How to evaluate an ESP for deliverability before setting it up?

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests requesting a meeting with the ESP's deliverability support leader to ask detailed questions about reputation management, shared vs. dedicated IPs, service level options, ISP communication, and recommendations for your specific program.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that before fully migrating to a new ESP, it's important to warm up your IP address by gradually increasing sending volume to build a positive reputation with ISPs. Start with your most engaged subscribers.

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that support to success is a factor varying greatly from one ESP to another. Some won't provide much, while others will take your hand and give you advice to improve your sending behavior, which is more likely to be the cause of the problem if you're already on dedicated IPs.

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that using seed lists to test deliverability is useful but can sometimes be unreliable. Instead, focus on testing with real email addresses that reflect your target audience.

Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial. Verify that the ESP supports and guides you through setting up these records correctly to ensure your emails are trusted by receiving servers.

Email marketer from Litmus shares the importance of testing email content with different spam filters, and lists out the various considerations. This can help identify words or phrases that might trigger spam filters and negatively impact deliverability.

Email marketer from Gmass recommends understanding whether the ESP offers dedicated IP addresses. Using a dedicated IP allows you to build and maintain your own sending reputation, which is crucial for consistent deliverability.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow discusses checking if the ESP has feedback loops with major ISPs. Feedback loops provide valuable data on spam complaints, allowing you to identify and address issues promptly.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests utilizing the ESP's free trial (if available) to test their platform. Send test emails to various email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) to assess deliverability rates and identify any potential issues before committing fully.

Email marketer from Quora recommends researching customer reviews and testimonials regarding the ESP's deliverability. Look for patterns of complaints or praise related to inbox placement and spam filtering issues.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that ESPs generally have the same deliverability overall within a few percentage points. Results of the end user won't change in any significant way from one ESP to the other (though most will tank when they forget to import their suppression lists and instead just import their recipient lists).

Email marketer from SparkPost highlights the importance of checking an ESP's sender reputation by looking at their IP address ranges and domain reputation. Blacklist checks can provide insights into their deliverability track record.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that doing a thorough deliverability test with a new ESP is crucial. This includes more than just seedlists, and that you should evaluate authentication, content and overall setup. This may be a paid service but is worthwhile.

Expert from Spam Resource explains that ensuring the ESP uses proper sender authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC is the first and crucial step in evaluating them for deliverability. These ensure that the sent emails are properly authenticated and are less likely to be flagged as spam.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the delivery issues at a new ESP will likely be similar to the old one after a transition period, as mail flow and content dominate delivery rates. An ESP with consistently low delivery rates might have poor customers, but it's more likely the sender has a bad email program and is blaming the ESP.

Expert from Email Geeks recommends asking about custom domain usage for images, click tracking, and DKIM signing. Offering these features can isolate your reputation from other customers, allowing you to maintain and build your mail stream reputation.

Expert from Email Geeks shares advice to ask an ESP about who their other customers are, their technical features, enforcement policies, and onboarding process. He suggests focusing on whether your email program will thrive on their platform.

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that it allows domain owners to monitor their sending reputation with Gmail. By analyzing the data provided, you can identify deliverability issues and take corrective actions to improve your sender reputation.

Documentation from DKIM shares that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication system designed to verify the DNS domain of an email sender and the integrity of the message. It uses cryptographic signatures to provide assurance that the email was not altered in transit.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a mechanism for email senders to indicate that their messages are protected by these authentication methods and instructs recipient servers on how to handle messages that fail authentication.

Documentation from Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) explains that it allows you to monitor the reputation of your IP addresses with Microsoft's email services. This provides insights into how Microsoft views your sending practices and potential deliverability issues.

Documentation from RFC explains that a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record specifies the mail servers that are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. Properly configuring SPF can prevent spammers from forging your email address.