How can I restore my domain reputation after sending outreach emails that landed in junk folders?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 21 Jul 2025
Updated 24 Jul 2025
4 min read
Summary
Restoring your domain reputation after sending emails that landed in junk folders, particularly for outreach campaigns, requires a strategic and patient approach. Even a relatively small volume of problematic sends, like 600 emails, can significantly impact how mailbox providers such as Outlook and Hotmail perceive your domain. The key is to address the underlying causes of poor deliverability, which often relate to recipient engagement and proper email authentication. Moving forward, prioritizing wanted mail and diligent monitoring of your sender reputation metrics will be crucial for recovery.
Key findings
Impactful Sends: Even a moderate number of unsolicited emails (e.g., 600) can damage domain reputation, especially with specific mailbox providers like Outlook and Hotmail.
Junk Folder Placement: Emails landing in junk folders, rather than bouncing, indicate that mailbox providers are accepting the mail but flagging it as unwanted, often due to content or sender history.
Reputation Indicators: Absence of 4.xx or 5.xx bounce messages doesn't mean deliverability is fine; junk folder placement is a clear sign of reputation issues. Tools can confirm this.
Provider Specificity: Problems might be specific to certain mailbox providers, such as Microsoft (Outlook/Hotmail), which have their own filtering criteria.
Key considerations
Immediate Cessation: Stop all problematic sending immediately to prevent further damage to your domain reputation.
Recipient Domains: Understand which recipient domains (e.g., Outlook, Gmail) are affected, as this can inform your recovery strategy. For more details on this, see how to improve a bad domain reputation.
Volume Consideration: Assess the problematic send volume relative to your normal, opt-in email volume. Small relative volumes might be easier to recover from. Consider how cold outreach affects reputation.
What email marketers say
Email marketers grappling with damaged domain reputation, especially after unsolicited outreach, often find themselves in a challenging spot. They frequently rely on external testing tools to confirm junk folder placement, as direct bounce messages may not always be present. The consensus among marketers is to immediately cease any problematic sending activities. They also emphasize the importance of understanding the specifics of where emails are landing (e.g., Outlook vs. Gmail) to tailor recovery efforts and avoid making the same mistakes twice.
Key opinions
Tool-based Diagnosis: Many marketers use email testing tools (like GlockApps) to diagnose junk folder placement when direct bounce messages aren't available, providing concrete evidence of deliverability issues.
Perceived Spam: If emails land in the spam folder, it often indicates the system is correctly identifying unwanted mail, even if the sender didn't receive specific error codes.
Domain vs. IP: For senders using shared IPs (e.g., GSuite), domain reputation becomes the primary focus, as they cannot use IP-specific tools like Microsoft SDNS.
Focus on Engagement: Shift your email strategy to highly engaged, opt-in audiences to send positive signals to mailbox providers. This will help improve email deliverability and avoid spam.
Understand Inbox Placement: Recognize that junk foldering can be recipient-specific and not always a universal decision by the mailbox provider. Continuous monitoring is essential. Find out why your emails go to spam.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that they did not receive any standard 4.xx or 5.xx error messages after their campaign. However, they confirmed the issue through direct feedback from friends and clients, who reported finding emails in their junk folders. This observation was further validated using third-party email testing tools, which showed consistent spam folder placement in Outlook.
22 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks highlights that their organization uses GSuite, which means they operate on shared IP addresses. This setup prevents them from utilizing Microsoft SDNS (Sender Data Network Services), a tool typically used for dedicated IP address management and reputation monitoring. Consequently, their primary method for assessing domain reputation relies on Google Postmaster Tools.
22 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts offer concise and actionable advice when a domain's reputation is compromised due to unsolicited outreach. Their perspectives consistently emphasize halting problematic sending, diagnosing the specific nature of the issue (e.g., recipient domain specific or broader), and understanding that email filtering is often working as intended when unwanted mail goes to the junk folder. They also highlight the importance of detailed feedback and professional consultation for complex cases.
Key opinions
Spam Folder Functionality: Experts note that if spam is ending up in the spam folder, it indicates that the recipient's filtering system is performing its intended function correctly.
Recipient-Specific Junking: Junk folder placement at consumer mailbox providers is often specific to individual recipients rather than a broad, universal decision affecting all sends.
Error Message Importance: Examining rejection messages (bounce codes starting with 4 or 5) is crucial for pinpointing why a mailbox provider like Microsoft suddenly dislikes your email.
Key considerations
Immediate Halt: The very first step in recovery is to definitively stop any ongoing problematic email campaigns and commit to not starting similar ones. Find out more about email authentication for improved deliverability.
Data-Driven Recovery: Rebuild your reputation gradually by sending only wanted emails, starting with highly engaged users. Monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
Consult ESP Support: If bounce messages are not visible in your email service provider (ESP) interface, contact their support to obtain them for diagnostic purposes. For more on this topic, see the ultimate guide to Google Postmaster Tools.
Expert view
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks outlines a four-step recovery process: first, immediately stop any current spam campaigns; second, ensure no new unsolicited campaigns are initiated; third, emphasize the importance of permanently ceasing spamming activities; and finally, gradually rebuild reputation by sending emails that recipients genuinely want to receive, starting with highly engaged users.
22 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks questions the relative impact of a 600-email campaign. They inquire about the proportion of this problematic send compared to the user's normal volume of opt-in or wanted emails. This context is important for determining the severity and scope of the reputation damage.
22 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
Official documentation and authoritative guides consistently underscore the foundational elements of email deliverability. They emphasize the role of email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in establishing sender legitimacy and the importance of monitoring sender reputation metrics through tools provided by mailbox providers. These resources highlight that junk folder placement is a clear signal of sender reputation issues, even without explicit bounce messages, and that a sustained effort focusing on legitimate, engaged email traffic is necessary for recovery.
Key findings
Authentication Protocols: Proper configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for avoiding spam folders and establishing sender credibility.
Reputation Monitoring: Tools like Google Postmaster Tools are essential for understanding your domain's health and identifying potential issues.
Engagement Metrics: Mailbox providers heavily weigh user engagement (opens, clicks, complaints) when determining inbox placement and sender reputation.
Key considerations
Sender Score Assessment: Identifying your current sender reputation score is a crucial first step in any recovery process. Many online tools can help with this assessment.
Technical Setup: Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and aligned. This is a foundational element of email deliverability. Read more about understanding your email domain reputation.
Postmaster Tools Utilization: Regularly check and interpret data from Google Postmaster Tools (or similar for other providers) to monitor spam rates and domain reputation. This will help you fix DMARC issues.
Technical article
Documentation from Twilio outlines various tools and practical tips designed to help users check and significantly improve their email deliverability. It covers strategies to boost overall domain reputation, emphasizing the importance of a holistic approach to email sending practices.
10 Mar 2025 - Twilio
Technical article
Technical documentation from Evaboot provides a comprehensive explanation of email sender reputation. It details methods for checking reputation using various free tools and offers specific fixes for common deliverability issues, aiming to improve inbox placement rates effectively.
