How can I prevent emails from a new domain with an unengaged list from going to Gmail spam folders?

Summary

To prevent emails from a new domain with an unengaged list from going to Gmail spam folders, it's crucial to build a positive sender reputation. This involves several steps: warming up the IP address by gradually increasing sending volume to engaged users, authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, cleaning the email list by removing inactive subscribers, segmenting the list to target specific demographics, sending relevant and personalized content, re-engaging unengaged subscribers, and monitoring deliverability metrics and spam complaints using tools like Gmail's Postmaster Tools. Reminding recipients of how they signed up can also help reduce spam reports. The combination of a new domain and unengaged list sends negative signals to Gmail, so a conservative approach focusing on positive engagement is key.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation is Key: A strong sender reputation is the cornerstone of email deliverability, especially for new domains and unengaged lists.
  • Authentication is Essential: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are critical for verifying sender identity and preventing spoofing.
  • List Hygiene Matters: Regularly cleaning and segmenting the email list improves engagement and deliverability.
  • Warming Up is Necessary: Gradually warming up the IP address and domain is essential for building trust with mailbox providers.
  • Engagement is Crucial: Sending relevant and personalized content increases engagement and reduces spam reports.
  • Monitoring is Important: Using postmaster tools to monitor sender reputation and deliverability is vital for identifying and addressing issues.

Key considerations

  • Content Quality: Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that is relevant to the recipients' interests.
  • Sending Volume: Be cautious about sending large volumes of emails from a new domain, especially to unengaged subscribers.
  • Re-engagement: Implement a re-engagement strategy to try to win back inactive subscribers before removing them from the list.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP address to separate your sending reputation from shared IPs.
  • Complaint Rate: Keep spam complaint rates below the recommended threshold to maintain a positive sender reputation.
  • User Perception: Remind users of how they signed up to the list as they assess whether the email is spam.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

To prevent emails from a new domain with an unengaged list from landing in Gmail spam folders, several strategies are recommended. Building a positive sender reputation is crucial, which includes authenticating your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, as well as gradually increasing sending volume. Segmenting your email list to target engaged subscribers and re-engaging unengaged subscribers is also important. Regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers, sending relevant and personalized content, monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints, and considering a dedicated IP address for sending emails are also advised.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Building a positive sender reputation is essential for email deliverability.
  • Email Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify your identity and reduces email spoofing.
  • List Segmentation: Segmenting your email list allows you to target engaged subscribers and send relevant content.
  • List Cleaning: Regularly removing inactive subscribers from your email list improves deliverability.
  • Gradual Increase: Slowly increase the volume of emails sent from a new domain to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Re-engagement Campaigns: Attempt to re-engage unengaged subscribers with incentives or remove them if they don't respond.

Key considerations

  • Content Relevance: Ensure your email content is relevant and personalized to increase engagement and avoid spam complaints.
  • Complaint Monitoring: Regularly monitor bounce rates and spam complaints to identify and address deliverability issues.
  • Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP address for sending emails from a new domain to establish a positive reputation.
  • Engagement Metrics: Closely track deliverability and engagement metrics to assess the effectiveness of your email strategy.
  • Unengaged Users: Sending to a list of unengaged users will harm your sender reputation.
  • New Domain Warmup: A new domain needs to be 'warmed up' with positive signals to the inbox provider.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow recommends slowly increasing the volume of emails sent from a new domain. The marketer also advises monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints, adjusting sending practices based on feedback to avoid triggering spam filters.

February 2022 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue advises focusing on building a strong sender reputation. Sendinblue highlights several factors: consistent sending volume, low spam complaints, and high engagement rates. They recommend segmenting your list and sending targeted emails to increase engagement and avoid spam filters.

December 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus emphasizes the importance of email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for improving deliverability. Litmus says proper authentication verifies your identity and helps prevent email spoofing, which can negatively impact your sender reputation and cause emails to land in the spam folder.

January 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares to start by sending emails to a small, highly engaged segment of your list to build a positive reputation. They advise monitoring deliverability and engagement metrics closely and gradually increasing the sending volume as your reputation improves.

March 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog shares the importance of regularly cleaning your email list to remove unengaged subscribers. He explains that sending to unengaged subscribers can damage your sender reputation and lead to emails landing in the spam folder. He advises using segmentation to identify and target engaged subscribers.

December 2021 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass highlights the importance of using a dedicated IP address for sending emails from a new domain. This will help establish a positive sender reputation and prevent your emails from being associated with the negative reputation of shared IP addresses.

October 2024 - Gmass
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that the combination of a new domain, unengaged list, and content similar to messages identified as spam are likely sending negative signals to Gmail's spam classification algorithm. He advises to back way off to send positive signals to Gmail that your mail is trusted.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor emphasizes the importance of segmenting your email list based on engagement and demographics. They recommend creating targeted campaigns for different segments to increase engagement and improve deliverability.

September 2023 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum recommends gradually increasing sending volume from a new IP address over several weeks, starting with your most engaged subscribers. They also advise monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints closely and adjusting sending practices accordingly.

January 2025 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Hubspot advises to clean your email list regularly by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers. This helps maintain a healthy sender reputation, improves deliverability, and ensures your emails reach the subscribers who are most likely to engage with your content.

August 2023 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid suggests improving email engagement by sending relevant and personalized content. They share that sending targeted emails based on subscriber interests and behaviors increases the likelihood of engagement and reduces the chances of being marked as spam.

December 2022 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from DigitalMarketer explains how to re-engage unengaged subscribers through a re-engagement campaign. They advise sending a series of emails offering incentives to re-engage, such as discounts or exclusive content, while clearly communicating the option to unsubscribe. If subscribers don't respond, remove them from your list.

August 2022 - DigitalMarketer

What the experts say
6Expert opinions

Preventing emails from a new domain with an unengaged list from going to Gmail spam folders requires warming up the IP/domain by sending to engaged users first. Emphasize how recipients signed up, reminding them of their initial interaction with your company. Monitor complaints using Postmaster Tools to understand your domain and IP reputation. Building a sending reputation involves consistent sending, email authentication, and subscriber engagement. Gradual volume increases also help establish trust with mailbox providers.

Key opinions

  • Domain/IP Warm-up: Warming up a new domain and IP address is essential for establishing trust with email providers.
  • Engaged Users First: Start by sending emails to users who are most likely to engage with your content.
  • Sign-up Reminder: Remind recipients how they signed up to your email list to increase recognition and reduce spam reports.
  • Monitor Complaints: Use Postmaster Tools to monitor complaints and assess your sender reputation.
  • Reputation Building: Consistently send authenticated emails and engage with subscribers to build a positive sending reputation.
  • Gradual Volume Increase: Gradually increase the volume of emails you send over time to avoid triggering spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Contact History: Avoid sending to recipients who have never been contacted before from a brand new domain, as this can be flagged as spam.
  • Recent Sign-ups: Prioritize sending emails to addresses that have recently signed up to your list.
  • Authentication Methods: Implement email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your identity and improve deliverability.
  • Deliverability Monitoring: Pay close attention to deliverability metrics to identify and address any issues that may arise.
  • Consistent Sending: Maintain a consistent sending schedule to build a predictable sending pattern.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if it's the first send from a new domain, it might be necessary to warm up that IP/domain pair.

May 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that sending to recipients who haven’t been contacted before from a brand new domain is the underlying problem, as this looks like spam to Google. She suggests starting by sending to people who know you and expect your mail, as they’re more likely to get it in their inbox. If they don’t, they’re more likely to pull it out of spam, warming up your domain/IP. Addresses that recently signed up to the list should be prioritised.

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that building a sending reputation involves sending consistently, authenticating your email, and engaging with your subscribers to demonstrate that you are a legitimate sender. She emphasises the importance of deliverability monitoring and maintaining a low complaint rate.

August 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that Postmaster tools will tell you the percentage of complaints, and give you an idea of what your domain and IP reputation is with them directly, and is worth signing up for.

June 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks recommends that the core of the messaging should be a reminder of how the recipient signed up. At the very least you should re-introduce yourself and your company and remind them when they signed up. E.g. “hey, remember in September 2018, when you visited <URL>? you gave us an email address and …”.

October 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise responds that warming up an IP address is a crucial step when starting with a new domain and unengaged list. She suggests gradually increasing the volume of emails sent over time, starting with small sends to engaged users, to build a positive reputation with mailbox providers.

May 2024 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

To avoid Gmail spam filters with a new domain and unengaged list, authenticate your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Warm up your IP address by gradually increasing email volume to engaged users. Keep spam rates low and avoid sending unwanted mail. Monitor your sender reputation and deliverability issues using postmaster tools from email providers. Remove or re-engage unengaged users.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for authenticating your email.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually increasing email volume to engaged users is essential for IP warm-up.
  • Spam Rate: Maintain a low spam rate to avoid being flagged as spam.
  • Postmaster Tools: Use postmaster tools to monitor sender reputation and identify deliverability issues.
  • Unengaged Users: Address unengaged users by either removing them or attempting re-engagement.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation to ensure emails are being delivered.
  • Sender Verification: Verify your identity to reduce the risk of email spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Engagement: Prioritize sending emails to engaged users to build a positive reputation.
  • Volume Increase: Increase email volume gradually to avoid triggering spam filters.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains the use of Outlook.com's postmaster tools to monitor your sender reputation and identify potential deliverability issues. They share that these tools provide insights into spam complaint rates, authentication status, and other factors that can impact email delivery.

June 2021 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Gmail Help explains that senders should authenticate their email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. They also recommend keeping spam rates low (below 0.10%) and avoiding sending unwanted mail. For unengaged users, they suggest removing them from the mailing list or re-engaging them.

May 2024 - Gmail Help
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records is crucial for authenticating your email and improving deliverability. They mention that these records help mailbox providers verify the sender's identity and reduce the risk of email spoofing and phishing attacks.

February 2022 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Mailchimp explains the process of warming up an IP address. Mailchimp shares that starting with small sends to engaged users and gradually increasing the volume over time is key. This helps build a positive sender reputation and prevents emails from being flagged as spam.

July 2022 - Mailchimp