Why do email clients argue with deliverability experts about email marketing advice?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 7 Aug 2025
Updated 15 Aug 2025
8 min read
It is a common scenario in the email marketing world, where clients seek out deliverability experts for help, yet often push back or argue with the very advice they receive. This dynamic can be puzzling for experts, as the core of their service is to provide solutions based on extensive experience and data. The friction often stems from a fundamental difference in perspective and understanding of how email deliverability truly functions.
Many clients, particularly those new to the nuances of email deliverability, approach consultations with preconceived notions or specific business objectives that they believe can override technical best practices. They might be focused on maximizing reach at all costs or believe certain shortcuts are acceptable because they have seen others attempt them. This often leads to a disconnect when an expert presents a strategy that prioritizes long-term sender reputation and inbox placement over immediate, potentially harmful, list growth tactics.
The challenge for deliverability professionals is to bridge this knowledge gap, explaining the 'why' behind their recommendations in a way that resonates with business goals, even when the advice contradicts existing practices or expectations. It requires patience and a clear demonstration of the potential negative consequences of ignoring established deliverability principles, such as ending up on a blacklist (or blocklist).
The core of the disagreement
The core disagreement often lies in the different priorities. Marketers typically focus on campaign metrics, conversions, and subscriber counts. They want to send to as many people as possible, as frequently as possible, to achieve their marketing objectives. Deliverability experts, however, are concerned with the health of the sending infrastructure, sender reputation, and maintaining a positive relationship with mailbox providers (like Google and Yahoo) to ensure emails actually reach the inbox.
For instance, an expert might advise reducing send frequency to inactive subscribers to protect sender reputation, which marketers might see as limiting their reach. Similarly, strict opt-in processes or regular list cleaning, while crucial for long-term deliverability, can be viewed by clients as obstacles to rapid list growth. This often leads to conversations where the client feels their business model is being challenged, rather than their email strategy being optimized.
Understanding how email deliverability works in the current landscape is key. It's not just about content or subject lines, but also about technical configurations like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, as well as crucial sending behaviors like consistent engagement and low complaint rates. Ignoring these technical underpinnings can lead to emails landing in the spam folder or being rejected entirely.
Client mindset
Focus on quantity: Believes more emails sent equals more opportunities, regardless of recipient engagement.
Short-term gains: Prioritizes immediate sales or leads over sustainable list health and reputation.
External list reliance: May acquire email addresses from third parties, disregarding consent requirements.
Misconceptions and stubbornness
One of the most frustrating aspects for deliverability experts is encountering clients who, despite seeking help, display a stubborn resistance to adopting fundamental best practices. This often comes from a place of misinformation or a belief that their specific situation is an exception to the rules. Phrases like "everyone else does it" or "it works for my competitor" are common, reflecting a desire for validation of their current methods rather than a genuine willingness to change.
This resistance can also stem from a sense of personal insult. When an expert explains that certain list acquisition methods, like purchasing lists from local boards, are detrimental to deliverability, it can be perceived as an attack on the client's existing business model or past efforts. They may feel that the expert is implying their previous strategies were fundamentally flawed, leading to defensiveness rather than receptiveness.
The refusal to implement advice, especially regarding proper opt-in methods, makes an expert's work ineffective. For example, trying to improve the deliverability of emails sent to a non-opt-in list is akin to trying to fill a bucket with holes in it. While the client might believe there's some secret trick to deliver unwanted emails successfully, the reality is that without proper consent, long-term success is impossible. This is why some deliverability experts find it difficult to help cold email senders with their issues.
Example of a problematic SPF record due to over-inclusion of third-party sources (exceeds 10-lookup limit)DNS
Ignoring expert advice comes with significant, often unseen, costs. Initially, a client might see a temporary dip in reach if they pare down their list or slow their sending, but continuing to send to unengaged or unverified contacts will inevitably lead to severe deliverability problems. This includes lower open rates, higher complaint rates, increased bounce rates, and ultimately, a damaged sender reputation.
When your sender reputation declines, emails are more likely to land in spam folders or be outright rejected. This means your marketing efforts, time, and money are wasted because your messages aren't even reaching the intended audience. Recovering from a bad reputation or a blocklist (or blacklist) listing can be a lengthy and challenging process, often taking much longer and costing more than prevention. Understanding how email blocklists work is crucial for any sender.
Furthermore, a compromised sender reputation can impact future email campaigns, even with clean lists, because mailbox providers will be more suspicious of your sending domain. This cycle of poor performance is why experts stress the importance of foundational best practices. It's not about selling unnecessary services, but about ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of an email program. Many businesses struggle with email deliverability due to these overlooked fundamentals.
Acquires lists from third parties, infrequent cleaning, keeps inactive subscribers.
Sender reputation
High, leading to excellent inbox placement.
Low, resulting in emails landing in spam or being blocked.
Engagement metrics
High open and click rates, low complaint and bounce rates.
Low engagement, high complaints, and bounce rates.
Technical compliance
Proper DMARC, SPF, and DKIM setup, leading to better authentication.
Potential DMARC failures and increased spoofing risks.
Bridging the gap
Bridging the gap between a client's expectations and an expert's deliverability advice requires mutual understanding and effective communication. Clients need to recognize that email deliverability is not a magical fix, but a sustained effort based on established principles. Experts, in turn, must translate complex technical concepts into understandable business impacts.
One way to minimize friction is for experts to emphasize the return on investment (ROI) of good deliverability. Instead of just stating a problem, articulate how implementing a recommendation will lead to more emails reaching the inbox, resulting in more engagement, conversions, and ultimately, higher revenue. Education is key, demonstrating that the advice provided is aimed at the client's ultimate success, not just technical compliance. If you're a deliverability expert and the client continues to disregard your advice, it may be time to consider what to do in this scenario.
Ultimately, the goal for both parties should be a healthy, sustainable email program that consistently reaches its intended audience. This is achieved not by finding loopholes or shortcuts, but by adhering to best practices that build and maintain a strong sender reputation over time.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Educate clients on the 'why' behind deliverability advice, connecting it to their business goals.
Emphasize long-term sender reputation and inbox placement over short-term vanity metrics.
Clearly define what types of email lists are acceptable (opt-in) and which are not (purchased/scraped).
Be firm but diplomatic when confronting client misconceptions about email deliverability.
Focus on the benefits of good list hygiene, like higher engagement and better ROI.
Common pitfalls
Clients seeking validation for their current, often problematic, email sending practices.
Clients believing their business is an exception to email deliverability rules, such as using third-party lists.
Clients assuming there's a 'secret' trick to bypass email security measures and deliver unsolicited mail.
Clients perceiving expert advice as a personal insult or a criticism of their previous marketing efforts.
Clients wanting quick fixes without investing the necessary time and effort into foundational changes.
Expert tips
Sometimes clients seek an expert just to check a box, not for genuine consultation.
Resistance to advice often means clients want to succeed 'their way' rather than 'the right way'.
Clients might pay for multiple consultations, hoping for a different, more convenient answer.
It's like arguing with a personal trainer that their workout plan is too hard, then seeking a second opinion.
The client's unwillingness to admit their initial path was wrong can lead to continued poor practices.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says clients often just want validation for their existing approaches rather than actual solutions.
2020-03-20 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says clients want a different answer because they can bully their staff, but not an external consultant, which leads to arguments.
2020-03-20 - Email Geeks
Finding common ground for email success
The dynamic between email clients and deliverability experts, though sometimes fraught with disagreement, is essential for successful email marketing. While clients focus on immediate campaign goals, experts provide the critical foundation for those campaigns to actually reach the inbox. By emphasizing education, understanding client motivations, and clearly articulating the long-term benefits of deliverability best practices, experts can help clients achieve sustainable and effective email marketing outcomes.
Ultimately, the goal is not just to send emails, but to ensure they are received and engaged with, which requires both marketing savvy and adherence to technical and reputation guidelines. When clients embrace the expert's advice, they move beyond short-term fixes to build robust, reliable email programs that drive real business value.
