Summary
A new Email Service Provider (ESP) should implement a comprehensive suite of deliverability and compliance tools and practices. Foundational to this is email authentication via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which prevents spoofing and ensures message integrity. Monitoring IP and domain blocklists, using tools like Hetrix and Spamhaus, allows for proactive issue detection. Active management of sender reputation through dedicated IPs and a gradual IP warm-up is crucial. Effective complaint handling, coupled with the use of feedback loops, helps to identify and address deliverability issues. Building a strong Abuse/Compliance desk with technical support is vital. Additional measures include using prospect vetting checklists, clawback commissions to disincentivize spammy clients, providing unsubscribe feedback options, and regularly monitoring inbox placement, testing email content, and cleaning lists. Segmentation and data analysis, using Google Postmaster Tools or similar systems, provide further insights. Finally, strong internal policies that sales understand and that prevent side-letter agreements are recommended.
Key findings
- Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are foundational for email authentication and preventing spoofing.
- Reputation Monitoring: Proactive monitoring of IP and domain blocklists, as well as sender reputation, is crucial for identifying and addressing issues promptly.
- Complaint Management: Effective handling of complaints and the utilization of feedback loops are vital for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
- Compliance Desk: An empowered Abuse/Compliance desk with strong technical support is essential for managing deliverability challenges.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Regular data analysis is key to identifying problems and patterns and addressing them. Postmaster Tools are helpful.
- Client Vetting and Incentives: Implementing a vetting process for new prospects and clawback commissions can minimize abuse.
Key considerations
- Holistic Approach: A successful deliverability strategy requires a holistic approach combining technical, procedural, and organizational measures.
- Data Analysis Importance: Be sure to implement data gathering/analysis and automated alerting for changes.
- Compliance Empowerment: The Compliance/Abuse Desk needs to be seperate from normal CS and empowered to act.
- Sales Buy-In: Ensure that Sales fully understands and is incentivized to ensure compliance.
- Dynamic Adaptation: The email landscape is constantly evolving, so the ESP should remain up-to-date on best practices and adapt accordingly.
- Blacklist Monitoring: Consistently watch if the ESP's IPs are blacklisted.
What email marketers say
15 marketer opinions
New email service providers (ESPs) should prioritize deliverability and compliance by implementing a range of tools and practices. These include authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), prospect vetting checklists, clawback commissions for terminated accounts, dedicated IPs, feedback loops, inbox placement testing, email content testing, list segmentation, list verification, suppression lists, gradual IP warm-up, and blacklist monitoring. Furthermore, actively managing complaints and protecting sender reputation are crucial. Compliance should be staffed with deliverability experts and sales should understand the importance of compliance.
Key opinions
- Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is fundamental for email authentication and preventing spoofing.
- List Hygiene: Maintaining clean email lists through verification and suppression lists is essential for deliverability.
- Sender Reputation: Building and protecting sender reputation is crucial; this can be achieved through dedicated IPs and a gradual IP warm-up process.
- Monitoring and Testing: Regular monitoring of inbox placement, blacklist status, and email content is necessary for identifying and resolving deliverability issues.
- Compliance and Sales Alignment: Aligning compliance and sales through clear policies, clawback provisions, and expert staffing ensures adherence to deliverability best practices.
- Data Analysis: Downloading and saving ESP data to a database will allow for analysis and notifications, enabling quicker reaction times for alerts.
Key considerations
- Prospect Vetting: Implement a vetting process for new prospects to avoid onboarding clients with poor sending practices.
- Feedback Loops: Actively participate in feedback loops and manage complaints effectively to improve list quality and sender reputation.
- Content Quality: Ensure email content is properly tested for spam triggers and rendering issues to optimize deliverability.
- Segmentation Strategy: Develop a robust list segmentation strategy to send targeted and relevant emails, improving engagement and deliverability.
- IP Warm-up: Plan a gradual IP warm-up strategy to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.
- Unsubscribe Feedback: Providing an unsubscribe feedback form to improve knowledge of why users are unsubscribing.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus advises that testing email content for spam triggers, rendering issues, and accessibility concerns is crucial to optimize deliverability and ensure a positive subscriber experience.
4 May 2024 - Litmus
Marketer view
Email marketer from MailerCheck shares that monitoring IP addresses and domains for blacklisting is crucial for maintaining deliverability. If blacklisted, immediate action is required to resolve the issue and get removed from the blacklist.
23 Aug 2023 - MailerCheck
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
For a new ESP, prioritizing deliverability and compliance involves a multifaceted approach. This includes implementing tools for blocklist monitoring, utilizing resources like Spamhaus, and actively managing clients based on internal metrics to identify compliance risks. Building something akin to Mailchimp's Omnivore, monitoring for targeted spamhaus listings and periodic inbox testing for infrastructure assessment is beneficial. Crucially, establishing an empowered Abuse/Compliance desk with robust developer and data analyst support, separate from customer support, is essential. Managing feedback loops, complaints, and monitoring IP addresses for blacklisting are also important. Ultimately, prioritizing building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through adherence to best practices and active monitoring is key.
Key opinions
- Monitoring and Alerting: Continuous monitoring of IP/domain blocklists, Spamhaus listings, and sender reputation is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues promptly.
- Abuse/Compliance Desk: Having a dedicated, empowered Abuse/Compliance desk with technical support is essential for effective deliverability management.
- Complaint Management: Implementing effective feedback loops and actively managing complaints are vital for identifying and resolving deliverability issues.
- Sender Reputation: Building and maintaining a positive sender reputation through best practices and active monitoring is fundamental.
- Client Management: Stack ranking clients based on internal metrics helps prioritize compliance efforts and identify potential problem areas.
Key considerations
- Blocklist Monitoring: Implement a robust system for monitoring IP and domain blocklists to quickly identify and address potential deliverability issues.
- Data Support for Compliance: Ensure the Abuse/Compliance desk has sufficient developer and data analyst support to effectively manage deliverability challenges.
- Proactive Complaint Investigation: Develop a process for investigating complaints beyond simply removing the affected recipient to address underlying issues.
- Compliance Best Practices: Adhere to industry best practices and monitor deliverability metrics to maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Internal Metrics: Establish and track internal metrics to identify clients who may be negatively impacting deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of monitoring IP addresses for blacklisting and taking prompt action to resolve any issues to prevent deliverability problems.
20 May 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a new ESP should prioritize building and maintaining a good sender reputation by adhering to best practices, authenticating emails, and actively monitoring deliverability metrics.
20 Aug 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Email authentication and deliverability rely on several key tools and protocols. SPF is a method to prevent spoofing by verifying the sender's authorization to send emails on behalf of a domain. DKIM provides a way to digitally sign emails to ensure they haven't been tampered with during transit. DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to allow domain owners to set policies for handling emails that fail authentication. Feedback loops (FBLs) provide information on when recipients mark emails as spam, enabling better list hygiene. Google Postmaster Tools allow senders to monitor their sending reputation and identify potential issues.
Key findings
- SPF Prevents Spoofing: SPF helps prevent spammers from using a domain to send unauthorized emails.
- DKIM Ensures Integrity: DKIM allows recipients to verify that an email originated from an authorized source and hasn't been altered.
- DMARC Sets Policy: DMARC enables domain owners to define how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks.
- FBLs Improve List Hygiene: Feedback loops provide critical data for identifying and removing subscribers who mark emails as spam.
- Postmaster Tools for Monitoring: Google Postmaster Tools provide valuable insights into sender reputation and deliverability.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF, DKIM, DMARC: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly implemented to authenticate emails.
- Monitor Feedback Loops: Actively monitor and respond to feedback loops to maintain a healthy email list.
- Use Postmaster Tools: Regularly monitor Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address deliverability problems.
- Establish Quarantine/Reject Policies: Implement the use of a DMARC policy that dictates actions for emails that fail authentication.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org details that DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a policy for handling emails that fail authentication checks, allowing domain owners to instruct receivers on how to handle such messages (e.g., reject, quarantine).
12 Feb 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article
Documentation from DKIM explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method that allows senders to digitally sign their emails, which helps recipients verify that the message was sent from an authorized source and has not been tampered with during transit.
27 Jul 2021 - DKIM
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