How often should email seed tests be performed for inbox placement monitoring?
Summary
What email marketers say8Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares in a thread that excessive seed list testing can be perceived negatively by ISPs and spam filters. They advise using them sparingly and focusing on other deliverability best practices.
Email marketer from Postmark shares that your frequency depends on email volume. If sending less emails, less seed tests are needed, but if sending a lot, you may need more to ensure deliverability.
Marketer from Email Geeks shares that sending seed tests for every campaign is not good, as ISPs may notice and complain. They suggest selecting the most important campaigns for seed testing, as reputation engines take time to shift and constant testing may harm. They advise being consistent in your practice for reliable data signals.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester shares that consistent email marketing practices, including regular sending and monitoring of deliverability metrics through tools like seed lists, contribute to better inbox placement over time.
Email marketer from Mailtrap Blog explains that you don't need to run seed list tests for every email. They advise to run them weekly if you send a few times a week, or daily if you send numerous times a day and want to be extra careful.
Email marketer from ZeroBounce advises to consider your sending frequency and risk tolerance when setting up seed list testing intervals. If you send daily, testing daily may be warranted but weekly is fine for lower volume senders.
Email marketer from SendGrid suggests that using seed lists should be part of any responsible email program. They should be incorporated with other testing and not relied upon by themselves.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that regular email testing, which includes inbox placement monitoring via seed lists, helps identify and address deliverability issues proactively, improving overall campaign performance.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that seed data is best used for trending and directional changes, not specific campaign placement monitoring. Review seed data over time rather than after each send.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that for smaller senders sending once or twice a week, seed tests should be conducted with similar frequency. Transactional emails should not be tested more than once or twice a week.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that the need to monitor inbox placement varies. New IPs and domains should perform more testing, while established senders can reduce testing frequency, and consistently bad inbox placement also warrants increased monitoring.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from GlockApps explains that the frequency of seed list testing depends on your sending volume and how critical deliverability is for your business. High-volume senders and those with critical deliverability needs should test more often, possibly daily.
Documentation from Mailjet explains that regularly monitoring email deliverability, including through seed list testing, is crucial for maintaining good inbox placement. They recommend adjusting testing frequency based on sending volume and performance.
Documentation from Microsoft suggest that regular monitoring of email deliverability using tools like seed lists can help identify problems. They don't advise on testing frequency but the importance of the process.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that seed lists can be used to monitor inbox placement. Testing frequency should align with sending volume and risk tolerance. High-volume senders may test more frequently than low-volume senders.