How to resolve Microsoft domain deliverability issues from Salesforce?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Reddit shares that sender reputation is critical for deliverability, especially with Microsoft. Monitor your sender score and ensure it remains high. If your reputation dips, work to improve it by reducing spam complaints and ensuring proper authentication.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that overly promotional or spammy content can trigger Microsoft's spam filters. Avoiding excessive use of images, exclamation points, and spam trigger words can improve deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that they are experiencing deliverability issues with Microsoft domains (Outlook, Hotmail, MSN, Live) from SF, even with low volumes. They have contacted support to request IP unblock and proactive accommodation, but both were rejected. They followed IP warming guidelines, but Microsoft blocked them in December. They are sending transactional emails to opted-in customers.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares the SMTP error message received: 5.7.1 delivery not authorized.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that when facing deliverability problems on new IP addresses, the best solution is to 'warm' them up. It's important to avoid sudden bursts of sending volume, as it will likely cause your emails to be flagged as spam. Increase the sending volume gradually over time.
Email marketer from Email Geeks provides more details from bounce data: "5.7.1 (delivery not authorized) Unfortunately, messages from [13.111.175.96] weren’t sent. Please contact your Internet service provider since part of their network is on our block list (S3150). You can also refer your provider to <http://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx#errors>. [<http://VI1EUR05FT047.eop-eur05.prod.protection.outlook.com|VI1EUR05FT047.eop-eur05.prod.protection.outlook.com>]”
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares the importance of previewing emails in Outlook before sending to a large audience. Use email testing tools to check how your emails render in different versions of Outlook and identify any potential formatting or deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Reddit responds that implementing proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for improving deliverability to Microsoft domains. Ensure that these records are correctly configured for your sending domain in Salesforce.
Email marketer from SparkPost shares that practicing good list hygiene is crucial for maintaining deliverability. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and those who have not engaged with your emails in a while. This reduces the likelihood of sending to spam traps and lowers your bounce rate.
Email marketer from Email on Acid responds that using a dedicated IP address for sending emails from Salesforce can improve deliverability by isolating your sending reputation from other users of shared IPs. This requires a consistent sending volume to maintain a good reputation.
Email marketer from Salesforce Community explains that monitoring email events (bounces, complaints, opens, clicks) in Salesforce helps identify deliverability issues. High bounce rates and complaint rates can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to blocking by Microsoft.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains the importance of feedback loops (FBLs) to manage your sender reputation with Microsoft. Implementing FBLs allows you to receive reports about spam complaints from Outlook.com users, enabling you to remove those subscribers from your list and prevent future deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Gmass suggests sending test emails to a Microsoft email account to monitor inbox placement. Check if your emails are landing in the inbox, spam folder, or being blocked altogether. Analyze the email headers to identify any deliverability issues.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests contacting the deliverability/compliance team for help with the Microsoft deliverability issues.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, responds that often deliverability issues can be traced back to incorrect email authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) or misconfiguration within Salesforce. Double-checking these settings, and ensuring they're properly aligned with Microsoft's requirements, is crucial for resolving deliverability problems.
Expert from Spam Resource, Steve Jones, shares a list of causes of being blocklisted for spam and offers a resource to see if you've been blocklisted. Being blocklisted is one of the main reasons for email deliverability issues to Microsoft domains from Salesforce.
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, explains the importance of actively monitoring your sending reputation with Microsoft through tools like SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) and JMRP (Junk Email Reporting Program). Regular monitoring allows you to identify and address any issues affecting your deliverability before they escalate.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org responds that Implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can improve your sender reputation and deliverability to Microsoft domains.
Documentation from Salesforce Help explains that Salesforce provides several features to help improve email deliverability. These include setting up DKIM signatures, using a dedicated IP address, and monitoring bounce rates.
Documentation from Microsoft responds that bounce messages provide valuable information about why an email was not delivered. Understanding the specific error code can help diagnose and resolve deliverability issues. Common error codes include issues with authentication, sender reputation, or content.
Documentation from Microsoft explains that to ensure deliverability to Outlook.com users, it's crucial to comply with their sender guidelines. This includes authenticating your email, keeping your complaint rate low, and subscribing to the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP).