How can I resolve email deliverability issues with Proofpoint when emails are not bouncing or going to spam?

Key findings

• Silent quarantine: Emails are likely being quarantined by Proofpoint rather than outright blocked or delivered to spam, which explains the lack of bounces or visibility.
• Content-based filtering: Problematic content, such as URLs or phrases commonly found in unwanted mail, can trigger these silent blocks, even if your sender IP isn't blacklisted.
• B2B vs. B2C difference: Deliverability in B2B environments, especially with enterprise-level filters, is distinctly different from B2C. Corporate filters prioritize their business goals and security policies.
• Recipient influence: If recipients truly want the emails and deem them valuable to their business, they may be able to influence their internal IT administrators to whitelist your sender.
• No easy redemption: Without direct feedback, a clear path to resolving silent quarantines can be elusive, unlike situations where direct blocklist removal forms are available.

Key considerations

• Contact Proofpoint: Consider contacting Proofpoint's postmaster team or using their false positive reporting system to make your case. While not guaranteed, they can sometimes offer insights or adjustments.
• Review content: Thoroughly examine your email content, including all URLs, for anything that could be perceived as spammy or suspicious by corporate filters, even if it's benign.
• List hygiene and engagement: Implement robust list hygiene practices and suppress unengaged Proofpoint subscribers. Sending only to highly engaged recipients improves your sender reputation.
• Encourage whitelisting: Advise your most engaged subscribers to check their Proofpoint quarantine and, if possible, ask their IT department to whitelist your sending domain.
• Monitor blocklists: Even if not directly blocked by Proofpoint's internal systems, ensure your sending IPs and domains are clean on other major blocklists (or blacklists) like Cloudmark and SORBS. Our blocklist checker can assist.

Key opinions

• Silent disappearance: Many marketers conclude that if there are no bounces, Proofpoint is likely quarantining emails silently, providing no feedback to the sender.
• Content is suspect: Bad content, such as embedded URLs that might be associated with unwanted mail patterns, is frequently cited as a primary suspect for these issues.
• B2B vs. B2C priority: Marketers recognize that B2B environments, especially at the enterprise level, differ significantly from B2C. Corporate filters prioritize the company's security and business objectives above all else, which often impacts marketing emails.
• Frustration over redemption: The lack of a clear path to redemption or delisting from these silent blocks is a major point of concern for senders.
• Engagement matters: Even with solid overall engagement, marketers note the need for better list hygiene and focusing on truly interested subscribers to navigate strict filters like Proofpoint.

Key considerations

• Suppress unengaged: Marketers should identify and suppress subscribers on Proofpoint-protected domains until deliverability issues are explicitly resolved, to avoid further reputation damage.
• Recipients as allies: Leverage engaged subscribers by asking them to check their Proofpoint quarantine and add your sender domain to their safe sender lists, as this can be more effective than external efforts alone.
• IT admin perspective: Understand that corporate IT administrators prioritize their network's security over marketing emails. Your messages must demonstrate clear value to the recipient's business to warrant whitelisting.
• Proactive content review: Before sending, review all email content for potential triggers, including URLs and formatting. This can help prevent content-based filtering.
• Consider B2B warming: If new to sending to B2B domains, an IP warming strategy tailored for corporate filters can be beneficial.

Key opinions

• Content and intent are key: Experts suggest that issues stem from either 'bad content' (e.g., URLs) or the mail simply not being desired by recipients, leading to filtering.
• B2B's unique rules: There's a strong consensus that B2B email, especially for large enterprises, operates under very different deliverability rules compared to B2C.
• Corporate filter priorities: Corporate filters, including Proofpoint, primarily focus on the deploying company's interests and security, not necessarily individual subscriber desires.
• Quarantine without notification: Many email security systems, including Proofpoint, can quarantine messages without sending explicit bounce notifications back to the sender.
• Engagement as influence: If email is genuinely valued by subscribers and aligns with business goals, individual recipients are often the most effective channel to initiate whitelisting by their IT administrators.

Key considerations

• Direct communication: Contacting postmaster@proofpoint.com can provide valuable insights, as Proofpoint staff are generally reasonable and helpful.
• Suppress problematic contacts: For ongoing issues, suppressing subscribers in Proofpoint-heavy domains until resolution is advisable to prevent further negative impact on sender reputation. This proactive step helps to improve overall deliverability.
• Check other blocklists: While Proofpoint might not directly block IPs, verify your sending IPs and domains are not listed on secondary blocklists (or blacklists) like Cloudmark and SORBS, as these can indirectly influence Proofpoint's decisions. Our guide to email blocklists provides more detail.
• Encourage recipient action: Encourage upset subscribers to actively contact their mail administrators to inquire about quarantined emails and request whitelisting.

Key findings

• Multi-layered security: Proofpoint and similar gateways use advanced techniques like reputation analysis, content filtering, and attachment scanning, making them very effective at intercepting potential threats.
• Quarantine as a default: Messages deemed suspicious are often quarantined for administrator review, rather than being delivered or bounced, to provide a safety net.
• URL defense: Features like URL Defense can retroactively impact delivery if a link within an email is later identified as malicious, even if initially clear.
• Administrator control: The final policies are highly configurable by the corporate IT administrators, allowing them to set the strictness of filtering to match their organization's risk tolerance.
• False positive reporting: There are mechanisms for reporting false positives, which can be initiated by customers (or senders via customer support), but resolution ultimately depends on the receiving organization's policies.

Key considerations

• Understand filtering layers: Recognize that even if your IP isn't blacklisted, content, domain reputation, or behavioral patterns can trigger advanced filters.
• Content review and best practices: Adhere to strict email content best practices, minimizing elements that could be misconstrued as spam or malicious by automated systems.
• Leverage reporting systems: Utilize Proofpoint's false positive reporting channels when appropriate, providing comprehensive email headers and justification.
• Focus on value: Frame your email communications to clearly demonstrate business value to the recipient's organization, which can align better with corporate security policies.
• Authentication standards: Ensure your email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is perfectly configured. While not a guarantee against quarantines, it's a foundational requirement for establishing sender legitimacy. Our DMARC record generator can assist with this.