Summary
Microsoft email engagement has decreased due to strict filtering, sender reputation issues, and changes in user behavior. Low engagement signals unwanted content, leading to spam filters and throttling. Throttling, a temporary delay, indicates potential blocking. Improving engagement involves warming up IPs, authenticating emails, managing lists, relevant content, and monitoring metrics. Microsoft's SNDS/JMRP programs aid in understanding their perspective and identifying issues. High complaint rates can impact deliverability. SMTP throttling mechanisms protect against abuse. The use of engagement metrics to determine which emails are delivered has increased. The general consensus is sender reputation, authentication, engagement and volume are key in microsoft deliverability.
Key findings
- Engagement Decline: Microsoft engagement saw a significant drop, potentially linked to changing user behavior and stricter filtering.
- Sender Reputation Impact: A positive sender reputation is critical, and a low reputation often results in spam filtering or blocking.
- Engagement Metrics: Microsoft heavily weighs engagement metrics in filtering decisions; low engagement negatively affects deliverability.
- Throttling as a Warning: Throttling serves as an ISP warning sign, indicating potential future blocking following spam filtering.
- SNDS/JMRP Importance: Monitoring IP reputation through SNDS and JMRP is crucial to understanding Microsoft's sending practices.
- Complaints: Microsoft weighs user complaints heavily, so avoiding generating negative feedback from recipients.
Key considerations
- Improve Engagement: Focus on improving engagement through relevant content, honoring unsubscribes, and maintaining a clean list.
- Monitor Deliverability: Track key metrics (open rates, click-through rates) to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
- Authenticate Email: Ensure emails are properly authenticated to build trust with Microsoft and other ISPs.
- Warm up IP: Gradually warm up IP addresses, especially for new senders, to establish a positive reputation.
- Manage Sending Volume: Avoid sudden spikes in sending volume that may trigger throttling.
- Monitor SNDS/JMRP: Regularly monitor SNDS/JMRP data to understand Microsoft's perspective on mail flow.
What email marketers say
9 marketer opinions
Microsoft email engagement has dropped due to strict filtering policies, greylisting, and the importance of sender reputation. Low engagement rates signal to ISPs that emails are unwanted, leading to spam filtering. Throttling, a temporary delay in email delivery, occurs when ISPs detect sudden spikes in sending volume or suspected spam activity, which can impact overall deliverability. Strategies to improve Microsoft email engagement include warming up IP addresses, monitoring feedback loops, managing subscriber lists, authenticating emails, and signing up for Microsoft's SNDS program.
Key opinions
- Strict Filtering: Microsoft's Outlook and Hotmail have strict filtering policies that can lead to deliverability issues.
- Sender Reputation: A positive sender reputation is critical for deliverability to Microsoft email services. Low reputation results in spam folders or blocking.
- Engagement Impact: Low engagement rates (opens, clicks) negatively affect deliverability as Microsoft uses engagement as a signal to determine if emails are wanted.
- Throttling Effects: Throttling is a temporary delay imposed by ISPs in response to sudden spikes or suspected spam, which impacts overall deliverability.
- SNDS Importance: Signing up for Microsoft's SNDS program is crucial for monitoring IP reputation and understanding how Microsoft views sending practices.
Key considerations
- IP Warm-up: Warming up IP addresses is important for establishing a positive sender reputation, especially for new senders or those with low sending volumes.
- Authentication: Authenticating emails helps build and maintain a good reputation with Microsoft and other ISPs.
- List Management: Managing subscriber lists and monitoring feedback loops are necessary for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
- Content Relevance: Sending relevant content to interested subscribers and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly are crucial for improving engagement.
- Engagement Metrics: Tracking email engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates helps identify and address deliverability issues.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that low engagement rates (opens, clicks) negatively affect deliverability. Microsoft and other ISPs use engagement as a signal to determine if emails are wanted by recipients. Low engagement can lead to spam filtering.
16 Apr 2023 - Mailjet
Marketer view
Email marketer from Stackoverflow explains that Hotmail often has deliverability problems because of Microsoft's heavy filtering on unsolicited email. The user shares to make sure you sign up for the SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) program, check the IP reputation and ensure you have good authentication.
24 Feb 2024 - Stackoverflow
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
Microsoft email engagement dropped significantly around mid-to-late March 2020, with a potential correlation to changes in user behavior during the Coronavirus pandemic. Microsoft weighs engagement metrics and user complaints heavily in its filtering decisions, and consistently low engagement can lead to throttling and eventual blocking. Throttling itself is a warning sign of potential blocking. Joining Microsoft's SNDS and JMRP is crucial for monitoring IP reputation and understanding Microsoft's perspective on sending practices.
Key opinions
- Engagement Drop: Microsoft engagement dropped notably around March 2020, possibly influenced by the Coronavirus pandemic and shifts in user email behavior.
- Engagement Weighting: Microsoft prioritizes engagement metrics as a primary factor in its filtering decisions, leading to throttling and blocking for low engagement senders.
- Throttling as Warning: Throttling serves as an ISP's warning sign, indicating a higher risk of future blocking and often follows prior spam filtering.
- User Complaints: Microsoft heavily considers user complaints, making it vital to avoid generating negative feedback from recipients.
- SNDS/JMRP Importance: Monitoring IP reputation and understanding Microsoft's perspective are vital, making tools like SNDS and JMRP essential for senders.
Key considerations
- Engagement Improvement: Efforts should focus on improving engagement through relevant content and prompt unsubscribe handling to avoid throttling and blocking.
- Monitor SNDS/JMRP: Regularly monitor SNDS and JMRP data to proactively address any issues related to IP reputation or user complaints.
- Address User Concerns: Pay close attention to user feedback and complaints to minimize negative signals that could affect deliverability.
- Relevance: Ensure content is relevant to intended audience.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource suggests joining Microsoft's SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) and JMRP (Junk Mail Reporting Program) to monitor your IP reputation and understand how Microsoft views your sending practices. They also note that Microsoft weighs user complaints heavily.
21 Dec 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that Microsoft uses engagement metrics as a primary factor in filtering decisions. They explains consistently low engagement rates can lead to throttling and eventually blocking. Improving engagement requires sending relevant content to interested subscribers and honoring unsubscribe requests promptly.
12 Mar 2024 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Microsoft, like other ISPs, utilizes sender reputation, calculated from factors like email authentication, complaint rates, and sending volume, to determine whether to accept, reject, or filter emails. Throttling, a temporary delay in email delivery, is often employed in response to sudden sending spikes or suspected spam activity to prevent overload and maintain system stability. This throttling can negatively impact deliverability by delaying messages and causing timeouts. General best practices for email delivery, applicable across providers, emphasize authentication, avoiding unwanted mail, easy unsubscription, and consistent monitoring of sender reputation.
Key findings
- Sender Reputation Factors: Sender reputation is determined by authentication, complaint rates, and sending volume.
- Throttling Triggers: Throttling is triggered by sudden sending spikes or suspected spam activity.
- Throttling Impact: Throttling can lead to delays and timeouts, negatively affecting deliverability.
- Purpose of Throttling: SMTP throttling helps prevent overload, abuse, and maintain email system stability.
- General Best Practices: Authentication, avoiding unwanted mail, easy unsubscription, and monitoring sender reputation are best practices applicable across email providers.
Key considerations
- Maintain Authentication: Ensure email authentication is properly configured to establish a positive sender reputation.
- Manage Sending Volume: Avoid sudden spikes in sending volume that may trigger throttling mechanisms.
- Reduce Complaint Rates: Implement measures to reduce complaint rates, such as targeted messaging and easy unsubscription options.
- Monitor Reputation: Continuously monitor sender reputation to identify and address any potential issues.
- Provide Easy Unsubscription: Implement a simple and easily accessible unsubscription process to minimize negative feedback.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains sender reputation is calculated using several factors, including email authentication, complaint rate, and sending volume. Microsoft uses this reputation to determine whether to accept, reject, or filter emails.
6 Feb 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from RFC Editor details that SMTP throttling is a mechanism used by mail servers to control the rate at which they accept email connections and messages from a particular sender. They also share it helps prevent overload and abuse and maintain the stability of the email system.
1 Nov 2022 - RFC Editor
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