How can I troubleshoot and resolve Yahoo TSS04 email errors?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit recommends checking the content of emails for spam triggers like excessive use of exclamation points, spam trigger words and urls from blacklisted sources. He also says ensure the from address is consistent and aligns with your domain authentication setup.
Email marketer from Deliverability Discussions suggests that Yahoo's TSS04 error could be related to the content containing malicious links or attachments. They advise scanning all content and attachments for malware before sending and cleaning up links.
Email marketer from Mailjet advises that TSS04 errors can arise from sudden spikes in email volume or poor list quality. They suggest segmenting lists, gradually increasing sending volume, and regularly cleaning your mailing list to remove inactive or invalid addresses.
Email marketer from Gmass support says that TSS04 errors might appear when Yahoo recognizes sending patterns that appear to be automated or spam-like. They say to ensure emails are personalised as much as possible and avoid sending identical messages in bulk.
Email marketer from Litmus suggests using email testing tools to check the content for anything that might flag the email as spam. Check the rendering of the emails to different clients and devices to ensure there are no issues, and validate the HTML.
Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that Yahoo's TSS04 error often means temporary suspension. They suggest verifying sender reputation, ensuring authentication is set up correctly (SPF, DKIM), and that content is not spammy. Also recommended to warm up IP address.
Email marketer from Hubspot shares that improving your sender reputation by maintaining consistent sending volumes, authenticating your emails, and avoiding spam traps can help prevent TSS04 errors. Engagement with your emails is important and should be encouraged.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus suggests that TSS04 errors are often due to exceeding sending limits or having a low sender reputation. They recommend warming up your IP address and ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability and reduce these errors.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares a method to check links in emails for issues using urlscan.io. A high number of scans suggests the URL might be associated with spam.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that TSS04 might indicate your IP or domain has been temporarily flagged. They suggest monitoring bounce rates and feedback loops to maintain a positive sender reputation with Yahoo. Also recommended is to implement DMARC.
Email marketer from MailerQ explains that proactively managing sender reputation through feedback loops, complaint monitoring, and regular list cleaning can help in mitigating TSS04 errors, as Yahoo values senders with established positive reputations.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks describes the ongoing attacks where spammers are stealing good reputations from legitimate senders using DKIM replay attacks.
Expert from Spam Resource says that as of February 2024, you need to authenticate your email following the guidlines set out in the Yahoo and AOL mail policy. You will need to configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that links within an email body can have a separate reputation from authenticated domains, and links found in spam can negatively impact delivery.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a TSS04 error indicates that Yahoo is temporarily blocking mail because it suspects that the messages are unwanted. To remedy, Laura suggests that you check that all messages are explicitly opted in.
Expert from Email Geeks shares advice for troubleshooting repeated TSS04 errors, including pausing sending, testing content via a different IP address, warming up sending again, randomizing send times, closely monitoring sends, and improving address collection practices by focusing on recipients with clear opt-in and recent engagement.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from RFC standards mentions that correct implementation of SMTP protocols, especially regarding error handling and retries, can reduce delivery issues. Ensuring your email system adheres to these standards can prevent misinterpretation of temporary errors like TSS04.
Documentation from DKIM.org explains that using DKIM authentication can improve the credibility of emails, and a correctly implemented DKIM signature ensures that the content of the email has not been altered in transit, which helps to reduce chances of emails being rejected by Yahoo with TSS04 errors.
Documentation from Yahoo Mail Help explains that the TSS04 error indicates a temporary sending suspension due to detected spam-like characteristics. Resolving it involves checking email content and server configuration for spam triggers.
Documentation from SendGrid suggests that TSS04 can occur when there's a sudden increase in volume to yahoo.com or aol.com addresses. They say you should ensure you're following best practices for sending and that your sending IP is not on any blocklists.
Documentation from SparkPost states that Yahoo's TSS04 error is often a rate-limiting response. It recommends reducing sending volume to Yahoo addresses and monitoring error rates to prevent recurrence. Ensuring list hygiene is also recommended.