Summary
Improving email deliverability is a multifaceted process that requires attention to technical setup, list management, content strategy, and sender reputation. Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is paramount for establishing trust with mailbox providers. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list through validation and proper segmentation is crucial. Content should be relevant, valuable, and optimized for mobile devices. Building trust with subscribers through transparency and easy unsubscribe options enhances engagement. Regular testing, monitoring feedback loops, and avoiding spam triggers further contribute to improved deliverability. Consistent branding and positive IP reputation management are also vital.
Key findings
- Authentication: Email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for establishing trust and preventing spoofing.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list improves deliverability and reduces bounce rates.
- Relevant Content: Sending valuable, relevant, and mobile-optimized content increases engagement and inbox placement.
- Sender Reputation: Monitoring and actively managing sender reputation is crucial for avoiding spam filters.
- Consistent Branding: Consistent branding across all emails builds trust and reduces the risk of being flagged as spam.
- IP Reputation: Maintaining a positive IP reputation by warming up new IPs and avoiding blacklists is essential.
- Engagement: Engaging with subscribers and encouraging interaction improves inbox placement.
Key considerations
- Technical Setup: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain.
- List Management: Regularly validate your email list and remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Content Creation: Create engaging and relevant content tailored to your subscribers' interests.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure your emails are optimized for mobile devices to provide a seamless experience.
- Testing: Thoroughly test your emails before sending to identify and fix any issues.
- Monitoring: Monitor your sender reputation and feedback loops to address deliverability problems promptly.
- Unsubscribe Process: Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe from your emails.
- Avoid Spam Triggers: Avoid using spam trigger words and phrases in your email subject lines and body.
- IP Warm-up: Warm up new IPs gradually to establish a positive sending history.
- Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience to send more targeted and relevant emails.
What email marketers say
11 marketer opinions
Improving email deliverability requires a comprehensive approach encompassing technical setup, list management, content creation, and relationship building. Ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintaining a clean and engaged email list, creating relevant and valuable content optimized for mobile devices, and building trust with subscribers are all crucial. Regularly testing emails, monitoring sender reputation, and actively managing feedback loops are also important. Consistent branding and fostering subscriber engagement further enhance inbox placement.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is fundamental for establishing trust with mailbox providers.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses is crucial.
- Content Relevance: Sending relevant and valuable content that is optimized for mobile devices enhances engagement and deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Monitoring and actively managing sender reputation by addressing complaints and feedback loops is essential.
- Consistent Branding: Consistent branding across all aspects of your email program reinforces trust and reduces the risk of being flagged as spam.
- Engagement: Fostering subscriber engagement through interactive content and community building improves inbox placement.
- Testing: Thoroughly testing emails before sending identifies rendering issues and broken links that can negatively impact deliverability.
Key considerations
- Opt-in Audience: Focus on building an opt-in audience that actively wants to receive your emails.
- Content Strategy: Develop a content strategy that provides value and relevance to your subscribers.
- Technical Setup: Ensure proper technical setup, including authentication, IP warming, and DNS records.
- Mobile Optimization: Optimize email content for mobile devices to provide a seamless experience for subscribers.
- Testing and Monitoring: Implement regular testing and monitoring to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
- List Validation: Use email validation services to keep your lists clean and reduce bounce rates.
- Transparency and Trust: Build trust with subscribers by being transparent about your email practices and honoring their preferences.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that a key to inbox placement is to actively engage with your subscribers. Ask them questions, encourage replies, and make them feel like part of a community. Inbox providers look favorably on senders who foster engagement.
18 Nov 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus shares that testing your emails before sending them is a key, but often overlooked, aspect of maintaining good deliverability. Testing across different email clients and devices will identify any rendering issues or broken links that could harm your sender reputation and cause recipients to mark your emails as spam.
21 Jan 2023 - Litmus
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability hinges on a combination of proactive measures and consistent best practices. Building and maintaining a positive IP address reputation is crucial, which involves warming up new IPs, monitoring blocklist status, and ensuring consistent sending to engaged subscribers. Avoiding common deliverability mistakes like purchasing email lists, providing unclear unsubscribe options, and sending irrelevant content is also essential. Testing can help monitor the effectiveness of your efforts but doesn't guarantee inbox placement on its own; solid foundational practices are key.
Key opinions
- IP Reputation: Maintaining a good IP address reputation is crucial for deliverability.
- Foundational Practices: Good practices, not just testing, ensure inbox placement.
- Avoid Mistakes: Avoiding common mistakes like purchased lists and irrelevant content improves deliverability.
Key considerations
- IP Warm-up: Properly warm up new IPs to establish a positive sending history.
- List Hygiene: Avoid purchasing email lists and focus on organic list growth.
- Content Relevance: Ensure that your email content is relevant and valuable to your subscribers.
- Unsubscribe Options: Provide clear and easy-to-use unsubscribe options in your emails.
- Testing vs. Practices: Focus on implementing solid email marketing practices before relying solely on testing.
- Blocklist Monitoring: Regularly monitor your IP address for blocklist status and take action if needed.
- Engagement Focus: Prioritize sending emails to engaged subscribers to improve deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that avoiding common mistakes, such as purchasing email lists, not having clear unsubscribe options, and sending irrelevant content, is essential for improving deliverability. These practices can lead to high bounce rates and spam complaints, negatively impacting your sender reputation.
30 Oct 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that maintaining a good IP address reputation is crucial for deliverability. This means warming up new IPs properly, monitoring blocklist status, and sending consistently to engaged subscribers. Damaged IP reputation can significantly impact inbox placement.
5 Oct 2021 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Improving email deliverability, according to documentation from Google, Microsoft, and RFC/DKIM/DMARC sources, fundamentally relies on robust email authentication. This involves implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to verify your sending domain's legitimacy and prevent spoofing. Maintaining a clean sending reputation by keeping complaint rates low, monitoring bounce rates, and respecting recipient preferences is also critical. Additionally, ensuring valid DNS records and using tools like Google Postmaster Tools aids in tracking and managing deliverability.
Key findings
- Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for email authentication and improving deliverability.
- Reputation Matters: Maintaining a clean sending reputation is crucial for reaching the inbox.
- Monitoring is Important: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools help monitor and manage deliverability.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF: Properly configure SPF records to specify authorized sending servers.
- Implement DKIM: Implement DKIM to digitally sign email messages and verify their authenticity.
- Implement DMARC: Implement DMARC to define how receiving servers should handle emails failing SPF/DKIM checks.
- Maintain Clean List: Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid or inactive addresses.
- Respect Preferences: Respect recipient preferences and provide clear unsubscribe options.
- Monitor Feedback Loops: Monitor bounce rates and complaint feedback loops to address deliverability issues promptly.
- Check DNS Records: Ensure sending servers have valid forward and reverse DNS records (PTR records).
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC shares that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a comprehensive email authentication framework. DMARC allows you to specify how receiving mail servers should handle email messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Implementing DMARC is crucial for protecting your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, and improving your email deliverability.
13 Sep 2021 - DMARC
Technical article
Documentation from DKIM shares that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) provides a way to authenticate email messages by digitally signing them. DKIM records in your DNS allow receiving mail servers to verify that an email message was indeed sent by your domain and has not been tampered with. Implementing DKIM is essential for improving email deliverability and preventing phishing attacks.
11 Sep 2022 - DKIM
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