What are the best resources for global email sending requirements and best practices?

Key findings

• No single resource: A common consensus among experts is that there isn't one definitive resource for global email sending requirements. This knowledge is fragmented across various internal ESP desks, expert minds, and specific regional organizations.
• Country-specific focus: It's more effective to focus on individual countries rather than broad regions like APAC or EMEA, as email ecosystems can differ drastically even between neighboring countries (e.g., France and Germany).
• Evolving landscape: Global email sending regulations and best practices are dynamic, requiring continuous monitoring and adaptation to maintain good sender reputation and avoid blocklists.
• Local ISP influence: Many countries have dominant local mailbox providers that operate differently from global players like Gmail or Yahoo, sometimes lacking clear postmaster contacts or having unique filtering policies.

Key considerations

• Proactive research: Ahead of global expansion, dedicate significant effort to research specific country requirements and best practices. This is not a side project.
• Networking with experts: Engaging with global deliverability specialists and industry forums is crucial, as much of the vital knowledge resides within expert communities. For more, refer to Twilio's deliverability guide.
• Local organizations: Consider joining local industry organizations, such as Signal Spam in France or the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) in Germany, to gain specific regional insights and support.
• Phased market entry: Instead of expanding into all target countries simultaneously, a phased approach allows for focused learning and adaptation to each market's unique challenges.

Key opinions

• Tedious process: Marketers find the search for global sending requirements to be a tedious and challenging undertaking, confirming that there isn't an obvious go-to source.
• Information is not centralized: Many marketers echo the sentiment that a singular repository for global deliverability knowledge simply doesn't exist. This leads them to conclude that the information might be primarily held internally by email service providers (ESPs).
• Importance of hivemind: Publicly asking questions and leveraging collective knowledge (the 'hivemind') is seen as an effective way to gather diverse answers and share insights within the community.
• Networking is key: A significant portion of crucial deliverability knowledge is believed to be 'buried in people's heads,' making networking and knowing who to ask essential for troubleshooting specific issues.
• Continuous adaptation: Marketers recognize that global markets are constantly evolving and vastly different, requiring continuous engagement to stay updated rather than relying on static resources. This also impacts email sending domains.

Key considerations

• Acknowledge the effort: Understand that developing global deliverability expertise is a significant undertaking, not a quick side project. Resources like this Salesforce guide on deliverability can help set expectations.
• Leverage community knowledge: Actively participate in deliverability communities or forums. These platforms are invaluable for current, practical insights that formal documentation may lack.
• Follow key influencers: Identify and follow leading deliverability experts on social media platforms like Twitter, as they often share real-time updates and discussions on global issues.
• Bookmarking resources: When a useful resource (like a specialized blog or a podcast on email deliverability in Germany) is found, bookmark it for future reference, as consolidated resources are rare.

Key opinions

• No central repository: Experts confirm the lack of a single, authoritative source for global deliverability requirements, advising that such comprehensive information is not readily available.
• Country-level granularity: Instead of regions, focus should be on individual countries, as differences are profound (e.g., France vs. Germany, or China, India, Japan). This deep dive is crucial for effective deliverability, even affecting aspects like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM configuration.
• Market distinctiveness: Global markets are incredibly diverse and constantly evolving, making it impossible to keep up without direct engagement and continuous monitoring.
• Local ISP challenges: Some countries are dominated by local mailbox providers that may have unique, difficult, or slow email reception policies, sometimes lacking responsible postmaster contacts.
• Cost of deliverability: In certain countries, like Poland or Italy, there's a push for ESPs to pay for mail delivery, highlighting unique financial considerations for global sending.

Key considerations

• Continuous learning: Maintaining global deliverability knowledge requires ongoing effort and cannot be treated as a one-time project. It's an iterative process of learning and adaptation.
• Phased expansion: Expand into new countries gradually. This allows time to gather country-specific information and adjust strategies, such as for email sending speed and IP warming.
• Local organizations: Consider joining local industry bodies, such as the Certified Senders Alliance (CSA) in Germany, which can provide specific assistance for EU sending best practices.
• Expert consultation: Direct consultation with regional deliverability experts is highly valuable, particularly for understanding the unique legal and technical considerations like balancing FISA 702 with GDPR in Germany.

Key findings

• Authentication standards: Documentation, particularly from major providers like Microsoft, highlights new requirements for high-volume senders, focusing on strengthening email authentication (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to improve deliverability globally.
• Sender reputation: Many guides underscore the critical role of sender reputation, which is built upon consistent sending domain usage and proper subdomain utilization for different email types (e.g., transactional vs. marketing).
• List hygiene: A recurring theme is the necessity of maintaining a clean email list, which often involves transparent opt-in processes and regularly removing inactive or invalid addresses to improve overall deliverability.
• Email content & engagement: Best practices often include tailoring email content to the audience's preferences and ensuring high engagement to avoid spam folders, which is a universal principle regardless of region.

Key considerations

• Adapt to provider updates: Pay close attention to announcements from major mailbox providers (e.g., Microsoft, Google, Yahoo) regarding new requirements. These changes, like Outlook's new requirements for high-volume senders, often set global standards.
• Implement strong authentication: Ensure your email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured and monitored, as this is a foundational requirement for all legitimate senders, impacting avoiding spam filters.
• Segment sending domains: Follow best practices for domain usage, such as using separate subdomains for different email streams, to manage sender reputation effectively across various email types.
• Consent-based sending: Adhere to consent-based practices for list building, which is a universal requirement for legal compliance and good deliverability, irrespective of specific regional laws.