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How do deliverability seed list tools like eDS EVUN and 250Ok Seedlist Optimizer function?

Summary

Deliverability seed list tools are fundamental for assessing email performance by simulating real campaign delivery. These systems work by sending email campaigns to a comprehensive network of 'seed' email addresses, which are strategically distributed across various Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, and domains. The tools then automatically monitor and report the precise delivery status of each test email, indicating whether it arrived in the inbox, was directed to the spam folder, or faced blocking. This process offers a crucial, proactive insight into sender reputation and how different mailbox providers filter messages, enabling senders to identify and address potential deliverability issues before impacting their broader audience. Key providers like eDS, now known for its IntelliX AI Network, and Validity's Everest, which incorporates 250ok's seed list technology, offer distinct approaches, such as simulating user engagement or weighting seed lists for realistic domain distribution.

Key findings

  • Core Functionality: Deliverability seed list tools operate by sending email campaigns to a proprietary, diverse network of test email addresses, referred to as 'seeds,' across numerous Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, and domains.
  • Delivery Monitoring: These tools automatically monitor and report on the precise delivery outcome for each seed. This includes whether the email landed in the inbox, was routed to the spam folder, or was entirely blocked.
  • Proactive Insights: By simulating real campaign performance, seed list tools provide a predictive measure of deliverability. They enable senders to identify and resolve potential issues proactively before a large-scale send to their main subscriber list.
  • eDS IntelliX AI Network: eDS, formerly known as EVUN, now brands its tool as the 'IntelliX AI Network.' The former EVUN tool was noted for stimulating user engagement on seeds to mimic real user actions.
  • 250ok Seedlist Optimizer: 250ok's 'optimizer' tool, now part of Validity Everest, enhances seed list accuracy by weighting the seed distribution against a customer's actual user list. This ensures seeds reflect real sending patterns and helps avoid including seeds for domains not targeted by a campaign.

Key considerations

  • Engagement Simulation Risks: The practice of simulating user engagement, as historically done by eDS's EVUN tool, could potentially lead to negative deliverability impacts. Mailbox providers may detect attempts to trick their systems, which they generally disfavor.
  • Realistic Domain Distribution: Tools like 250ok's optimizer highlight the importance of weighting seed lists to accurately reflect a customer's actual sending patterns. This ensures more precise deliverability insights by aligning seed distribution with real recipient domains.
  • Holistic Strategy Needed: While highly beneficial, seed list tools offer directional advice and should be integrated with other deliverability monitoring tools. A combined approach provides a more comprehensive and accurate view of overall email performance.
  • Tool Naming Conventions: The names and functionalities of these tools can evolve, as demonstrated by eDS rebranding 'EVUNs' to 'Intelliseeds' and then to 'IntelliX AI Network', indicating ongoing product development.

What email marketers say

10 marketer opinions

Email deliverability seed list tools, such as eDS EVUN (now IntelliX AI Network) and 250ok Seedlist Optimizer, provide a critical mechanism for senders to preview email campaign deliverability. These platforms operate by distributing a copy of a sender's email to a pre-selected, curated network of test email addresses. These 'seed' addresses are maintained across various Internet Service Providers (ISPs), like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, and different domains. After sending, the tools automatically monitor and log the precise delivery outcome for each seed, indicating whether the email successfully reached the inbox, was shunted to the spam folder, or was blocked altogether. This gives marketers an immediate, predictive snapshot of their campaign's potential reach and allows for proactive identification and resolution of deliverability issues before the full subscriber send. Notably, eDS has evolved its naming, moving from 'EVUNs' to 'intelliseeds,' and now calls its tool the 'IntelliX AI Network,' with 'intelliseeds' still used to describe its core functionality.

Key opinions

  • Core Functionality: Deliverability seed list tools operate by sending email campaigns to a proprietary network of 'fake' or test email addresses, strategically distributed across various Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, and domains.
  • Delivery Monitoring: These tools automatically monitor the delivery status for each test email, recording if it landed in the inbox, was routed to the spam folder, or was blocked entirely by the mailbox provider.
  • Proactive Issue Detection: By providing an immediate snapshot of how emails are filtered, seed list tools enable senders to proactively identify and troubleshoot potential deliverability issues before launching a large-scale campaign.
  • eDS Naming Progression: eDS has rebranded its seed list offering multiple times, transitioning from 'EVUNs' to 'intelliseeds,' and currently referring to its tool as the 'IntelliX AI Network,' with intelliseeds being an equivalent term.
  • Simulated Campaign: The process effectively simulates a real email campaign, giving marketers insights into how different mailbox providers are likely to filter their messages for actual subscribers.

Key considerations

  • Tool Naming Evolution: The names of deliverability tools can change, as seen with eDS evolving from EVUNs to Intelliseeds, and then to IntelliX AI Network. Staying updated on these branding shifts is important for marketers.
  • Snapshot of Performance: Seed list tools provide an immediate snapshot of deliverability performance, offering a predictive measure rather than a definitive guarantee of inbox placement for every subscriber. They are a critical diagnostic, not a cure-all.
  • Diversity of Seeds: The effectiveness of these tools relies heavily on the diversity and breadth of their seed lists, ensuring representation across a wide range of ISPs and mailbox providers for accurate insights.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that eDS renamed "EVUNs" to "intelliseeds".

2 May 2024 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that eDS is calling their tool "IntelliX AI Network" which is equivalent to intelliseeds, and EVUN was their former name, also noting uncertainty if they have received a patent on EVUN.

8 Feb 2025 - Email Geeks

What the experts say

5 expert opinions

Deliverability seed list tools, exemplified by solutions such as eDS's EVUN (now IntelliX AI Network) and 250ok Seedlist Optimizer, serve as vital diagnostic instruments for email senders. These tools operate by providing a distinct collection of email addresses, known as seed lists, to which campaign copies are dispatched. The primary function is to meticulously monitor and report the exact delivery outcome-whether emails reach the inbox, land in the spam folder, or are blocked-across a diverse array of Internet Service Providers and domains. While the fundamental purpose is to offer a predictive snapshot of deliverability, advanced features differentiate approaches. For instance, eDS's former EVUN tool aimed to simulate user engagement, while 250ok's optimizer prioritizes weighting seed lists to accurately reflect a sender's actual domain distribution, thereby providing more precise and relevant insights into potential deliverability challenges. This allows for proactive intervention, helping to resolve issues before they impact the broader subscriber base.

Key opinions

  • Core Mechanism: Deliverability seed list tools provide unique email addresses, known as seeds, to which senders send copies of their campaigns for monitoring.
  • Delivery Tracking: These tools track and report the precise delivery status of test emails, indicating whether they reached the inbox, landed in the spam folder, or were blocked across various Internet Service Providers and domains.
  • eDS EVUN's Approach: eDS's former EVUN tool aimed to stimulate user engagement on seeds to impersonate real user actions, simulating positive recipient behavior.
  • 250ok's Optimization: 250ok's optimizer tool weights the seed list against a customer's actual user list, providing a more realistic view of seed to domain distribution and recommending not to include seeds for untargeted domains.
  • Directional Advice: Seed list tools offer crucial directional advice on delivery trends, helping senders identify and diagnose potential issues prior to a full campaign send.

Key considerations

  • Engagement Simulation Risks: The simulation of user engagement, a feature of eDS's former EVUN tool, carries the risk of being perceived unfavorably by mailbox providers, as they generally discourage attempts to mislead their systems into recognizing artificial positive actions.
  • Importance of Realistic Distribution: The effectiveness of seed lists is enhanced when their domain distribution accurately reflects the sender's actual recipient list, as demonstrated by 250ok's optimizer, helping avoid irrelevant seed placements.
  • Complementary Tools: While valuable, seed list tools should be used in conjunction with other deliverability monitoring solutions to achieve a comprehensive and holistic understanding of email performance.
  • Configurability: Senders can either expose relevant domains or manually configure seed lists, with automation often grouping common hosting providers like O365, GApps, and Zoho.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that eDS’ new EVUN tool stimulates user engagement on the seeds to impersonate a real user, which could, in the long run, negatively impact deliverability as mailbox providers don’t like their systems being tricked into thinking that users are taking positive actions on mail.

26 May 2022 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that 250Ok’s ‘optimizer’ tool takes a customer's list of users and weights the seed list against it to give a more realistic view of seeds to domain distribution. This means if mail is not sent to a particular domain at all, the seed list tools will recommend not to include seeds for that domain. The seeds provide directional advice on delivery and help identify issues prior to delivery, combining with other tools for a holistic view of delivery.

27 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says

4 technical articles

Deliverability seed list tools, such as eDS EVUN (now IntelliX AI Network) and Validity's 250ok Seedlist Optimizer, function by employing a sophisticated network of test email addresses. These proprietary seed lists span a wide array of Internet Service Providers and domains globally. Senders dispatch copies of their email campaigns to these seeds, and the tools then actively monitor and programmatically report the exact delivery outcome for each, detailing whether the email landed in the inbox, was routed to the spam folder, or was blocked entirely. This systematic approach offers real-time insights into an email campaign's potential reach and the filtering behavior of various mailbox providers, serving as a vital health check for a sender's reputation and enabling proactive adjustments to optimize deliverability.

Key findings

  • Networked Testing: Deliverability seed list tools function by dispatching copies of email campaigns to extensive, proprietary networks of test email addresses, or 'seeds,' distributed across various Internet Service Providers and domains globally.
  • Automated Reporting: The tools programmatically monitor and automatically report the exact delivery outcome for each seed, detailing whether the email reached the inbox, was routed to the spam folder, or was entirely blocked.
  • Reputation Insights: This process provides crucial real-time data and insights into a sender's reputation, assessing how different mailbox providers filter messages and influencing overall deliverability.
  • Proactive Diagnostics: By offering a predictive snapshot of delivery performance, these systems enable senders to identify and troubleshoot potential deliverability challenges proactively, before affecting their broader subscriber base.
  • Managed Seed Lists: The effectiveness of these tools relies on carefully managed and diverse seed lists that aim to represent a wide spectrum of real-world email environments.

Key considerations

  • Seed Authenticity: Some prominent tools, like Validity's offerings, emphasize leveraging a global network of 'real' seed email addresses, which can be critical for ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of deliverability insights.
  • Breadth of Coverage: The effectiveness of seed list tools is directly tied to the comprehensiveness and diversity of their proprietary networks, which should span a wide range of global Internet Service Providers and domains.
  • Diagnostic Function: Seed list tools primarily serve as a real-time 'health check' or diagnostic instrument, providing a predictive measure of deliverability rather than a guarantee of inbox placement for every subscriber.
  • Automated Monitoring: A core aspect of these systems is their ability to programmatically and automatically check and report delivery outcomes, ensuring efficiency and consistency in tracking email filtering behavior.

Technical article

Documentation from eDatasource explains that their EVUN seed list tool functions by sending email campaigns to a comprehensive, proprietary network of email addresses across various ISPs and domains. It then actively monitors and reports on the actual inbox placement, spam folder delivery, or non-delivery for each seed, offering detailed insights into deliverability performance.

8 Sep 2021 - eDatasource Official Website

Technical article

Documentation from Validity explains that their Everest Deliverability Monitor, which incorporates the 250ok seed list technology, functions by leveraging a global network of real seed email addresses across major mailbox providers. It receives copies of your emails and then programmatically checks and reports on whether they landed in the inbox, spam folder, or were blocked, providing a real-time health check of your sending reputation.

21 Mar 2023 - Validity Official Website

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