Summary
To improve email deliverability to Hotmail and Outlook, it is crucial to focus on building and maintaining a strong sender reputation through various strategies. These include implementing robust authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), ensuring clean and engaged email lists by removing inactive subscribers and implementing double opt-ins, and segmenting lists to send relevant content. Monitoring and addressing spam complaints through feedback loops and the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) is vital, as is ensuring mobile-friendly email designs. Additionally, warming up new IP addresses gradually, avoiding shared IP pools with questionable senders, and actively monitoring sender reputation metrics provided by ISPs are highly recommended. Understanding that Hotmail's filtering is heavily user-influenced and that recovery from deliverability issues may take longer than with Gmail are also key considerations.
Key findings
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is critical for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.
- List Hygiene: Cleaning email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and using double opt-in, ensures higher engagement rates and better sender reputation.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation, influenced by low complaint rates, engagement, and consistent sending practices, is essential.
- Feedback Loops: Implementing feedback loops with ISPs like Outlook.com helps identify and remove recipients who mark emails as spam.
- Shared IP Risks: Shared IP pools can negatively impact deliverability due to the actions of other senders; a dedicated IP is often preferable.
- User influence: Hotmail/Outlook filtering is greatly influenced by user actions like marking as not spam and whitelisting.
Key considerations
- Engagement Focus: Prioritize sending emails that recipients want and engage with to build a positive sender reputation and avoid spam filters.
- Monitor Metrics: Actively monitor sender reputation metrics provided by ISPs (like SNDS) and tools (like MXToolbox and Sender Score) to identify and address issues promptly.
- Gradual Warm-up: Gradually warm up new IP addresses with a low sending volume, progressively increasing it over time to establish a positive sending history.
- Complaint Management: Actively monitor and respond to feedback loop reports, removing complaining users from your list immediately to avoid further negative impact on your reputation.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure emails are mobile-friendly and display correctly on various devices to improve user experience and reduce negative signals to ISPs.
- Algorithm Updates: Be aware that Hotmail/Outlook algorithms change frequently and adjust email strategies accordingly.
- Authentication Maintenance: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and maintained, as improper setup can negatively impact deliverability.
- Reassess Segmentation: Reassess engagement segmentation / volume & frequency as Outlook may be adjusting its filtering algorithms.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
To improve email deliverability to Hotmail and Outlook, marketers need to focus on authentication, sending to engaged recipients, and maintaining a clean sending reputation. Key strategies include authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, cleaning email lists to remove inactive users, segmenting lists based on engagement, warming up IP addresses gradually, and actively monitoring and addressing spam complaints through feedback loops. Ensuring mobile-friendly email designs and whitelisting are also beneficial.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying sender identity and improving deliverability.
- Engagement: Sending emails only to engaged recipients who want and expect them reduces spam complaints and improves sender reputation.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses ensures higher engagement rates and a better sender reputation.
- Feedback Loops: Implementing feedback loops with ISPs like Outlook.com helps identify and remove recipients who mark emails as spam.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial, influenced by factors like low complaint rates, engagement, and consistent sending practices.
Key considerations
- Algorithm Changes: Outlook's spam filtering algorithms may change frequently, requiring ongoing monitoring and adjustments to email sending strategies.
- Whitelisting: Encouraging Hotmail/Outlook subscribers to whitelist the sender's address can significantly improve inbox placement.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually warming up new IP addresses by starting with a low sending volume and increasing it over time helps establish a positive reputation.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure emails are mobile-friendly to avoid negative signals due to poor user experience on mobile devices.
- Engagement Segmentation: Segmenting email lists based on engagement and tailoring content accordingly can improve deliverability.
- Complaint feedback loop: Setup a complaint feedback loop so you can remove users from your list that complain and mark you as spam
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that the volume and reputation matter with Hotmail. Ensure you are slowly increasing volume to build up a good reputation with them as a sender. Make sure you follow authentication protocols SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
20 Feb 2024 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from Neil Patel highlights the significance of cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive or invalid email addresses. He suggests using email verification tools and implementing a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers are genuinely interested in receiving your emails, improving your sender reputation.
1 Feb 2024 - Neil Patel
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
To improve email deliverability for Hotmail and Outlook, it's crucial to manage sender reputation effectively and prioritize user engagement. Recovery from spam issues may take longer than with Gmail. Shared IP pools can be problematic if other senders on the IP have poor practices. Hotmail's filtering is highly influenced by user actions, like whitelisting, and these filters are frequently updated. Strong authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are extremely beneficial.
Key opinions
- Recovery Time: Recovering from spam filter issues on Hotmail/Outlook can take longer compared to Gmail.
- Shared IP Risks: Shared IP pools present risks because the actions of other senders can impact deliverability.
- User Influence: Hotmail's filtering is significantly influenced by user actions, such as adding senders to their address book or whitelisting them.
- Sender Reputation Importance: Maintaining a good sender reputation by sending engaging content is essential for inbox placement.
- Email authentication: Setting up modern email delivery with SPF, DKIM and DMARC improves reputation and delivery rates.
Key considerations
- Shared IP Monitoring: If using a shared IP, be aware of other senders' practices and their potential impact on your deliverability.
- Hotmail Filter Sensitivity: Be mindful of Hotmail's sensitive filters, which can change frequently, requiring ongoing monitoring and adjustments.
- User Engagement: Prioritize sending emails that recipients want and engage with to build a positive sender reputation.
- Sender reputation metrics: Actively monitor sender reputation using the metrics provided by ISPs.
- User whitelisting: Encourage users to whitelist you to help with deliverability into Outlook and Hotmail.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that after cleaning up email sending practices, recovery from spam filters at Hotmail/Outlook takes longer than at Gmail.
6 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sender reputation is crucial for deliverability. Sending emails that recipients want and engage with builds a positive reputation, increasing the likelihood of inbox placement. She also suggests actively monitoring sender reputation metrics provided by ISPs.
15 Jan 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Improving email deliverability to Hotmail and Outlook involves ensuring the sending IP is not blocklisted, implementing strong authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), providing easy unsubscribe options, and monitoring sender reputation. DMARC enhances security by defining policies for handling authentication failures. Sender reputation, based on volume, complaints, and engagement, significantly impacts inbox placement.
Key findings
- IP Blocklists: Ensuring the sending IP address is not on any blocklists is a crucial step for email deliverability.
- Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is vital for authenticating emails and verifying sender identity.
- Unsubscribe Process: Providing an easy and accessible unsubscribe process improves user experience and reduces spam complaints.
- Sender Reputation Monitoring: Actively monitoring sender reputation using tools like Microsoft SNDS, MXToolbox, and Sender Score is essential for identifying and addressing issues.
- DMARC Policy: DMARC provides a policy framework for handling emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks, enhancing security and preventing spoofing.
Key considerations
- Regular Monitoring: Regularly check IP addresses against blocklists and monitor sender reputation metrics.
- Authentication Implementation: Ensure proper implementation and configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
- Complaint Handling: Actively address and resolve any issues identified through sender reputation monitoring to improve deliverability.
- Accessibility: Ensure the unsubscribe process is easily accessible and functional to reduce frustration and spam complaints.
- Proactive Remediation: Take immediate action to address any identified issues, such as contacting blocklist providers or adjusting sending practices.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains the importance of monitoring your sending reputation and IP address for any blocklisting. They advise using tools like MXToolbox and Sender Score to check your reputation and taking immediate action to resolve any issues, such as contacting the blocklist provider.
11 Nov 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from RFC describes DKIM, which allows an organization to take responsibility for a message by associating its domain name with it. Responsibility is asserted by affixing a digital signature to the message, which can be verified by mail systems.
14 Oct 2024 - RFC
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