Email Reputation / Deliverability

Definition

Effective delivery of the emails you send is directly related to your IP address and domain reputation. If they score well (usually the result of consistent sending and no spam reports), ISPs will trust your reputation and place your email in the recipient inbox, rather than sending it to the spam or junk folder. Any spam reports can damage your reputation (not to mention your bottom line if you're out of compliance with spam laws) so it’s essential to keep your lists clean and your content valuable.

There are tools you can use to help improve reputation, but it’s important to think long-term. Double opt-ins can ensure subscribers are real users who want to receive your content and will be less likely to mark your email as spam. Building or improving a reputation can be achieved through IP warming: start by sending emails to a small and engaged group, and then slowly grow your numbers (keeping open and click rates high). Sunsetting policies to remove disengaged email addresses can help ensure that your list is only made up of interested users and helps you avoid the accidental spam traps that might be developed from old email addresses. Taking these steps and monitoring your sender score should keep your deliverability healthy.

Usage

Many marketers appreciate the importance of email deliverability, since delivery rate is often listed with open and click rates on email stats, but perhaps fewer are well acquainted with key tactics for improving reputation or the systems behind it. It’s important for all members of the team to learn about spam laws and practice careful habits to keep content relevant and lists clean.