Summary
Diagnosing and fixing HubSpot email deliverability issues, particularly with a large database containing cold emails, necessitates a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. It begins with a detailed assessment of the business, address acquisition methods, email content, key performance indicators (KPIs), rejection messages, and problematic mailbox providers, along with the company’s domains and IP addresses. Core strategies include ensuring proper email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, maintaining meticulous list hygiene by removing inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and spam traps, and segmenting the audience based on engagement levels, historical data, and email verification results. Engaging in IP warm-up, personalizing cold emails, avoiding spam triggers, utilizing re-engagement campaigns, sending emails at consistent and appropriate frequencies, and actively monitoring sender reputation with tools like Google Postmaster Tools are also crucial. It is essential to recognize that validating email ownership does not equate to obtaining marketing consent and to address underlying issues before changing domains. Treating engagement measurements as part of a larger strategy, not a quick fix, and avoiding purchased lists are paramount to long-term deliverability success.
Key findings
- Holistic Diagnosis: A thorough examination of various factors, including business specifics, address acquisition methods, email content, KPIs, and rejection messages, is crucial for pinpointing the root causes of deliverability problems.
- Authentication & Compliance: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for proving email legitimacy, preventing spoofing, and building trust with email providers.
- Audience Segmentation: Segmenting email lists by engagement levels, historical data, and verification results enhances targeting precision and improves engagement rates.
- Reputation Monitoring: Leveraging tools like Google Postmaster Tools allows for continuous monitoring of sender reputation, facilitating the timely identification and resolution of deliverability issues.
- Ethical Email Practices: Adhering to ethical email marketing practices, such as obtaining explicit consent and avoiding purchased lists, is essential for maintaining a positive sender reputation and achieving sustainable deliverability.
Key considerations
- Comprehensive Strategy: Adopting a comprehensive email marketing strategy that encompasses authentication, list hygiene, segmentation, and continuous monitoring is critical for sustained deliverability improvement.
- Underlying Issues: Addressing the root causes of deliverability problems—such as poor list acquisition practices or spammy content—is essential before implementing any superficial fixes.
- Warm-up and Engagement: Prioritizing IP warm-up for new sending domains and focusing on personalized, engaging content can significantly improve sender reputation and engagement rates.
- Continuous Testing: Regularly testing email deliverability with various tools and email providers helps preemptively identify and address potential issues before large-scale sends.
- Compliance & Consent: Ensuring compliance with email marketing regulations and obtaining explicit consent from recipients are vital for avoiding legal and deliverability ramifications.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Diagnosing and fixing HubSpot email deliverability issues for a large database, especially with cold emails, requires a multi-faceted approach. Central to improving deliverability is maintaining a clean and segmented email list by removing inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and spam traps. Segmentation should be based on engagement levels, historical data, and email verification results. Sending emails consistently, avoiding spam triggers, and providing easy unsubscribe options are crucial. Warming up new IP addresses gradually and authenticating your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can further enhance deliverability. Personalizing cold emails and providing value to recipients also help. Testing deliverability with various tools and email providers is recommended to identify issues before large-scale sends. Finally, re-engagement campaigns can help win back inactive subscribers.
Key opinions
- List Hygiene: Cleaning your email list by removing inactive subscribers, hard bounces, and spam traps is essential for improving sender reputation and deliverability.
- Segmentation: Segmenting your email list based on engagement levels, historical data, and verification results allows you to target your audience more effectively and improve engagement.
- Authentication: Authenticating your email sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records helps prove to email providers that you have permission to send emails, improving trust and deliverability.
- Warming Up IPs: Gradually warming up new IP addresses by sending to small, engaged segments of your list helps build a positive sender reputation over time.
- Personalization: Personalizing your cold emails with specific details about the recipient's company or interests can increase engagement and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam.
- Testing: Regularly testing your email deliverability by sending test emails to different email providers and using deliverability testing tools helps identify and address potential issues.
Key considerations
- Root Cause: Fix the underlying issues causing deliverability problems before migrating to a new domain. Unaddressed problems will persist regardless of the domain.
- Cold Emails: Exercise caution when sending cold emails. Personalization, providing value, and using a separate IP address are recommended to protect your main domain's reputation.
- Spam Triggers: Avoid using spam trigger words, ensure a clear unsubscribe link, and use a reputable email service provider to minimize the chances of your emails being marked as spam.
- Engagement: Focus on increasing email engagement by creating valuable content, using compelling subject lines, and encouraging recipients to reply.
- Email Frequency: Send emails at a consistent and appropriate frequency based on your audience's preferences. Avoid overwhelming subscribers with too many emails.
- Re-engagement: Implement re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers, helping to clean your list and improve overall deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Woodpecker shares personalizing your cold emails with specific details about the recipient's company or interests can increase engagement and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam.
13 Mar 2024 - Woodpecker
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign explains using re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers by offering incentives, asking for feedback, or simply reminding them of the value you provide. This helps clean your list and improve deliverability.
16 Mar 2023 - ActiveCampaign
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Addressing HubSpot email deliverability issues, especially when dealing with a large database and cold emails, requires a strategic approach focusing on identifying the root causes of the problems and ensuring ethical email practices. Accurate diagnosis involves understanding the business type, address acquisition methods, content, key metrics, rejection messages, and problematic mailbox providers, as well as the company, domains, and IPs involved. Validating email ownership differs from obtaining consent for marketing, highlighting the need to address broader issues. Engagement measurements are part of a larger strategy rather than a quick fix, requiring careful definition and measurement. Purchased lists should be avoided due to spam traps and potential blacklisting.
Key opinions
- Comprehensive Diagnosis: A thorough assessment of business details, address acquisition, email content, metrics, and problematic providers is crucial for identifying deliverability issues.
- Engagement Strategy: Engagement measurement should be part of an overall strategy and not viewed as a quick fix, requiring careful definition and application.
- Consent Matters: Validating email address ownership is distinct from obtaining consent for marketing communications, indicating a need to address broader ethical considerations.
- Avoid Purchased Lists: Using purchased email lists is strongly discouraged due to the risk of including spam traps and potential blacklisting, harming sender reputation.
Key considerations
- Root Cause Analysis: Identify and address the underlying issues causing deliverability problems before implementing any quick fixes or changing domains.
- Ethical Email Practices: Ensure that you have explicit consent to send marketing emails and adhere to ethical email practices to maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Strategic Engagement: Develop a comprehensive engagement strategy that defines, measures, and utilizes engagement data to improve deliverability and sender reputation.
- Data Source: Refrain from using purchased email lists, and instead, focus on building a clean, opted-in email list to avoid spam traps and blacklisting.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares key details to narrow down email deliverability problems: business type, address acquisition methods, mail content, problem metrics and measurement, rejection messages, and problematic mailbox providers, and also the company, domains, and IPs involved.
8 Nov 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource explains that email marketers shouldn't use purchased lists. Spamresource notes purchased lists are full of spam traps and can get you blocked.
25 Apr 2022 - Spamresource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving email deliverability in HubSpot, particularly when dealing with a large database and cold emails, hinges on proper email authentication and reputation monitoring. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is critical for verifying that HubSpot has permission to send emails on your behalf, establishing trust with email providers. Regularly monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools provides insights into spam rates, IP reputation, and domain reputation, aiding in the identification and resolution of deliverability issues. Correctly configuring SPF records specifies authorized mail servers, preventing spammers from forging your email address.
Key findings
- Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are crucial for verifying the legitimacy of your emails and preventing spoofing.
- Reputation Monitoring: Google Postmaster Tools offers valuable insights into spam rates, IP reputation, and domain reputation to help identify and address deliverability issues.
- SPF Records: Properly configured SPF records specify authorized mail servers, preventing spammers from using your domain.
Key considerations
- Implementation: Ensure correct implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to maximize their effectiveness in improving email deliverability.
- Regular Monitoring: Consistently monitor your sender reputation using Google Postmaster Tools to proactively identify and resolve deliverability problems.
- IP Warmup: In addition to authentication, consider warming up your IP address when starting with cold emails to build a positive sending reputation gradually.
Technical article
Documentation from HubSpot explains that to improve email deliverability, you should authenticate your email sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. This helps prove to email providers that HubSpot has permission to send emails on your behalf. Also warm up your IP address.
6 Aug 2022 - HubSpot
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains an SPF record specifies the mail servers that are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. This helps prevent spammers from forging your email address.
9 Nov 2022 - RFC
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