Achieving a good email delivery rate without double opt-in is a multifaceted process that hinges on maintaining a strong sender reputation, practicing diligent list hygiene, prioritizing recipient engagement, and adhering to technical standards. While a 90-99% delivery rate is generally considered a reasonable target, the key takeaway is that focusing on sending wanted mail to engaged users is paramount. Key methods for improving deliverability include implementing robust authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), regularly cleaning email lists, segmenting audiences for targeted content, and monitoring critical metrics like bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement levels. The importance of ethical email practices and permission-based sending are also emphasized.
12 marketer opinions
The consensus is that achieving a 'good' email delivery rate without double opt-in requires proactive management of sender reputation, list hygiene, and engagement. While specific target rates vary (90-99% is generally considered good), the overarching strategies include regular list cleaning, implementing email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints, segmenting lists for targeted content, and warming up IP addresses. Overall emphasis should be placed on delivering wanted mail to engaged users.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Woodpecker shares that a delivery rate between 90% and 99% is considered good. Woodpecker recommends focusing on sending relevant and personalized emails to boost engagement, cleaning email lists regularly to remove invalid or inactive addresses, and monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools. They note that a low bounce rate (under 2%) is also crucial.
15 Aug 2023 - Woodpecker
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that 98% is alright, 94% is not impressive and that if the list leans heavily to one provider that could signal problems. Also, suggests using an email validation API.
4 Dec 2024 - Email Geeks
10 expert opinions
These expert insights emphasize the critical role of permission, proactive reputation management, and authentication in achieving good email deliverability, particularly without double opt-in. Key actions include leveraging feedback loops (where available), prioritizing complaint monitoring over bounce rates, being cautious with B2B lists due to the absence of feedback loops, and diligently warming up new IPs. Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is considered foundational for sender verification, while Google's claims about spam behavior should be approached with caution.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that feedback loops from Yahoo and Microsoft allow you to receive a message when someone marks your email as spam, so you can remove that recipient from future emails. Mentions that at Google, you can monitor your complaint rate in the postmaster interface.
1 Oct 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that at Google, emails marked as spam may go to the bulk folder, affecting your reputation over time, or they may continue to appear in the inbox, leading to repeated spam reports, also impacting your reputation. Recommends removing unengaged users over time.
10 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
4 technical articles
These documentation sources collectively emphasize the crucial roles of authentication, sender reputation, and adherence to standards in achieving good email deliverability. All sources (Google, RFC 5321, Microsoft, and SparkPost) highlight the need for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication to verify sender identity and reduce the risk of emails being marked as spam. They also stress the importance of maintaining a good sender reputation, monitoring spam rates, and avoiding unsolicited bulk email. Adherence to SMTP standards is also vital.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost highlights the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for improving deliverability. SparkPost explains that these authentication methods help verify the sender's identity, reducing the likelihood of emails being marked as spam. They recommend setting up these records correctly and monitoring authentication results to ensure they are working as expected.
19 Feb 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft shares that to improve email deliverability in Office 365, it's important to avoid sending unsolicited bulk email and to ensure that your sending domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Microsoft also recommends monitoring your sender reputation through the Microsoft SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) program and following their best practices for sending email.
18 Oct 2021 - Microsoft
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