Outbound strategy and the rules you must follow
Outbound in one sentence
You choose companies that fit your ideal customer profile, find the right people, and contact them with a relevant reason to talk — across email, phone and LinkedIn.
US rules
- CAN-SPAM applies to commercial email, including to businesses: honest sender and subject, a physical address, a clear opt-out honoured promptly.
- The Telemarketing Sales Rule exempts many business-to-business calls, but not all, and state laws can apply. The TCPA restricts automated calls and texts to mobile numbers.
UK rules
- PECR: marketing emails to corporate subscribers (limited companies, LLPs, government bodies) do not need prior consent if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out. Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals and generally need consent.
- Marketing calls to businesses must be screened against the Corporate TPS (and TPS for sole traders).
- UK GDPR: you need a lawful basis (usually legitimate interests), a privacy notice and respect for objections. Fines for breaching PECR’s marketing rules increased under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
EU
Rules vary by country and are often stricter — check before emailing EU businesses.
A compliant strategy
Target relevant roles only, use business contact details, keep a suppression list of everyone who opted out (across all campaigns and tools), and keep records of where data came from. This is general information, not legal advice.
💡 Real-world example
A UK outreach team was emailing a list that mixed limited companies and sole traders. Splitting the list by company type — and only emailing sole traders who had opted in — reduced complaints to almost zero and protected the sending domain.
✅ Checklist
🛠 Your assignment
Write a one-page outbound compliance checklist for the countries you will target.
📝 Check your understanding
Answer 2 of 3 correctly to complete this lesson.