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Why do emails sent through SendGrid go to spam on Outlook.com, but those from O365 do not?

Summary

Emails sent through third-party services like SendGrid often face different deliverability challenges compared to those sent directly from corporate email systems like Office 365. This disparity, particularly when targeting Outlook.com and other Microsoft inboxes, is a common issue for many organizations. The core difference lies in how Microsoft assesses and trusts the sending infrastructure and the sender's reputation associated with each method.

What email marketers say

Email marketers often find themselves perplexed when their outbound campaigns, particularly those routed through third-party services like SendGrid, unexpectedly land in spam folders, while direct emails from their corporate Office 365 accounts sail through. This frequently leads to a frantic search for overlooked configurations or hidden reasons, especially when internal spam reports from SendGrid show minimal issues. The perception from the marketing side is often that all emails are failing, despite conflicting data.

Marketer view

An Email Geeks marketer shares a common observation, noting that emails sent from their CRM system via SendGrid are consistently going to spam for Outlook.com recipients, even though their direct corporate emails (O365) from the same domain reach the inbox. This highlights a puzzling inconsistency in deliverability based on the sending method.

15 May 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

An Email Geeks marketer recounts testing with their manager, where emails from their CRM (SendGrid) were junked by Microsoft accounts, but direct emails from their corporate O365 account were delivered to the inbox. This stark contrast underscores the distinct treatment of different sending paths by recipient servers.

15 May 2019 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

Email deliverability experts highlight that the difference in spam placement between SendGrid and Office 365 primarily stems from fundamental distinctions in IP reputation and how major mailbox providers, especially Microsoft, perceive these sending sources. While technical configurations like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are foundational, the underlying volume and reputation of the sending infrastructure play a significant role. Experts often caution against anecdotal reports of all emails going to spam, stressing the need for granular data and a methodical troubleshooting approach.

Expert view

An expert from Email Geeks suggests starting any deliverability investigation by reviewing the standard technical elements like SPF and DKIM. They emphasize the importance of having access to monitoring tools such as SNDS and GPMT, along with reports on bounces and spam trap hits, to effectively diagnose issues.

15 May 2019 - Email Geeks

Expert view

An expert from Email Geeks notes that the IP reputation associated with Office 365 is significantly more resilient to damage compared to that of SendGrid. This difference in robustness means O365 can tolerate more varied sending behavior without immediate deliverability consequences.

15 May 2019 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says

Official documentation from email service providers and mailbox operators consistently emphasizes the critical role of sender reputation, authentication, and compliance with best practices for successful email delivery. While third-party sending services like SendGrid provide powerful infrastructure, the ultimate responsibility for maintaining a good sending reputation often rests with the individual sender. Microsoft, in particular, outlines clear guidelines for email senders to ensure their messages reach the inbox, stressing aspects beyond just basic technical setup.

Technical article

SendGrid Support documentation explains that as a third-party email provider, it must be able to demonstrate permission to relay emails on a sender's behalf. This permission is typically established through proper authentication methods like SPF and DKIM, which are foundational for deliverability.

08 Sep 2023 - SendGrid Support

Technical article

SendGrid Support documentation indicates that when an email is delivered but does not appear in the inbox, it's often because the recipient server accepted the mail but then sorted it into another folder, like spam or a promotions tab. This highlights the distinction between delivery and inbox placement.

17 Sep 2021 - SendGrid Support

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