Summary
Learning email deliverability involves a multi-faceted approach, encompassing resources ranging from blogs and books to industry events and technical documentation. Practical experience, list hygiene, and authentication are core themes. Experts recommend resources like Deliverability Inferno, Word to the Wise, Spam Resource, spamresource.com, and emailkarma.com. They emphasize building and maintaining clean lists, segmenting campaigns, and providing clear unsubscribe options. Authentication with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is repeatedly highlighted. Understanding sender reputation, avoiding spam triggers, monitoring bounce rates, and setting up feedback loops are vital. Additional insights come from platforms like Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft's deliverability guidelines, RFCs, Spamhaus, and M3AAWG. Engaging with the email marketing community, testing email designs, and selecting the right email platform are also key.
Key findings
- Diverse Resources: A combination of blogs, books, industry events, online communities, and technical documentation is essential for learning deliverability.
- Authentication is Key: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication are repeatedly emphasized as critical for establishing sender trust and improving deliverability.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and segmented email list is crucial for a positive sender reputation and improved deliverability.
- Community Engagement: Actively participating in industry forums and networking with peers offers practical insights and keeps professionals updated.
- Practical Experience: Hands-on experience, setting up test environments, and analyzing results are invaluable for mastering deliverability.
- Monitoring Tools: Google Postmaster Tools and other feedback loops help monitor sender reputation and identify deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Comprehensive Approach: A holistic strategy encompassing authentication, list management, content optimization, and monitoring is necessary for optimal deliverability.
- Constant Learning: Deliverability is an evolving field, requiring continuous learning and adaptation to new trends and technologies.
- Platform Choice: Selecting an email marketing platform with robust deliverability features and support is important.
- IP Warm-up: Gradually warming up new IP addresses before sending large volumes of email helps establish a positive sender reputation.
- RFC Documentation: While technical, RFC documentation provides a deep understanding of email protocols and standards.
What email marketers say
13 marketer opinions
Various resources are recommended for learning email deliverability. These include reading blogs like Word to the Wise and Spam Resource, exploring websites such as spamresource.com and emailkarma.com, and networking with industry peers. Focusing on building and maintaining a clean email list, authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), understanding sender reputation, avoiding spam triggers, and managing subscriber lists are crucial. Warming up IP addresses, segmenting lists, providing unsubscribe options, setting up feedback loops with ISPs, maintaining consistent sending volume, testing email designs, and utilizing email testing tools are also highlighted. Joining email marketing communities and forums provides additional learning opportunities and keeps professionals updated on industry trends.
Key opinions
- Blogs & Websites: Word to the Wise, Spam Resource, spamresource.com, and emailkarma.com are valuable resources for deliverability insights.
- List Management: Building a clean email list, regularly cleaning it, and segmenting it for targeted campaigns improves deliverability.
- Authentication: Authenticating emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential for establishing trust with ISPs.
- Sender Reputation: Understanding and maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for email deliverability.
- Spam Triggers: Avoiding spam triggers in email content helps prevent emails from being filtered.
- Feedback Loops: Setting up feedback loops with ISPs allows monitoring spam complaints and improving email practices.
- IP Warmup: Warming up IP addresses gradually when launching a new sending IP ensures deliverability.
- Testing Tools: Using email testing tools helps check inbox placement and identify deliverability issues.
- Community Learning: Joining email marketing communities, forums, and networking with peers helps with learning and development.
Key considerations
- Practical Experience: Hands-on experience, experimenting with configurations, and analyzing bounce messages are essential for learning.
- Email Design: Testing email designs across different clients and devices ensures optimal rendering and avoids spam filters.
- Platform Choice: Choosing the right email marketing platform with built-in deliverability features is important.
- Consistent Volume: Maintaining a consistent sending volume and frequency helps establish a positive sender reputation.
- Unsubscribe Options: Providing clear unsubscribe options is important for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and CAN-SPAM compliance.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that experience is the best teacher for deliverability, along with networking and learning from peers in the email industry.
11 Aug 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from SparkPost shares resources on IP warmup strategies and advice on gradually increasing email volume when launching a new sending IP.
4 Aug 2023 - SparkPost
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
Experts recommend a mix of resources for mastering email deliverability. These include primers like 'Deliverability Inferno', participation in industry events (M3AAWG, EEC, DMA), engagement in deliverability-focused forums and communities, and understanding email authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Hands-on experience, setting up test environments, monitoring results, analyzing bounce messages, and reading standards documents (RFCs) are considered invaluable learning methods.
Key opinions
- Primer Resource: 'Deliverability Inferno' is recommended as a quick introduction to email and deliverability.
- Industry Events: Attending industry events (M3AAWG, EEC, DMA) provides opportunities to learn from peers and experts.
- Community Engagement: Actively participating in industry forums and mailing lists offers practical insights.
- Authentication Expertise: Understanding and implementing authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial.
- Hands-on Learning: Setting up test environments and experimenting are invaluable for gaining practical experience.
Key considerations
- M3AAWG Resource: Staying updated with best practices through resources like M3AAWG is essential.
- RFC Documents: Reading standards documents (RFCs) provides a deeper understanding of email protocols.
- Bounce Analysis: Analyzing bounce messages is critical for diagnosing and addressing deliverability issues.
- Continuous Learning: Deliverability is an evolving field, requiring continuous learning and adaptation.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise suggests that aspiring deliverability professionals should actively participate in industry forums and mailing lists to gain practical insights. She recommends focusing on understanding authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, as well as staying updated on industry best practices through resources like the M3AAWG.
10 Jan 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that a core resource for deliverability professionals is participating in industry events like M3AAWG, EEC, and DMA, where they can learn from peers and experts. He also highlights the value of engaging in deliverability-focused forums and communities.
27 Nov 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Email deliverability can be learned from resources such as Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft's deliverability guidelines, RFC Editor's documentation on SPF, DKIM and DMARC, Spamhaus's guidelines on avoiding blocklists, and M3AAWG's best practices. Google Postmaster Tools aids in monitoring sender reputation and diagnosing issues. Microsoft emphasizes sender authentication and maintaining low complaint rates. The RFC Editor provides technical standards for email authentication. Spamhaus focuses on avoiding blocklists through security practices, and M3AAWG offers broad deliverability best practices.
Key findings
- Google Postmaster Tools: Tool for monitoring sender reputation, spam rates, and feedback loops for Gmail users.
- Microsoft Guidelines: Focuses on sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and maintaining low complaint rates for Outlook.com and Hotmail.
- RFC Standards: Provides technical specifications for email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Spamhaus Guidelines: Describes how to avoid being listed on blocklists through strong security practices.
- M3AAWG Best Practices: Covers authentication, list management, and feedback loops for reducing spam and abuse.
Key considerations
- Authentication Importance: Sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is consistently highlighted as a critical component of email deliverability.
- Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address issues.
- Security Practices: Implement robust email security practices to avoid being blocklisted by services like Spamhaus.
- Comprehensive Approach: Adopting a comprehensive approach that includes authentication, list management, and feedback loops, as recommended by M3AAWG, is crucial for optimal deliverability.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor focuses on technical aspects of email authentication, specifically detailing the standards for SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance).
14 Aug 2023 - RFC-Editor
Technical article
Documentation from Google provides information about Google Postmaster Tools, which helps monitor sender reputation, spam rates, and feedback loops for Gmail users. It outlines how to use the tool to diagnose and address deliverability issues.
17 Apr 2022 - Google
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