CRM & outreachUpdated 12 Aug 20265 min

Declaring consent you hold outside Finocket

For contacts who gave you permission somewhere Finocket can't see, such as a Facebook lead form, a webinar or a trade show. Declare it and they stop being blocked. An unsubscribe still always wins, declarations expire, and every message sent on one is logged as such.

Most of your contacts give you permission inside Finocket: they fill in a form, reply on WhatsApp, tick a box. Finocket records the exact wording, the time and the source, so it can prove the opt-in later. Some contacts don't. They filled in a Facebook lead form, attended your webinar, met you at a trade show, or came from an industry directory. You have permission; we never saw it.

Declaring consent is how you tell Finocket about permission it can't see, so those contacts stop being blocked. It is the only setting in Finocket that turns a blocked message into an allowed one, so it's off until you turn it on, and this page sets out what you're taking on.

Turn it on

Open Campaigns and find Declare consent you hold outside Finocket. Only the workspace owner can switch it on. Choose how long a declaration lasts (365 days by default).

Declare it for the contacts it applies to

Select the contacts, choose Declare consent, and optionally record where the permission came from and a note. Both are optional. Finocket always records who declared it and when, because with no other evidence, that is the minimum worth keeping.

Declare it for people who actually gave you permission. Finocket cannot check the claim; it records that you made it.

What a declaration never overrides

A declaration does not outrank:

  • An unsubscribe. If someone opts out, they stay out. Declaring consent afterwards cannot bring them back; only they can, by opting in again themselves.
  • A spam complaint or a hard bounce. Both suppress the contact permanently.
  • A data-deletion or do-not-sell request. Handled the same way as always.
  • Quiet-hours holds, which apply to SMS where the law sets a window.
  • WhatsApp's 24-hour rule. Outside the window you still need an approved template, declaration or not.

Declarations expire

A declaration lasts as long as you set, then lapses, and the contact stops receiving marketing until you renew it or they opt in themselves. An unverified claim that nobody re-checks for three years isn't worth much. You can set the window to zero so declarations never expire, but you lose the record that they were ever revisited.

Every message says which basis it used

In the message log, a send that relied on a declaration is recorded as declared, never as a normal opt-in. So if you're ever asked which of your messages went out on a claim rather than on a recorded opt-in, you can answer with a filter.

Changed your mind about a batch

Every declaration you make in one action shares a batch reference. Withdrawing it takes one step and covers the whole batch, however many contacts it held. Nothing is deleted. Finocket appends the withdrawal, so the record shows both that the claim was made and that you took it back. Those contacts return to needing a real opt-in.

You can withdraw a batch even after switching the setting back off.

If you're not sure

Finocket records your declaration; it doesn't rule on whether contacting a particular person is lawful where you operate. If you're unsure whether a source gives you a basis to market to someone, ask someone who advises you on data protection before you declare it. The suppression rules, the expiry and the audit trail keep a record of what you did; they do not give you legal cover.

Does this work offline?

Frequently asked questions

My leads come from Facebook and events, not my website. Can I email them?

Turn on 'Declare consent you hold outside Finocket' in Campaigns, then declare it for those contacts. They stop being blocked. Finocket records who declared it and when. It cannot verify the claim itself.

Does declaring consent override an unsubscribe?

No, and it never will. An unsubscribe, a spam complaint, a hard bounce and a deletion request all outrank a declaration. Once someone opts out, only they can opt back in.

Do I have to record proof?

No. Where the permission came from and any note are both optional, so declaring is one step. Finocket always records who declared it and when, because with nothing else that is the minimum worth keeping.

Why did my declaration stop working?

Declarations expire after 365 days by default. After that the contact stops receiving marketing until you renew the declaration or they opt in themselves. You can change the window, or set it to zero so declarations never expire.

I declared consent for the wrong list. Can I undo it?

Yes, in one step. Every declaration made in one action shares a batch reference, so withdrawing covers the whole batch however large. Nothing is deleted. The withdrawal is appended, so the record shows both that you made the claim and that you took it back. It works even if you've since switched the setting off.

How do I tell which messages went out on a declaration?

The message log records the basis for every send. A message sent on a declaration reads 'declared', never as a normal opt-in, so you can filter for exactly those sends rather than reconstructing them later.

Is this legal where I operate?

That depends on the source and your jurisdiction, and it is not a call Finocket makes. Finocket records your declaration, expires it, and honours every opt-out. If you are unsure whether a source gives you a basis to market to someone, ask whoever advises you on data protection before declaring it.

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