The impact of email send throttling on Gmail spam placement and overall deliverability is multifaceted and debated among experts. While some argue that throttling doesn't directly affect Gmail's spam filtering, which focuses primarily on user engagement and content quality, others emphasize the importance of throttling for maintaining a consistent sending pattern and managing sender reputation. Sending large, sudden volumes of email can negatively impact deliverability and increase the likelihood of being marked as spam. Throttling allows senders to control the sending rate, which helps manage IP and domain reputation, especially during IP warm-up. Gradual increases in sending volume are recommended, and consistent sending cadence is crucial for a positive sender reputation. Throttling can also help manage infrastructure load, stay within sending limits set by email providers and SMTP servers, and prevent abuse. Ultimately it reduces spam complaints and the probability of hitting spam traps by spreading sends out. Different SMTP servers implement rate limiting to prevent abuse and ensure fair resource allocation.
10 marketer opinions
Email send throttling plays a crucial role in managing sender reputation and improving email deliverability, especially regarding Gmail. Throttling helps avoid sudden spikes in sending volume, which can damage sender reputation and trigger spam filters. It allows senders to control the rate at which emails are sent, helping manage IP and domain reputation. Gradual increases in sending volume are recommended, especially during IP warm-up. Maintaining a consistent sending cadence is essential for a positive sender reputation. However, very short throttling timeframes (e.g., 30 minutes) may not significantly impact deliverability. Throttling also helps manage infrastructure load and stay within sending limits set by email providers and SMTP servers. Ultimately it reduces spam complaints and the probability of hitting spam traps by spreading sends out.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Reddit explains that Gmail's spam filters are highly sensitive to sudden volume changes. Throttling can help avoid triggering these filters, especially for new IPs or domains. Focus on consistent engagement signals to improve inbox placement.
5 Jun 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view
Email marketer from GMass Blog explains that throttling helps stay within Gmail's sending limits and avoid triggering spam filters. Gradual increases in sending volume are recommended to maintain a good sender reputation.
15 Feb 2023 - GMass Blog
4 expert opinions
Experts hold differing views on the direct impact of email send throttling on Gmail spam placement. Some experts emphasize that Gmail's algorithms primarily focus on user engagement, content quality, and sender reputation built on positive user interactions. According to this perspective, throttling may not directly affect Gmail's spam filtering decisions. Other experts suggest that sending email in large, sudden volumes can negatively affect deliverability and increase the likelihood of being marked as spam. They recommend throttling the sending rate to maintain a more consistent and reputable sending pattern.
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that sending email in large, sudden volumes can negatively affect deliverability and increase the likelihood of being marked as spam by ISPs like Gmail. Throttling the sending rate is recommended to maintain a more consistent and reputable sending pattern.
22 Oct 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that they never saw sending to the most engaged users first make a difference in inbox placement. While some suggested this strategy for Yahoo, they believe bulk/spam foldering is primarily related to recipients not wanting the mail, not sending speed.
17 Jan 2023 - Email Geeks
4 technical articles
Email send throttling is a proactive measure recommended by several sources to prevent deliverability issues and avoid triggering spam filters. Gradually increasing sending volume helps establish a positive sending reputation, whereas sudden spikes can trigger spam filters and lead to temporary or permanent rejection of emails. SMTP servers implement rate limiting to prevent abuse and ensure fair resource allocation. Exceeding sending limits can result in temporary blocks, impacting deliverability. Throttling helps in controlling the sending rate and volume, thus minimizing the risk of deliverability issues and ensuring better inbox placement.
Technical article
Documentation from SparkPost explains that throttling is a proactive approach to prevent deliverability issues by controlling the sending rate and volume. This minimizes the risk of triggering spam filters and ensures better inbox placement.
31 Aug 2021 - SparkPost Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft Learn details sending limits for Exchange Online, including message rate limits. Exceeding these limits can result in temporary blocks, affecting deliverability to recipients using Microsoft services.
17 Oct 2022 - Microsoft Learn
Are Gmail and Yahoo bulk sender limits per mailbox or per domain?
Does Gmail prioritize domain or IP reputation, and how does IP warming apply?
How can staggering email sends improve sender reputation and avoid throttling?
How do email volume and volume fluctuations affect deliverability and sender reputation?
What are the Gmail delivery rate limits and how does sender reputation affect them?
Why is Gmail throttling my IP warming emails and the IP reputation dashboard not updating?