How do direct download links in emails affect deliverability and user experience?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that attaching files directly can trigger spam filters, advising to link to the file hosted on your website instead for better deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that deliverability is affected when subscribers can't see the image and engage less with the email, which leads to lower engagement rates. Valid CTA links should not cause deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that websites are for pictures and links, while emails should drive people to websites.
Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that attachments can increase the chance of emails landing in spam due to size and security concerns; they recommend using links to files hosted on a secure server.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that users find it more trustworthy and convenient to download files from a well-designed landing page, which also provides context and branding.
Email marketer from Gmass Blog shares that certain file types (.exe, .zip) are more likely to be flagged as spam, while others (.pdf, .docx) are generally safer but can still pose risks if the content is suspicious.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that direct attachments are a fast track to the spam folder. Embedding links to downloadable resources hosted on reputable platforms (like Google Drive or Dropbox) is a far better approach. This strategy not only maintains your email's credibility but also offers a smoother experience for the recipient.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor responds that attachments increase the size of emails, making them more likely to be marked as spam. It's better to compress the file and link to it from a landing page.
Email marketer from EmailOctopus Blog answers that large attachments can negatively affect deliverability, suggesting compressing files or linking to externally hosted documents.
Email marketer from Litmus Blog responds that it is better to link to a landing page, so users can see the document with HTML. Therefore providing accessible content which can be read by anyone.
Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog responds that linking to a landing page instead of a direct download provides a better user experience, allowing for tracking, additional information, and mobile optimization.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks shares direct downloads offer a suboptimal user experience, raising questions about download behavior across different browsers, suggesting a landing page for better control, tracking, and secondary actions.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) plays a critical role in deliverability, impacting how ISPs view the legitimacy of emails containing direct download links, and without proper setup, these links may appear suspicious.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that attachments in emails, especially executable files, can be highly problematic and easily trigger spam filters, recommending links to resources instead.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that anti-virus software might block direct downloads from emails, being a bigger concern than deliverability. Direct download links can appear suspicious to spam filters and some anti-virus programs block them.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google Workspace Support answers that Gmail has attachment size limits; exceeding these can cause delivery failure and suggesting using Google Drive for large files.
Documentation from Microsoft answers that Exchange Online has limitations on message and attachment sizes, advising to consider alternative sharing methods for large files to avoid delivery problems.
Documentation from DKIM explains that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) helps prevent email spoofing by verifying the sender's domain. While it doesn't directly relate to attachment handling, it ensures the legitimacy of the email, which is crucial in avoiding spam filters when sending links to downloads.
Documentation from RFC 5322 explains that MIME types are used to handle attachments within email, however, improper encoding or large sizes can lead to delivery issues.