Summary
Troubleshooting low email open rates during BFCM requires a comprehensive approach focusing on deliverability, sender reputation, list hygiene, and content optimization. Start by investigating if emails are reaching inboxes, checking spam folder placement, and analyzing open rates by receiving domain, particularly for ISPs like Hotmail. Implement inbox placement testing and pre-send testing to identify deliverability issues like broken links or spam triggers. Warm up your IP address and ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation, which should be actively monitored using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score. Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid addresses and inactive subscribers, and segment your audience for more targeted campaigns. Optimize subject lines for urgency and personalization and offer exclusive deals. Throttling sending volume, especially during BFCM, and monitoring for blacklisting are crucial. Finally, re-engage inactive subscribers with special offers and create dedicated landing pages.
Key findings
- Deliverability Diagnostics: Checking for spam folder placement, analyzing open rates by domain, and inbox placement testing are critical first steps.
- Email Authentication: Properly implementing and verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC improves deliverability by authenticating your emails.
- Sender Reputation Impact: Maintaining a positive sender reputation, monitored through tools like Google Postmaster Tools, is essential for avoiding spam filters.
- List Hygiene Importance: Regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid addresses and inactive subscribers improves deliverability and engagement.
- Segmentation and Personalization: Segmenting your audience and personalizing email content increases relevance and engagement, boosting open rates.
Key considerations
- ISP-Specific Deliverability: Pay close attention to deliverability issues with specific ISPs, as this might indicate targeted spam filtering.
- Volume Management: Carefully throttle sending volume increases during BFCM to prevent being flagged as a spammer, even with a good reputation.
- Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check email blacklists and take steps to get delisted if your IP address or domain is listed.
- Proactive Testing: Utilize pre-send testing tools to identify and resolve potential issues before sending emails.
- Re-Engagement Strategies: Develop strategies to re-engage inactive subscribers, such as special offers or personalized content.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
During BFCM, exceptionally low email open rates can stem from various factors, including deliverability issues and increased competition in recipients' inboxes. Troubleshooting and resolving these issues involves a multi-faceted approach. Key strategies include segmenting your audience for targeted campaigns, cleaning email lists to remove inactive subscribers and spam traps, optimizing subject lines for urgency and relevance, and verifying email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation. Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, throttling sending volume to avoid spam flags, and using pre-send testing tools to identify potential issues (broken links, spam triggers) are also crucial. Checking email blacklists and re-engaging inactive subscribers with special offers are additional tactics.
Key opinions
- Segmentation: Segmenting audiences allows for more targeted and relevant campaigns, increasing engagement during the high-volume BFCM period.
- List Hygiene: Cleaning email lists by removing inactive subscribers, invalid addresses, and spam traps is essential for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and deliverability.
- Authentication: Properly configuring email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for verifying sender identity and preventing emails from being marked as spam.
- Sender Reputation: Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues proactively.
- Pre-Send Testing: Using pre-send testing tools helps identify potential issues like broken links and spam trigger words before sending emails.
Key considerations
- Volume Throttling: Gradually increase sending volume, especially to new lists or during peak seasons, to avoid being flagged as a spammer.
- Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check email blacklists to ensure your IP address or domain is not listed, and take steps to get delisted if necessary.
- Re-Engagement: Implement re-engagement campaigns with special offers to reactivate inactive subscribers.
- Subject Line Optimization: Craft compelling subject lines that create a sense of urgency and relevance to stand out in crowded inboxes during BFCM.
- Inbox Placement Testing: Use inbox placement testing tools to see where your emails land (inbox, spam, promotions tab) and identify deliverability problems across different email providers.
Marketer view
Email marketer from HubSpot Blog recommends re-engaging inactive subscribers with special offers, sending reminder emails close to the end of BFCM, and creating a dedicated landing page for email campaigns.
31 Mar 2022 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view
Email marketer from Litmus Blog advises using pre-send testing tools to identify potential deliverability issues, such as broken links, rendering problems, and spam trigger words, before sending emails during BFCM.
29 Aug 2024 - Litmus Blog
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
When facing exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM, it's crucial to investigate deliverability and list health. Checking if emails are landing in spam folders, particularly with specific ISPs like Hotmail, helps pinpoint issues. Employing inbox testing is essential. Careful volume throttling during peak periods, even with a good reputation, is necessary to prevent spam filter triggers. Proactive monitoring of sender reputation using tools is key to detecting deliverability problems early. Maintaining excellent list hygiene by removing bounced addresses, unsubscribes, and unengaged users is vital for a healthy sending reputation and improved open rates.
Key opinions
- Deliverability Checks: Verifying email delivery, identifying spam placement (especially on specific ISPs), and implementing inbox testing are crucial steps.
- Volume Throttling: Careful volume management during BFCM is essential to avoid triggering spam filters, even with a strong sender reputation.
- Reputation Monitoring: Actively monitoring sender reputation metrics facilitates early detection and mitigation of deliverability issues.
- List Hygiene Impact: Poor list hygiene significantly reduces deliverability and open rates; regular maintenance is vital.
Key considerations
- ISP-Specific Issues: Pay close attention to deliverability problems with specific ISPs (e.g., Hotmail) as they might indicate targeted spam filtering.
- Inbox Testing: Implement inbox testing to assess how emails are classified by different providers.
- Proactive Monitoring: Continuously monitor sender reputation even when sending volume is stable.
- Regular List Cleaning: Establish a routine for removing inactive or problematic email addresses from your list.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if low open rates are mainly around Hotmail, it's likely the emails went to spam and asks if inboxing testing is in place.
29 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking if the emails were delivered, went to the spam folder, and identifying if a specific ISP had a particularly low open rate.
18 Oct 2021 - Email Geeks
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Troubleshooting low email open rates, especially during BFCM, requires a focus on email authentication and sender reputation. Monitoring domain reputation and spam rates via tools like Google Postmaster Tools helps identify deliverability issues signified by sudden drops or spikes. Implementing DKIM verifies sender identity, reducing the chance of emails being marked as spam. Understanding that sender reputation is a score ISPs assign based on sending behavior is key, as low scores result in spam filtering. DMARC is crucial for preventing email spoofing by allowing domain owners to dictate how receivers handle emails failing SPF and DKIM.
Key findings
- Domain Reputation Monitoring: Google Postmaster Tools provides insights into deliverability issues via domain reputation and spam rate monitoring.
- DKIM Implementation: Implementing DKIM helps verify sender identity, improving email deliverability.
- Sender Reputation Impact: A low sender reputation score assigned by ISPs leads to emails being filtered as spam.
- DMARC Prevention: DMARC prevents email spoofing by enabling domain owners to specify email handling for authentication failures.
Key considerations
- Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor Google Postmaster Tools for any changes in domain reputation or spam rates.
- Proper Authentication: Ensure DKIM is correctly implemented to authenticate your emails.
- Reputation Management: Focus on improving your sender reputation to avoid being filtered as spam.
- Spoofing Prevention: Implement DMARC to protect your domain from email spoofing attempts.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC explains that implementing DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) helps verify the sender's identity, which can improve email deliverability by reducing the chances of emails being marked as spam.
23 May 2025 - RFC-Editor
Technical article
Documentation from Validity explains that your sender reputation is a score that ISPs assign to your sending IP address and domain based on your sending behavior. A low sender reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam.
5 Nov 2021 - Validity
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