How can I improve my primary domain reputation after sending cold outreach emails?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks states that 'cold outreach mass emails' equals spam, and filters are smart and can link domains. The only way to effectively stay out of the spam filter is to not send spam.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends conducting regular email deliverability tests to identify potential issues and ensure that your emails are reaching the inbox. These tests can help you troubleshoot problems with authentication, content, or infrastructure.
Email marketer from Warrior Forum advises tracking key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates to monitor the health of your email program. Declining metrics may indicate deliverability issues that need to be addressed.
Email marketer from EmailVendorSelection suggests checking if your domain is blacklisted. If you are blacklisted, they advise taking steps to get removed from the blacklist, such as contacting the blacklist provider and fixing the underlying issues that caused the listing.
Email marketer from Mailchimp Resources recommends using a dedicated IP address for sending emails, especially if you send a large volume of emails. This allows you to build your own reputation rather than sharing it with other senders. They also suggest monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Sender Score.
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog suggests warming up your IP address by gradually increasing your sending volume over time. This allows ISPs to learn that you're a legitimate sender. He also advises cleaning your email list regularly to remove inactive or invalid email addresses.
Email marketer from HubSpot suggests using double opt-in for your email subscriptions to ensure that subscribers genuinely want to receive your emails. This reduces the likelihood of spam complaints and improves your sender reputation.
Marketer from Email Geeks recommends sending emails to people who have engaged with your emails in the past, suggesting that clicks, replies, and opens can help rebuild your reputation.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests segmenting your email list based on engagement levels. Send your most important emails to your most engaged subscribers, and tailor your content to different segments. This will improve your engagement metrics and boost your domain reputation.
Email marketer from GMass Blog explains to clean your email list by removing old/invalid email addresses. By focusing your cold outreach on valid addresses, it decreases the number of emails going to junk folders.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains the importance of making sure you aren't accidently blocking emails from entering your inbox. They give examples of how to make sure you aren't blocking emails from senders due to IP address or domain related configuration.
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of sender reputation monitoring. Actively monitoring your sender reputation helps you identify problems early, understand the impact of your sending practices, and take corrective actions before significant deliverability issues arise.
Expert from Email Geeks explains improving primary domain reputation involves understanding the filters involved. Getting users to move emails from spam to inbox works for Microsoft and Gmail. For other providers, contacting the filter company may be necessary to reset things, as their filters may not be engagement-driven like Google and Microsoft.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help emphasizes the importance of authenticating your email. Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial for proving that you are a legitimate sender. Google also recommends keeping spam rates low by only sending to users who want to receive your emails.
Documentation from Microsoft Docs advises using the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP). This program allows feedback loops, where recipients reporting your emails as junk are flagged to you, allowing you to remove them from your list and reduce future spam complaints. They also highlight the importance of list hygiene.
Documentation from SparkPost explains the importance of monitoring your sending reputation through feedback loops from ISPs and email providers. Addressing negative feedback promptly can help prevent further damage to your domain reputation.
Documentation from Dmarcian explains about the importance of regularly reviewing DMARC reports to identify and address any authentication issues or potential abuse of your domain. This proactive approach helps protect your brand and maintain a positive domain reputation.
Documentation from RFC-Editor explains the importance of implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can negatively impact your domain reputation. DMARC allows you to specify how receiving mail servers should handle messages that fail SPF and DKIM checks.