Are these new requirements forcing all senders to reduce their email volume?

The new requirements are designed to improve email quality by reducing spam and phishing. While some senders might reduce their volume if they struggle with compliance, the primary goal is to encourage better sending practices like authentication and low complaint rates, rather than a forced overall volume decrease. This is more about smarter, more targeted sending.

What happens if a sender fails to comply with Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft's requirements?

Compliance means implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, maintaining a spam complaint rate below 0.3%, and providing a one-click unsubscribe option. Bulk senders failing to meet these standards risk their emails being rejected, sent to spam, or experiencing significant delays.

How important is user engagement compared to technical compliance?

While technical compliance is crucial, mailbox providers also heavily weigh user engagement. Low open rates, high delete-without-reading rates, or frequent manual spam marking can negatively impact your sender reputation, even if your authentication is perfect. Positive engagement signals help demonstrate that your emails are wanted.

Do these new rules affect all email senders equally?

These requirements apply primarily to bulk senders, typically defined as those sending over 5,000 emails per day to a specific mailbox provider. Transactional emails (e.g., password resets) and lower-volume senders may not be as immediately impacted, but following best practices is always advisable.

What is the relationship between these requirements and email blocklists?

A blocklist, or blacklist, is a database of IP addresses or domains known to send spam. If your domain or IP is listed, mailbox providers might block or filter your emails. These new requirements aim to prevent listings by pushing senders to adopt practices that reduce the likelihood of being identified as spamming entities. Find out more about what it means when your email is blacklisted .

Is email volume decreasing due to mailbox provider requirements? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

The question of whether overall email volume is decreasing due to stricter mailbox provider requirements has been a topic of much discussion in the deliverability community. Many senders, particularly those dealing with high volumes, have certainly felt the pressure to adapt their strategies. There's a noticeable shift in how email is approached, moving from a quantity-over-quality mindset to one that prioritizes user engagement and adherence to new, more stringent rules.

The simple answer to whether email volume is decreasing is nuanced. While some organizations may be sending less email to avoid deliverability issues, the overall trend might be more about smarter sending than a universal reduction in volume. We've seen a clear move towards more targeted, permission-based communication, which naturally leads to fewer irrelevant emails being sent.

These new requirements are fundamentally reshaping the email ecosystem, pushing senders to re-evaluate their entire email program, from list acquisition to content strategy. The aim is a cleaner, safer inbox for recipients, which inevitably changes the sending patterns of marketers.

The evolving landscape of email sending

Starting in early 2024, major mailbox providers like

Gmail and

Yahoo implemented stricter guidelines for bulk senders. Amazon Web Services provided an overview of these changes, emphasizing the need for robust email authentication, easy unsubscription, and low spam complaint rates. This was then followed by

Microsoft's announcement of similar requirements for May 2025, as detailed on their Tech Community blog.

These updates are not merely suggestions, but mandatory requirements for bulk senders (typically those sending over 5,000 emails per day to a mailbox provider). The core components include implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication, maintaining a spam complaint rate below 0.3%, and providing a one-click unsubscribe mechanism. Failure to comply can result in emails being rejected, sent to spam folders, or delayed. We have covered a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM for those needing to get their settings in order.

Key mailbox provider changes

Authentication standards: Senders must use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prove legitimate origin.
Low spam rates: Maintain complaint rates below 0.3%, with 0.1% as a highly recommended target.
Easy unsubscribe: Implement a one-click unsubscribe method, typically via the List-Unsubscribe header.
Valid recipients: Avoid sending to invalid or non-existent email addresses to reduce bounce rates.

The initial reaction from the email industry has been significant. Many businesses quickly moved to assess their compliance, understanding that these new rules would directly impact their ability to reach the inbox. We’ve seen a clear emphasis on cleaning up email lists and improving sending practices, which is a positive development for the entire email ecosystem.

Impact on sender behavior and volume

While there isn't definitive data to show a widespread, drastic decrease in overall email volume, what we are observing is a shift in sending strategy. Marketers are becoming more discerning about who they send to and how frequently, especially those who were previously engaging in less-than-optimal list management practices. The focus has moved from simply sending more emails to sending more effective emails.

Before new requirements

Sending practices: Broader lists, higher frequency, less focus on granular engagement metrics.
Authentication status: SPF and DKIM often present, DMARC less common or at p=none policy.
Complaint tolerance: Higher thresholds for spam complaints before severe consequences.
List hygiene: Less frequent cleaning and validation, potentially higher bounce rates.

After new requirements

Sending practices: Segmented, targeted campaigns, emphasis on consent and engagement.
Authentication status: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC with stronger policies like p=quarantine or p=reject.
Complaint tolerance: Strict 0.3% maximum, encouraging proactive list management.
List hygiene: Continuous monitoring for bounces, inactive users, and spam traps.

The focus on list quality is paramount. Senders are now more motivated to regularly clean their email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, which can lead to higher bounce rates and spam trap hits. A clean list, while potentially smaller in raw numbers, ensures that emails are reaching engaged recipients, thereby improving overall deliverability and sender reputation. This proactive approach helps avoid negative signals that can trigger blocklisting or filtering.

While transactional emails (like order confirmations or password resets) might not see a decrease in volume, bulk marketing emails are under closer scrutiny. This distinction means that even if total email volume isn't declining across the board, the nature of email traffic is becoming more legitimate and user-centric. You can learn more about how email volume affects IP reputation.

Beyond compliance: User experience and deliverability

Meeting the new technical requirements is just one piece of the puzzle. Mailbox providers are increasingly focusing on recipient engagement as a key factor in deliverability. It's not enough for an email to be authenticated; it also needs to be wanted. Low engagement metrics, such as low open rates or high delete-without-reading rates, can negatively impact your sender reputation, regardless of your authentication setup.

This heightened emphasis on engagement encourages marketers to send highly relevant content to a segmented audience. The goal is to maximize positive interactions while minimizing negative ones like spam complaints or unsubscribes. This user-centric approach ensures that the email volume being sent is more valuable to both the sender and the recipient. We have found that technical solutions can significantly boost deliverability.

Challenge	Impact on deliverability	Solution
Lack of email authentication	Emails may be rejected or sent to spam	Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
High spam complaint rates	Domain reputation suffers, leading to inbox placement issues	Focus on engaged subscribers, provide one-click unsubscribe
Poor list hygiene	Increased bounces and potential spam trap hits	Regularly clean and validate email lists
Irrelevant content	Low engagement, increased likelihood of being marked as spam	Segment audiences and personalize email content

The repercussions of failing to meet these standards extend beyond simply missing the inbox. Senders can find their IP addresses or domains placed on an email blocklist (or blacklist), making it extremely difficult to send emails effectively in the future. Understanding what happens when your domain is on an email blacklist is crucial for maintaining a healthy sending program.

Outlook for email volume and deliverability

In conclusion, while the new mailbox provider requirements are influencing sending practices, they are not necessarily causing a universal decrease in email volume. Instead, they are driving a significant improvement in email quality and sender accountability. We are seeing a more focused, permission-based approach to email marketing that ultimately benefits both senders and recipients. Senders who adapt and prioritize compliance and engagement are likely to see continued success, while those who don't may face increasing deliverability challenges.

The landscape of email deliverability will continue to evolve, with mailbox providers constantly refining their algorithms to combat spam and improve user experience. Proactive monitoring, adherence to best practices, and a strong focus on subscriber engagement will be key to navigating these changes successfully and ensuring your emails reach the inbox. You can find more information about email deliverability issues and how to fix them.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Regularly audit and clean your email lists to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers. This improves list quality and reduces bounces, leading to better sender reputation.

Implement and maintain strong email authentication protocols, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, to ensure your emails are verified as legitimate and reduce the likelihood of spoofing.

Prioritize sending relevant and engaging content to segmented audiences, which increases positive interactions and lowers spam complaint rates.

Monitor your spam complaint rates diligently and ensure they remain well below the 0.3% threshold mandated by major mailbox providers.

Provide clear and easy one-click unsubscribe options in all your emails to reduce negative user experiences and prevent users from marking your emails as spam.

Common pitfalls

Ignoring mailbox provider guidelines can lead to severe deliverability issues, including emails being rejected or consistently sent to the spam folder, impacting reach and ROI.

Failing to regularly clean email lists can result in high bounce rates and hitting spam traps, which significantly damages your sender reputation and can lead to blacklisting.

Sending emails without proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) makes your messages appear suspicious to mailbox providers, increasing the chance of filtering or rejection.

Overlooking high spam complaint rates can quickly degrade your domain's trustworthiness, making it harder to reach the inbox even for legitimate communications.

Not providing an easy unsubscribe mechanism frustrates recipients, leading them to mark emails as spam, which negatively impacts your sender reputation.

Expert tips

Focus on domain-level reputation rather than solely IP reputation, as domain reputation plays an increasingly critical role in inbox placement.

Utilize Postmaster Tools from providers like Google and Outlook to gain insights into your sending performance and identify potential issues early.

Consider segmenting your audience further based on engagement levels, sending more frequently to highly engaged users and less often to those who are less active.

Beyond compliance, continuously optimize your email content for engagement to ensure recipients genuinely value your messages and interact positively.

Implement a gradual ramp-up strategy for new IPs or domains to build a positive sending history with mailbox providers and avoid sudden throttling.

Marketer view

A marketer from Email Geeks mentioned they have observed a decrease in email volume across many publishers and newsletters they work with, including those from big brands.

2024-05-10 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

A marketer from Email Geeks suspects that many legitimate senders may have reduced the volume of non-consent based emails due to increased awareness of spam complaint thresholds and their consequences.

2024-05-10 - Email Geeks

Key takeaways

The new requirements set by mailbox providers are not primarily aimed at reducing overall email volume. Instead, their objective is to enhance the quality of email traffic and improve the user experience by minimizing unwanted mail. This means that while some senders might adjust their volume downwards to ensure compliance and avoid penalties, the overarching effect is a healthier, more trustworthy email ecosystem.

For email marketers and businesses, the takeaway is clear: focus on best practices, robust authentication, and genuine subscriber engagement. Adapting to these changes is not about sending less, but about sending smarter, ensuring your messages are delivered and valued by recipients. This strategic shift will ultimately lead to better inbox placement and stronger sender reputations, making your email program more effective in the long run. We have more information on why your emails fail and how to improve deliverability.