How to troubleshoot email sending issues to Cox, Charter, and Optonline domains?

Summary

Troubleshooting email sending issues to domains like Cox, Charter, and Optonline requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on sender reputation, email authentication, list hygiene, and ISP-specific considerations. A common initial issue is temporary subscriber suspension (550 5.1.0 bounce) which can arise from large sends and inconsistent sending cadences, requiring a warm-up strategy of smaller, throttled sends.

Crucially, maintaining a good sender reputation through proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential. This involves accurate SPF records, properly configured DKIM, and established DMARC policies. Regular list cleaning and segmentation are also vital, removing inactive, disengaged, and invalid addresses and dividing lists based on relevant criteria. Monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints helps identify and address specific delivery problems.

Beyond these core elements, understanding ISP-specific throttling policies is important. Actively using feedback loops to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam, and analyzing bounce codes to understand the root causes of delivery failures are also highly recommended. Adhering to broader email security best practices and conducting A/B testing to optimize campaign performance can further enhance deliverability.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are fundamental for verifying sender identity and improving email deliverability. Implement and maintain them correctly.
  • List Hygiene and Segmentation: Regularly clean your email lists and segment them appropriately to improve engagement and reduce spam complaints.
  • Sender Reputation: Monitor and maintain a positive sender reputation through various tools, as it heavily influences deliverability.
  • Warm-up and Sending Cadence: Implement a warm-up strategy with new IPs/domains and maintain a consistent sending cadence to avoid deliverability issues.
  • ISPs Matter: Be aware that charter.net is Spectrum Communications, which owns smaller cable services and RoadRunner domains. Also, always check the ISPs best practices.

Key considerations

  • Bounce Code Analysis: Analyze bounce codes to pinpoint the reasons for delivery failures and take corrective actions.
  • Feedback Loops (FBLs): Utilize FBLs to promptly identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam.
  • Volume Control: Gradually scale sending volume and avoid abrupt spikes, particularly during initial warm-up periods.
  • Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor key metrics like sender reputation, engagement rates, and deliverability rates to proactively address problems.
  • ISPs Throttling Policies: Familiarize yourself with specific ISPs' throttling policies to avoid being penalized for exceeding sending volume thresholds.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Troubleshooting email sending issues to domains like Cox, Charter, and Optonline involves a multi-faceted approach. Initial issues, such as temporary subscriber suspension (550 5.1.0 bounce), often arise from large sends and inconsistent sending cadences. Warming up IPs and domains with smaller, throttled sends is a common remediation strategy. More broadly, maintaining a good sender reputation through proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), regular list cleaning and segmentation, and monitoring bounce rates and spam complaints are crucial. Analyzing bounce codes helps identify specific delivery problems, while feedback loops provide direct insights into spam complaints. Furthermore, it is vital to understand that ISPs may throttle senders exceeding volume thresholds or with poor reputations. Regularly monitoring sender reputation, and potentially A/B testing email elements, are also recommended for optimized performance.

Key opinions

  • Warm-up strategy: Batching and throttling email sends to Cox, Charter, and Optonline can help mitigate temporary subscriber suspensions.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential for establishing legitimacy and avoiding spam filters.
  • List hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists by removing inactive, disengaged, and invalid addresses improves deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation: Maintaining a good sender reputation, monitored via tools like Google Postmaster Tools and GlockApps, is crucial for avoiding throttling and spam filters.
  • Segmentation: Segmenting email lists based on demographics, engagement, and other criteria improves engagement and reduces spam complaints.

Key considerations

  • Sending cadence: Establish a consistent sending cadence and avoid sudden spikes in volume, particularly when warming up new IPs or domains.
  • Bounce Code Analysis: Analyze bounce codes to understand the specific reasons for delivery failures and take appropriate corrective actions.
  • Feedback Loops: Utilize feedback loops to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam.
  • ISPs: Be aware of ISP-specific throttling policies and adjust sending strategies accordingly.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Continuously monitor sender reputation, engagement metrics, and deliverability rates to proactively address issues.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that charter.net is Spectrum Communications, which owns smaller cable services and RoadRunner domains, with a strong presence in NY state. Suggests deliverability issues at charter.net may indicate problems with these other related domains as well.

May 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps Blog shares that monitoring your sender reputation is essential for identifying and addressing deliverability issues. Sender reputation is a measure of your trustworthiness as an email sender, and it is based on factors such as spam complaints, bounce rates, and engagement metrics. Use tools like GlockApps to monitor your sender reputation and take steps to improve it if necessary.

September 2024 - GlockApps Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog shares that regularly cleaning your email list is crucial to remove inactive, disengaged, and invalid email addresses. This helps maintain a healthy list, improves engagement metrics, and boosts your sender reputation. Regularly use email verification tools and remove any contacts that haven't engaged in a while.

October 2024 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid Blog shares that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may throttle emails from senders who exceed certain sending volume thresholds or have poor sender reputation. To avoid throttling, gradually increase your sending volume, especially when warming up a new IP address. Monitor your bounce rates and engagement metrics to identify and address any potential issues.

February 2023 - SendGrid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog explains that list segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. Sending targeted emails to segmented lists can improve engagement rates and reduce the likelihood of subscribers marking your emails as spam.

October 2021 - Email on Acid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that analyzing bounce codes is crucial for understanding why emails are not being delivered. Different bounce codes indicate different issues, such as invalid email addresses, full inboxes, or spam filtering. Use the bounce codes to identify and address the root cause of deliverability problems.

August 2022 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains they are experiencing deliverability issues with cox.net, charter.net, and optonline.net, especially during large sends. The issue appears as a 550 5.1.0 bounce, temporarily suspending the subscriber. They are currently batching sends to warm up these domains, throttling sends every 30-60 minutes, and asks how long to continue this, when to increase send volume, and when to stop throttling.

April 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains they started warming up at the beginning of January and confirms emails go through with targeted sends. She is seeking guidance on whether to treat these domains with a specific warm-up plan (sending X emails per day and building from there) or to small batch based on a given list.

February 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailPoet Blog explains that improving email deliverability involves authenticating your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prove your emails are legitimate and less likely to be marked as spam. Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and segment your audience to send targeted emails that are more likely to be engaged with.

June 2021 - MailPoet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit r/emailmarketing shares that maintaining a good domain reputation is crucial for email deliverability. Factors that influence domain reputation include spam complaints, bounce rates, and engagement metrics. Regularly monitor your domain reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score, and take steps to address any issues.

March 2022 - Reddit r/emailmarketing
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains the benefits of A/B testing elements within emails to optimize performance with specific segments, including trialing different subject lines, content, or calls to action. Over time, insights from A/B testing enables increased engagement rates, conversions, and ROI from email campaigns.

March 2023 - Campaign Monitor Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus Blog shares that proper email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is essential for improving email deliverability. Authentication helps prove that your emails are legitimate and reduces the likelihood of being marked as spam. Use tools like Litmus to test your email authentication setup and identify any issues.

November 2024 - Litmus Blog

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Troubleshooting email delivery issues to Cox, Charter, and Optonline domains requires a focus on sender reputation, authentication, and list hygiene. Maintaining a clean sending reputation through regular list cleaning – removing bounced and unengaged addresses – is essential. Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps prove the legitimacy of emails and reduces the likelihood of being marked as spam. Finally, actively using feedback loops (FBLs) to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam is critical, especially with these ISPs.

Key opinions

  • List Hygiene: Regular list cleaning is crucial for maintaining a good sending reputation and improving deliverability.
  • Sender Authentication: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for authenticating emails and preventing them from being marked as spam.
  • Feedback Loops: Feedback loops (FBLs) are critical for identifying and removing subscribers who mark emails as spam.

Key considerations

  • Regular List Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly removing bounced and unengaged addresses from your email list.
  • Authentication Implementation: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are properly implemented and configured for your sending domain.
  • FBL Participation: Actively participate in feedback loops offered by Cox, Charter, Optonline, and other ISPs to identify and address spam complaints.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for proper sender authentication. These authentication methods help prove that your emails are legitimate and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam by ISPs such as Cox, Charter, and Optonline.

November 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that feedback loops (FBLs) are critical for identifying and addressing spam complaints. Participating in FBLs allows senders to receive notifications when subscribers mark their messages as spam, enabling them to remove those subscribers from their lists and prevent future deliverability issues. They are essential with ISPs like Cox, Charter, and Optonline.

July 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource emphasizes the importance of practicing good list hygiene and maintaining a clean sending reputation. Regular list cleaning, including removing bounced and unengaged addresses, helps improve deliverability and ensures messages reach engaged subscribers.

July 2024 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Troubleshooting email sending issues, especially to domains like Cox, Charter, and Optonline, requires a strong focus on email authentication and maintaining good sending practices. Authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are crucial for proving email legitimacy and preventing spoofing. Senders should ensure accurate SPF records list authorized sending sources, implement DKIM to digitally sign emails, and configure DMARC policies to manage emails failing authentication checks. Maintaining a low spam rate (below 0.1%), avoiding sudden volume spikes, and monitoring sender reputation via tools like Google Postmaster Tools are also vital. Adhering to email security best practices, including system updates, strong user authentication, and regular security audits, further strengthens deliverability.

Key findings

  • Email Authentication is Crucial: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for verifying sender identity and improving email deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation Matters: Maintaining a low spam rate and avoiding sudden volume spikes are critical for preserving sender reputation.
  • Security Best Practices: Implementing strong security measures enhances trustworthiness and deliverability.

Key considerations

  • SPF Record Accuracy: Ensure your SPF record accurately lists all authorized sending sources for your domain.
  • DKIM Implementation: Properly configure DKIM to digitally sign all outgoing emails with a private key.
  • DMARC Policy Enforcement: Establish a DMARC policy (e.g., quarantine or reject) for handling emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks.
  • Volume Control: Gradually increase sending volume and avoid sudden spikes, especially during initial warm-up periods.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Regularly monitor your sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) is a protocol that allows email senders to specify how recipient mail servers should handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. Setting up DMARC involves creating a DMARC record in your domain's DNS settings, specifying a policy for handling failed emails (e.g., quarantine or reject), and configuring reporting to monitor email authentication results.

May 2021 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that it's important to adhere to best practices around maintaining email security. These measures include keeping systems updated with security patches, employing strict user authentication methods (like MFA), and regular security audits to ensure compliance with industry standards and internal policies.

February 2024 - Microsoft Learn
Technical article

Documentation from Google Support explains that to ensure delivery to Gmail users, bulk senders must authenticate their emails using SPF and DKIM. Keep your spam rate below 0.1% and avoid sudden spikes in sending volume. Monitor your sender reputation through Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address any deliverability issues.

February 2023 - Google Support
Technical article

Documentation from RFC 4408 specifies that a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record lists the IP addresses and domains authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Creating and maintaining an accurate SPF record helps prevent spammers from forging your email address and improves your email deliverability by verifying the legitimacy of your emails.

January 2023 - RFC 4408
Technical article

Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) adds a digital signature to your emails, allowing recipient mail servers to verify that the email was sent from an authorized source and has not been tampered with. Implementing DKIM involves generating a public/private key pair, publishing the public key in your domain's DNS record, and configuring your email server to sign outgoing emails with the private key.

December 2022 - DKIM.org