Can implementing DMARC cause a drop in email reputation and open rates?

Email marketer from StackExchange User suggests that DMARC itself doesn't cause the problem. Rather, it exposes existing authentication issues. Check your SPF and DKIM records, as misconfiguration is a common culprit when seeing deliverability problems after DMARC implementation.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that the DMARC record is valid and in reporting only mode (p=none) so it’s not affecting deliverability and it’s just reporting. You could enter your domain in a tool to verify that it’s valid.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that implementing DMARC can sometimes expose pre-existing deliverability issues. If SPF or DKIM are not properly configured, DMARC will enforce these failures, leading to potential drops in open rates and deliverability. They emphasize the importance of correctly setting up SPF and DKIM records before implementing DMARC.

Email marketer from Quora states that once DMARC is configured for your email domain, the email domain owner has control over what to do with emails that are not authenticated using SPF and DKIM. You can configure your emails to be completely rejected, quarantined, or set none to monitor and collect reporting data without taking action

Email marketer from EmailGeek forum user explains that they saw a drop in open rates right after DMARC implementation. It turned out their SPF record was incomplete, and DMARC simply highlighted the problem, leading to Gmail filtering out the unauthenticated emails.

Email marketer from Postmark explains that DMARC implementation itself doesn't usually directly cause lower open rates. The problem comes when DMARC reveals that a lot of your email isn't authenticating correctly. If you suddenly have a DMARC policy in place that causes mail to be rejected, this can drastically lower open rates.

Email marketer from SuperUser recommends checking the DMARC reports to understand why the emails are failing authentication. Those reports provide valuable insights into which emails are not passing SPF and DKIM checks, and which can pinpoint the underlying issues. It also re-iterates, implementing DMARC does not cause harm in itself.

Email marketer from EasyDMARC shares that if you suddenly implement a strict DMARC policy (e.g., p=reject) without properly configuring SPF and DKIM, you may see a drop in email deliverability and open rates. Email marketer from EasyDMARC also mentions this is because legitimate emails might fail authentication, causing receiving mail servers to reject the messages.

Email marketer from Reddit user states that a sudden drop in open rates after implementing DMARC usually means your authentication wasn't set up correctly in the first place. Now, DMARC is enforcing that, and your emails are being rejected or sent to spam.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DMARC will expose existing authentication problems with SPF or DKIM. Implementing DMARC with a strict policy will cause deliverability issues due to the domain's own mail failing authentication. They emphasize that DMARC is an enforcement mechanism, so any underlying issues need to be resolved prior to setting a quarantine or reject policy.

Expert from Spamresource.com explains that DMARC policies are a set of instructions that are set at the authoritative DNS server and are implemented by the receiving email service providers. These instructions help mail service providers to deal with unauthenticated email to prevent spoofing and phishing and protect the reputation of the domain.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that because the DMARC policy is set to 'p=none', it shouldn't significantly impact mail delivery. Steve proposes that the delivery issues might stem from other configuration errors during DMARC setup, unrelated business changes, or mere coincidence. Therefore, it is best to treat it as a standard delivery problem to diagnose, rather than focusing solely on DMARC.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that DMARC only provides an indicator for receivers to base reputation on and doesn’t directly influence that reputation itself. Laura also believes that open rates have been dropping since early spring, you likely have some audience / list problems and are sending mail that is causing your recipients to signal to gmail that they don’t want the mail and that reputation is cumulative.

Documentation from Microsoft explains that DMARC's main purpose is to prevent spoofing, phishing attempts and other fraudulent use of email. DMARC ensures that receiving mail systems trust messages sent from your domain. When DMARC detects an issue with the message, it provides a policy for handling it; the system may choose to reject the message completely. Microsoft also recommend setting your DMARC policy to *none* to monitor the DMARC reporting that shows compliance without any intended impacts.

Documentation from dmarc.org explains that DMARC itself does not directly harm deliverability. Problems arise when DMARC exposes existing authentication issues. A sudden drop in open rates post-DMARC implementation indicates pre-existing problems with SPF or DKIM configuration that DMARC now enforces. They state that DMARC enhances visibility into mail streams and protects from unauthorized use, rather than harming deliverability.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC itself does not directly cause a drop in email reputation or open rates. However, it exposes underlying deliverability issues. If DMARC is implemented and a domain begins rejecting emails due to authentication failures, it can lead to a decrease in email deliverability and potentially lower open rates. It also states that DMARC helps receivers handle unauthenticated email to prevent spoofing and phishing and to protect the domain's reputation.