Summary
Improving email deliverability and open rates for a client with a poor domain reputation, especially within Gmail, requires a holistic approach encompassing authentication, list management, content strategy, and continuous monitoring. Authentication through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental. Proactive list hygiene, including the removal of inactive subscribers and email validation, is critical. Segmentation allows for tailored content that resonates with specific audience segments, increasing engagement. Strategies for unengaged users involve re-engagement campaigns, but ultimately, suppression may be necessary. Focusing on Gmail requires separate attention, encouraging engaged users to move emails from spam folders and adjusting sending strategies based on real-time performance. Monitoring metrics like bounce rates and complaint rates is vital for iterative optimization. IP warming is crucial when initiating email campaigns from new domains or IPs.
Key findings
- Authentication is Key: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify email authenticity and improve sender reputation.
- List Hygiene Matters: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive, bounced, and invalid addresses.
- Segmentation Improves Engagement: Segment your audience to deliver relevant content, increasing open rates and reducing spam complaints.
- Gmail Requires Special Attention: Prioritize Gmail delivery issues separately, focusing on engaged subscribers and spam folder placement.
- Reputation Impacts Deliverability: Monitor and improve sender reputation through consistent, valuable content and low complaint rates.
Key considerations
- Evaluate Spam Placement: Use tools like 250ok or Sender Score to gauge spam placement and understand deliverability issues.
- Warm Up New Domains: Gradually increase email volume when using a new domain or IP to establish a positive reputation.
- Avoid Spam Trigger Words: Minimize the use of spam trigger words in your email content to improve inbox placement.
- Incentivize Re-engagement: Offer incentives or exclusive content to re-engage inactive subscribers.
- Monitor Performance Metrics: Track key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates, to identify areas for improvement.
- Unsubscribe Process: Make the unsubscribe process easy to use to improve the reputation.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Improving email deliverability and open rates, especially with Gmail when facing a bad domain reputation, requires a multi-faceted approach. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial, as is diligent list hygiene, including removing bounced, unsubscribed, and inactive contacts. Segmentation and personalization are key to sending relevant content. Monitoring performance metrics like open rates, bounce rates, and complaint rates helps identify issues. For unengaged users, targeted re-engagement campaigns with incentives and clear value propositions can be effective, but pruning inactive subscribers is also essential. Consistent, valuable content, avoiding spam trigger words, and easy unsubscribe processes contribute to a positive sender reputation. When all else fails, especially with new domains, warming up the domain gradually is essential, and may require reverting to a previous domain if inboxing is not achieved with the new domain.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your email and improve sender reputation.
- List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list by removing bounced addresses, unsubscribed contacts, and inactive subscribers.
- Segmentation & Personalization: Segment your audience and personalize email content to increase engagement and relevance.
- Re-engagement Strategies: Implement targeted re-engagement campaigns with incentives to win back unengaged users.
- Performance Monitoring: Track key metrics (open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, complaint rates) to identify and address deliverability issues.
- Gmail Focus: Gmail requires specific attention; focus on recent subscribers/openers, ask them to move emails from spam, and separate gmail reporting from others.
Key considerations
- Domain Reputation: Actively work to improve sender reputation by consistently sending valuable and engaging content.
- Spam Triggers: Avoid using spam trigger words in your email content and ensure your unsubscribe process is user-friendly.
- New Domain Warming: If using a new domain, warm it up gradually to establish a positive sending reputation; it may take a long time and may not work.
- Email Validation: Use email validation services to identify and remove invalid email addresses from your list.
- Bounce Rate: Ensure your bounce rate stays below 2%.
- Sender Score: Consider using Sender Score and ReturnPath to measure and track domain reputation.
Marketer view
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that regularly cleaning your email list is crucial for maintaining good deliverability. Remove bounced email addresses, unsubscribed contacts, and inactive subscribers. Use email validation services to identify and remove invalid email addresses. Segment your list based on engagement and target your messaging accordingly.
8 May 2024 - HubSpot
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that improving open rates involves sending relevant content to a segmented audience. Clean your email list regularly to remove unengaged subscribers. Use compelling subject lines that entice recipients to open the email. Test different send times to find when your audience is most receptive.
27 Nov 2024 - Mailchimp
What the experts say
7 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability and open rates, especially with Gmail when facing a bad domain reputation, requires focusing on sending email that recipients want and suppressing those who don't engage. A key strategy involves segmenting and tailoring messaging based on engagement levels, especially for unengaged users, with options for opting down or receiving more relevant content. For Gmail, it's crucial to target recent subscribers/openers and encourage them to move emails from the spam folder. Reducing email volume to Gmail, especially to unengaged users, can rebuild reputation but needs to be tracked separately from other providers. Additionally, consider excluding problematic domains like Microsoft if they consistently show low engagement and focus on sending the right message to the right person at the right time rather than mass newsletters.
Key opinions
- Relevant Content: Send emails that people want to receive; suppress those who don't engage.
- Gmail Focus: Specifically address Gmail deliverability by focusing on recent subscribers/openers.
- Segmentation & Tailoring: Tailor messaging based on engagement; offer options for opting down or more relevant content.
- Reduce Volume: Reducing email volume to Gmail helps rebuild reputation.
- Problematic Domains: Consider excluding problematic domains like Microsoft if engagement is consistently low.
Key considerations
- Spam Complaints: Reducing the number of recipients who mark emails as spam is critical.
- Track Gmail Separately: Gmail deliverability must be tracked separately from other email providers.
- Right Message, Right Time: Focus on sending the right message to the right person at the right time instead of mass mailings.
- Spam Folder Placement: Encourage engaged Gmail recipients to move emails from the spam folder to the inbox.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests eliminating problematic domains like Microsoft from resends if they show low engagement, which may improve deliverability and program-wide engagement.
6 Oct 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that improving domain reputation involves sending email people want. If people don't want the emails then they should be suppressed. Once you get below a certain number of recipients who complain (i.e. hit the spam button) then filters will stop automatically junking your mail.
7 Oct 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Improving email deliverability, especially with Gmail and a bad domain reputation, hinges on proper authentication, responsible sending practices, and gradual IP warming. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for authentication and protecting against spoofing. Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score is crucial. Sending unwanted mail and high complaint rates must be avoided. When using new IPs, gradually increase sending volume. Segmenting lists and targeting content also reduces spam complaints.
Key findings
- Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for authenticating email and protecting against spoofing.
- Reputation Monitoring: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score to monitor domain and IP reputation.
- IP Warming: Gradually increase email volume from new IPs to establish a positive sending reputation.
Key considerations
- Complaint Rates: Keep complaint rates low by avoiding sending unwanted mail.
- DNS Records: Ensure valid forward and reverse DNS records for sending domains and IPs.
- Unsubscription: Implement one-click unsubscription for marketing emails.
- List Segmentation: Segment email lists to send targeted content and reduce spam complaints.
- Policy Transition: Gradually transition DMARC policies from 'none' to 'quarantine' or 'reject'.
- SPF Configuration: Ensure SPF records are correctly configured and up-to-date with all authorized sending sources.
Technical article
Documentation from Gmail Help explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Ensure that sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records. Keep complaint rates low and avoid sending unwanted mail. Use the Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain reputation. If sending marketing emails, implement one-click unsubscription.
23 Dec 2021 - Gmail Help
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Docs explains to ensure proper sender authentication by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Monitor your sender reputation through tools like Sender Score. Warm up new IPs gradually before sending large volumes of email. Segment your email lists to send targeted content and reduce the chances of recipients marking your emails as spam.
7 Jan 2022 - Microsoft Docs
Are re-engagement email subject lines and practices deceptive and how should you deal with engaging with old leads and unsubscribes?
How can I improve email deliverability for a client with a poor sender reputation and questionable email acquisition practices?
How can I prevent emails from a new domain with an unengaged list from going to Gmail spam folders?
How can I safely message inactive email addresses without damaging my sender reputation?
How can you improve a bad domain reputation for email sending?
How do I improve email deliverability for a client with a dormant list and low sending volume?
How do I recover domain reputation after a sudden high volume email send to unengaged users?
How do I target inactive email users without hurting my domain reputation?
How should I re-engage a dormant email list with high spam complaints?
