How can I improve email deliverability and open rates for a client with a bad domain reputation, especially with Gmail, and what strategies should I use for unengaged users?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that regularly cleaning your email list is crucial for maintaining good deliverability. Remove bounced email addresses, unsubscribed contacts, and inactive subscribers. Use email validation services to identify and remove invalid email addresses. Segment your list based on engagement and target your messaging accordingly.
Email marketer from Mailchimp shares that improving open rates involves sending relevant content to a segmented audience. Clean your email list regularly to remove unengaged subscribers. Use compelling subject lines that entice recipients to open the email. Test different send times to find when your audience is most receptive.
Email marketer from Neil Patel shares that addressing email deliverability issues requires monitoring bounce rates and complaint rates. Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers. Segment your audience and personalize your email content. Improve sender reputation by authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that improving sender reputation involves consistently sending valuable and engaging content. Avoid using spam trigger words in your email content. Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers. Ensure that your unsubscribe process is easy to use and honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that when your Gmail deliverability is poor, the first thing you should check is your spam folder. If you're sending to a large list, make sure you're not triggering spam filters. Personalise your emails, set proper authentication, and review your content
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends looking into email validation and gauging spam placement using tools like 250ok or Sender Score with ReturnPath. They also suggest analyzing open rates for specific domains and studying how ApartmentList.com manages mailing permissions with reminder options. They also offer to share their experience in improving deliverability with marketplaces.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that when having deliverability issues with a client ensure all the email authentication has been done. After this, check your bounce rate is less than 2%, and you're segmenting your sending.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that monitoring email performance is essential for identifying and addressing deliverability issues. Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and complaint rates. Use analytics tools to understand how recipients interact with your emails. A/B test different elements of your email to optimize performance.
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that warming a new domain takes time, and even with warming, inboxing issues can persist. They share an example of a client who had to revert to their original subdomain due to the difficulty in warming the new domain effectively.
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that strategies for re-engaging unengaged users include sending targeted re-engagement campaigns. Offer incentives like discounts or exclusive content. Clearly communicate the value of remaining subscribed. Use a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers actively want to receive your emails. Prune inactive subscribers after multiple attempts to re-engage.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests eliminating problematic domains like Microsoft from resends if they show low engagement, which may improve deliverability and program-wide engagement.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that improving domain reputation involves sending email people want. If people don't want the emails then they should be suppressed. Once you get below a certain number of recipients who complain (i.e. hit the spam button) then filters will stop automatically junking your mail.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the key issue is poor delivery at Gmail, and fixing that should improve overall results.
Expert from Email Geeks advises that if they're trying to mail everyone a newsletter, they may be chasing the wrong metrics and need to focus on the right message to the right person at the right time.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that when facing Gmail delivery issues, focus on recent subscribers and openers, ensuring they pull messages from the spam folder to their inbox. Reducing volume and engagement, especially with Gmail, can help build a positive sending reputation, but you need to track gmail deliverability seperately to other services.
Expert from Email Geeks advises stopping sending mail to Gmail addresses unless you're sure it will reach the inbox. Instead, focus on recent openers and new sign-ups, instructing them to check their spam folder and move the welcome message to their inbox for 2-3 weeks to improve Gmail reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests tailoring messaging to users who haven't engaged in a while by asking if they are still looking for an apartment, if they would refer/recommend the service, or if they want to opt-down or receive emails about furnishing their new place.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Gmail Help explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Ensure that sending domains or IPs have valid forward and reverse DNS records. Keep complaint rates low and avoid sending unwanted mail. Use the Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain reputation. If sending marketing emails, implement one-click unsubscription.
Documentation from Microsoft Docs explains to ensure proper sender authentication by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Monitor your sender reputation through tools like Sender Score. Warm up new IPs gradually before sending large volumes of email. Segment your email lists to send targeted content and reduce the chances of recipients marking your emails as spam.
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that DMARC policies help email receivers handle messages that fail authentication checks. Implementing DMARC can protect your domain from spoofing and phishing attacks. Monitor DMARC reports to identify and address any authentication issues. Gradually transition from a policy of 'none' to 'quarantine' or 'reject' as you gain confidence in your authentication setup.
Documentation from RFC 4408 explains that SPF records authorize which mail servers are permitted to send email on behalf of your domain. Ensure that your SPF record is correctly configured and includes all authorized sending sources. Regularly update your SPF record to reflect changes in your sending infrastructure.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that IP warming is the process of gradually increasing the volume of email sent from a new IP address to establish a positive sending reputation. Start with small volumes and gradually increase over time. Monitor your deliverability metrics closely and adjust your sending schedule as needed. Avoid sending large volumes of email to inactive subscribers during the warming process.