How can lotteries improve email deliverability for win notifications to avoid spam filters?

Summary

To improve email deliverability for lottery win notifications and prevent them from being marked as spam, a comprehensive approach is needed, encompassing technical configurations, content strategies, and list management practices. Implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial to verify the legitimacy of the sender. Adhering to guidelines from major email providers like Google and Microsoft, and using tools to assess content (e.g., SpamAssassin) and improve sender reputation (e.g., Validity, Inbox Monster, Google Postmaster Tools) are recommended. Segmenting email lists for targeted content, warming up new IP addresses gradually, and ensuring an easy unsubscribe process contribute to improved engagement and sender reputation. Maintaining a clean email list by removing inactive subscribers and monitoring engagement data, along with enrolling in feedback loops with ISPs, helps avoid spam complaints and optimize deliverability.

Key findings

  • Authentication Protocols: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for email authentication and verifying sender legitimacy.
  • Provider Guidelines: Adhering to Google and Microsoft's bulk sender guidelines is critical for inbox placement.
  • Content Assessment: Using tools to assess email content and avoid spam triggers improves deliverability.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation and addressing issues proactively is crucial.
  • List Segmentation: Segmenting email lists and sending targeted content increases engagement.
  • Warm-up Strategies: Warming up new IP addresses gradually establishes a positive sender reputation.
  • Easy Unsubscribes: Providing easy unsubscribe options reduces spam complaints.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining a clean email list improves engagement and sender reputation.
  • Feedback Loops: Enrolling in feedback loops enables the removal of users who mark emails as spam.

Key considerations

  • Technical Expertise: Implementing authentication protocols and interpreting technical guidelines requires expertise.
  • Tool Costs: Deliverability tools and monitoring services can involve subscription fees.
  • Consistent Monitoring: Maintaining email deliverability requires consistent monitoring and adjustments.
  • Compliance Requirements: Adhering to privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM) is essential when managing email lists.
  • Resource Allocation: Effective deliverability strategies require dedicated resources for implementation and management.

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

To improve email deliverability for lottery win notifications and avoid spam filters, marketers suggest focusing on several key areas. These include implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), using dedicated IP addresses for building a positive sender reputation, segmenting email lists to send targeted content, previewing emails for rendering issues, warming up new IP addresses gradually, and actively monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Additional recommendations include using double opt-in for subscriptions, providing easy unsubscribe options, and enrolling in feedback loops to manage spam complaints effectively.

Key opinions

  • Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify email legitimacy.
  • Dedicated IP: Using a dedicated IP builds a positive sender reputation.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting lists improves engagement and reduces spam reports.
  • Previewing: Previewing emails ensures correct rendering and avoids spam triggers.
  • IP Warm-up: Gradually warming up new IPs establishes sender reputation.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring sender reputation proactively identifies issues.
  • Double Opt-in: Double opt-in improves list quality and reduces complaints.
  • Unsubscribe Ease: Easy unsubscribe options avoid spam reports.
  • Feedback Loops: Enrolling in feedback loops manages spam complaints.

Key considerations

  • Implementation Complexity: Implementing authentication protocols requires technical expertise.
  • IP Cost: Dedicated IPs can add to infrastructure costs.
  • List Management: Effective segmentation requires diligent list management.
  • Warming Up Time: Warming up IPs can take time and careful planning.
  • Tool Costs: Monitoring tools might involve subscription fees.
  • Compliance: Ensure compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR when collecting and managing subscriber data.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass shares that using double opt-in for email subscriptions helps ensure that subscribers genuinely want to receive emails, improving list quality and reducing spam complaints.

February 2023 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost suggests enrolling in feedback loops (FBLs) with major ISPs to receive reports about spam complaints, allowing prompt removal of complainers from the mailing list.

October 2022 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor shares that segmenting email lists and sending targeted content can improve engagement. For a lottery, segmenting based on location or game preferences can reduce the likelihood of recipients marking emails as spam.

February 2025 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue suggests using a dedicated IP address to build a positive sending reputation. By sending lottery emails from a dedicated IP, the reputation is not affected by other senders, leading to better deliverability.

March 2025 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow highlights the importance of making it easy for recipients to unsubscribe from emails to avoid spam reports. The unsubscribe link should be clearly visible and functional.

December 2024 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains that gradually increasing sending volume (warming up) when using a new IP address helps establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs.

September 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests consistently monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.

May 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends previewing emails across different email clients and devices to ensure they render correctly and don't trigger spam filters due to formatting issues.

September 2023 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that using email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify that emails are genuinely sent from the lottery's domain, reducing the chance of being flagged as spam.

January 2024 - Mailjet

What the experts say
7Expert opinions

To improve lottery win notification deliverability, experts emphasize several key strategies. Addressing email deliverability issues, such as those experienced by the Michigan State Lottery (using tools like Validity or Inbox Monster), is crucial. While recognizing email's unreliability compared to services like FedEx, it's important to acknowledge its use for important notifications. Avoiding spam triggers by carefully filtering content and testing with tools like SpamAssassin is essential. Maintaining a positive sender reputation through consistent monitoring and prompt handling of complaints is also vital. Finally, maintaining a clean and engaged email list by removing inactive subscribers and ensuring relevant content can greatly enhance deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Deliverability Tools: Tools like Validity or Inbox Monster can improve email deliverability.
  • Email Limitations: Email delivery isn't guaranteed; acknowledge its limitations.
  • Content Filtering: Filtering content to avoid spam triggers is crucial.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is essential.
  • List Hygiene: A clean, engaged list improves deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Tool Costs: Deliverability tools and services can incur costs.
  • Email Alternatives: Consider alternative communication methods for critical notifications, given email's unreliability.
  • Content Expertise: Effective content filtering requires expertise in identifying spam triggers.
  • Reputation Monitoring Effort: Monitoring and maintaining sender reputation requires ongoing effort.
  • List Maintenance: List hygiene demands consistent effort and attention.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains the important of engagement data to determine deliverability. Lotteries should make sure they have engaging and relevant content so their audience is happy to recieve their emails.

March 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource highlights the critical role of sender reputation in email deliverability. Lotteries should monitor their IP and domain reputation and take steps to improve it if it's low, such as by addressing spam complaints promptly.

June 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks reminds that email is not guaranteed delivery like FedEx, but acknowledges people use it for important notifications anyway.

November 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of content filtering and testing email content to avoid triggering spam filters. Lotteries should avoid language commonly associated with spam and test their emails with tools like SpamAssassin.

July 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks mentions the Michigan State Lottery's email deliverability issues, recommending Validity or Inbox Monster to improve it.

August 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that unclaimed lottery prizes over $10,000 are transferred to the state's School Aid Fund.

July 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise stresses the importance of maintaining a clean email list. Lotteries should regularly remove inactive subscribers and those who have unsubscribed to improve their engagement rates and avoid being flagged as spammers.

April 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

To improve email deliverability for lottery win notifications and avoid spam filters, documentation emphasizes several technical and procedural measures. Following Google's bulk sender guidelines, implementing email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), maintaining a clean sending list, and avoiding spam trigger words are all crucial. Specifically, properly configuring SPF records, DKIM, and implementing DMARC are vital steps to ensure recipient mail servers can verify the legitimacy of the lottery's sending server and control how unauthenticated messages are handled.

Key findings

  • Google Guidelines: Following Google's bulk sender guidelines is essential for Gmail deliverability.
  • SPF Configuration: Properly configured SPF records verify sending server authorization.
  • Clean List: Maintaining a clean sending list is crucial for avoiding spam filters.
  • Content Control: Avoiding spam trigger words enhances deliverability.
  • DMARC Implementation: Implementing DMARC controls handling of unauthenticated messages.
  • DKIM Signing: Using DKIM to digitally sign messages verifies sender identity.

Key considerations

  • Technical Expertise: Implementing authentication protocols requires technical knowledge.
  • Ongoing Maintenance: Maintaining authentication and sender reputation is an ongoing process.
  • Compliance Requirements: Adhering to Google's guidelines and industry best practices is essential for compliance.
  • Testing and Monitoring: Regular testing and monitoring of deliverability are needed to ensure effectiveness.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains the steps to implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) to control how email receivers handle messages that fail authentication checks.

May 2022 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from IETF explains the technical aspects of DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) which provides an email authentication technique that allows a sender to digitally sign their legitimate messages to be verified by a recipient.

August 2021 - IETF
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that avoiding spam filters involves several steps, including authenticating email, maintaining a clean sending list, and avoiding spam trigger words in the email content.

November 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains the technical specifications for Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records, which are essential for email authentication. Properly configuring SPF records ensures recipient mail servers can verify that the lottery's sending server is authorized to send emails on behalf of their domain.

September 2022 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that following Google's bulk sender guidelines is crucial to ensure emails are delivered to Gmail inboxes. This includes setting up authentication, maintaining low spam rates, and providing easy unsubscription options.

March 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help