How to address deliverability issues with acquired email list in Mailchimp, specifically high abuse complaints from Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast?

Email marketer from an Email Marketing Forum advises slowly warming up the IP address used to send emails to the acquired list. Gradually increasing the volume of emails sent over several weeks helps establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs and reduces the likelihood of being flagged as spam. He recommends starting with the most engaged users.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests that high complaints, despite maintaining the original brand name, indicate unwanted or unexpected mail, likely due to an older list. Recommends sending a permission pass or re-engagement messages to suppress unengaged subscribers.

Email marketer from EmailOctopus explains the importance of list warming. This involves gradually increasing sending volume to the acquired list, starting with highly engaged segments, to establish a positive sender reputation with ISPs like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast. Ignoring this can lead to deliverability issues.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains to do a re-engagement campaign, then migrate to the new list.

Email marketer from Sender recommends segmenting the acquired list based on engagement metrics (opens, clicks) from the previous provider, if available. Prioritize re-engaging active segments with personalized content before emailing less engaged subscribers. Ensure that the initial emails clearly explain the acquisition and provide an easy opt-out option.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that the high abuse complaints from Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast likely stem from subscribers not recognizing the new company or not remembering opting in. Recommends segmenting the list and sending a re-introduction email explaining the acquisition with a prominent opt-out link.

Email marketer from StackExchange recommends setting up DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) with a policy of “p=quarantine” or “p=reject” to protect the domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks. This helps improve deliverability and sender reputation with ISPs. Also enable reporting to monitor authentication failures.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that Gmail doesn’t have a “traditional” feedback loop, so complaint counts or rates from Gmail won’t appear in your reporting.

Email marketer from Litmus states that sending a permission pass campaign can increase engagement and lower spam complaints. Send a re-introduction email that asks subscribers to re-subscribe to your list. This allows you to engage those who want to stay on your list while safely removing those who don't.

Marketer from Email Geeks advises examining the reasons for soft bounces. Full mailboxes can be retried, while "no mx record" bounces should be permanently removed.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests asking if consent was reestablished after the acquisition, giving subscribers a chance to re-evaluate if they want the new company to have their data and email them.

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that if Mailchimp support indicates a high complaint rate (over 0.1%), those are FBL complaints. Reviewing the segment of spam complainers, especially if they are primarily acquired company subscribers, can indicate negative responses. Poor results suggest unwanted or unexpected mail.

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog stresses the importance of sending relevant and valuable content to the acquired list. Ensure that the emails align with the subscribers' interests and expectations to reduce spam complaints and improve engagement. Personalization is key.

Email marketer from SparkPost emphasizes that throttling your sending volume is important, especially for new lists. This means gradually increasing the number of emails sent each day. Start with a small batch and monitor deliverability rates before scaling up. This helps prevent being flagged as a spammer by ISPs.

Email marketer from GMass recommends using a reputable email verification and cleaning service to remove invalid, inactive, and risky email addresses from the acquired list. This helps reduce bounce rates, spam complaints, and improve overall deliverability with ISPs like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast. They recommend ZeroBounce, Neverbounce or Kickbox.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests focusing on list management and engagement to improve deliverability.

Expert from Word to the Wise staff explains that sending after a domain acquisition requires careful planning to maintain deliverability. They recommend setting up proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and actively managing your sender reputation. It's essential to monitor bounce rates and spam complaints closely and adjust your sending practices accordingly.

Expert from Spam Resource (Laura Atkins) emphasizes the importance of actively monitoring complaint feedback loops (FBLs) from ISPs like Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast. High complaint rates indicate that a significant portion of your recipients are marking your emails as spam. Investigating and addressing the reasons for these complaints is crucial for improving deliverability. She recommends using the data to suppress complianters or change mailings.

Documentation from Yahoo describes best practices for sending bulk emails to Yahoo Mail users, including obtaining explicit consent from subscribers, providing clear unsubscribe options, and authenticating email using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Also, they recommend monitoring complaints and bounce rates, to identify and address deliverability issues.

Documentation from Mailchimp advises segmenting the acquired list based on engagement and sending a re-engagement campaign before sending regular emails. Also, it is important to clean the list before importing, removing invalid email addresses to reduce bounces and complaints. Mailchimp recommends using double opt-in to reconfirm consent from subscribers.

Documentation from Microsoft explains the importance of the sender reputation to ensure email deliverability to Outlook.com, Hotmail, and other Microsoft services. Microsoft's SmartScreen filter analyzes email content, sender information, and user feedback to identify and block spam. Senders with low reputation are more likely to have their emails filtered or blocked.