How do mailbox providers perform individual level filtering of emails based on user interaction?

Email marketer from GlockApps explains that mailbox providers track user engagement metrics like opens, clicks, and replies. High engagement indicates that users find the emails valuable, improving deliverability. Low engagement or spam complaints can lead to filtering.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that different providers use different filtering algorithms, so you can't guarantee that any one method will always work. Understanding the technical requirements is still useful, but user engagement is also crucial.

Email marketer from StackOverflow suggests that implementing feedback loops (FBLs) allows senders to receive information about spam complaints from mailbox providers. This helps identify and address issues that are causing users to mark emails as spam.

Email marketer from SendPulse explains that user behavior, such as deleting emails without opening them, ignoring emails, or marking them as spam, negatively impacts sender reputation and can cause future emails to be filtered.

Email marketer from Email Marketing Community Forum mentions that mailbox providers are constantly updating their algorithms to better identify spam and unwanted emails. Keeping up with the latest best practices and monitoring deliverability metrics are essential.

Email marketer from Email Provider Forum shares that when users mark emails as spam or unsubscribe, mailbox providers take note. High rates of these negative interactions can significantly harm sender reputation and increase filtering.

Email marketer from Mailer Lite Blog states that content relevance is extremely important. If users don't find your emails helpful or interesting, they are more likely to ignore or mark them as spam, which can negatively impact deliverability.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that mailbox providers analyze how users interact with emails, including opens, clicks, replies, forwards, and marking as spam. Positive engagement improves sender reputation, while negative actions can lead to filtering.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that inbox placement is not a measure of deliverability and should not be the primary goal. User interaction signals such as reading, deleting, and marking as spam significantly influence where messages land. Senders should focus on sending wanted mail.

Expert from Email Geeks shares a link to a Word to the Wise article, suggesting it's the closest resource available regarding individual level filtering by MBPs: <https://wordtothewise.com/2018/12/never-100-inbox/>. She also suggests looking through her notes for deliverability discussions for potentially useful information.

Expert from Word to the Wise points out that seed lists (used for deliverability testing) behave differently than real users and therefore don't accurately reflect how real users interact with and filter email. User behavior drives inbox placement.

Expert from Word to the Wise highlights the critical importance of consent. Mailbox providers prioritize emails that users have explicitly requested. Emails sent without consent are more likely to be filtered based on low engagement or spam complaints, regardless of other factors.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that IP and domain reputation plays a vital role. If a sender's IP address or domain is associated with spam activity, mailbox providers are more likely to filter their emails, regardless of individual user interactions.

Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that SmartScreen filter evaluates several things, including the content of the email, the sender, and the recipient, to decide if an email is suspicious. A large part of this is the historical behaviour of the sender and actions of other recipients.

Documentation from Yahoo Help explains that users can mark unwanted emails as spam, which teaches Yahoo's filters to recognize and block similar messages in the future. This helps improve the overall email experience for users by reducing spam in their inboxes.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that Gmail uses user feedback, such as marking emails as spam or not spam, to learn what types of messages users consider unwanted. This feedback helps Gmail filter future messages.

Documentation from RFC Editor details the standards for implementing feedback loops (FBLs). FBLs enable senders to receive reports about spam complaints, facilitating better management of email practices and improving deliverability. This is a technical standard that providers and senders can implement.