Why are recruitment emails from Lever being marked as spam in Gmail, and how can I fix it?

Key findings

• Sudden change: Deliverability issues can appear suddenly, even without changes to email content or configuration, pointing to external factors or evolving ISP filters.
• Platform-specific issues: Email service providers (ESPs) and recruitment tools like Lever often use shared tracking domains for opens and clicks, which can negatively impact sender reputation if other users on the platform engage in poor sending practices.
• Content and links: The presence of tracking links, or links to domains with reputation problems, can trigger spam filters, even if the primary sending domain has a good reputation.
• Gmail's unique filters: Issues might be specific to Gmail, indicating their proprietary filtering system is flagging messages based on criteria not universally applied by other mail providers.
• User engagement impact: While engagement (opens, replies) is usually a strong positive signal, it may not immediately override new spam classifications, and user actions (marking as 'not spam') might take time to influence deliverability.

Key considerations

• Shared infrastructure risk: When using a recruitment platform, understand that your deliverability can be affected by the sending practices of other users on the same shared IP addresses and tracking domains.
• Content impact: Test sending plain-text emails without any links to identify if the issue is content or link-related. This can pinpoint problems with images, formatting, or tracking pixels.
• Recipient education: Encourage recipients to check spam folders and mark emails as 'not spam'. This feedback loop, though slow, can positively influence Gmail's filters over time. Also, ask them to add your 'from' address to their contacts, which can safelist your messages.
• Authentication standards: Regularly verify that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly configured and aligned, even if Postmaster Tools reports them as high.
• Monitor vendor reputation: If using a third-party tool like Lever, be aware that their domain's reputation (used for tracking links) can impact your deliverability, regardless of your domain's reputation.

Key opinions

• Engagement isn't everything: While high open and reply rates are good indicators, they don't always prevent spam placement, especially if other technical or content factors are at play.
• Tracking domain issues: Many marketers find that shared tracking domains used by third-party platforms can unexpectedly cause deliverability problems if their reputation is tarnished by other platform users.
• Content analysis: Testing plain-text emails (without tracking) is a common diagnostic step to isolate whether the issue lies with content, formatting, or links embedded by the sending platform.
• Recipient actions matter: Encouraging recipients to mark as 'not spam' and add to contacts is a widely suggested user-driven solution, though its impact isn't always immediate.
• Gmail's evolving filters: Gmail's algorithms are constantly updated, which means a strategy that worked yesterday might not work today, requiring ongoing vigilance.

Key considerations

• Platform limitations: Be aware if your recruitment platform (like Lever) offers custom tracking domains. If not, you are inherently tied to their shared reputation.
• Proactive user guidance: When candidates apply, advise them to check spam folders for follow-up emails and to safelist your address. This can be especially helpful for critical communications that must land in the inbox.
• In-depth content review: Beyond just links, examine the email content for any spammy keywords, unusual formatting, or overly promotional language that might trigger filters, even for transactional or recruitment emails. For general troubleshooting, refer to how to fix emails landing in Gmail spam.
• Monitor external domains: Be mindful of all domains present in your emails, including those from images, tracking, and external links, as their reputation contributes to your overall sender score. Spiceworks community users discuss finding out why emails are marked as spam.

Key opinions

• Shared domain risk: Experts strongly agree that if a platform shares tracking or image domains among customers, poor practices by one customer can negatively impact the deliverability of others. This is a common pitfall for multi-tenant ESPs.
• Content and link reputation: A key expert opinion is that problematic content or links to domains with reputation issues (even if external to the primary sending domain) can trigger spam filters, regardless of strong sender authentication.
• User feedback effectiveness: While marking emails as 'not spam' or adding to contacts is beneficial, experts caution that it takes time for Google's algorithms to recognize and act upon these positive signals. Patience is often required.
• Gmail's distinct filtering: The fact that issues are often Gmail-specific suggests their sophisticated and often opaque filtering mechanisms, which go beyond standard authentication checks.
• Proactive user education: Advising recipients to take specific actions, such as checking spam and safelisting, is considered a practical short-term measure to mitigate immediate deliverability problems.

Key considerations

• Thorough content audit: Beyond technical setup, perform a deep dive into email content for anything that could be misinterpreted as spam. This includes subtle cues, not just overt spammy words.
• Tracking domain alternatives: If your platform doesn't allow custom tracking domains, assess the risk. Consider whether the potential deliverability impact outweighs the benefits of the platform. Learn more about sender reputation.
• Long-term reputation building: Understand that recovering or building domain reputation is a continuous process that requires consistent positive engagement and adherence to best practices, which can take weeks or months. Read about how long it takes to recover domain reputation.
• Monitor blocklists: Regularly check if any domains or IPs associated with your sending (including those from your platform) have appeared on public blocklists (or blacklists), as this can severely impact deliverability.

Key findings

• Holistic filtering: Mailbox providers use a comprehensive set of signals beyond just SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to determine inbox placement, including sender reputation, content analysis, and user interactions.
• Link reputation: The reputation of every domain linked within an email, including tracking domains used by third-party platforms, contributes to the email's overall spam score.
• Engagement signals: Positive engagement (opens, replies, not spam reports) is crucial for long-term inboxing, and consistent negative signals (spam complaints, deletions without opening) can quickly harm sender reputation.
• Content best practices: Even legitimate emails can be flagged for content that resembles spam, such as excessive links, certain keywords, or poor HTML formatting.
• Dynamic filters: Email filtering systems are constantly updated to combat evolving spam tactics, meaning deliverability can change without direct action from the sender.

Key considerations

• Adherence to guidelines: Always consult and adhere to the latest sender guidelines from major mailbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo, as their rules evolve, particularly the new sender requirements from leading ISPs.
• Domain and IP reputation: Continuously monitor the reputation of your sending domain and any associated IPs (including those of your ESP or recruitment tool) using tools like Postmaster Tools.
• Explicit consent: Ensure that all recipients have explicitly consented to receive emails. Even for recruitment, clearly state that follow-up communications will be sent.
• Regular auditing: Conduct regular audits of your email content and sending practices. This includes checking for broken links, outdated information, and any sudden changes in engagement metrics. Utilize a proven checklist for email deliverability tests.