How to prevent Microsoft 365 from blocking outbound business development emails?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailonAcid shares that list segmentation is an effective method to improve deliverability. You can send emails to the right people, at the right time. Another factor is personalizing emails as it has a better chance of not being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Woodpecker.co explains that you need to ensure you are using a dedicated IP address for sending your email, this will help protect your reputation. Create a separate domain used just for email campaigns. Avoid using URL shorteners as they are commonly used by spammers.
Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that warming up your IP address is crucial when starting new campaigns. Gradually increase sending volume to build a positive reputation with ISPs. Furthermore, segment your audience and personalize your messages to improve engagement and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam.
Email marketer from Reddit suggests ensuring your cold emails provide value to the recipient and are highly personalized. Avoid generic templates and tailor your message to each individual's needs and interests. Respect unsubscribe requests promptly and avoid sending follow-up emails to those who have opted out.
Email marketer from Mailjet suggests cleaning your email lists regularly to remove inactive or invalid addresses, as sending to these can negatively impact your sender reputation. They suggest using a double opt-in process to ensure subscribers actively want to receive your emails, which helps reduce spam complaints. Monitor your bounce rates and spam complaints to quickly identify and address any issues.
Email marketer from StackOverflow advises closely monitoring your IP and domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools. Address any negative feedback or reputation issues promptly to maintain good sending health. Use a consistent sending volume and avoid sudden spikes, which can trigger spam filters.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that sending personalized emails is key to avoiding spam filters. They also suggest testing your email using a tool like Mail-Tester before sending your email campaigns.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that you need to focus on building and maintaining a good sender reputation, which includes managing your IP address reputation, domain reputation, and engagement metrics. Ensure your sending infrastructure is properly configured with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Also, segment your list to send relevant emails to engaged subscribers, and avoid sending to inactive or unengaged recipients.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that it doesn't matter if we think cold leads are spam; it's what the mailbox provider thinks. This is why Gmail puts them in the spam folder so often. In this case, there was enough unwanted activity to cause Microsoft to shut it off on the outbound side as they felt it was spam.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares you need to ensure proper authentication with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Authorization is ensuring you have permission to send them mail, by capturing opt-in correctly, and only sending them mail they want.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the user has triggered Microsoft's outbound filters and that Microsoft sees the mail as spam and is violating their acceptable use policy. Most ESPs also won't let you cold email off of their platforms because they see the mail as spam. Many recipients also hate the mail and regularly report it, filters will block it because users see it as spam. Most deliverability consultants also won't work with people who are sending cold email because it's not opt-in.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org shares that a DMARC policy tells receiving mail servers what to do with emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks. They suggest starting with a policy of 'p=none' to monitor email flows and gradually move to stricter policies like 'p=quarantine' or 'p=reject' as you gain confidence in your email authentication setup. Regularly review DMARC reports to identify and address any authentication issues.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin shares that you need to authenticate your email. Make sure you are setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Use a TLS connection to ensure emails are secured during transfer. Keep your sending rate within limits. Monitor your sender reputation using Google Postmaster Tools. Check if your domain or IP is on any blocklists.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that the SPF record needs to be added to your domain's DNS records to authorize sending mail servers. They share how to construct the SPF record to include all valid sending sources for your domain, including third-party senders. Validate your SPF record using online tools to ensure it's correctly configured.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that enabling DKIM signing for your domain adds a digital signature to your outbound emails, verifying their authenticity. They detail the steps to generate DKIM keys and configure DNS records for Microsoft 365. Rotate your DKIM keys periodically to maintain security and prevent unauthorized use.
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that to avoid being blocked, ensure your domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Maintain good sender reputation by avoiding sending unsolicited email and ensuring recipients can easily unsubscribe. Also, monitor your outbound email for suspicious activity and follow Microsoft 365's sending limits and policies.
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