Summary
Experts, marketers, and documentation generally agree that seed lists offer value in email marketing by providing insights into deliverability, identifying potential issues before campaign launches, and monitoring inbox placement. However, they consistently highlight limitations. Seed lists don't accurately represent real user engagement, are susceptible to skewing from honeypots and spam traps, and may not reflect actual campaign performance. Consequently, relying solely on seed lists is discouraged. A robust deliverability strategy should integrate seed list data with engagement metrics, feedback loops, authentication protocols, list hygiene practices, segmentation strategies, and personalized content, alongside a comprehension of diverse mailbox provider operations. Google Postmaster tools relies solely on engagement to determine reputation rather than seedlists.
Key findings
- Initial Deliverability Insights: Seed lists provide valuable insights into initial deliverability, including identifying major roadblocks and testing across ISPs.
- Inbox Placement Monitoring: Seed lists help monitor inbox placement, revealing potential spam filter triggers and rendering issues.
- Engagement Deficit: Seed lists inherently lack real user engagement, limiting their accuracy in predicting campaign performance.
- Skewed Results Potential: Seed list results can be skewed by factors like honeypots, spam traps, and false positives/negatives.
- Engagement is Critical: Industry best practice is to determine sender reputation based on user engagement metrics, not seed lists.
Key considerations
- Engagement Metric Integration: Integrate engagement metrics (open rates, click-through rates) with seed list data for a comprehensive deliverability assessment.
- Feedback Loop Utilization: Utilize feedback loops and complaint monitoring to identify and address deliverability concerns effectively.
- Authentication Implementation: Implement robust email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to enhance sender reputation and improve deliverability.
- List Hygiene Maintenance: Maintain meticulous list hygiene, removing inactive or invalid addresses to optimize deliverability.
- Segmentation and Personalization: Employ audience segmentation and personalized content strategies to increase engagement and improve deliverability outcomes.
- Multi-Source Data: Consider data from multiple sources (seed lists, deliverability tools) for a more accurate and nuanced perspective.
- Mailbox Provider Variance: Understand the unique operational characteristics of different mailbox providers to tailor deliverability strategies effectively.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Experts and marketers generally agree that seed lists can be helpful for initial deliverability checks, identifying potential problems before a campaign launch, and monitoring inbox placement across different ISPs. However, they also acknowledge significant limitations. Seed lists don't accurately represent real user engagement, can be affected by honeypots and spam traps, and may not reflect real-world campaign performance. Therefore, relying solely on seed lists is not recommended. A comprehensive deliverability strategy should combine seed list data with engagement metrics, feedback loops, authentication, list hygiene, segmentation, and personalized content.
Key opinions
- Initial Checks: Seed lists are valuable for performing initial deliverability checks, especially for new campaigns or IPs.
- Inbox Placement: Seed lists can help monitor inbox placement and identify potential spam filter triggers across various mailbox providers.
- Limited Accuracy: Seed list accuracy is limited due to the lack of real user engagement and potential influence from honeypots and spam traps.
- Not Representative: Seed lists do not represent the entire subscriber base or accurately reflect real-world campaign performance.
Key considerations
- Engagement Metrics: Complement seed list data with engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
- Feedback Loops: Utilize feedback loops and complaint monitoring to identify and address deliverability issues.
- Authentication: Implement email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation and deliverability.
- List Hygiene: Maintain a clean and up-to-date email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses.
- Segmentation & Personalization: Segment your audience and personalize content to increase engagement and improve deliverability.
- Multiple Perspectives: Consider data from multiple seed list providers and deliverability tools to get a more accurate view.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks finds seed list testing helpful but notes that some tools/seed lists are more prone to "false negatives" while others lean towards "false positives." They suggest using at least two perspectives to find the "truth."
6 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from HubSpot explains that seed lists help identify major deliverability roadblocks like being blocked by certain ISPs. HubSpot also mentions seedlists not reflecting real engagement and should be combined with other strategies to improve deliverability.
25 Dec 2023 - HubSpot
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Experts generally agree that seed lists provide valuable data points for assessing email deliverability, particularly for identifying whether issues are recipient-specific or widespread. They help in understanding inbox placement, email rendering, and authentication effectiveness. However, they emphasize that seed lists have limitations, as they don't account for recipient engagement and should be complemented with engagement metrics and an understanding of how different mailbox providers operate.
Key opinions
- Useful Data Point: Seed lists offer a useful data point for assessing email deliverability.
- Problem Identification: They help identify if deliverability problems are recipient-specific or global.
- Inbox Placement Insights: Seed lists provide insights into inbox placement, email rendering, and authentication checks.
- Limited Scope: Seed lists don't account for recipient engagement.
Key considerations
- Engagement Metrics: Monitor engagement metrics alongside seed list data to understand deliverability fully.
- Mailbox Provider Understanding: Understand how different mailbox providers operate to get a comprehensive view of deliverability.
- Not an Absolute Metric: Recognize that seed lists are not an absolute metric but one piece of the deliverability puzzle.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that seed lists have limitations but are still valuable. They refer to their blog post from 2022 which still represents their feelings on the matter.
1 May 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that seed list testing doesn't take the recipient into account and you should be watching your engagement metrics to understand deliverability. You also need to understand how the different mailbox providers work to get a good overall view.
26 Jan 2023 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation from various sources indicates that seed lists can be helpful for identifying major deliverability problems before sending emails and testing deliverability across different ISPs. However, their accuracy is limited as they don't represent real user behavior and can be skewed by factors like honeypots, spam traps, or trigger false positives/negatives. Therefore, seed lists should not replace monitoring actual user engagement and should be used as part of a broader deliverability strategy. Google Postmaster Tools relies on real time engagement metrics from real users to grade sender reputation, rather than utilizing seed lists.
Key findings
- Early Problem Detection: Seed lists can help identify major deliverability problems before a send.
- Deliverability Testing: Seed lists assist in testing deliverability across different ISPs and mailbox providers.
- Limited Accuracy: Seed list accuracy is limited due to the lack of real user behavior.
- Potential Skew: Results can be skewed by honeypots, spam traps, and other factors.
- Engagement is Key: Relying on real time engagement metrics from real users is a standard industry practice and provides a more accurate picture of deliverability.
Key considerations
- Monitor Engagement: Monitor actual user engagement, as seed lists are not a replacement for this.
- Comprehensive Strategy: Use seed lists as part of a broader deliverability strategy, not as the sole indicator.
- Other Tools & Practices: Use seed lists in conjunction with other deliverability tools and best practices like authentication and list management.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp shares that seed lists can trigger false positives (showing deliverability issues that don't exist) or false negatives (missing actual deliverability problems). The email marketer then recommends using seed lists in conjunction with other deliverability tools and best practices, such as authentication and list management.
28 Nov 2021 - Mailchimp
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools says it does not utilize seed lists, but instead relies on real time engagement metrics from real users to grade sender reputation. This is an industry standard practice
5 Jan 2025 - Google
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