How should I manage sender reputation when clients send emails through my platform?

Summary

Managing sender reputation when clients send emails through your platform requires a multi-faceted approach. Building a good sender reputation takes time and consistent sending habits, with persistent mailstreams delivering wanted content. Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for proving email legitimacy and preventing sender address forgery. Regular monitoring of IP and domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is essential for promptly addressing spam complaints and abuse. Maintaining clean email lists by removing inactive subscribers, segmenting lists based on engagement, and creating valuable, engaging content are also key. Setting clear guidelines for clients regarding content standards, list management, and compliance, coupled with active monitoring and enforcement, is vital. Grouping clients on shared subdomains based on industry or size can mitigate low-volume reputation issues. Furthermore, implementing feedback loops helps identify and remove problematic subscribers. Separating transactional and marketing emails onto separate IPs may be beneficial. Isolating different campaigns from the same client too much can reduce any benefit they receive from having built reputation.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for email authentication, proving legitimacy, and preventing forgery.
  • Reputation Building: Building a strong sender reputation requires consistent sending habits and delivering wanted content via persistent mailstreams.
  • IP & Domain Monitoring: Regularly monitor IP and domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS.
  • List Hygiene & Engagement: Maintaining clean email lists, segmenting by engagement, and creating valuable content are crucial.
  • Client Guidelines & Enforcement: Clear guidelines for clients, coupled with active monitoring and enforcement, are vital for protecting sender reputation.
  • Subdomain Grouping: Grouping clients on shared subdomains based on industry or size can help address low-volume reputation issues.
  • Feedback Loops: Implementing feedback loops helps identify and remove problematic subscribers.

Key considerations

  • Persistent Mailstreams: Focus on building persistent mailstreams for content subscribers want, as reputation takes time to build.
  • Authentication Implementation: Ensure proper implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for all client domains.
  • Shared IP Risks: Using shared IPs carries risks; clients' behavior impacts the overall reputation.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Actively monitor IP and domain reputation, spam complaints, and bounce rates.
  • Policy Enforcement: Establish and enforce strict policies for client email practices and quickly address any issues or violations.
  • Campaign Isolation: Isolating campaigns from the same client reduces benefit to previously built reputation.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Managing sender reputation when clients send emails through your platform involves several key strategies. These include grouping customers by industry or size on shared subdomains, segmenting email lists based on engagement, and actively removing unengaged subscribers. Email authentication methods like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for proving legitimacy. It is also important to monitor IP and domain reputation, spam complaint rates, and bounce rates using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score. Setting clear guidelines for clients regarding content, list management, and compliance, along with monitoring their activities and enforcing those policies, are essential. Cleaning email lists regularly to remove inactive subscribers and implementing feedback loops helps identify and remove problematic subscribers, further enhancing sender reputation. Maintaining separate IPs for transactional emails may also improve reputation. Creating engaging and valuable content helps avoid spam filters.

Key opinions

  • Grouping Customers: Grouping customers on the same subdomain based on industry sector or company size can help avoid low volume reputation problems.
  • List Segmentation: Segmenting email lists based on engagement and personalizing content improves sender reputation.
  • Email Authentication: Using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for email authentication and proving the legitimacy of sent emails.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor IP and domain reputation, spam complaint rates, and bounce rates using available tools.
  • Client Guidelines: Setting and enforcing clear guidelines for clients regarding content standards, list management, and compliance is essential.
  • List Cleaning: Regularly clean email lists to remove inactive subscribers, bounced addresses, and spam traps.
  • Feedback Loops: Implementing feedback loops with mailbox providers helps identify and remove problematic subscribers.
  • Content Engagement: Creating engaging, valuable content helps to avoid spam filters.

Key considerations

  • Shared IP Risks: When using a shared IP pool, your sender reputation is affected by the behavior of other users, necessitating strict adherence to best practices.
  • Transactional vs Marketing: Consider maintaining a dedicated IP address for transactional emails to help build and maintain a good sender reputation separately from marketing emails.
  • Policy Enforcement: Actively monitor client activity and suspend accounts that violate guidelines to protect overall sender reputation.
  • Content Quality: Clients should be encouraged to create quality, engaging content to avoid spam filters and maintain high deliverability rates.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel Blog shares that to protect sender reputation, segment email lists based on engagement and personalize email content to keep subscribers engaged. Actively remove unengaged subscribers to improve sender reputation and deliverability. They also mention the importance of testing email deliverability using tools like Mail-Tester.

August 2022 - Neil Patel Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that for transactional emails, maintaining a dedicated IP address can help build and maintain a good sender reputation. Ensure transactional emails are properly authenticated, and monitor bounce rates and delivery issues closely. Separate transactional and marketing emails to avoid damaging your transactional email reputation.

July 2024 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers, bounced email addresses, and spam traps. A clean email list improves your sender reputation by reducing bounce rates and spam complaints, which helps improve email deliverability and engagement rates.

March 2022 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests grouping customers on the same subdomain based on industry sector or company size to avoid low volume reputation problems.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus Blog explains that to avoid spam filters and improve email deliverability, create engaging and valuable content that subscribers want to receive. Avoid using spam trigger words, test your email design for mobile responsiveness, and segment your email lists to send targeted and relevant content to your subscribers.

March 2022 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendPulse Blog shares that to effectively monitor sender reputation, regularly check your IP and domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score. Keep track of your spam complaint rate and bounce rate. Address any issues promptly to protect your sender reputation and maintain good deliverability.

October 2021 - SendPulse Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor Blog shares that implementing feedback loops with major mailbox providers allows you to receive notifications when subscribers mark your emails as spam. These feedback loops help you identify and remove problematic subscribers from your list, which helps maintain a positive sender reputation and improve deliverability.

April 2022 - Campaign Monitor Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests setting up clear guidelines for clients sending emails through your platform. These guidelines should cover content standards, list management, and compliance requirements. Monitor client activity and suspend accounts that violate the guidelines to protect your overall sender reputation.

January 2024 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that when using a shared IP pool, your sender reputation is affected by the behavior of other users. It is important to follow all best practices to avoid negative impacts to your deliverability.

August 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog shares that using email authentication methods such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is important for proving the legitimacy of sent emails. Properly setting up these authentications helps to improve the deliverability of emails and protect sender reputation by assuring mailbox providers that emails are sent from an authorized source.

December 2021 - ActiveCampaign Blog

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Managing sender reputation involves building a consistent history by maintaining persistent mailstreams for wanted mail. Avoid isolating projects too much, as this hinders the accumulation of positive reputation. Monitor IPs using tools like Microsoft's SNDS to promptly address spam complaints. Reputation systems focus on individual sender behavior, so engagement is crucial. Warming up subdomains depends on email volume, with higher volumes requiring more rigorous warm-up processes. Also, weigh the benefits of isolating reputation between clients versus allowing them to benefit (or be harmed) by their collective history.

Key opinions

  • Reputation Building: Building a good sender reputation takes time and requires consistent mailstreams.
  • Isolating Projects: Isolating projects too much prevents reputation from accumulating.
  • IP Monitoring: Monitoring IPs is crucial for identifying and addressing spam complaints.
  • Engagement Focus: Reputation systems focus on individual sender behavior and are driven by engagement.
  • Subdomain Warm-up: The need to warm up subdomains depends on email volume; higher volumes require a more structured warm-up.

Key considerations

  • Mailstream Persistence: Ensure mailstreams are persistent and wanted to build a strong reputation.
  • Reputation Isolation: Consider the trade-offs between isolating reputation between clients and the benefits of a collective reputation history.
  • Prompt Investigation: Address spam complaints and issues promptly to prevent further damage to your IP reputation.
  • Volume Scaling: Implement a subdomain warm-up strategy that scales with email volume.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that it takes time to build a good sender reputation. If you're sending wanted mail, persistent mailstreams are needed so a good reputation can be attached to them. Isolating 'projects' will make every new project look like a new sender, requiring warm-up and reputation building.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if projects generate a few emails a day for a few months, you can get away with not warming up each subdomain. Letting customers bring in lists and generate significant volume will require warming up each individual subdomain every time you spin one up.

March 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spamresource.com shares that it's essential to monitor your IPs using tools like those provided by Microsoft's SNDS program. If you are seeing spam complaints or issues with your email campaigns, then you should immediately investigate to determine what has happened.

January 2022 - Spamresource.com
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that reputation systems such as those used by mailbox providers are important for the health of the email eco-system. The focus is on what individual senders are doing rather than the collective, with reputation determined by engagement.

October 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that isolating reputation between clients is generally good. Isolating different campaigns from the same client too much means they won’t benefit from good history or be harmed by bad history, reducing incentive and leverage for good behavior.

June 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

To effectively manage sender reputation when clients send emails, email authentication via SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential to prove email legitimacy and prevent forgery. Maintaining a consistent sending rate, avoiding unwanted mail, and providing easy unsubscribe options contribute to a positive reputation. Monitoring IP reputation via tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is crucial for identifying and promptly addressing spam complaints and abuse. It is important to maintain clean email lists by removing inactive subscribers and to aim for a low complaint rate.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are critical for authenticating emails and preventing sender address forgery.
  • Consistent Sending: Maintaining a consistent sending rate helps build and maintain a good sender reputation.
  • Unwanted Mail: Avoiding sending unwanted mail is crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
  • Easy Unsubscribe: Providing easy unsubscribe options is important for maintaining a positive sender reputation and complying with regulations.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Monitoring IP reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS is essential for identifying and addressing issues.
  • List Hygiene: Maintaining clean email lists by removing inactive subscribers is critical for reducing bounce rates and spam complaints.
  • Low Complaint Rate: Aiming for a low spam complaint rate is important for maintaining a good sender reputation.
  • Abuse Handling: Promptly handling any abuse complaints is crucial for protecting sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Implementation: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly implemented for all sending domains and IPs.
  • Monitoring Tools: Regularly monitor sender reputation using available tools and address any issues promptly.
  • List Management: Implement a robust list management process to ensure only engaged subscribers receive emails.
  • Complaint Handling: Have a clear process for handling abuse complaints and quickly removing problematic subscribers.
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft Docs advises using the Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) to monitor your IP reputation. They share that it's important to only send wanted email, maintain clean lists by removing inactive subscribers, and ensure a low complaint rate. They also share it's crucial to promptly handle any abuse complaints.

April 2022 - Microsoft Docs
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that to maintain a good sender reputation, authenticate your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Send emails at a consistent rate, avoid sending unwanted mail, and provide easy unsubscribe options. Monitor your sender reputation using Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address any issues.

November 2021 - Google Postmaster Tools Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC specifies that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) provides a mechanism for verifying the integrity and authenticity of email messages. DKIM signatures are added to the email header and verified by the receiving mail server to ensure that the message has not been altered during transit and that it originated from the claimed sender.

October 2021 - RFC-4871
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that SPF records help prevent sender address forgery. SPF records specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Implementing SPF can improve sender reputation by reducing the chances of your domain being used for phishing or spamming activities.

September 2022 - RFC-4408