Improving Email Reputation

Email marketing can be complex and sometimes frustrating, especially when your campaigns don’t reach your subscribers’ inboxes. Learning how to fix your email reputation is vital for email marketers. In our latest State of Email Survey, monitoring deliverability rates emerged as a key focus for professionals across the board.

Every email you send must navigate a series of validation processes designed to weed out spammers and protect your recipients. Unfortunately, these processes can sometimes unfairly trap your carefully crafted email campaigns.

Key Factors Influencing Email Deliverability

Understanding the factors that influence your email deliverability is the first step in learning how to fix your email reputation. Three primary areas to focus on are:

1. Infrastructure: Ensure proper identification and authentication records (DNS, DKIM, DMARC).
2. Content: Create engaging content and avoid being marked as spam.
3. Reputation: Maintain a positive reputation for your sending domain and IP addresses.

What is Email Sender Reputation?

Your email sender reputation is a score assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) based on the quality of your email campaigns. This score significantly impacts your email deliverability rates. Let’s break down some of the key elements affecting this score:

Sender Behavior

ISPs monitor the volume and consistency of your email sends. A sudden spike in email volume can appear suspicious and may trigger spam filters.

Subscriber Engagement

ISPs pay attention to how recipients interact with your emails. High open and click-through rates positively impact your reputation.

Email List Hygiene

Maintaining a clean email list by removing inactive subscribers and avoiding spam traps is crucial for a healthy sender reputation. Be wary of blocklists as well.

Email Authentication

Proper email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help ISPs verify your identity and trust your emails.

How to Check and Recover Your Email Reputation

Regularly check your email sender reputation using tools such as Google Postmaster Tools. Litmus also offers comprehensive spam testing tools to help you monitor and improve email deliverability.

Why Your Email Reputation May Decline

If you notice a decline in your email reputation, consider these factors:

Are you sending too many emails at inconsistent volumes? Are your automations reaching an uninterested audience? Is your email list clean and verified? Ensure your authentication records are in place.

Proactive Steps to Improve Email Reputation

Once you identify the issue, follow these steps:

• Identify problematic ISPs and focus on your most engaged audience.
• Pause risky automations like win-back campaigns.
• Contact ISP postmasters for assistance.
• Gradually increase your send volume as engagement rates improve.

Email Sender Score Best Practices

Follow these best practices to maintain a positive email sender reputation:

Send Frequency and Engagement

Allow subscribers to choose how frequently they hear from you. The goal is to keep them engaged without overwhelming them.

Simplify Unsubscription

Make it easy for users to unsubscribe rather than marking your emails as spam. This keeps your list clean and engaged.

Regularly Clean Your Email List

Filter out inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses. Run re-engagement campaigns to confirm continuing interest from your subscribers.

Monitor and Measure Your Email Reputation

With tools like Litmus, you can stay ahead by monitoring your email sender reputation, navigating spam filters effortlessly, and ensuring your communications land in inboxes.

Boost Deliverability

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