Summary
Content filtering significantly affects the deliverability of political emails. Filters analyze content for spam signals, including specific phrases, poor formatting, and suspicious links. User engagement, manual spam flagging, and sender reputation are critical factors influencing whether emails reach the inbox. Email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for verifying sender legitimacy. Audience segmentation, obtaining consent, and providing unsubscribe options are best practices. Claims about data sharing concerns with pilot programs appear potentially unfounded.
Key findings
- Content Filters Target Political Emails: Content filters scan for spam triggers and scrutinize formatting, impacting the delivery of political emails.
- Sender Reputation Crucial: A positive sender reputation, influenced by bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement, determines inbox placement.
- User Action Matters: User-initiated actions such as manual spam flagging can significantly lower deliverability rates.
- Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols authenticate email origin and prevent spoofing, which boosts delivery rates.
- Engagement is Needed: Higher engagement, through consent and content relevance, cuts down on complaints and avoids filtering.
Key considerations
- Optimize Content: Refine email content to avoid spam triggers, ensuring proper formatting and relevant information.
- Implement Authentication: Ensure proper setup and maintenance of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to validate email sources.
- Engage Subscribers: Actively manage subscriber lists, obtain proper consent, and offer easy unsubscribe options.
- Segment Audience: Target specific demographics to increase email relevance and engagement and to improve deliverability.
- Debunk Mistrust: Separate real deliverability concerns from conspiracy theories surrounding data collection and shadow banning.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Content filtering significantly impacts political emails, with filters analyzing content for spam signals like trigger words, poor formatting, and suspicious links. User behavior, such as manually flagging emails as spam, also affects deliverability. Maintaining a good sender reputation, segmenting audiences, and adhering to email authentication standards are crucial for avoiding spam filters. Concerns about data sharing with Google in pilot programs are often viewed as unfounded.
Key opinions
- Content Analysis: Content filters analyze email content, flagging phrases like 'radical left' and characteristics associated with spam, impacting deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: A good sender reputation is crucial; it's affected by spam complaints, bounce rates, and engagement, influencing whether emails reach the inbox or spam folder.
- User Flagging: Manual spam flagging by users, particularly for high-volume political emails, negatively impacts sender reputation and deliverability.
- Segmentation: Segmenting audiences allows you to send targeted emails to smaller groups of contacts based on demographic data, location, purchase history, and more. Following this practice can help improve deliverability and reduce spam complaints.
Key considerations
- Content Optimization: Avoid spam trigger words, improve formatting, and ensure a good image-to-text ratio to bypass content filters.
- Email Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate emails and improve deliverability by proving legitimacy.
- Audience Management: Obtain explicit consent, provide clear unsubscribe options, and regularly clean email lists to maintain engagement and reduce spam complaints.
- Data Privacy: Consider data sharing implications with third parties like Google, although concerns may be unfounded and politically motivated.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks responds to a query about the data shared with Google in the pilot program, suggesting that the RNC's concerns are likely unfounded and are being used to justify a lawsuit and appeal to their base.
27 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus explains that email content significantly impacts deliverability. Factors such as the use of spam trigger words, image-to-text ratio, and overall email design can influence whether an email lands in the inbox or the spam folder.
18 May 2022 - Litmus
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Political emails face deliverability challenges due to low recipient engagement and heightened scrutiny from mailbox providers. Content filters analyze emails for spam-related phrases, formatting issues, and suspicious links. Sender reputation, influenced by factors like bounce rates and spam complaints, significantly impacts whether emails reach the inbox or are filtered as spam.
Key opinions
- Engagement Issues: Lower recipient engagement with political mail increases spam complaints, harming deliverability.
- Content Filtering: Content filters analyze for spam phrases, formatting, and links, especially impacting political emails.
- Sender Reputation Impact: Sender reputation, affected by bounces, complaints, and engagement, determines inbox placement.
Key considerations
- Improve Engagement: Create more engaging and relevant content to reduce spam complaints.
- Optimize Content: Avoid spam trigger words and improve formatting for content filters.
- Monitor Reputation: Actively monitor and improve sender reputation to enhance deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that political mailers face unique deliverability challenges because recipients are often less engaged with the content, increasing the likelihood of spam complaints. Additionally, political emails are often subject to higher scrutiny from mailbox providers.
27 Feb 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource.com shares that a sender's reputation plays a critical role in email deliverability. Factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and overall engagement influence a sender's reputation. Positive sender reputation increases the chances of emails landing in the inbox, while negative reputation increases the odds of messages ending up in the spam folder.
4 May 2025 - Spamresource.com
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Email authentication, using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is essential for ensuring political emails are delivered to the inbox. SPF allows domain owners to specify authorized mail servers, preventing spoofing. DKIM validates the sender's domain and ensures message integrity. DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM, providing a framework for senders to indicate authentication status and specify actions for failed authentication, preventing spoofing and phishing.
Key findings
- SPF Authentication: SPF records specify authorized mail servers, preventing From address forgery and improving deliverability.
- DKIM Validation: DKIM validates that a message originates from the claimed domain and hasn't been altered, increasing trust.
- DMARC Policy: DMARC builds on SPF/DKIM, allowing senders to define authentication policies and handle failures, preventing spoofing and phishing.
- Email Requirements: Senders must authenticate email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They should also avoid sending unwanted mail and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF: Ensure proper SPF record configuration to authorize sending servers.
- Implement DKIM: Enable DKIM signing to validate email origin and integrity.
- Implement DMARC: Configure DMARC policy to enforce authentication and prevent abuse.
- Compliance: Avoid sending unwanted mail and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help details that senders must authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They should also avoid sending unwanted mail and make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe. Meeting these requirements can help ensure emails, including political emails, are delivered to the inbox.
28 Apr 2025 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that builds on SPF and DKIM to provide a way for email senders to indicate that their messages are protected by these authentication methods, and what to do if authentication fails. DMARC helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks.
25 Aug 2023 - DMARC.org
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