Cold Email

Is Cold Email GDPR Compliant? [Is It Legal?]

Mar 20, 2025

  • Is Cold Email GDPR Compliant?
  • Is Cold Email Legal?
  • How to write cold emails that are GDPR compliant
Cold Email GDPR | Breakcold


Is Cold Email GDPR Compliant?

Yes cold email is GDPR compliant.

According to Recital 47of the EU general data protection regulation 2016/679 (GDPR), cold emails are legal as long as you have a legitimate interest to contact your prospects.

Here is an excerpt: "The processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest."

Close deals in 2023, not in 2010 | Breakcold


Is Cold Email Legal?

Yes cold email is legal but we need to distinguish between emails sent to B2C recipients and ones sent to B2B recipients. Some countries prohibit cold emailing too.

You can send cold emails B2B recipients

Cold Email GDPR B2B Legal | Breakcold


Cold emails are legal if you target individuals in a B2B environnement, meaning that you only use B2B email addresses.

Example: sauron@mordor.com

You can't send cold emails to B2C recipients

Cold Email GDPR Legal B2C | Breakcold


On the other hand, it's illegal to send cold emails to B2C email addresses such as: sauron@gmail.com.

Countries where cold emailing is prohibited

Although International and European rules make cold email legal, some countries decided to prohibit the usage. Such countries are Danemark or Canada. To ensure compliance with local regulations, it's essential to consult legal resources specific to your target market before launching any cold email campaigns.

In practice though, most people still use cold emails in those countries but just optimize them to highly respect the recipients (with clear opt-out options etc).

How to write cold emails that are GDPR compliant

Writing cold emails that are GDRP compliant is pretty easy, there are 3 key points to remember.

1. Be relevant

Your cold emails should not be spam emails.

It's simple: you need to have an offer & a sales pitch that can interest your prospects (ie. you need to have a legitimate interest to do business with them).

2. Unsubscribe links

Cold Email GDPR Unsubscribe Link | Breakcold


Although using unsubscribe links is the best way to completely destroy your cold email deliverability, they remain the safest way to be compliant with the GDPR or any other rules about cold emailing such as ensuring SOC 2 compliance.

3. Smart PS lines

Cold Email GDPR PS Line | Breakcold


From my perspective, this method is the best to stay compliant while also boosting your email deliverability.

What you're doing here is that you ask people to reply to your email to unsubscribe.

It looks like this:PS: reply with "I love Breakcold" if you don't want to hear about me anymore

About the author

Arnaud Belinga

Breakcold Youtube Channel

"i wrote this article"

Try my sales CRM software
(people love it)
👇

WATCH DEMO 🎥
BREAKCOLD CRM

Related Articles

How To Improve Your Cold Email Copywriting? [7 Rules]

Cold Email

How To Improve Your Cold Email Copywriting? [7 Rules]

Discover More

What Is A Bad, Good & Average Cold Email Conversion Rate? [2025 Guide]

Cold Email

What Is A Bad, Good & Average Cold Email Conversion Rate? [2025 Guide]

Discover More

Cold Email Books

Cold Email

Top 14 Cold Email Books To Read in 2025 [Classified by Reviews & Relevance]

Discover More

Cold Email Domain: What is it? How Many Do You Need?

Cold Email

Cold Email Domain: What is it? How Many Do You Need?

Discover More

Cold Email vs Cold Call: Which One is Best for Sales Outreach?

Cold Email

Cold Email vs Cold Call: Which One is Best for Sales Outreach?

Discover More

10 Cold Email Alternatives To Use For 2025

Cold Email

10 Cold Email Alternatives To Use For 2025

Discover More

Cold Email First Line [How To Use Opening Lines 2025 GUIDE]

Cold Email

Cold Email First Line [How To Use Opening Lines 2025 GUIDE]

Discover More

7 Keys To Write the Perfect Cold Email Call To Action (CTA) [With A List of 28 CTAs]

Cold Email

7 Keys To Write the Perfect Cold Email Call To Action (CTA) [With A List of 28 CTAs]

Discover More

Cold Email Closing Lines 2025 GUIDE [How To End A Perfect Cold Email]

Cold Email

Cold Email Closing Lines 2025 GUIDE [How To End A Perfect Cold Email]

Discover More

Cold Email Doesn't Work: 7 Key Methods To Solve It

Cold Email

Cold Email Doesn't Work: 7 Key Methods To Solve It

Discover More

7 Ways To Get Cold Email Personalization Right [With Examples]

Cold Email

7 Ways To Get Cold Email Personalization Right [With Examples]

Discover More

Cold Email 101

Cold Email

Cold Email 101

Discover More

4 Rules To Write A Cold Email Follow-Up [With 4 Templates]

Cold Email

4 Rules To Write A Cold Email Follow-Up [With 4 Templates]

Discover More

Does Cold Email Work? (2025 Edition)

Cold Email

Does Cold Email Work? (2025 Edition)

Discover More

Cold Email vs Email Marketing: What's The Difference?

Cold Email

Cold Email vs Email Marketing: What's The Difference?

Discover More

Cold Email vs Warm Email: What's The Difference?

Cold Email

Cold Email vs Warm Email: what's the difference?

Discover More

16 Cold Email Templates Analyzed [With Results]

Cold Email

15 Cold Email Templates Analyzed [With Results]

Discover More

How to Use Cold Email PS Lines [With 6 Templates]

Cold Email

How to Use Cold Email PS Lines [With 6 Templates]

Discover More

How To Write A Good Cold Email Sales Pitch? [With Pitch Examples]

Cold Email

How To Write A Good Cold Email Sales Pitch? [With Pitch Examples]

Discover More

Cold Email Open Rate (ULTIMATE GUIDE 2025)

Cold Email

Cold Email Open Rate (ULTIMATE GUIDE 2025)

Discover More

Cold Email Reply Rate (ULTIMATE GUIDE 2025)

Cold Email

Cold Email Reply Rate (ULTIMATE GUIDE 2025)

Discover More

Cold Email vs LinkedIn Message: What Is The Best For Outbound Sales?

Cold Email

Cold Email vs LinkedIn Message: What Is The Best For Outbound Sales?

Discover More

Cold Email vs Spam: 10 Key Differences

Cold Email

Cold Email vs Spam: 10 Key Differences

Discover More

Cold Email Subject Lines Secrets [18 Real Life Examples]

Cold Email

Cold Email Subject Lines Secrets [18 Real Life Examples]

Discover More

56 Cold Email Tips [ACTIONABLE in 2025]

Cold Email

56 Cold Email Tips [ACTIONABLE in 2025]

Discover More

SPF, DKIM, DMARC: What It Means for Cold Emailing?

Cold Email

SPF, DKIM, DMARC: What It Means for Cold Emailing?

Discover More

My 97% Success Rate Prospecting Techniques For Sales

Cold Email

My 97% Success Rate Prospecting Techniques For Sales

Discover More

How To Set Up Cold Email Custom Domain Tracking? [GUIDE]

Cold Email

How To Set Up Cold Email Custom Domain Tracking? [GUIDE]

Discover More

Cold Emailing Software: 30 Softwares & 30 Use Cases Explained

Cold Email

Cold Emailing Software: 31 Softwares & 31 Use Cases Explained

Discover More

Starting an Agency: From Idea to $10k/Month in 4 Hours

Cold Email

Starting an Agency: From Idea to $10k/Month in 4 Hours

Discover More

Try Breakcold NOW

Are you ready to accelerate your sales pipeline?

Join over +1000 agencies, startups & consultants closing deals with Breakcold Sales CRM