Summary
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses significantly increased their email communication, frequently including terms related to the virus in their messages. This surge in both volume and specific content led to widespread concern among email marketers about potential negative impacts on email deliverability. While some feared that the specific terminology might directly trigger spam filters, or that the overall increase in email traffic would overwhelm Mailbox Providers (MBPs), the primary issues identified were largely rooted in fundamental email best practices, rather than the crisis-specific content itself.
Key findings
- Content Neutrality: Emails containing COVID-19 or Coronavirus terms were not inherently blocked by spam filters. Filters rely on broader sender reputation and engagement signals, not just single keywords. This is often an area of confusion for email senders. Find out if specific spam words still affect email deliverability.
- Volume Surges: The overall increase in email volume during the pandemic put a strain on Mailbox Providers, leading to potential delays but not direct content-based blocklisting. Learn more about how email volume spikes can affect deliverability.
- List Hygiene: The biggest deliverability issues arose from senders reactivating old, unengaged, or opted-out email lists, which resulted in higher spam complaints and bounces. This practice can lead to hitting spam traps, significantly harming your sender reputation.
- Reputation Focus: Mailbox providers continued to prioritize sender reputation, IP, domain, and authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) when evaluating emails, rather than specific crisis-related keywords.
Key considerations
- Audience Engagement: Prioritize sending to engaged recipients. Avoid reactivating dormant or unconfirmed lists, as this can severely harm sender reputation and lead to blacklisting. See how you can maintain high deliverability even when sending COVID-19 communications.
- Authentication: Ensure proper email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are in place. These foundational elements are crucial for establishing trust with Mailbox Providers.
- Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation and deliverability metrics, including bounce rates and spam complaint rates, to quickly identify and address issues.
- Content Relevance: Even with crisis-related emails, ensure content remains relevant and provides clear value to the recipient to maintain engagement and avoid spam complaints.
What email marketers say
Email marketers observed mixed experiences during the pandemic, with some reporting unexpected deliverability challenges while others maintained consistent inbox placement. A common concern was whether the prevalence of COVID-19 related phrases in subject lines or body copy might inadvertently trigger spam filters. Marketers also noted the increased pressure on Mailbox Providers (MBPs) due to the overall surge in email volume, which could lead to unforeseen delivery delays or filtering nuances. However, many quickly realized that underlying list quality and sending practices remained the dominant factors influencing deliverability, regardless of the urgent nature of the messages.
Key opinions
- Unexpected Drops: Some marketers experienced sudden drops in inbox placement for emails containing COVID-19 messaging, despite previously good sender reputation. This can occur for many reasons, including a sudden drop in domain reputation.
- UTM Concerns: There were isolated reports of issues with Microsoft filtering emails that contained COVID-related terms in UTM parameters. This is rare and typically not the direct cause of deliverability issues.
- Spam Button Risk: Marketers worried that recipients marking irrelevant COVID-19 emails as spam could inadvertently "train" spam filters to associate the topic with unwanted mail, leading to a high spam rate.
- ML Intelligence: Questions arose about the intelligence of machine learning algorithms in discerning legitimate COVID-19 communication from spam, particularly amidst high bounce rates from old lists.
Key considerations
- List Quality: Re-engaging old, opted-out, or non-existent email addresses for critical updates can severely damage your sender reputation. Focus on clean, engaged lists to maintain good deliverability.
- Content Monitoring: While not the sole factor, be mindful of how certain keywords, especially when combined with poor sending practices, might contribute to perceived "spamminess" and prompt recipient complaints.
- User Feedback: Pay close attention to spam complaints and unsubscribe rates, as these are strong signals to Mailbox Providers about the quality and relevance of your mail. Understanding how to maintain high email deliverability is vital.
- ISP Capacity: Acknowledge that Internet Service Providers and Email Service Providers might be under increased load during crises, which could affect delivery times or processing of emails.
Email marketer from Email Geeks describes experiencing sudden changes in deliverability, where emails that previously landed in the inbox are now failing to do so. This observation prompted the initial inquiry into COVID-19 related content issues. They noted a significant shift despite no changes in their typical sending patterns.
Email marketer from Higher Logic emphasizes that during times of crisis, adhering to fundamental email deliverability solutions is crucial for maintaining inbox placement. Consistent application of best practices helps navigate unusual email traffic patterns, ensuring messages reach their intended recipients without issue.
What the experts say
Deliverability experts largely agreed that while the pandemic brought unprecedented email volumes and specific content themes, the core principles of deliverability remained unchanged. They emphasized that sophisticated spam filters, particularly those employing machine learning, do not typically penalize emails based on single keywords, especially when those keywords are also prevalent in legitimate communication. The real threats to deliverability stemmed from sudden shifts in sending behavior, such as sending to old, unengaged lists, which led to spikes in complaints and bounces, rather than the COVID-19 content itself.
Key opinions
- No Direct Blocking: Experts found no evidence of COVID-related content directly causing email blocks. Mailbox providers did not implement blanket blocks on emails mentioning the virus.
- Old List Impact: Issues primarily arose from companies reactivating aged or opted-out email addresses, leading to high complaint rates and poor engagement. This practice can significantly impact deliverability and sender reputation.
- ML Sophistication: Mailbox provider machine learning (ML) algorithms are too advanced to broadly filter based on a single word or phrase (like COVID-19), especially when that term is common in both legitimate and illegitimate mail.
- Fundamental Metrics: Spam filters prioritize sender reputation, IP address, domain, authentication, and overall message stream rather than specific content terms when making filtering decisions. This comprehensive approach minimizes false positives.
- ISP Coping: Major Email Service Providers (ESPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were primarily focused on managing the immense increase in email volume, indicating a systemic pressure rather than content-specific filtering.
Key considerations
- List Hygiene is Paramount: Continuously clean and segment your email lists to avoid sending to dormant or invalid addresses. Spam traps lurking in old lists are particularly damaging and contribute to deliverability issues.
- Reputation Management: Focus on maintaining a strong sender reputation through consistent engagement, low complaint rates, and proper authentication. This forms the bedrock of good inbox placement. Discover how email sending was affected by COVID.
- Authenticity over Keywords: Content filters are designed to identify malicious patterns and deceptive practices, not to block emails about a globally relevant topic simply because a keyword is present.
- Provider Behavior: Understand that most providers reject hard bounces (to non-existent addresses) before processing message content, reinforcing the importance of list quality over content for initial delivery decisions. This is key to getting your messages to the inbox.
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks states that there is no evidence to suggest that emails containing COVID-19 related content are being inherently blocked. Discussions among deliverability professionals indicate that mailers are not experiencing blocks due to the topic itself, confirming that filters are more sophisticated.
Deliverability expert from Spam Resource notes that a key challenge for Internet Service Providers during the pandemic was effectively distinguishing between legitimate, important communications and malicious phishing or spam attempts leveraging crisis-related themes. This required nuanced filtering to protect users without hindering vital information flow.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from major Mailbox Providers (MBPs) and industry bodies consistently highlights that email filtering decisions are complex, multi-faceted, and heavily reliant on sender reputation and engagement signals, rather than isolated keywords. While there was an awareness of the increased volume and potential for abuse related to COVID-19, the documented advice maintained focus on fundamental best practices: maintaining clean lists, ensuring proper authentication, and adhering to user consent. The emphasis was on avoiding practices that would always lead to deliverability issues, irrespective of the content topic.
Key findings
- Holistic Filtering: Mailbox providers use a wide range of signals (sender reputation, IP history, domain health, authentication) to filter email, not just keywords or content. This sophisticated approach ensures accuracy.
- User Engagement is Key: High spam complaint rates and low engagement are strong negative signals that can trigger filtering, regardless of the message's topic. Monitoring these metrics is crucial.
- List Validation: Documentation emphasizes the critical importance of sending only to confirmed opt-in recipients and regularly validating email lists to avoid bounces and spam traps. This practice protects your sender reputation.
- Authentication Standards: Adherence to SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is consistently highlighted as crucial for establishing sender legitimacy and improving deliverability across all email types. A simple guide to email authentication can help.
Key considerations
- Do not abuse urgency: Avoid using crisis-related content as an excuse to send to unengaged or questionable lists. This will backfire and severely harm your deliverability, regardless of the message's importance.
- Monitor Feedback Loops: Pay attention to feedback from Mailbox Providers regarding spam complaints and bounces to adapt your sending strategy. These signals are direct indicators of recipient dissatisfaction.
- Transparent Messaging: Even with critical information, emails should be clear, concise, and provide value to the recipient to maintain trust and engagement. Avoid sensationalism or misleading subject lines.
- Technical Compliance: Ensure your email infrastructure and sending practices comply with technical standards to avoid basic filtering hurdles. Strong technical setup reinforces sender legitimacy with MBPs. Ongage provides further information on improving email deliverability during a crisis.
Documentation from Mailgun outlines essential takeaways for preserving high email deliverability during the COVID-19 period. It advises senders to prioritize core deliverability solutions to navigate the evolving email landscape effectively, focusing on consistent, compliant sending.
Documentation from dotmagazine highlights that while the COVID-19 pandemic saw increased email engagement, it also presented elevated risks for senders. It stresses the importance of brands building and maintaining trust through their email communication practices, especially when addressing sensitive topics. This delicate balance is key.
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