Summary
Sending emails to unengaged subscribers has numerous negative deliverability consequences. Experts and marketers agree that decreased engagement metrics, such as low open rates and click rates, signal to ISPs that recipients are not interested, leading to emails being filtered into spam folders or blocked entirely. This practice also increases the risk of spam complaints and hitting spam traps, severely damaging sender reputation. Documentation from Google, Microsoft, SparkPost, and RFC highlights the critical role of sender reputation and the broader costs associated with spam. Maintaining good email list hygiene through regular cleaning, list segmentation, and focusing on delivering valuable content to engaged subscribers are universally recommended strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure optimal email deliverability.
Key findings
- Impact on Sender Reputation: Sending to unengaged subscribers directly harms sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues.
- Engagement as a Signal: ISPs use engagement metrics (open rates, click rates, spam complaints) as a key signal to determine email quality and inbox placement.
- Increased Spam Complaints: Sending to uninterested recipients increases the likelihood of spam complaints.
- Risk of Spam Traps: Sending to unengaged subscribers increases the risk of hitting spam traps, leading to blacklisting.
- Filtering and Blocking: Damaged sender reputation leads to emails being filtered as spam or blocked by ISPs.
- List Hygiene Importance: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is crucial for preserving a positive sender reputation and avoiding deliverability issues.
Key considerations
- Regular List Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly identifying and removing unengaged subscribers from your email list.
- Content Relevance: Focus on creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
- List Segmentation: Segment your email list to target specific subscribers with relevant content.
- Monitor Engagement Metrics: Track open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify and address deliverability issues.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Consider running re-engagement campaigns before removing subscribers to try and win them back.
- Use Feedback Loops: Utilize feedback loops to monitor and address spam complaints promptly.
- Monitor Sender Reputation: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation and delivery performance.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
Sending emails to unengaged subscribers has significant negative consequences for email deliverability. Decreased engagement metrics (low open rates, click rates) signal to ISPs that recipients are not interested in the emails, leading to filtering into spam folders, blocking, and overall reduced inbox placement. This practice also increases the risk of hitting spam traps and generating spam complaints, further damaging sender reputation. Maintaining good email list hygiene by regularly removing unengaged subscribers and focusing on targeted, valuable content is crucial for preserving a positive sender reputation and ensuring optimal deliverability.
Key opinions
- Engagement Metrics: Low open rates, click rates, and high unsubscribe/spam complaint rates are key indicators of unengaged subscribers, directly impacting sender reputation.
- ISPs' Role: ISPs use engagement metrics to determine whether to deliver emails to the inbox or the spam folder.
- Sender Reputation: Sending to unengaged subscribers damages sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues like filtering and blocking.
- Spam Traps: Sending to unengaged subscribers increases the risk of hitting spam traps, which can result in blacklisting.
- List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists and removing unengaged subscribers is essential for maintaining high engagement and deliverability.
- Email Quality: Decreased engagement signals poor email quality to ISPs.
Key considerations
- List Segmentation: Segment your email list to target specific subscribers with relevant content.
- Content Relevance: Focus on creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your audience.
- Regular Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly identifying and removing unengaged subscribers from your email list.
- Re-engagement Campaigns: Before removing subscribers, consider running re-engagement campaigns to try and win them back.
- Monitor Metrics: Continuously monitor engagement metrics (open rates, click rates, etc.) to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.
- Feedback Loops: Setup and monitor feedback loops to catch and resolve spam complaints early.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Vendor Selection shares that decreased engagement metrics, such as low open and click rates, signal to mailbox providers that recipients are not interested in your emails. This can cause your emails to be filtered into the spam folder or blocked entirely, negatively impacting your overall deliverability.
14 Jul 2023 - Email Vendor Selection
Marketer view
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog explains that sending to unengaged subscribers can lead to lower engagement rates, increased spam complaints, and ultimately, damage to your sender reputation. ISPs may start filtering your emails to the spam folder or blocking them altogether if a significant portion of your recipients consistently ignore or mark your emails as spam.
4 Jul 2021 - Sendinblue Blog
What the experts say
7 expert opinions
Sending emails to unengaged subscribers results in several negative deliverability consequences. Although decreased metrics themselves may not directly cause harm, sending to uninterested recipients leads to increased spam complaints and lower engagement, signaling to ISPs that the emails are unwanted. This can result in emails being delivered to the spam folder or blocked altogether, potentially leading to a 'death spiral' of decreasing engagement and deliverability. Low open rates, especially on consumer domains like Gmail, are often indicative of spam placement. Monitoring open rates and engagement by domain, utilizing tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and practicing regular list hygiene (cleaning and suppressing inactive users) are crucial for mitigating these effects and maintaining a positive sender reputation.
Key opinions
- Spam Complaints: Sending to uninterested recipients increases the likelihood of spam complaints.
- Low Engagement Signals: Low open rates and other decreased metrics signal to ISPs that emails are unwanted.
- Spam Folder Placement: Emails are more likely to be delivered to the spam folder when engagement is low.
- Domain-Specific Issues: Lower open rates on consumer domains like Gmail may indicate specific issues with those providers.
- Sender Reputation Damage: Consistently low engagement damages sender reputation, leading to further deliverability problems.
Key considerations
- Monitor Engagement: Track open rates and engagement by domain to identify potential issues.
- List Hygiene Practices: Regularly clean and suppress inactive users from email lists.
- Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation and identify potential issues with Gmail delivery.
- Targeted Content: Focus on sending relevant and engaging content to improve engagement rates.
- ISP-Specific Strategies: Adjust sending strategies based on specific issues with individual ISPs, such as focusing on other domains if Gmail is problematic.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sending to unengaged subscribers (or neglecting list hygiene) results in higher spam complaint rates, lower engagement, and can ultimately damage sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. She recommends regular list cleaning and suppression of inactive users.
30 Dec 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that lower open rates on consumer domains often indicates mail is going to spam.
11 Apr 2022 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Sending emails to unengaged subscribers significantly harms email deliverability, primarily by negatively impacting sender reputation. Documentation from Google, Microsoft, and SparkPost emphasizes that maintaining high engagement rates and avoiding sending unwanted emails to inactive users is crucial. Damaged sender reputation results in emails being filtered as spam or blocked entirely by ISPs. Furthermore, sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) has broader consequences, including direct and indirect costs, reputational damage, and potential blacklisting, as highlighted by RFC documentation. Therefore, prioritizing list hygiene and responsible sending practices is essential for effective email communication.
Key findings
- Sender Reputation Impact: Sending to unengaged subscribers directly harms sender reputation.
- Filtering and Blocking: Damaged sender reputation leads to emails being filtered as spam or blocked by ISPs.
- Importance of Engagement: High engagement rates are crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
- List Hygiene: Regularly removing inactive subscribers is recommended by multiple sources.
- Broader Consequences of Spam: Sending unsolicited bulk email has far-reaching costs, including economic and reputational damage.
Key considerations
- Prioritize List Hygiene: Implement and maintain a robust list hygiene program to remove inactive users.
- Monitor Sender Reputation: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation.
- Focus on Engagement: Create engaging and relevant content to encourage interaction and maintain high engagement rates.
- Avoid Unsolicited Bulk Email: Adhere to best practices for permission-based email marketing.
- Compliance with Regulations: Ensure compliance with relevant email marketing regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM).
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft 365 Documentation explains that sending to unengaged recipients can negatively affect your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Microsoft recommends regularly removing inactive subscribers from your mailing list to maintain high engagement rates and avoid being marked as spam.
23 Mar 2022 - Microsoft 365 Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost Documentation shares that sender reputation is a crucial factor in email deliverability. Sending to unengaged subscribers can harm your sender reputation, leading to ISPs filtering your emails to the spam folder or blocking them altogether. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is essential for preserving a positive sender reputation.
22 Nov 2023 - SparkPost Documentation
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