# Readers and consent

> How readers join a Geenius Newsletter publication: double opt-in, the consent log, unsubscribing, erasing a reader and reader data downloads.

Source: https://newsletter.geenius.io/docs/readers-and-consent/

Only readers who said yes get your issues.

## Double opt-in

A reader who signs up is **pending** and gets a mail with a confirmation link. After the click they are **active**. Only active readers get issues.

> [!NOTE]
> Newsletter is in early access: invite-only, payments in test mode, and sending to real inboxes is not switched on yet. Sends run in test mode, so no mail leaves the app.

## The consent log

Every signup, confirmation and change is written to the reader's consent log. Entries are only ever added, never edited, so you can show how and when a person agreed.

## The states of a reader

| State | What it means | Gets issues |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pending | Signed up, has not clicked the confirmation link yet | No |
| Active | Confirmed | Yes |
| Unsubscribed | Left by the link in an issue | No |
| Suppressed | Hard bounce, three soft bounces, or a complaint | No, never again |

Subscribers in your plan count pending and active readers across a workspace's publications.

## Lists

A publication can have several lists, for example a weekly letter and a monthly digest. An issue goes to one or more of them. You can rename a list, change how often it is sent, take it out of use and bring it back.

## Leaving

Every issue has a one-click unsubscribe. You can also erase a reader for good. Readers can download their own data.