Summary
While a decrease in email metrics like open and click rates directly reflects lower engagement, the more significant deliverability consequence of sending to unengaged subscribers is the negative signal sent to internet service providers (ISPs). These signals often lead to emails being filtered into spam folders, significantly hindering actual inbox placement. The impact extends beyond mere statistical declines, contributing to a deteriorating sender reputation and potentially trapping senders in a death spiral, where poor engagement reinforces negative filtering decisions.
Key findings
- Signal of disinterest: Low engagement metrics, such as decreased open and click rates, serve as clear indicators to ISPs that recipients are not interested in the content being sent.
- Spam folder routing: Sending to unengaged audiences significantly increases the likelihood of emails landing in the spam folder, making them unread and ineffective.
- Sender reputation damage: Consistently low engagement erodes your sender reputation, leading to reduced inbox placement for all future campaigns, even for engaged subscribers.
- Death spiral: Once deliverability declines due to poor engagement, it can create a vicious cycle where fewer emails reach the inbox, further lowering engagement and accelerating the decline.
- Metrics as signals: Decreased email engagement metrics are not just statistical drops; they are critical signals indicating underlying deliverability issues, such as emails being routed to spam.
Key considerations
- Prioritize engagement: Focus on sending relevant and valuable content to engaged subscribers to maintain a strong sender reputation.
- Monitor inbox placement: Actively check if your emails are landing in the inbox or spam folder across different ISPs.
- Educate stakeholders: Clearly communicate the long-term deliverability risks associated with sending to unengaged lists, even if there's pressure for higher volume.
- Understand ISP filtering: Recognize that ISPs actively use engagement metrics to determine filtering decisions, so disinterest directly impacts where your emails land.
- Maintain list hygiene: Regularly clean your email list by identifying and segmenting (or removing) unengaged subscribers to protect your deliverability. More information on factors affecting deliverability can be found from Campaign Monitor.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often face the challenging dilemma of balancing client demands for increased send volume with the imperative of maintaining strong deliverability. While the desire for higher reach is understandable, many marketers recognize that sending to unengaged segments can be counterproductive, leading to a decline in key performance indicators and ultimately harming long-term email program health. They advocate for strategic segmentation, data-driven reporting, and proactive client education to navigate these pressures effectively.
Key opinions
- Volume vs. Engagement: Sending to unengaged audiences leads to a direct decrease in open and click rates, indicating a misalignment between volume goals and audience interest.
- Resistance to broad sends: Many marketers resist sending to uninterested recipients, understanding that such practices are harmful from a deliverability perspective, even if clients push for higher volumes.
- Identifying spam placement: Marketers frequently seek ways to confirm if their emails are landing in the spam folder, recognizing that low open rates on consumer domains can be a strong indicator of this issue.
- Educating clients: A common challenge is persuading clients that email revenue is contingent on deliverability, and that prioritizing deliverability over sheer volume is essential.
- Data-driven arguments: Presenting trended graphs and data can help clients understand the impact of sending to unengaged segments and justify a more strategic approach.
- Unrealistic expectations: Marketers often deal with client expectations that are not aligned with current market realities, especially when chasing past peak performance metrics.
Key considerations
- Strategic segmentation: Break down email lists into engaged and unengaged cohorts to apply different methodologies for each, including targeted re-engagement campaigns.
- Optimize growth: Focus on optimizing signup forms and initiatives that drive organic, engaged subscriber growth as a healthier alternative to mass sending.
- Client communication: Even if the client only wants to see revenue, continue to provide comprehensive reports with deliverability metrics and trending graphs to build a strong case.
- Emphasize desired outcomes: Shift the focus from sending more mail to ensuring more mail is seen, read, and responded to by recipients, which is the true measure of success. More tips are outlined by Corporate Communications, Inc.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains: Sending to a broader audience, especially unengaged segments, directly causes a decline in key performance indicators like open and click rates. While the client seeks higher volume for revenue, the agency's email strategist noted that their open rate dropped 7.3% and click rate to 1.1% month-to-date. This strategist questions the broader deliverability implications beyond just lower engagement metrics.
Marketer view
Marketer from Campaign Monitor notes: Lack of engagement directly impacts the future delivery of emails and can even lead to campaigns being blocked entirely. This highlights that sending to an unengaged audience has direct, tangible consequences on whether your messages reach the inbox or are filtered out. Ignoring engagement metrics can jeopardize your entire email program.
What the experts say
Deliverability experts consistently emphasize that low engagement metrics are direct signals to mailbox providers, indicating that emails are unwanted. This perception can lead to messages being shunted to spam folders or outright blocked, irrespective of other sender reputation factors. Experts advise a proactive approach, using detailed data analysis and clear communication to guide sending strategies away from high-volume, low-engagement tactics, focusing instead on fostering genuine recipient interaction to maintain healthy sender reputation and inbox placement.
Key opinions
- Metrics as symptoms: Decreased metrics like open and click rates are symptoms, not the root cause. The real problem is sending to individuals who don't want the mail and may report it as spam.
- Spam folder routing: Uninterested recipients increase the likelihood of emails landing in the spam folder, signaling to mailbox providers that their filtering decisions are correct.
- Low open rate indicator: A low open rate, especially below 10% on consumer domains, strongly suggests that a significant portion of emails is going to spam.
- Goal of deliverability: The primary goal should be to maximize emails seen, read, and responded to, not merely to increase send volume, as unwanted mail subtracts from wanted mail delivery.
- Data for advocacy: Using trended open/click data by domain provides valuable insights and serves as strong evidence to clients about what is happening and why.
- Managing client risk: It's crucial to warn clients about the risks of detrimental sending practices and obtain their acknowledgment if they insist on a high-risk path.
Key considerations
- Domain-specific analysis: If low opens are concentrated on specific domains like Google, it suggests a targeted problem that may require adjusting strategies for those particular mailbox providers.
- Leverage analytics tools: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor reputation, understanding that it often reflects issues after they begin impacting delivery.
- Proactive problem-solving: Address deliverability problems early, as they can escalate quickly. For significant drops, consult resources like guides on sudden deliverability drops.
- Reinforce expertise: Assert your professional expertise to clients, reminding them that they brought you in for your knowledge of email deliverability.
- Prioritize recipient experience: Shift the focus to what recipients want and expect, as this directly influences how mailbox providers treat your mail. More insights on this topic can be found from Word to the Wise.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies: Consequences are not tied to metrics directly, but rather to the act of sending mail to uninterested individuals who may report it as spam. Lower metrics serve as a signal or symptom of this underlying problem, rather than being the root cause themselves. The focus should be on recipient intent.
Expert view
Expert from Spamresource asserts: Effective email deliverability is fundamentally about ensuring your messages are wanted by recipients. If emails are consistently unwanted, they will not reach the inbox, regardless of technical configuration. Focusing on recipient desire is paramount to avoiding spam folders and maintaining a positive sender reputation.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from email service providers and industry bodies consistently underscores the importance of engagement for maintaining healthy email deliverability. They highlight that sending to unengaged subscribers can severely compromise sender reputation, leading to higher bounce rates, increased spam complaints, and ultimately, a significant drop in inbox placement. These resources often provide best practices for list hygiene, segmentation, and engagement monitoring to mitigate such risks and ensure optimal email performance.
Key findings
- Reputation harm: Inactive subscribers directly tarnish sender reputation, reducing the likelihood of emails reaching the inbox.
- Deliverability impact: Poor engagement negatively affects deliverability and can result in campaigns being blocked or diverted to spam folders.
- List hygiene importance: Maintaining a clean list is crucial to avoid sending to unengaged subscribers and prevent harm to deliverability, emphasizing quality over quantity.
- Financial consequences: Low deliverability leads to wasted resources, lost revenue, and damaged brand image due to emails missing the inbox.
- Engagement as a key factor: Engagement metrics indicate an email's relevance and appeal, serving as a vital signal to mailbox providers for optimal delivery.
Key considerations
- Implement sunset policies: Regularly remove or re-engage long-term inactive subscribers through a defined sunset policy to improve list quality and deliverability.
- Monitor bounce rates: Keep bounce rates below 2%, as high rates indicate outdated or invalid addresses that harm sender reputation and deliverability.
- Understand spam filtering: Recognize that mailbox providers use engagement as a primary signal to filter emails, impacting whether they reach the inbox or the spam folder. For general information on how filtering works, see understanding email blocklists.
- Proactive list management: Focus on maintaining a clean and active list to ensure your email marketing efforts are efficient and effective. A helpful resource can be found at Klaviyo Help Center.
Technical article
Documentation from Klaviyo Help Center states: Maintaining a clean email list is essential to prevent sending to unengaged subscribers, which can significantly harm your overall email deliverability. Regular list hygiene practices help ensure that your messages are reaching active and interested recipients, thereby improving your sender reputation and inbox placement.
Technical article
Documentation from Kickbox indicates: Poor email deliverability carries significant financial repercussions for businesses, including lost revenue, wasted marketing spend, and damage to brand reputation. When emails fail to reach the inbox, the effectiveness of marketing campaigns diminishes, leading to a direct negative impact on the bottom line.
Related resources
15 resources
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