Summary
Improving email deliverability requires a multifaceted approach encompassing content creation, audience engagement, technical configuration, and adherence to best practices. Creating relevant and engaging content, focusing on active and interested subscribers, and implementing proper list hygiene (cleaning, suppression, double opt-in) are crucial for establishing a positive sender reputation. Technical aspects such as proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), email infrastructure setup (reverse DNS), and IP warm-up contribute significantly to deliverability. Additionally, consistent sending schedules, avoiding spam trigger words, monitoring engagement metrics, and complying with guidelines from email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and RFC standards are essential for reaching the inbox and avoiding spam filters.
Key findings
- Content Engagement: Relevant, desired content (live text, printables) boosts engagement and signals value to email providers.
- Audience Targeting: Focusing on engaged users through segmentation and targeted sending improves deliverability.
- List Hygiene Practices: Regular list cleaning, suppression of inactive users, and double opt-in enhance sender reputation.
- Technical Infrastructure: Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM), email infrastructure (reverse DNS), and IP warm-up are vital for deliverability.
- Adherence to Guidelines: Complying with guidelines from Gmail, Microsoft, and RFC standards ensures inbox placement.
Key considerations
- Content Relevance: Always prioritize sending content that is relevant and valuable to your subscribers to maintain engagement.
- Segmentation Strategy: Implement a robust segmentation strategy to target different audience segments with tailored content.
- List Maintenance: Regularly maintain your email list by removing inactive subscribers and addressing bounce issues.
- Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are properly configured to authenticate your sending domain.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sender reputation and feedback loops to identify and address any deliverability issues promptly.
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
Several strategies contribute to improved email deliverability. Creating engaging content, such as live text and requested printables, and focusing on sending emails to engaged users are highly effective. List segmentation and regular cleaning to remove inactive subscribers further refine target audiences. Building a positive sender reputation is achieved by warming up IP addresses, maintaining consistent sending schedules, avoiding spam trigger words, and adhering to double opt-in practices. Additionally, tracking engagement metrics such as opens and clicks provides valuable insights for optimizing content and delivery strategies.
Key opinions
- Engaged Content: Creating engaging content, such as live text and sending requested printables, significantly improves deliverability.
- Targeted Sending: Focusing email campaigns on engaged users yields better results than broad, untargeted sending.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists and removing inactive subscribers improves sender reputation and deliverability.
- Positive Reputation: Warming up IP addresses gradually helps establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs.
- Engagement Tracking: Monitoring engagement metrics such as opens and clicks provides data for optimizing content and delivery strategies.
Key considerations
- Content Relevance: Ensure content is relevant and valuable to the audience to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.
- Segmentation: Segment email lists to target specific groups with tailored content for increased relevance and engagement.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually increase sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters and build a positive sender reputation.
- Consistent Schedule: Maintain a consistent sending schedule to establish trust with ISPs and subscribers.
- Double Opt-in: Implement double opt-in to ensure subscribers genuinely want to receive emails and minimize spam complaints.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that warming up your IP address by gradually increasing sending volume to engaged users helps establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs.
22 Aug 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign mentions that tracking opens and clicks allow you to monitor engagement which helps you to focus on what subscribers want.
17 Jul 2023 - ActiveCampaign
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Improving email deliverability involves two critical components: maintaining good list hygiene and ensuring correct email infrastructure. Good list hygiene requires regularly suppressing unengaged users to maintain a good reputation and avoid spam traps. Correct email infrastructure includes configuring reverse DNS and setting up SPF and DKIM records to ensure emails reach users' inboxes.
Key opinions
- List Hygiene: Regularly suppressing unengaged users is essential for good deliverability.
- Email Infrastructure: Correctly configuring reverse DNS, SPF, and DKIM records is vital for email delivery.
Key considerations
- Consistent List Cleaning: Establish a routine for identifying and removing inactive subscribers from your email lists.
- Proper Authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured to authenticate your emails and prevent spoofing.
- Monitor Reputation: Regularly monitor your sender reputation to identify and address any issues that may impact deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com explains that ensure you have the correct email infrastructure including ensuring reverse DNS is configured, having correct SPF and DKIM records set up so that you get through to your users inbox.
2 Aug 2021 - Spamresource.com
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that good list hygiene including suppression of unengaged users, is essential for maintaining good deliverability. Regular cleaning helps to improve reputation and avoid spam traps.
24 Mar 2025 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Improving email deliverability requires adherence to established guidelines and best practices, as emphasized by Google, Microsoft, and RFC standards. Key aspects include maintaining proper authentication, managing subscription lists, creating accessible emails with valid text parts, warming up IP addresses gradually with engaged recipients, and prioritizing positive engagement metrics while avoiding spam complaints. A strong sender reputation across different email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail) is critical for ensuring emails reach inboxes.
Key findings
- Bulk Sender Guidelines: Adhering to Gmail's bulk sender guidelines is essential for deliverability to Gmail inboxes.
- Email Accessibility: Creating accessible emails with valid text parts ensures proper rendering across different clients.
- Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for deliverability to Outlook and Hotmail inboxes.
- IP Warm-up: Warming up new IP addresses slowly with engaged recipients builds a positive sending reputation.
Key considerations
- Authentication: Implement proper authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to verify sender identity.
- Subscription Management: Manage subscription lists effectively to ensure recipients are actively engaged.
- Engagement Metrics: Prioritize positive engagement metrics such as opens and clicks.
- Spam Complaints: Minimize spam complaints by ensuring relevant and desired content.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor emphasizes the need to create accessible emails - they need to be well formatted so that they render correctly, and they must have a valid text part for those that cannot view the HTML.
26 Jun 2024 - RFC Editor
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains that sender reputation is crucial for deliverability to Outlook and Hotmail inboxes. They highlight the importance of positive engagement metrics and avoiding spam complaints.
28 Sep 2021 - Microsoft
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