Why is paying for email engagement generally considered ineffective and risky?

Paying for engagement creates artificial metrics that don't reflect genuine subscriber interest. This can mislead you into making poor strategic decisions and, more importantly, trigger ISP spam filters. ISPs detect unnatural patterns, potentially leading to your emails being blocklisted or sent directly to spam. It also violates most email service provider terms of service.

How do Internet Service Providers detect artificial email engagement?

ISPs use advanced algorithms to analyze a wide range of engagement signals beyond simple opens and clicks, such as read time, scroll depth, replies, and whether an email is moved from spam to the inbox. They can detect abnormal patterns that indicate artificial engagement, like consistent opens without further interaction or unusual recipient behavior.

What are better strategies to improve email engagement organically?

Focus on building a high-quality, permission-based email list. Send relevant and valuable content, personalize your messages, segment your audience, and maintain consistent sending practices. Regularly clean your list by removing unengaged subscribers to improve your overall sender reputation and deliverability.

Are email open rates still a reliable metric to track?

While open rates were once a primary metric, their reliability has decreased due to privacy features like Apple's Mail Privacy Protection and bot activity. Focus instead on metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, spam complaint rate, and list growth rate for a more accurate understanding of your campaign's performance and audience engagement.

What are the risks and effectiveness of paying for email engagement metrics? - Sender reputation - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

The world of email marketing is constantly evolving, and measuring success has become increasingly complex. Many metrics exist, but understanding which ones truly reflect campaign effectiveness is crucial. In our pursuit of better deliverability and higher engagement, the idea of artificially boosting email engagement metrics, by paying for opens, clicks, or even spam removals, might seem appealing to some. It's a quick fix that promises improved sender reputation and inbox placement.

However, this approach comes with significant risks that can severely damage your email program in the long run. I've seen countless marketers fall into this trap, often with disastrous consequences for their sender reputation and overall deliverability. It's vital to understand why paying for these metrics is not only ineffective but also potentially harmful to your email strategy and compliance.

The allure of artificial engagement

The primary allure of paying for email engagement is the perceived quick boost to sender reputation. Low open rates, click-through rates, and high spam complaint rates can flag your domain as suspicious to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This often leads to your emails being routed to the spam folder or, worse, being outright blocklisted or blacklisted. The temptation to manipulate these numbers to avoid such outcomes is understandable, especially when facing deliverability challenges.

Marketers often seek ways to demonstrate value and prove campaign effectiveness, and traditional metrics like open rates and click rates have long been the benchmarks. When these numbers are low, it creates pressure to find solutions, even if they are artificial. Some services claim to offer 'warm-up' benefits by having a network of users who will open your emails, click links, and even move messages from spam to the inbox. They present this as a legitimate way to signal positive engagement to ISPs and enhance your sending reputation.

However, email open rates can be misleading due to factors like Apple's Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) and bot activity. This makes it even harder to rely on open rates as a true indicator of engagement. Even without these privacy changes, relying on fabricated engagement creates a fragile foundation that can collapse at any moment. Your ultimate goal should be genuine interaction with your audience, not artificial inflation of numbers.

The inherent risks and ineffectiveness

The core problem with paying for email engagement is that it's a form of deception. ISPs are incredibly sophisticated, employing complex algorithms designed to detect unnatural patterns and manipulate signals. These systems can identify 'recipients with unusual mail patterns,' which often includes accounts that are paid to interact with emails. When detected, these artificial engagement signals are not only ignored, but they can actively harm your sender reputation.

Using such services is almost certainly a violation of the terms of service of major mail providers like

Google and

Microsoft. If caught, the consequences can range from emails being delivered straight to spam, severe blocklisting (or blacklisting), or even complete suspension of your sending capabilities. These services are essentially trying to 'game' the system, and ISPs are constantly updating their defenses against such tactics.

Beyond the immediate risks, artificially inflated metrics provide no real insight into your audience's behavior. You won't know if your content resonates, if your calls to action are effective, or if your segmentation strategies are working. This lack of genuine data prevents you from optimizing your campaigns and building a truly engaged subscriber base, which is the foundation of sustainable email marketing success.

The illusion of benefit

You might see temporary spikes in open or click rates, but these are from paid actors, not genuine subscribers. This doesn't translate to actual business outcomes like conversions or sales. The data you receive is corrupted, making it impossible to make informed decisions about your email strategy.

What internet service providers (ISPs) truly care about

ISPs track a wide range of signals to determine sender reputation and where to place emails. They don't just look at isolated open and click rates. They analyze sending patterns, recipient behavior over time, complaint rates, bounces, and even how quickly recipients delete messages without opening them. A sudden, unexplained surge in engagement from a small, non-organic pool of users will appear as an anomaly and trigger red flags.

They distinguish between legitimate, sustained engagement and artificial manipulation. For instance, if a large percentage of your paid 'engagers' consistently open emails but never convert, that's a signal of suspicious activity. ISPs are particularly adept at identifying "recipients with unusual mail patterns" – accounts that behave in ways typical users do not, like opening every email from a specific sender regardless of content or time.

Positive engagement signals are critical, but these must come from genuine interactions. ISPs prefer to see consistent, organic engagement from a truly interested audience over artificial spikes. The goal is to build a healthy sender reputation that consistently lands your emails in the inbox, not to trick the system with short-term, fraudulent metrics.

Artificial engagement

Source: Paid networks or bots designed to simulate human interaction.
ISP detection: High likelihood of detection due to unusual patterns or lack of conversion beyond the initial interaction. Leads to negative reputation.
Outcome: Temporary, misleading metrics; increased risk of blocklisting/blacklisting and spam folder delivery. No actual ROI.

Genuine engagement

Source: Real subscribers who have opted-in and are genuinely interested in your content.
ISP recognition: Recognized as positive signals, contributing to strong sender reputation and consistent inbox placement.
Outcome: Accurate insights for optimization; improved deliverability; higher conversions and customer lifetime value.

Building genuine engagement for long-term success

Instead of resorting to artificial means, focus on strategies that foster genuine engagement. This builds a robust and sustainable email program. Here are some key areas to concentrate on:

List hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or unengaged subscribers. Sending to a list of engaged users is far more effective than sending to a large, unresponsive list. Inactive users can damage your sender reputation. Also, be wary of purchased email lists.
Segmentation and personalization: Tailor your content to different segments of your audience. Personalized emails tend to have higher engagement rates because they are more relevant to the recipient.
Compelling content: Provide value in every email. Whether it's informative articles, exclusive offers, or entertaining stories, give your subscribers a reason to open and click.
Clear calls to action (CTAs): Make it obvious what you want recipients to do next. A well-designed CTA can significantly improve your click-through rates. Consider boosting your click-through rate with targeted strategies.
Opt-in processes: Ensure your subscribers explicitly consent to receive your emails. Double opt-in is a best practice that leads to higher quality, more engaged lists. Avoid using services that generate leads without consent, as this carries significant risks and compliance issues.

Focusing on these organic methods, rather than artificial ones, will not only improve your deliverability but also build a loyal and valuable subscriber base. Remember, true engagement leads to better long-term performance and ultimately, higher return on investment.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Actively manage your subscriber list by regularly removing unengaged contacts to maintain a healthy sender reputation.

Segment your audience based on their preferences and behaviors to deliver highly relevant content, improving engagement.

Craft compelling subject lines and preview text that accurately represent your email's content and entice opens.

Include clear and concise calls to action in your emails, guiding subscribers toward the desired next step.

Personalize email content beyond just names, using data to tailor offers and messages to individual subscribers.

Common pitfalls

Relying solely on vanity metrics like open rates, which can be easily skewed and don't reflect true campaign success.

Ignoring negative engagement signals, such as high spam complaints or unsubscribe rates, that severely impact deliverability.

Failing to regularly clean your email list, leading to sending to inactive or unengaged subscribers and reputation damage.

Sending inconsistent or irrelevant content that causes subscribers to lose interest and disengage over time.

Not asking for explicit consent during list building, which can result in low engagement and compliance issues.

Expert tips

Prioritize deliverability by ensuring proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to build trust with ISPs.

Continuously test and optimize your email campaigns using A/B testing for subject lines, content, and send times.

Monitor key metrics beyond opens, like click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates, for a holistic view.

Implement a double opt-in process to build a high-quality, permission-based email list with genuinely interested subscribers.

Utilize engagement tiers to identify your most active subscribers and tailor your sending frequency and content accordingly.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks says it is probably not illegal, but it almost certainly violates the terms of service of mail providers.

2019-08-20 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks says it is an attempt to game engagement metrics for providers like Google and Microsoft.

2019-08-20 - Email Geeks

Prioritizing authentic engagement

While the temptation to pay for email engagement metrics might be strong, especially when facing deliverability challenges, the risks far outweigh any fleeting, artificial benefits. ISPs are constantly evolving their detection mechanisms, making such schemes ineffective and dangerous to your sender reputation. A short-term, fraudulent boost can lead to severe long-term consequences, including being blocklisted and having your emails consistently sent to the spam folder.

True email marketing success stems from building genuine relationships with your audience through relevant content, proper list management, and respecting their inbox. Focus on delivering value, understanding your audience, and optimizing your campaigns based on authentic engagement signals. This approach ensures sustainable growth, builds trust with both your subscribers and ISPs, and ultimately leads to better long-term results.