What’s the difference between suppression by consent vs by behavior?

Consent based suppression excludes subscribers who haven't granted permission for specific message types. If someone opted into newsletters but not promotional emails, consent suppression keeps them off promotional lists. This is a legal and ethical requirement that respects subscriber boundaries.

Behavioral suppression excludes subscribers based on their actions or inaction. Unengaged subscribers who haven't opened in 90 days, recent purchasers who shouldn't receive cart abandonment emails, or high complainers who pose reputation risk might be suppressed based on behavior rather than explicit preference.

Consent suppression is binary and explicit. Either someone consented to this message type or they didn't. There's no judgment call. Behavioral suppression is strategic and variable. You decide thresholds, timing, and criteria based on your program goals and risk tolerance.

Both types of suppression protect your program but serve different purposes. Consent suppression ensures legal compliance and respects subscriber choice. Behavioral suppression protects deliverability and engagement metrics by excluding addresses that harm performance.

Build systems that apply both suppression types simultaneously. A subscriber might pass behavioral criteria but fail consent checks, or vice versa.

Consent suppression is the harbor rule that bars entry. Behavioral suppression is the captain's decision to avoid certain waters.