Summary
Sending email updates to very old email lists poses significant risks to sender reputation and deliverability. Recipients may forget they subscribed, resulting in spam complaints. Furthermore, email addresses may become outdated or turn into spam traps, leading to high bounce rates and potential blacklisting. Documentation from major email providers emphasizes the importance of list hygiene, recommending list cleaning, double opt-in, and monitoring of engagement metrics. Sending without verifying addresses can damage sender reputation and lead to emails being filtered as spam, suspension of sending privileges, or being blocklisted. Providing context and gradual warming up of the list are also key considerations.
Key findings
- Damaged Sender Reputation: Sending to old lists can negatively impact sender reputation, leading to lower deliverability.
- Increased Spam Complaints: Recipients who forget subscribing may mark emails as spam.
- High Bounce Rates: Outdated email addresses lead to high bounce rates, damaging sender reputation.
- Spam Traps: Old lists may contain spam traps, leading to blacklisting.
- Poor Engagement: Low open and click-through rates signal low email value to ISPs.
Key considerations
- List Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Address Verification: Verify email addresses before sending to old lists.
- Double Opt-in: Implement a double opt-in process for new subscribers.
- Warming Up: If sending to an old list, warm it up gradually.
- Monitor Engagement: Track and analyze key engagement metrics to identify and address issues.
- Email Policy Review: Companies should review their email policies, especially regarding sending to inactive subscribers.
- Provide Context: Clearly explain the purpose of the email and why the recipient is receiving it if sending to an old list.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Sending email updates to very old lists is generally discouraged due to numerous potential issues affecting email deliverability and sender reputation. These issues stem from outdated subscriber information, unengaged recipients, and increased risks of spam complaints, bounces, and honeypot traps. Key concerns include damaging sender reputation, triggering spam filters, and being blocked by ISPs.
Key opinions
- Damaged Reputation: Emailing old lists hurts sender reputation, potentially leading to lower deliverability and emails being flagged as spam.
- Increased Bounces/Complaints: Old lists often contain invalid or abandoned email addresses, resulting in higher bounce rates and spam complaints.
- Poor Engagement: Inactive subscribers lead to poor engagement metrics (low open/click rates), negatively impacting deliverability.
- Honeypot Risk: Old lists may contain honeypot addresses, designed to catch spammers, resulting in blacklisting.
- Lack of Context: Recipients may not remember subscribing, or may not understand the update without proper context.
Key considerations
- List Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
- Reconfirmation: Consider reconfirming subscriptions with recipients who haven't engaged recently.
- Warming Up: If you must email an old list, warm it up slowly to avoid triggering spam filters.
- Provide Context: When sending updates, clearly explain the purpose of the email and why the recipient is receiving it.
- Monitor Metrics: Closely monitor bounce rates, complaint rates, and engagement metrics to assess the impact of your email campaigns.
Marketer view
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that old lists likely contain inactive or uninterested subscribers. Sending to these lists can negatively impact engagement metrics, affecting future deliverability.
18 Nov 2021 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum notes that many email addresses on old lists are likely to be honeypots, designed to catch spammers. Sending to these can lead to immediate blacklisting.
19 Nov 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Sending email updates to very old lists presents several challenges. Recipients may forget they signed up or their preferences may have changed over time, leading to spam complaints and deliverability issues. Verifying email addresses before sending to an old list is also crucial.
Key opinions
- Recipient Recognition: Recipients might not remember signing up for the list after a long period.
- Preference Changes: Subscribers' interests and preferences may have changed, making the updates irrelevant.
- Deliverability Impact: High complaint rates from old lists negatively impact email deliverability.
- Need for Verification: Email addresses on old lists should be verified to ensure they are still valid.
Key considerations
- Email Policy Review: Companies should review their email policies, especially regarding sending to inactive subscribers.
- Address Verification: Implement a process to verify email addresses on old lists before sending updates.
- Engagement: If considering mailing to an old list, be aware of how the recipient might react.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource explains that sending to very old lists invites spam complaints. People forget they signed up, or their preferences change. High complaint rates lead to deliverability problems.
27 Aug 2021 - Spamresource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that sending email to an old list is a tricky situation. If you haven't mailed them in a long time, you should verify the addresses.
10 Feb 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Sending email updates to very old email lists poses significant risks to email deliverability and sender reputation. High spam rates, bounces, and complaints can damage domain reputation, trigger spam filters, and even lead to being blocklisted, preventing emails from reaching recipients. Major email providers and anti-spam organizations strongly advise against this practice and recommend proactive list hygiene and double opt-in processes.
Key findings
- Domain Reputation Damage: High spam rates from old lists negatively impact domain reputation, leading to emails being filtered to spam folders.
- Spam Filter Triggers: Outdated information and high complaint rates trigger spam filters.
- Increased Bounce Rates: Sending to old addresses results in high bounce rates, leading to throttling by mail servers.
- Blocklisting: Sending to old lists can result in being added to blocklists, preventing email delivery to a large audience.
- Policy Violations: Sending to old lists can violate acceptable use policies of email sending services, leading to suspension of sending privileges.
Key considerations
- Monitor Spam Rates: Actively monitor spam rates and remove unresponsive subscribers.
- Regular List Cleaning: Regularly clean your subscriber list to remove outdated or inactive addresses.
- Implement Double Opt-in: Use a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers actively consent to receiving emails.
- Maintain List Hygiene: Prioritize maintaining a clean and engaged email list.
Technical article
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that high spam rates from old lists can damage your domain reputation, leading to emails being filtered to spam folders for all recipients. Google recommends monitoring spam rates and removing unresponsive subscribers.
26 Jul 2023 - Google
Technical article
Documentation from Spamhaus shares that sending to old email lists can result in being added to their blocklists, which prevents your emails from reaching a large portion of recipients. Maintaining list hygiene is crucial.
31 Aug 2024 - Spamhaus
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