great, however… periodically you should be checking to see if any show up! So it might be a good thing to conduct business as if you see them!

Ack! I have the GDPR bubble! Now what!?

Then you need to get consent from your users. As MailChimp states, “The GDPR says you must obtain freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent from your contacts. You also must clearly explain how you plan to use their personal data.”

You now need to go over to “Collect Consent with GDPR Forms“. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and be ready to read it all and then take action. I say “read it all” because you should read it before trying to perform any of the steps. This way if you have any questions before you get started, you can ask someone for help.

But wait… there’s more. Have you created your Privacy Statement? You know… the one where you explain how you plan to use their personal data? If not, stop here. You need to create that so it can be used with your forms.

You can get an idea of what a Privacy Statement should look like by reviewing MailChimp’s Privacy Statement. My Privacy Statement will be updated hopefully! ;o) by the deadline of May 25!!!