How can I gain access to Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds as an ESP?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 12 May 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
8 min read
As an Email Service Provider (ESP), getting access to performance data from major mailbox providers is crucial for understanding how our clients' emails are performing. Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds, provided through their Sender Hub, offer detailed metrics such as delivers, opens, clicks, reads, glances, and deletes. These insights are invaluable for diagnosing deliverability issues, optimizing campaigns, and ensuring our sending infrastructure maintains a healthy reputation.
However, gaining access to these specific feeds isn't always straightforward. Unlike some standard postmaster tools, Yahoo's approach to these advanced feeds is more selective. I've found that the process can be opaque, and securing access requires specific engagement with their team.
My experience, and that of many other ESPs, indicates that Yahoo reserves these feeds for providers that meet particular criteria. This selectivity is often due to the depth of data provided, which could be misused if distributed without proper controls. While the general Yahoo Postmaster FAQs offer some guidance, direct access to the feeds is a different tier of engagement.
Despite these challenges, the feeds remain a high-value resource. They go beyond basic deliverability metrics, offering a granular view of user engagement that is critical for maintaining a strong sender reputation and avoiding email deliverability issues. Understanding how to navigate this process is key for ESPs seeking to provide the best possible service to their clients.
Understanding Yahoo's performance feeds
Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds provide a comprehensive breakdown of how emails are performing within their ecosystem. These feeds are distinct from the general Sender Hub, offering more in-depth data points than typically available through standard Postmaster tools. They track key metrics vital for understanding user interaction beyond just simple delivery.
The primary benefit of these feeds lies in their ability to provide real-time or near real-time insights into user engagement. This includes deliveries, opens, reads, glances, skims, deletes, and clicks. For an ESP, this data allows for a proactive approach to email deliverability. For instance, if a specific campaign shows a high rate of 'deletes without reading' or 'skims,' it might indicate content relevance issues, even if delivery rates are high.
This level of detail is a significant step up from standard Postmaster tools, which typically focus on spam rates, IP reputation, and domain reputation. The Yahoo feeds offer a unique window into recipient behavior, enabling more nuanced adjustments to sending practices and content strategies. This can directly impact email engagement and overall inbox placement, especially with new policies from Google and Yahoo emphasizing engagement.
The data provided in these feeds is quite granular, as shown in this table:
Metric
Description
Significance
Delivers
Emails successfully delivered to the recipient's inbox.
Indicates subject line effectiveness and initial interest.
Reads
Recipient spent a meaningful amount of time reading.
Strong positive engagement, content relevance.
Glances
Recipient briefly viewed the email.
Moderate interest, potential for content optimization.
Skims
Recipient quickly scrolled through the email without deep engagement.
Low engagement, suggests lack of immediate appeal.
Deletes
Recipient deleted the email.
Negative signal, indicates disinterest or unwanted mail.
Clicks
Recipient clicked on a link within the email.
Direct conversion, high engagement. Crucial for ROI.
The access process for ESPs
The primary method for ESPs to request access to Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds is by sending an email to mail-questions@yahooinc.com. This is the contact point specified by Yahoo for inquiries about these programs. It's essential to clearly state your organization's role as an ESP and your intent to use the feeds for deliverability monitoring and improvement.
However, simply sending an email does not guarantee access. I've found that the initial auto-response you receive is often vague, indicating that Yahoo reserves the right to decide who gains access. This can be frustrating, especially when you are trying to monitor complaint rates and other critical metrics for your clients.
How to request access
To request access to the feeds, ESPs should send an email to mail-questions@yahooinc.com. Clearly state your organization's name, primary sending domains/IPs, and the purpose for needing access to the performance data. Emphasize your commitment to good sending practices and how the data will help you and your clients maintain a positive sender reputation.
What to expect
You will likely receive an automated response confirming receipt. Beyond that, the response time can vary significantly, and direct feedback regarding your application may not be immediate. Yahoo maintains discretion over who is granted access, focusing on entities that can leverage the data responsibly for the benefit of their email ecosystem.
My experience has shown that building a relationship with Yahoo's deliverability team, similar to how one might approach Microsoft SNDS access, can be beneficial, but it's not a guaranteed path to the feeds. The decision to grant access appears to be based on various factors, including the ESP's sending volume, reputation, and commitment to maintaining a healthy email ecosystem. This means smaller ESPs might face a steeper climb.
The purpose of limiting access
Yahoo's decision to limit access to these feeds, while frustrating for some, serves a specific purpose. From their perspective, it's about ensuring that the detailed data is used responsibly and for its intended goal: to help large, reputable senders optimize their performance and prevent abuse. The feeds provide data at a granularity that could potentially be leveraged by malicious actors if access were completely open.
I understand the need for controlled distribution of such powerful insights. As an ESP, I want to proactively address issues and prevent my clients from ending up on a blacklist or blocklist. Having detailed campaign performance data would significantly aid in this, allowing me to identify and address problematic campaigns or bad actors within our system. Without it, it feels like I'm trying to fix problems in the dark.
Yahoo has indicated a commitment to providing better tools in the future for a wider range of senders, likely through enhancements to their Sender Hub. This suggests they are aware of the demand for more comprehensive insights beyond the current selective feeds. This development is something I, and many other ESPs, are eagerly awaiting, as it could democratize access to valuable deliverability data.
ESPs' perspective
Need for granularity: Require specific campaign data to identify and address issues, proactively preventing blocklists.
Transparency concerns: Vague responses and lack of clear next steps in the access process. It's difficult to help clients recover domain reputation without data.
Support for legitimate senders: Believe providing data to legitimate ESPs helps Yahoo combat spam more effectively.
Yahoo's perspective
Controlled access: Feeds serve a specific purpose and access is granted selectively to ensure meaningful usage.
Future tools: Acknowledges the need for broader insights and is developing better tools for senders via Sender Hub.
Data security: Prevents misuse of sensitive performance data that could harm their ecosystem.
Alternative insights and future outlook
If direct access to Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds remains elusive, ESPs still have crucial alternative strategies to monitor and improve deliverability. One key area is leveraging other data sources, such as Complaint Feedback Loops (FBLs) from Yahoo and other ISPs.
While FBLs don't provide engagement metrics like opens or clicks, they are vital for identifying spam complaints, which significantly impact sender reputation and can lead to being placed on a blocklist (or blacklist). For Yahoo, ensuring proper setup for their Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL) service is paramount. This includes configuring the necessary DNS records and understanding the ARF format for receiving complaint reports. Proper parsing and actioning of these reports is critical for maintaining a healthy sending program.
Furthermore, closely monitoring Yahoo's official postmaster blog remains the best way to stay informed about new tools and data offerings. They have announced that they are working on providing better tools via the Sender Hub that might offer the insights ESPs are looking for, without requiring a special access request for the performance feeds. This is a positive sign for the future of broader data access.
In the meantime, maintaining strong email authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) and nurturing a positive sender reputation through consistent sending practices and list hygiene are non-negotiable. These fundamentals are essential for deliverability, regardless of whether you have access to advanced performance feeds. Ensuring your ESP capabilities include robust authentication and reporting features is crucial.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Actively seek to understand Yahoo's specific criteria for granting access to performance feeds, demonstrating your organization's commitment to email ecosystem health.
Prioritize robust email authentication, including DMARC at an enforced policy, as it's foundational for trust with mailbox providers like Yahoo.
Routinely monitor all available deliverability metrics from other sources and internal analytics to fill any data gaps.
Engage directly with Yahoo's postmaster team through the official channels for any support or information requests.
Common pitfalls
Expecting immediate or guaranteed access to Yahoo's advanced feeds without a clear, established relationship or significant sending volume.
Misinterpreting the automated responses from Yahoo as a rejection, instead of recognizing them as part of a selective access process.
Neglecting to implement or monitor Complaint Feedback Loops (CFLs) and other standard deliverability data sources, which are always accessible.
Failing to maintain good sending practices, which can negatively impact overall sender reputation and make future access requests more challenging.
Expert tips
Keep a close watch on the official Yahoo Postmaster blog for announcements regarding new tools and data, as broader access to insights is being developed.
For smaller ESPs, focus on building a strong, verifiable reputation with all major ISPs, as this will eventually open doors to more advanced programs.
If direct feed access is critical, consider collaborating with larger, established ESPs that might already have access for shared insights and best practices.
Use Yahoo's Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL) service as a primary indicator for negative engagement, ensuring you are promptly removing complainers.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says the Yahoo Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL) service is not in beta and is readily accessible by following the steps outlined on their page.
2024-03-20 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds are available, but access is reserved and decided upon by Yahoo, as typically explained in their auto-response.
2024-03-20 - Email Geeks
Key takeaways for ESPs
Accessing Yahoo's Campaign and Performance Feeds as an ESP is a challenging but potentially rewarding endeavor. While the process is not always transparent and access is selective, the granular data offered by these feeds is invaluable for optimizing email programs and maintaining a stellar sender reputation.
For ESPs, the journey involves proactively engaging with Yahoo's mail team, demonstrating a commitment to responsible sending, and patiently awaiting a decision. In the interim, maximizing the use of readily available tools like the Complaint Feedback Loop and staying informed through Yahoo's official communications are essential steps.
Ultimately, a strong focus on core deliverability principles—robust authentication, content relevance, and list hygiene—will always be the most impactful strategy. These fundamentals will not only improve your general inbox placement but also strengthen your case for gaining access to more advanced tools and data from major mailbox providers like Yahoo in the future.
