How to troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook email block and irregular email volume?
Summary
What email marketers say14Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that you should reply and provide a bounce message, when it started happening, detail about who you are mailing, etc. and to keep replying and ask for escalation. She advises making sure nothing has changed or caused the block and to correct it if something has changed.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests explaining the client's business and normal sending volume to Microsoft, and ensuring the client follows all best practices such as having an up-to-date list and functional verification.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that improving email engagement is vital for maintaining a good sender reputation and deliverability. They recommend segmenting your audience, personalizing your emails, optimizing your content for mobile devices, and testing your emails before sending.
Email marketer from Sendgrid explains that new and existing dedicated IPs without sending history need to be warmed up. It's a best practice that helps you build a positive reputation with ISPs and avoid blocks.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that he was able to resolve getting blocked by Microsoft. He explained that the first thing they said was that they didn't see a problem but that ultimately he provided all the relevant logs and information which made them mitigate his issue. He also advises warming your IP.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that they often have to resubmit tickets with bounce logs and confirmation from customers that they aren't receiving emails, which usually leads to Microsoft acknowledging and mitigating the issue.
Email marketer from Email Geeks advises persistence with Microsoft Support, asking for escalation, and providing evidence of best practices and wanted mail, especially if the client is delivering well elsewhere and metrics are not problematic.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests flattening mail volumes, sending more slowly over a longer period, and removing inactive recipients, noting that Hotmail has hourly and daily mail limitations based on perceived reputation and recent sending volume.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that Gmail users need to work harder these days to make sure that their emails get delivered, so using things like Gmass and understanding bounce types can help. They advise on the different kinds of bounce codes and what to do in each situation. They also advise that users should warm up their IP by sending a small number of emails and slowly growing this number.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that improving email deliverability involves several steps, including building a clean email list, warming up new IP addresses, authenticating your email, and monitoring your sender reputation. He emphasizes the importance of providing value to subscribers and avoiding spam triggers.
Email marketer from Mailjet Team shares that maintaining a healthy sender reputation is essential for consistent email delivery to Outlook.com. They advise monitoring sender reputation metrics, addressing complaints promptly, and implementing feedback loops to handle bounces and unsubscribes effectively.
Email marketer from Email on Acid explains that avoiding spam filters involves using a reputable email service provider, authenticating your email, using a dedicated IP address, keeping your lists clean, using a familiar 'From' name, getting permission, and providing an unsubscribe link.
Email marketer from Stackoverflow explains that the SMTP 550 5.7.1 error is triggered because the IP address has been blocked. There are a number of things to check like your IP address is not on any blacklists, and that you are not sending spam.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that having a seasonal business, requires warming your ip up when you start sending more. If you have a dedicated ip address then this will work better.
What the experts say2Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that IP reputation is a key factor in email deliverability. They advise monitoring your IP's reputation using tools like SNDS for Microsoft, and taking steps to address any negative reputation issues promptly.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that senders should absolutely participate in Microsoft's Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) and Junk Mail Reporting Program (JMRP). SNDS provides data about your IPs sending to Microsoft, and JMRP provides complaint data, both crucial for understanding and addressing deliverability issues.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Support explains that delivery failures to Outlook.com can occur due to various reasons, including IP address or domain reputation, content-related issues, or authentication problems. They recommend checking the sender's reputation, ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and adhering to best practices for email content.
Documentation from Postmark Support explains that implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial for improving deliverability to Outlook.com and other email providers. They detail how these protocols work and provide instructions for setting them up correctly to verify the sender's identity and prevent spoofing.
Documentation from RFC explains that enhanced mail system status codes give SMTP servers the means to provide more information about delivery failures than has been available with the basic codes defined in RFC 821. It helps users understand specific delivery issues.
Documentation from SparkPost Support explains that troubleshooting deliverability issues involves identifying the root cause, such as IP blacklisting, spam complaints, or authentication failures. They recommend analyzing bounce codes, monitoring blocklists, and adjusting sending practices to improve deliverability rates.