How to avoid deliverability issues when sending press releases from corporate domain?

Summary

To avoid deliverability issues when sending press releases from a corporate domain, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. Maintaining a positive sender reputation is paramount, achieved through responsible sending practices and avoiding negative recipient actions. Technical aspects are crucial, including setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for authentication, adhering to email formatting standards (RFC 5322), implementing feedback loops, and managing bounce processing effectively. List hygiene is essential, involving regular removal of inactive or invalid addresses. Practices such as warming up your IP address, segmenting your audience for targeted content, using a dedicated IP, and gradually increasing sending volume can also improve deliverability. Monitoring blacklists, testing email rendering across different clients, avoiding spam trigger words, and providing an easy unsubscribe option are vital for preventing emails from being flagged as spam. Finally, using reputable sending services like Sendgrid instead of Gmail API for mass emails is recommended.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation: A positive sender reputation is critical for email deliverability.
  • Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying email authenticity.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list improves deliverability.
  • Formatting: Adhering to email formatting standards ensures proper interpretation.
  • Bounce Management: Properly handling hard and soft bounces is crucial.
  • Feedback Loops: Feedback loops allow prompt response to spam complaints.
  • IP Warmup: Warming up your IP address gradually improves deliverability.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting your audience increases engagement and reduces spam complaints.
  • Dedicated IP: A dedicated IP provides more control over sender reputation.
  • Volume Control: Gradually increasing sending volume prevents triggering spam filters.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check your domain against blacklists.
  • Email Testing: Test email rendering across different clients.
  • Content Quality: Avoid spam trigger words and ensure engaging content.
  • Unsubscribe Option: Provide an easy-to-find unsubscribe link.
  • Sending Service: Use reputable sending services instead of Gmail API for mass emails.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Reputation Management: Implement strategies to actively manage and protect sender reputation.
  • Technical Configuration: Ensure accurate configuration of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Consistent List Maintenance: Establish a regular schedule for cleaning and managing your email list.
  • Content Optimization: Optimize email content to avoid spam filters and engage recipients.
  • Compliance with Regulations: Adhere to email marketing best practices and legal requirements (e.g., CAN-SPAM Act).
  • Monitoring and Analysis: Continuously monitor deliverability metrics and adjust strategies as needed.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

To avoid deliverability issues when sending press releases from a corporate domain, several key strategies emerge. Maintaining a good sender reputation is paramount, achievable by avoiding negative recipient actions like spam complaints. Using a dedicated IP address, warming up the IP gradually, and segmenting your audience to send targeted content all contribute to a positive reputation. Technical aspects include proper email formatting, sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and prompt bounce processing. Regular list hygiene, monitoring blacklists, and providing an easy unsubscribe option are also crucial. Finally, testing email rendering across different clients and avoiding spam trigger words help prevent emails from being flagged as spam.

Key opinions

  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is critical for email deliverability.
  • Gmail API Limitations: Sending via Gmail API for mass emails can be problematic due to limitations and lack of bounce management.
  • Bounce and Complaint Monitoring: Actively monitor bounces and complaints to identify and address deliverability issues.
  • Proper Formatting: Ensure press releases are properly formatted with a clear unsubscribe mechanism and avoid sending Word documents.
  • IP Warmup: Gradually warm up your IP address by sending to engaged subscribers first.
  • Segmentation: Segment your audience to send targeted press releases and improve engagement.
  • Dedicated IP: Using a dedicated IP address provides more control over sender reputation.
  • Volume Throttling: Gradually increase sending volume to avoid triggering spam filters.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check your domain and IP against blacklists.
  • Email Testing: Test email rendering across different clients and devices.
  • Spam Trigger Words: Avoid using spam trigger words in email subject lines and body.
  • Unsubscribe Link: Include a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe link in all emails.

Key considerations

  • Reputation Management: Implement strategies to actively manage and protect your sender reputation.
  • Technical Setup: Ensure proper technical setup for email sending, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • List Hygiene: Maintain a clean and engaged email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses.
  • Content Relevance: Create relevant and engaging content that resonates with your audience.
  • Compliance: Adhere to email marketing best practices and legal requirements (e.g., CAN-SPAM Act).
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit user shares that gradually increasing your sending volume, especially when starting a new campaign, helps prevent triggering spam filters. Sudden spikes in sending volume can be a red flag for ISPs.

May 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass Blog suggests regularly checking your domain and IP address against email blacklists. Being listed on a blacklist can severely impact your deliverability, so it's important to monitor and take action if you're listed.

January 2024 - Gmass Blog
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks explains that deliverability problems principally occur because of poor sending reputation caused by negative recipient actions. News desks typically don't react badly to appropriately targeted press releases.

April 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that warming up your IP address is crucial. Start by sending emails to your most engaged subscribers and gradually increase the volume. This establishes a positive sending reputation.

February 2024 - Neil Patel's Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow user discusses avoiding spam trigger words in your email subject lines and body. These words can flag your emails as spam, so it's important to be mindful of your language.

November 2021 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Constant Contact shares that including a clear and easy-to-find unsubscribe link in all your emails is essential. Making it difficult for recipients to unsubscribe can lead to spam complaints.

October 2021 - Constant Contact
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that segmenting your audience and sending targeted press releases can drastically improve engagement. By sending relevant content to specific recipients, you reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam.

October 2023 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailToolTester explains that using a dedicated IP address gives you more control over your sending reputation. This is especially important when sending high volumes of emails like press releases.

October 2022 - EmailToolTester
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states that sending press releases doesn't absolve from sending properly formatted emails with a clear and easy unsubscribe mechanism, and to not send Word documents and to be ready to send a plaintext copy of the email to those who don't like PDFs.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks advises to keep a close eye on bounces and complaints. If complaints are seen, it's a big issue that needs investigation. He also mentions bounces happen occasionally, and the bounce reason should be reviewed, acting on the information (e.g., removing addresses that no longer exist).

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus shares testing and previewing emails across different email clients and devices to ensure they render correctly. Poorly formatted emails are more likely to be marked as spam.

May 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that sending via a Gmail API plugin could be problematic because Google limits outbound emails per user and they are not equipped to manage volume emails. He suggests using Sendgrid with proper branding.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that sender reputation is critical. Maintain a good sending reputation by consistently following best practices and avoiding actions that can harm it.

April 2021 - Email Marketing Forum

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

To avoid deliverability issues when sending press releases from a corporate domain, focusing on list hygiene, proper authentication, and email content is essential. List hygiene involves regularly removing invalid or unengaged subscribers to reduce bounce rates and spam complaints. Proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) helps verify that your emails are legitimately sent from your domain, improving sender reputation. Furthermore, email content should avoid spam trigger words and be relevant and engaging to the audience to prevent being flagged as spam.

Key opinions

  • List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning your email list is critical for maintaining good deliverability by reducing bounce rates and spam complaints.
  • Proper Authentication: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for verifying your email's authenticity and improving sender reputation.
  • Content Quality: The content of your emails significantly impacts deliverability; avoid spam trigger words and ensure relevance and engagement.

Key considerations

  • Maintenance: Establish a routine for consistently cleaning and maintaining your email list.
  • Implementation: Ensure proper implementation and validation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Relevance: Focus on creating compelling and targeted content that provides value to your audience.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource highlights the importance of proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability. These methods help verify that your emails are legitimately sent from your domain, which ISPs use to determine sender reputation.

June 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that your email content plays a significant role in deliverability. Avoid spam trigger words and ensure your message is relevant and engaging to your audience.

June 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list hygiene is critical for maintaining good deliverability. Regularly remove invalid or unengaged subscribers to reduce bounce rates and spam complaints.

February 2025 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

To avoid deliverability issues when sending press releases from a corporate domain, it is crucial to focus on technical aspects outlined in documentation. This includes setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for email authentication, regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive addresses, adhering to email formatting standards like RFC 5322, implementing feedback loops to handle spam complaints, and proper bounce processing to manage hard and soft bounces.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying email authenticity and preventing spoofing.
  • List Management: Regularly cleaning your email list reduces bounce rates and improves sender reputation.
  • Formatting Standards: Adhering to RFC 5322 email formatting standards ensures proper interpretation by receiving servers.
  • Feedback Loops: Setting up feedback loops allows you to promptly address spam complaints.
  • Bounce Processing: Properly handling hard and soft bounces is crucial for list hygiene and deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Technical Implementation: Ensure accurate and complete implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
  • Maintenance Schedule: Establish a consistent schedule for cleaning and managing your email list.
  • Standards Compliance: Adhere to RFC 5322 and other relevant email formatting standards.
  • Monitoring & Response: Monitor feedback loops and promptly remove recipients who mark your emails as spam.
  • Automated Processing: Implement automated processes for handling bounce processing, especially hard bounces.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC documentation discusses adhering to proper email formatting standards (RFC 5322). This includes using valid headers, character encoding, and line lengths to ensure your emails are properly interpreted by receiving servers.

February 2025 - RFC Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help emphasizes the importance of setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. These authentication methods verify that your emails are genuinely sent from your domain and prevent spoofing, significantly improving deliverability.

May 2024 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft 365 documentation advocates for regularly cleaning your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses. Sending to these addresses can increase your bounce rate, negatively impacting your sender reputation.

December 2023 - Microsoft 365 documentation
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost Documentation states that proper bounce processing is crucial. Handle hard bounces (permanent failures) by immediately removing those addresses from your list. Soft bounces (temporary issues) should be retried a few times before removal.

December 2023 - SparkPost Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from Amazon Web Services Documentation emphasizes setting up feedback loops (FBLs) to receive notifications when recipients mark your emails as spam. This allows you to promptly remove these recipients from your list and prevent future complaints.

January 2024 - Amazon Web Services Documentation