Summary
Experts, marketers, and documentation generally agree that COVID-19 related emails, in themselves, were not the primary cause of deliverability issues. The problems were mainly linked to factors such as increased email volumes, changes in sending patterns, poor list hygiene, subscriber fatigue, failing to authenticate emails, and the rise of phishing and scam emails exploiting the pandemic. ESPs increased scrutiny on all emails during the start of the pandemic. ML filters consider multiple factors beyond just keywords. Maintaining clean lists, authenticating emails, segmenting audiences, and sending valuable, targeted content are crucial for avoiding deliverability problems.
Key findings
- Volume Surge & Pattern Changes: The pandemic caused a surge in email volume and changes in sending patterns, triggering spam filters.
- List Hygiene Impact: Poor list hygiene practices exacerbated deliverability issues.
- Authentication Importance: Proper email authentication is critical for ensuring deliverability.
- Subscriber Fatigue: Increased email frequency led to subscriber fatigue and decreased engagement.
- Keyword sensitivity: Content filters might flag emails containing specific keywords related to current events, including COVID-19
- ESP scrutiny: ESPs placed increased scrutiny on all emails during the start of the pandemic
Key considerations
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers.
- Authenticate Emails: Implement and maintain email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Segment Audiences: Segment email lists to target specific groups of subscribers with relevant content.
- Consistent Sending: Maintain consistent sending patterns and avoid sudden spikes in volume.
- Relevance & Value: Focus on sending valuable and relevant content to avoid subscriber fatigue and spam complaints.
What email marketers say
7 marketer opinions
While there wasn't a widespread block on COVID-19 related emails, various email marketers and platforms observed increased email volumes and changing user behavior during the pandemic. Deliverability issues were primarily linked to factors like sudden shifts in sending patterns, poor list hygiene, subscriber fatigue due to increased frequency, and a greater need for relevant and empathetic messaging. Maintaining clean lists, authenticating emails, segmenting audiences, and sending valuable, targeted content are crucial for avoiding deliverability problems.
Key opinions
- Increased Volume: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant surge in email volumes across various industries.
- Decreased Engagement: Engagement rates, such as open rates and click-through rates, generally declined as a result of subscriber fatigue.
- List Hygiene: Poor list management practices, like sending to inactive or unengaged subscribers, exacerbated deliverability issues.
- Empathy & Relevance: The need for empathetic and relevant messaging became more critical to avoid negative impacts on sender reputation.
- ESPs scrutiny: Some ESPs increased scrutiny, penalising poorly crafted emails
Key considerations
- Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers.
- Authenticate Emails: Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation.
- Segment Audiences: Segment audiences based on engagement and preferences to send targeted content.
- Relevant Content: Focus on providing valuable and relevant content that addresses subscribers' needs and interests.
- Monitor Sending Patterns: Avoid sudden spikes in email volume that can trigger spam filters.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus shares that COVID-19 has led to increased email volume and the need for brands to communicate with empathy and relevance. While not directly causing deliverability issues, the need for careful segmentation and messaging is highlighted to avoid negative impacts.
24 Jun 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view
Email marketer from Validity explains that while they didn't see a widespread blanket block on COVID-19 related emails, they emphasized the importance of maintaining good list hygiene and relevance, as increased email volume and changed customer behavior could impact deliverability.
21 Apr 2022 - Validity
What the experts say
6 expert opinions
Experts generally agree that COVID-19 related emails themselves are not the primary cause of deliverability issues. While some filters may be more sensitive to COVID-19 related keywords, problems are more often linked to factors such as reactivating old email addresses, changes in sending volume, poor list hygiene, failing to authenticate emails, and the rise of phishing and scam emails exploiting the pandemic. Machine learning filters consider multiple factors beyond just keywords, and blocking based on a single word/phrase is considered too broad and ineffective.
Key opinions
- No Blanket Block: Experts are not seeing evidence of a widespread blocking of legitimate emails containing COVID-19 related content.
- Focus on Sender Practices: Deliverability issues are primarily attributed to changes in sending volume, poor list hygiene, and lack of email authentication.
- ML Filter Complexity: Machine learning filters consider multiple factors beyond just the presence of COVID-19 related keywords.
- Phishing and Scams: The surge in phishing and scam emails exploiting the pandemic can indirectly damage the overall reputation of emails surrounding that topic.
- Reactivating old data: Sending to reactivated old email addresses, can cause deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Prioritize List Hygiene: Maintain a clean email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
- Implement Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation.
- Monitor Sending Volume: Avoid sudden spikes in email volume that can trigger spam filters.
- Combat Phishing and Scams: Be vigilant in identifying and reporting phishing and scam emails related to COVID-19.
- Consider the broader context: Be aware that even legitimate emails could be affected if sent alongside phishing and scams
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that while legitimate COVID-19 related emails may not directly cause deliverability problems, there's a surge in phishing and scam emails exploiting the pandemic which may damage the overall reputation of emails surrounding that topic.
27 Jul 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that ML filters don’t work on single pieces of information, so even if there’s a trend of COVID-19 emails being spam, there’s also a high volume of legitimate COVID-19 emails so it doesn’t work. Also the filter must apply 'non-spam doesn't' test
8 Mar 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Technical documentation from Gmail, Microsoft, and RFC emphasizes that while content related to trending topics like COVID-19 can trigger spam filters, the primary focus for ensuring deliverability is maintaining consistent sending patterns, properly authenticating emails, and targeting engaged recipients. Properly formatted and well-authenticated emails will not be penalized based solely on content.
Key findings
- Sending Pattern Sensitivity: Sudden changes in sending patterns can trigger spam filters, particularly when related to trending topics.
- Content Filtering: Content filters may flag emails containing specific keywords related to current events, including COVID-19.
- Authentication Importance: Proper email authentication is crucial for ensuring deliverability and avoiding penalties based on content.
- Targeted Recipients: Targeting engaged recipients is important for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
- Message formatting: Accurate message formatting is key to ensure email validity
Key considerations
- Maintain Consistency: Maintain a consistent sending volume and avoid sudden spikes.
- Implement Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Target Engagement: Focus on sending emails to engaged recipients.
- Monitor Content: Be mindful of keywords related to current events that may trigger spam filters.
- Accurate formatting: Ensure accurate message formatting and authentication
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft shares that content filters might flag emails containing specific keywords related to current events, including COVID-19. Senders should ensure emails are properly authenticated and targeted to engaged recipients.
26 Jul 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains the need for accurately formatted emails, it explains that emails that are crafted correctly and are well authenticated will not be penalised based on content alone.
12 Nov 2024 - RFC
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