Summary
The Return Path SRD certification, now known as Validity Certified Program, is largely presented as a significant asset for email deliverability. It is claimed to offer certified senders preferential treatment from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), including automatic whitelisting and the ability to bypass spam filters and throttling. Proponents emphasize its role in improving inbox placement, enhancing sender reputation, and ensuring faster, more reliable email delivery, especially for high-volume senders. However, some experienced email marketers have expressed skepticism, reporting no noticeable benefits or attributing any improvements in deliverability to other factors like better segmentation, questioning the direct impact or necessity of the certification.
Key findings
- Preferential Treatment: Certified senders often receive automatic whitelisting and preferential treatment from participating mailbox providers, allowing emails to bypass many common spam filters and rate limits.
- Improved Inbox Placement: The certification acts as a strong signal of trustworthiness to ISPs, leading to a higher percentage of legitimate emails reaching the inbox directly and consistently, rather than being routed to spam folders.
- Enhanced Sender Reputation: Participation in the program helps establish and maintain a strong sender reputation with global mailbox providers, which is crucial for reducing spam complaints and fostering recipient engagement.
- Operational Efficiency: For high-volume or critical communications, the certification provides a 'fast pass' through ISP filters, ensuring quick and reliable delivery, and can streamline the relationship with ISPs, leading to fewer deliverability issues.
- Business Impact: By validating sending practices, the program is said to result in higher email engagement, improved brand reputation, and increased return on investment due to better visibility and reach for email campaigns.
Key considerations
- Observed Benefits Vary: While many sources highlight significant advantages, some experienced email marketers report not seeing noticeable benefits from the certification, with their email metrics remaining consistent even after canceling the service.
- Alternative Improvement Factors: Some marketers attribute improvements in deliverability to other factors, such as better segmentation and adherence to general email best practices, rather than solely to the certification itself.
- Adherence to Best Practices: Even with certification, senders are still required to adhere to best practices to maintain their certified status and receive preferential treatment from Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
The Return Path SRD certification, now known as Validity Certified, is widely regarded for its potential to significantly enhance email deliverability. Proponents emphasize its role in establishing sender trustworthiness with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), leading to improved inbox placement, consistent delivery, and a reduction in emails being flagged as spam. It is often cited as providing a 'fast pass' through ISP filters, beneficial for high-volume senders needing reliable delivery and for streamlining relationships with major mailbox providers. However, some email marketers have expressed skepticism regarding its direct impact, attributing deliverability improvements to other factors like refined segmentation or reporting no discernible benefits from the certification itself.
Key opinions
- Enhanced Inbox Placement: The certification signals trustworthiness to ISPs, helping emails bypass common filters and achieve priority placement directly in the inbox, maximizing visibility and impact.
- Reduced Filtering Friction: It acts as a recognized credential that streamlines interactions with major mailbox providers, potentially preventing legitimate emails from being incorrectly routed to bulk or spam folders.
- Boosted Sender Reputation: Participation in the program contributes to building and maintaining a strong sender reputation and establishing trust with global mailbox providers, which is crucial for overall email program effectiveness.
- Reliable Delivery for Scale: Especially valuable for high-volume or critical communications, the certification provides a 'fast pass' through ISP filters, ensuring quick and reliable delivery and enhancing the customer experience.
- Strategic Deliverability Improvement: For organizations with complex sending infrastructures, the certification can offer a measurable uplift in deliverability performance, leading to fewer issues and more consistent results.
Key considerations
- Varying Perceived Impact: While many benefits are highlighted, some experienced email marketers report not observing a direct or significant positive impact on their deliverability metrics solely due to the certification.
- Complementary to Best Practices: Improvements in email deliverability are often attributed by some practitioners to fundamental best practices, such as better list segmentation and content quality, rather than the certification alone.
- Not a Standalone Solution: The certification is beneficial but not a 'magic bullet'; its effectiveness can be intertwined with existing strong sending practices, and some senders achieve high deliverability without it.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they haven't seen visible benefits from Return Path SRD certification and attributes improvements in deliverability to better segmentation rather than the certification itself.
1 Oct 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that she was able to improve inbox placement without opting in for Return Path SRD certification, questioning its necessity.
19 Sep 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
2 expert opinions
Opinions on the benefits of Return Path SRD certification for email deliverability are mixed among experts. While some practitioners highlight its potential to secure direct inbox placement and preferential treatment from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), allowing emails to bypass common filters, other experienced marketers report no discernible improvements in their email metrics, even after subscribing to or canceling the service. It is generally understood that any perceived benefits are contingent upon a sender's continued adherence to email best practices.
Key opinions
- Direct Inbox Access: The certification can facilitate direct inbox placement for emails, potentially preventing them from being filtered into spam or junk folders.
- ISP Favorability: Certified senders may receive preferential treatment from Internet Service Providers, enhancing the likelihood of their emails reaching recipients reliably.
Key considerations
- Observed Impact Varies: Some experienced email marketing professionals have stated they observed no noticeable benefits from the Return Path SRD certification, with their email metrics remaining consistent.
- Adherence to Standards: Even with certification, senders are expected to maintain strict adherence to email best practices to qualify for and retain any potential advantages with ISPs.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that they never observed any benefits from Return Path SRD certification and that their email metrics remained consistent even after canceling the service.
9 Jan 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that the primary benefit of Return Path Certification is achieving direct inbox placement for emails that might otherwise be filtered or sent to the spam folder. She notes that certified senders receive preferential treatment from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), provided they adhere to best practices required by the program.
9 Jul 2023 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
The Validity Certified Program, formerly Return Path SRD certification, is consistently presented as a powerful tool for boosting email deliverability. Its core benefits include automatic whitelisting, the ability to bypass spam filters, and reduced throttling at participating mailbox providers. This preferential treatment ensures a higher rate of inbox placement and timely delivery, ultimately contributing to enhanced engagement, a stronger brand reputation, and an improved return on investment from email marketing.
Key findings
- Enhanced Inbox Placement: The certification facilitates automatic whitelisting and allows emails to bypass many spam filters and rate limits, ensuring a higher percentage of messages reach the inbox promptly.
- Reduced Delivery Friction: Senders benefit from reduced throttling and preferential treatment by major Internet Service Providers, leading to faster and more reliable email delivery.
- Competitive Edge: Validating sending practices through the program offers a competitive advantage, contributing to higher engagement and a better brand reputation.
- Improved ROI: The overall outcome of better inbox placement and sender credibility is an increase in the return on investment for email marketing campaigns.
Key considerations
- Adherence to Best Practices: The benefits of preferential treatment are contingent upon senders consistently adhering to email best practices.
Technical article
Documentation from Validity.com explains that the Validity Certified Program (formerly Return Path Certified) offers significant benefits for email deliverability, including automatic whitelisting at participating mailbox providers, bypassing spam filters, reducing throttling, and ensuring preferential treatment for senders who adhere to best practices.
29 May 2025 - Validity.com
Technical article
Documentation from Mailgun explains that participating in the Return Path (now Validity) Certified Program significantly improves deliverability rates by allowing senders to bypass many spam filters and rate limits imposed by major ISPs. This leads to a higher percentage of emails reaching the inbox without delay.
1 Oct 2023 - Mailgun Documentation
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