How can I fix spam issues after previous cold outreach and improve domain reputation?

Summary

Recovering from spam issues after previous cold outreach and improving domain reputation requires a comprehensive strategy involving technical adjustments, list management, and behavioral changes. Experts and documentation sources converge on several key steps: immediately ceasing cold outreach; implementing robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC); cleaning email lists of unengaged subscribers; gradually warming up IP addresses or domains; sending valuable, engaging content; and closely monitoring sender reputation metrics. Other important actions include segmenting audiences, honoring opt-outs, and actively testing email deliverability. Experts also caution against common myths surrounding deliverability and highlight the ineffectiveness (and potential harm) of domain warm-up tools. Understanding email provider guidelines, especially those of Gmail and Microsoft, is also critical.

Key findings

  • Cease Cold Outreach: Immediately stop all cold outreach activities.
  • Implement Authentication: Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication.
  • Clean Email Lists: Remove unengaged subscribers to improve sender reputation.
  • Warm-Up Gradually: Slowly warm up IP addresses/domains before resuming outreach.
  • Engage with Content: Focus on sending valuable and engaging content to recipients.
  • Monitor Deliverability: Regularly monitor sender scores and deliverability metrics.

Key considerations

  • Warm-up Tools: Warm-up tools may be ineffective and could potentially worsen deliverability.
  • Gmail Reputation: Address Gmail's domain reputation specifically, as it is a major factor.
  • Engagement Metrics: Avoid relying solely on email opens as a measure of engagement.
  • Know Your Provider: Understand your email provider's policies to avoid spam traps.
  • Segmentation: Segment your audience for targeted and relevant communication.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Recovering from spam issues after cold outreach and rebuilding domain reputation requires a multifaceted approach. Experts and marketers agree that ceasing cold outreach is the first step. Authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential. Cleaning email lists by removing unengaged subscribers and implementing permission-based opt-in processes is crucial. Warming up IP addresses or domains and gradually increasing sending volume to engaged segments is recommended. Monitoring sender scores, engagement, bounce rates, and spam complaints, along with A/B testing content, helps optimize deliverability. Utilizing deliverability testing tools can pinpoint and resolve issues causing emails to land in spam.

Key opinions

  • Stop Cold Outreach: Immediately cease all cold outreach activities that contributed to the spam issue.
  • Authenticate Email: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity and improve deliverability.
  • Clean Email List: Remove unengaged subscribers to reduce bounce rates and improve engagement metrics.
  • Warm-Up IP/Domain: Gradually warm up IP addresses or domains to re-establish a positive sender reputation.
  • Monitor Reputation: Continuously monitor sender scores, engagement, bounce rates, and spam complaints to track progress.
  • Content Engagement: Sending relevant content improves deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Tool Effectiveness: Domain warm-up tools may not be effective and can sometimes worsen deliverability issues; proceed with caution.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting email lists ensures that recipients receive content relevant to their interests and engagement level.
  • Testing is Critical: Deliverability testing tools can help identify and fix issues causing emails to land in the spam folder, improving overall inbox placement rates.
  • Incremental Approach: Slowly increase sending volume whilst warming up IP and domain.
  • Authentication First: Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC before list cleaning or warm-up activity.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that sender reputation is key for email deliverability and suggests using tools to monitor your sender score, sending relevant and engaging content, and segmenting your audience to target the right people with the right message.

February 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that they improved domain reputation after cold outreach by starting with very small, highly engaged segments, closely monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints, and gradually increasing sending volume while consistently providing value to subscribers.

January 2023 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass emphasizes the importance of warming up your email address or domain before resuming cold outreach to re-establish sender reputation, sending to engaged subscribers, and A/B testing to optimize email content.

October 2023 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that focusing on email authentication, list segmentation, and engaging content are fundamental to improving deliverability after a history of cold outreach, alongside consistently monitoring sender reputation metrics.

July 2021 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that domain warmup tools are ineffective and advises against cold outreach. They also point out that the issue is with Gmail's domain reputation, not just blocklists, and that this problem likely extends to other Mailbox Providers (MBPs).

February 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit recommends immediately ceasing all outreach, focusing on list cleaning by removing unengaged subscribers, implementing a strict permission-based opt-in process for new subscribers, and gradually increasing sending volume to warmed-up segments.

August 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that repairing domain reputation requires consistent effort and offers strategies like setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records; cleaning your email list; warming up your IP address; and engaging subscribers to improve reputation.

March 2023 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps emphasizes the importance of using email deliverability testing tools to identify and fix issues that may be causing emails to land in the spam folder, helping to improve overall sender reputation and inbox placement rates.

July 2023 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that cleaning your email list regularly helps maintain a healthy sender reputation by removing inactive subscribers, reducing bounce rates, and increasing engagement. This leads to better deliverability and campaign performance.

August 2022 - Campaign Monitor

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Experts advise a strategic approach to fixing spam issues after cold outreach and improving domain reputation. The initial step is to cease spamming activities and remove suspicious email addresses. Emphasis is placed on engaging users, sending valuable content, and authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Warming up IPs slowly and monitoring deliverability are crucial, as is knowing your email provider to avoid spam traps. It's also important to disregard email opens as a reliable engagement metric and to avoid common email deliverability myths such as quantity over quality sending, and reliance on purchased lists. List segmentation, honoring opt-outs, testing emails, and maintaining a static IP address are also suggested.

Key opinions

  • Cease Spamming: Immediately stop all practices that could be considered spamming.
  • Engage Users: Focus on sending valuable email to users who have shown genuine engagement.
  • Authenticate Email: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender identity.
  • Warm IP Slowly: Gradually warm up IP addresses while carefully monitoring deliverability.
  • Segmentation & Testing: Segment email lists, test emails, and monitor sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Warm-up Tools: Be cautious of warm-up tools, as they can be ineffective or even detrimental.
  • Engagement Metrics: Do not rely solely on email opens as a true measure of engagement.
  • Deliverability Myths: Avoid common email deliverability myths and focus on quality over quantity.
  • Email Provider Awareness: Understand your email provider's policies to avoid spam traps.
  • Opt-out Compliance: Always honor opt-out requests promptly.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises to stop sending spam, discard suspicious email addresses, focus on users with engagement, and send valuable email with incentives, starting slowly and monitoring results.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states that warmup tools are a scam and can worsen the spam issue.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that you should authenticate with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Send wanted mail. Honor opt-outs. Test your mail. Segment your list. Watch your sending reputation. Avoid using URL shorteners. Send from a static IP address.

October 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks advises not to rely on email opens as a true metric of engagement.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that when warming IPs after cold outreach, one should start slow, send wanted mail to engaged recipients, authenticate mail, and monitor deliverability. It's also important to know who your provider is to avoid sending to spam traps.

August 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise details email deliverability myths such as quantity over quality sending, shared IPs are always bad and dedicated IPs are always good, and the use of purchased lists, and what senders should instead do.

October 2022 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Documentation emphasizes the importance of email authentication, particularly SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, to improve deliverability and protect against spoofing and phishing. Adhering to bulk sender guidelines, especially those of Gmail, is critical. Maintaining list hygiene, managing sending rates, and providing easy unsubscribe options are also key. SPF authorizes sending hosts by creating DNS records, DKIM provides a mechanism for digitally signing messages, and DMARC allows senders to specify how receivers should handle unauthenticated emails.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
  • Bulk Sender Guidelines: Following guidelines from providers like Gmail improves deliverability.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list reduces spam complaints.
  • Sending Rates: Managing sending rates prevents overwhelming recipient servers and triggering spam filters.
  • Unsubscribe Options: Providing easy unsubscribe options is crucial for compliance and user experience.

Key considerations

  • Implementation Complexity: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC can be technically complex and requires careful configuration.
  • Testing Authentication: It is important to test that email authentication is setup correctly after deployment.
  • DMARC Policy Enforcement: DMARC allows you to specify what actions receiving servers should take if email fails authentication, from 'none' to 'reject'.
  • Evolving Guidelines: Email providers' bulk sender guidelines can change, so staying updated is essential.
  • Impact on Deliverability: Failure to adhere to authentication standards and sender guidelines can significantly harm deliverability.
Technical article

Documentation from DKIM explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method which is designed to detect email spoofing by providing a mechanism that allows mail senders to digitally sign their messages, indicating that they are authorized to send mail from the sending domain, and allowing mail receivers to verify the signature.

June 2023 - DKIM
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that adhering to Gmail's bulk sender guidelines is critical for avoiding the spam folder, emphasizing authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene, managing sending rates, and providing easy unsubscribe options.

July 2023 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org highlights the importance of implementing DMARC to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, specifying that a DMARC policy allows senders to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and DKIM, and tells receivers what to do if neither of those authentication methods passes – such as reject the message.

July 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft details implementing the Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) for email authentication to verify the sender's identity and reduce the likelihood of messages being marked as spam.

February 2025 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from RFC describes Sender Policy Framework (SPF) which is an email authentication method designed to detect forging sender addresses during the delivery of email. Specifically, SPF authorizes sending hosts by creating DNS records listing authorized mail servers. Receiving mail servers can then check these records to verify that email is sent from an authorized host.

January 2025 - RFC