Summary
Maintaining consistent email volume is crucial for establishing and maintaining a positive sender reputation. While volume itself doesn't directly impact reputation, inconsistencies and sudden fluctuations, especially when starting out or during IP warming, can cause deliverability issues as they may be perceived as suspicious activity. Gradual and controlled volume increases are recommended. High spam complaint rates, even with low percentages, can significantly damage reputation at high volumes. Maintaining good list hygiene, proper segmentation, adhering to sending limits, and focusing on sending wanted emails to encourage engagement are all important factors.
Key findings
- Volume Indirect Impact: While volume itself doesn't directly affect reputation, negative interactions drive poor reputation.
- Fluctuation Issues: Fluctuations in email volume can cause problems, especially when beginning.
- Consistent Volume Builds Trust: Consistent email volume builds trust with mailbox providers and helps establish a sender reputation.
- Spam Rate Sensitivity: Low spam rates are crucial, especially with high email volume, as even small percentages can damage reputation.
- Sudden Increase Risk: Sudden increases in email volume can trigger spam filters and be interpreted as suspicious activity.
- List Hygiene Importance: Maintaining good list hygiene, especially at high volumes, is critical to avoid damaging sender reputation.
- Segmentation Needed: Higher email volumes require careful segmentation and targeting to ensure relevance.
- Sending Limits Matter: Exceeding sending limits set by email providers or ISPs can result in deliverability issues.
- Incremental Volume Key: RFC 5321 advises against sudden large increases, recommending incremental increases for a solid reputation.
Key considerations
- Monitor Fluctuations: Monitor email sending for fluctuations, especially early on, and address any sudden spikes or drops.
- Gradual Volume Adjustment: Avoid sudden spikes in sending volume and opt for gradual increases, especially during IP warming.
- Warm IPs Properly: Implement IP warming best practices when setting up new sending infrastructure, increasing gradually.
- Clean Your List: Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid or unengaged addresses.
- Segment Audience: Segment your audience to send relevant content to engaged subscribers, minimizing spam complaints.
- Adhere to Limits: Adhere to sending limits set by email providers and ISPs.
- Monitor Performance: Monitor email performance metrics (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints) to identify and address any deliverability issues.
- Focus on Engagement: Prioritize sending wanted emails to encourage positive engagement and avoid being marked as spam.
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
Maintaining consistent email volume is crucial for building a positive sender reputation. Sudden spikes or drops in volume, especially when starting, can be perceived as suspicious activity and lead to deliverability issues. Proper list hygiene, segmentation, and adherence to sending limits are essential, particularly at high volumes, to minimize spam complaints and maintain engagement. Gradual increases in volume are recommended to establish trust with ISPs.
Key opinions
- Volume Consistency: Consistent email volume builds trust with mailbox providers and helps establish a sender reputation.
- Sudden Volume Changes: Sudden spikes or drops in volume can negatively impact deliverability as they may be perceived as suspicious.
- Initial Sending: Sending too many emails too quickly, especially when first starting, can lead to deliverability problems.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining good list hygiene, especially at high volumes, is critical to avoid damaging sender reputation.
- Segmentation: Higher email volumes require careful segmentation and targeting to ensure relevance and minimize spam complaints.
- Sending Limits: Exceeding sending limits set by email providers or ISPs can result in deliverability issues.
- Engagement Impact: A sudden increase in frequency and volume can damage your sender reputation and affect deliverability, especially if recipient engagement is low.
Key considerations
- Monitor Volume: Monitor your email sending volume to identify and address any sudden spikes or drops.
- Warm-Up IPs: Gradually increase your email volume to warm up new IP addresses and build a positive sender reputation.
- Clean Your List: Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid or unengaged addresses.
- Segment Your Audience: Segment your audience to send relevant content to engaged subscribers.
- Adhere to Limits: Adhere to sending limits set by email providers and ISPs.
- Monitor Performance: Monitor email performance metrics (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints) to identify and address any deliverability issues.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus states that maintaining good list hygiene is critical, especially at high volumes. Sending to invalid or unengaged addresses increases bounce rates and spam complaints, damaging your sender reputation.
21 Nov 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that maintaining a consistent sending volume builds trust with mailbox providers. This predictability helps them identify you as a legitimate sender, positively impacting your reputation.
21 Jan 2024 - SendPulse
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
While volume itself doesn't directly impact reputation, inconsistencies and fluctuations, especially when starting out, can cause deliverability issues. A predictable sending volume is crucial for maintaining a good sender reputation, and large fluctuations can trigger spam filters. Sudden spikes can be seen as signs of compromised accounts. Gradual and controlled volume increases, especially during IP warming, are important.
Key opinions
- Volume Indirect Impact: Volume itself doesn't directly affect reputation; negative interactions drive poor reputation.
- Fluctuation Issues: Fluctuations in email volume can cause problems, especially when beginning.
- Predictable Volume: Consistently sending email at a predictable volume is a cornerstone of a good sender reputation.
- Spike Interpretation: Sudden spikes in volume can be interpreted as a sign of compromised accounts.
Key considerations
- Monitor Fluctuations: Monitor email sending for fluctuations, especially early on.
- Gradual Increases: Implement gradual and controlled volume increases, particularly during IP warming.
- Focus on Engagement: Prioritize sending wanted emails to encourage positive engagement.
- Maintain Predictability: Aim to send at predictable volumes to help maintain your sender reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that volume doesn’t directly affect reputation or deliverability. Poor reputation develops because people don’t like the emails and interact with them negatively, signaling to machine learning filters that the mail is unwanted.
15 Feb 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares notes from 4 hours of talks on reputation, providing a link to a Google document that contains the call from last night and links back to the previous 3 calls. Calls 1 and 2 covered theory, while 3 and 4 focused on monitoring and development.
30 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Email sending best practices emphasize the importance of gradual volume increases to establish a positive sender reputation. Sudden volume increases can trigger spam filters and damage reputation, especially when combined with high spam complaint rates. Incremental increases during IP warming are crucial for demonstrating consistent and legitimate email practices to ISPs.
Key findings
- Spam Rate Sensitivity: Low spam rates are crucial, especially with high email volume, as even small percentages can damage reputation.
- Sudden Increase Risk: Sudden increases in email volume can trigger spam filters.
- IP Warming Importance: Gradually increasing email volume during IP address warming helps establish a positive sender reputation.
- Incremental Increase Advice: RFC 5321 advises against sudden large increases, recommending incremental increases.
Key considerations
- Monitor Spam Rates: Continuously monitor and minimize spam complaint rates.
- Gradual Volume Adjustment: Avoid sudden spikes in sending volume and opt for gradual increases.
- Implement IP Warming: Follow IP warming best practices when setting up new sending infrastructure.
- Adhere to RFC Guidance: Follow the recommendations outlined in RFC 5321 regarding email sending volumes.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools shares that keeping spam rates low is crucial, especially with high email volume. Even a small percentage of spam complaints can significantly damage sender reputation when sending a large number of emails.
11 Jun 2024 - Google Postmaster Tools
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft responds that sudden increases in email volume can trigger spam filters. Gradual increases are recommended to maintain a positive sender reputation.
22 Feb 2025 - Microsoft
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