How can I assess deliverability health for prospective email marketing clients?

Email marketer from Reddit explains you should subscribe to their list, inspect headers, and check if they are on any blacklists before taking them on as a client. Looking for authentication is key.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that assessing deliverability involves checking sender reputation (using tools like Sender Score or Google Postmaster Tools), authenticating your email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitoring bounce rates, and analyzing engagement metrics like open and click-through rates.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester suggests checking email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender reputation, blacklist status, and content quality to assess deliverability. They advise reviewing spam filter results and analyzing engagement metrics.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests identifying questionable prospects by asking about their processes, problems, why they seek a new vendor, list collection practices, signup links, and typical performance metrics.

Email marketer from Validity shares that proactive testing is crucial, and you can simulate sending emails to various mailboxes across different providers, analyze the results, and identify any potential issues before a major campaign.

Email marketer from SendPulse explains that you can assess deliverability by checking your sender reputation, monitoring blacklist status, setting up feedback loops, and analyzing engagement metrics. They also recommend performing a deliverability test with different email clients.

Email marketer from Email Geeks agrees that qualifying prospective clients involves asking questions and reviewing websites, but emphasizes the importance of intuition in identifying potential issues.

Email marketer from SparkPost explains that a DMARC record tells receiving mail servers what to do with emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks. This can include rejecting the email, quarantining it, or delivering it as normal. Implementing DMARC helps protect your domain from email spoofing.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that you can qualify clients by asking about their email practices, particularly how they acquire new clients and business. They suggest that this can reveal potential spammers and recommend billing for initial discovery work, including reviewing GPT data and credit checks.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests using the Word to the Wise authentication tool to assess SPF health. They also recommend using MXToolbox for deliverability checks.

Email marketer from GlockApps shares that you can use tools like GlockApps to test email placement across different ISPs. They also suggest monitoring blacklists and analyzing feedback loops.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum mentions that red flags include not using confirmed opt-in, purchasing email lists, or sending unsolicited emails to large lists.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests focusing on non-technical aspects affecting deliverability, such as poor list management, sending unsolicited emails, and cross-subscribing. They emphasize identifying these underlying causes and communicating a path to recovery.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that it's important to monitor open rates, click-through rates, and spam complaints to get an idea of how recipients are engaging with their emails. High spam complaint rates indicate a deliverability issue.

Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) explains that a thorough review of sending practices is essential, including list hygiene, permission practices, content quality, and authentication setup. She also emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring and adaptation to changing deliverability landscapes.

Expert from Email Geeks shares that subscribing to the client's emails can provide insights. They also mention that tools like EDS, Inboxable, and Validity offer varying degrees of insight into deliverability for a cost.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that checking DNSBLs (DNS-based Blackhole Lists) can help identify if the client's IP address or domain has been associated with spam activity. They advise using multiple DNSBL lookup tools to get a comprehensive view.

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that the tool provides data about your sending reputation, spam rate, feedback loops, and authentication status for Gmail users. It highlights the importance of maintaining a good sender reputation to ensure deliverability to Gmail inboxes.

Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DKIM is a digital signature that authenticates the sender of an email. This prevents email spoofing and ensures the message hasn't been tampered with during transit.

Documentation from RFC explains that SPF is a DNS record that specifies which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Setting up SPF records helps prevent spammers from forging your domain in the 'From' address.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC builds upon SPF and DKIM by adding reporting capabilities and instructions for handling emails that fail authentication. This helps protect your domain and improve email deliverability.