How do SMS spam complaints impact email domain reputation and Razor blacklists?

Summary

SMS spam complaints can negatively impact email domain reputation and deliverability. Email providers and blacklists often correlate data across channels, so poor SMS practices can make them suspicious. Maintaining a positive reputation across all channels, including SMS, is crucial. The key is consistency and trust. Spamhaus acknowledges the interconnectedness of channels, so if SMS abuse is linked to malicious email, it can influence their domain reputation assessment. DMARC can indirectly help reputation, while Razor is a collaborative spam detection network that could apply its methods to other channels. A domain’s reputation is often viewed holistically. Remember that email validation may not verify that a recipient signed up for emails.

Key findings

  • Cross-Channel Impact: SMS spam complaints can negatively impact email domain reputation and deliverability.
  • Holistic Reputation: Email providers often view a domain’s reputation holistically across all channels.
  • Data Correlation: ISPs and blacklist providers often correlate data points across different channels.
  • DMARC's Indirect Benefit: Implementing DMARC can help indirectly improve domain reputation by protecting against spoofing.
  • Validation Isn't Sign-Up: Email validation doesn't guarantee the recipient signed up for emails.

Key considerations

  • Monitor All Channels: Monitor all communication channels for spam complaints.
  • Maintain Consistency: Maintain consistent messaging and branding across all channels.
  • Build Trust: Focus on building trust with recipients through permission-based marketing practices.
  • Segment Messaging: Carefully segment messaging to avoid cross-channel contamination.
  • Implement DMARC: Consider implementing DMARC to enhance email authentication and protect sender reputation.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

SMS spam complaints can negatively impact email domain reputation and potentially lead to blacklisting and reduced deliverability. ISPs and blacklist providers correlate data across channels, so poor SMS practices can make email providers suspicious. Maintaining a positive reputation across all channels, including SMS, is crucial for protecting email sender reputation. Consistent messaging and adherence to best practices in both SMS and email are essential.

Key opinions

  • Cross-Channel Correlation: ISPs and blacklist providers correlate data across communication channels, linking SMS and email reputations.
  • Reputation Impact: SMS spam complaints can lead to a damaged domain and IP reputation, impacting email deliverability.
  • Holistic Approach: A cohesive approach across all marketing channels is necessary to maintain a good sender reputation.
  • Blacklisting Risk: Poor SMS practices can result in email blacklisting, spam filtering, and reduced inbox placement.
  • Trust Erosion: Spam reports, regardless of the channel, erode trust and damage the sender's reputation.

Key considerations

  • Monitor SMS Campaigns: Actively monitor SMS campaigns for spam complaints and address issues promptly.
  • Ensure Compliance: Adhere to best practices and compliance standards in both SMS and email marketing.
  • Segment Messaging: Segment messaging to avoid cross-channel pollution and maintain audience relevance.
  • Maintain Consistency: Ensure consistent messaging and branding across all communication channels.
  • Protect Sender Reputation: Prioritize maintaining a positive sender reputation to safeguard email deliverability.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that the key is consistency and reputation across all channels. If you're blasting SMS with shady offers and getting flagged, email providers are gonna notice. It's all about building trust, and spam reports hurt that trust, no matter where they come from.

September 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet answers that maintaining a positive sender reputation involves monitoring SMS spam complaints and quickly addressing any issues. By actively managing SMS campaigns and ensuring compliance, senders can protect their email deliverability and prevent blacklisting.

October 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost explains that cross-channel pollution can definitely impact deliverability. If your company is flagged for SMS spam, email providers can become suspicious about all communications coming from your domain. It's important to segment your messaging and ensure that you're following best practices for both SMS and email to protect your sender reputation.

March 2024 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that the flurry of spam complaints about the SMSes that they sent out caused the domain contained within the messages to be flagged as spammy; interestingly, it doesn't look like they ever see that domain in the email world

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GMass answers that cross-channel marketing requires a cohesive approach. Negative feedback from SMS campaigns can indirectly impact email performance.

June 2024 - GMass
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce explains that while they focus on email validation, it is crucial to monitor all communication channels to maintain a good reputation. Engaging in unsolicited SMS marketing could lead to a damaged reputation and subsequent impact on email deliverability.

March 2024 - ZeroBounce
Marketer view

Email marketer from Customer.io explains that when SMS and email are combined together, the sender should be careful of reputation in either space.

February 2025 - Customer.io
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid answers that maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical for ensuring email deliverability. Email marketer also shares that poor SMS practices can affect the domain and IP addresses, leading to blacklisting, spam filtering, and reduced inbox placement rates.

February 2024 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus answers that sender reputation is closely tied to deliverability. Poor SMS practices can affect a domain or IP's reputation, leading to blacklisting or spam filtering.

August 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that SMS spam complaints, especially when linked to a domain also used in email marketing, can negatively impact domain reputation. ISPs and blacklist providers often correlate data points. High SMS spam rates associated with a domain might lead to increased scrutiny of email originating from that same domain.

October 2024 - StackExchange

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

SMS spam complaints can affect email deliverability due to the holistic view email providers take of a domain's reputation across communication channels. Engaging in questionable practices in one channel, like SMS, can impact how email from that domain is treated. While Razor, an older open-source project, might not directly impact deliverability, providers consider related factors when filtering spam to improve user experience. Verification of email addresses may not be enough as the recipient may not be the actual owner of the email address.

Key opinions

  • Holistic Reputation: A domain's reputation is often viewed holistically across different channels.
  • Cross-Channel Impact: SMS spam can influence how email providers view email from the same domain.
  • Filtering Considerations: Email providers consider associated factors when making blocking or filtering decisions to improve user experience.
  • Email Validation Limitations: Email validation does not guarantee that the recipient actually signed up for email messages.

Key considerations

  • Monitor All Channels: Monitor all communication channels for spam complaints and maintain good practices.
  • Avoid Questionable Practices: Avoid questionable practices in any channel, as they can negatively impact your overall domain reputation.
  • Focus on User Experience: Prioritize improving customers' experiences to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Verify Sign-Ups: Verify sign-ups as well as just validating email addresses.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that just because an email address is deliverable does not mean that person signed up for your mail and explains it’s likely someone gave an address that didn’t belong to them, which ended up getting the client listed. Overall, though, she says it’s an old open source project and it should have zero impact on deliverability.

June 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a domain's reputation is often viewed holistically across different channels. If a domain gains a reputation for sending SMS spam, this can impact how email providers view email from that domain, leading to filtering or blocking. This is because the domain is seen as engaging in questionable practices overall.

August 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a primary goal of spam filtering is to improve customers’ experiences by minimizing abusive messages, therefore, providers can and do consider related or associated factors for making blocking or filtering decisions.

October 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

SMS spam complaints can indirectly impact email domain reputation and potentially lead to blacklisting. Spamhaus acknowledges the interconnectedness of communication channels, where SMS abuse linked to malicious email activity can influence their domain reputation assessment. While DMARC focuses on email authentication and indirectly helps domain reputation, Razor, a collaborative spam detection network, could theoretically apply its spam pattern identification to other channels, including SMS, potentially contributing to a domain being flagged if high rates of spam reports are observed across multiple channels.

Key findings

  • Interconnected Channels: Communication channels are increasingly interconnected, influencing domain reputation.
  • SMS Abuse Impact: SMS spam abuse linked to malicious email activity can negatively impact domain reputation assessment.
  • Indirect Influence of DMARC: DMARC, by focusing on email authentication, indirectly contributes to a better sender reputation.
  • Potential Razor Application: Razor's spam pattern identification could potentially be applied to other channels, contributing to domain flagging.

Key considerations

  • Monitor All Channels: Monitor all communication channels for spam complaints and maintain good practices.
  • Implement DMARC: Implement DMARC to protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, helping to improve your sender reputation.
  • Understand Spam Detection Networks: Understand how spam detection networks like Razor operate and how they might flag domains based on activity across multiple channels.
Technical article

Documentation from ietf.org answers that DMARC focuses on email authentication, it indirectly relates to overall domain reputation. By implementing DMARC, organizations protect their domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. This helps maintain trust with recipients and ISPs, contributing to a better sender reputation over time.

January 2024 - ietf.org
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that while they primarily focus on email-borne spam, they acknowledge the growing interconnectedness of communication channels. If a domain is heavily abused in SMS spam campaigns, and that abuse is linked to malicious activity also observed in email, it could potentially influence their assessment of the domain's reputation.

October 2024 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from Sourceforge explains that Razor is a distributed, collaborative, spam detection and filtering network. While primarily focused on email spam, the principles it uses (identifying and reporting spam patterns) could, in theory, be applied to other communication channels. High rates of spam reports across multiple channels could contribute to a domain being flagged by Razor or similar systems.

August 2021 - Sourceforge