How to recover domain reputation after SES credentials were stolen?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests if they have another channel (e.g., social media) they can send up a flag explaining what happened and asking readers to mark them as not spam.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that consistent sending volume, engaging content, and proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are crucial for rebuilding domain reputation.
Email marketer from Validity advises using feedback loops to monitor complaints from users and address any issues promptly. This helps demonstrate that you are actively managing your email program and responding to feedback.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester recommends that removing invalid or inactive email addresses from your list improves your sender reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Gmass suggests that using multiple IP addresses helps to distribute your email volume and reduces the risk of being blacklisted. It is key to warm up each one slowly.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends segmenting email lists and creating targeted campaigns that resonate with specific audiences and only focus on re-engaging current subscribers
Email marketer from SparkPost advises that implementing a double opt-in process helps build a list of engaged subscribers and reduces the likelihood of spam complaints.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum user suggests that focusing on building relationships with subscribers who are most likely to engage with your emails can help improve your domain reputation. Engage in conversation and welcome feedback
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailPro shares focusing on highly-engaged subscribers for the first few sends, while continually removing unengaged users from future sends
Email marketer from Mailjet shares the importance of gradually increasing sending volume when recovering reputation. Start with your most engaged users and slowly add more recipients as your reputation improves.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests that Ken's suggestion is the way to go - not least because it’ll give them something to do that’s not trying to be clever with the email stream itself.
Expert from SpamResource emphasizes the importance of actively monitoring your domain's reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS. They advise promptly addressing any issues identified, such as high spam complaint rates or authentication failures, and proactively reaching out to ISPs to resolve blacklistings.
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) stresses the importance of maintaining good list hygiene by regularly removing unengaged subscribers and validating email addresses. They also recommend implementing a double opt-in process to ensure that only legitimate users are added to your list.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org explains that implementing a DMARC policy helps protect your domain from spoofing and phishing attacks, improving trust with email providers and recipients. Set your DMARC policy to quarantine or reject to prevent unauthorized use.
Documentation from Microsoft shares to ensure you are not sending unsolicited email and that your recipients have opted-in to receive your messages.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools details how to monitor your domain's reputation with Gmail users. This includes tracking spam rates, feedback loop complaints, and authentication status.
Documentation from RFC details how to configure SPF records to authorize sending sources for your domain, preventing unauthorized use and improving deliverability.