What are the deliverability consequences of decreasing email metrics due to sending to unengaged subscribers?

Summary

Sending emails to unengaged subscribers has numerous negative deliverability consequences. Experts and marketers agree that decreased engagement metrics, such as low open rates and click rates, signal to ISPs that recipients are not interested, leading to emails being filtered into spam folders or blocked entirely. This practice also increases the risk of spam complaints and hitting spam traps, severely damaging sender reputation. Documentation from Google, Microsoft, SparkPost, and RFC highlights the critical role of sender reputation and the broader costs associated with spam. Maintaining good email list hygiene through regular cleaning, list segmentation, and focusing on delivering valuable content to engaged subscribers are universally recommended strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure optimal email deliverability.

Key findings

  • Impact on Sender Reputation: Sending to unengaged subscribers directly harms sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues.
  • Engagement as a Signal: ISPs use engagement metrics (open rates, click rates, spam complaints) as a key signal to determine email quality and inbox placement.
  • Increased Spam Complaints: Sending to uninterested recipients increases the likelihood of spam complaints.
  • Risk of Spam Traps: Sending to unengaged subscribers increases the risk of hitting spam traps, leading to blacklisting.
  • Filtering and Blocking: Damaged sender reputation leads to emails being filtered as spam or blocked by ISPs.
  • List Hygiene Importance: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is crucial for preserving a positive sender reputation and avoiding deliverability issues.

Key considerations

  • Regular List Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly identifying and removing unengaged subscribers from your email list.
  • Content Relevance: Focus on creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
  • List Segmentation: Segment your email list to target specific subscribers with relevant content.
  • Monitor Engagement Metrics: Track open rates, click rates, bounce rates, and spam complaints to identify and address deliverability issues.
  • Re-engagement Campaigns: Consider running re-engagement campaigns before removing subscribers to try and win them back.
  • Use Feedback Loops: Utilize feedback loops to monitor and address spam complaints promptly.
  • Monitor Sender Reputation: Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation and delivery performance.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

Sending emails to unengaged subscribers has significant negative consequences for email deliverability. Decreased engagement metrics (low open rates, click rates) signal to ISPs that recipients are not interested in the emails, leading to filtering into spam folders, blocking, and overall reduced inbox placement. This practice also increases the risk of hitting spam traps and generating spam complaints, further damaging sender reputation. Maintaining good email list hygiene by regularly removing unengaged subscribers and focusing on targeted, valuable content is crucial for preserving a positive sender reputation and ensuring optimal deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Engagement Metrics: Low open rates, click rates, and high unsubscribe/spam complaint rates are key indicators of unengaged subscribers, directly impacting sender reputation.
  • ISPs' Role: ISPs use engagement metrics to determine whether to deliver emails to the inbox or the spam folder.
  • Sender Reputation: Sending to unengaged subscribers damages sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues like filtering and blocking.
  • Spam Traps: Sending to unengaged subscribers increases the risk of hitting spam traps, which can result in blacklisting.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly cleaning email lists and removing unengaged subscribers is essential for maintaining high engagement and deliverability.
  • Email Quality: Decreased engagement signals poor email quality to ISPs.

Key considerations

  • List Segmentation: Segment your email list to target specific subscribers with relevant content.
  • Content Relevance: Focus on creating valuable and engaging content that resonates with your audience.
  • Regular Cleaning: Implement a process for regularly identifying and removing unengaged subscribers from your email list.
  • Re-engagement Campaigns: Before removing subscribers, consider running re-engagement campaigns to try and win them back.
  • Monitor Metrics: Continuously monitor engagement metrics (open rates, click rates, etc.) to identify and address deliverability issues proactively.
  • Feedback Loops: Setup and monitor feedback loops to catch and resolve spam complaints early.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Vendor Selection shares that decreased engagement metrics, such as low open and click rates, signal to mailbox providers that recipients are not interested in your emails. This can cause your emails to be filtered into the spam folder or blocked entirely, negatively impacting your overall deliverability.

July 2024 - Email Vendor Selection
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog explains that sending to unengaged subscribers can lead to lower engagement rates, increased spam complaints, and ultimately, damage to your sender reputation. ISPs may start filtering your emails to the spam folder or blocking them altogether if a significant portion of your recipients consistently ignore or mark your emails as spam.

August 2022 - Sendinblue Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor suggests that sending to unengaged users can cause several deliverability issues. It can lead to lower open rates, higher spam complaints, and reduced inbox placement, as ISPs see your emails as less valuable. Regularly cleaning your list and focusing on engaged subscribers can help improve deliverability.

September 2021 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog emphasizes the importance of regularly cleaning your email list to remove unengaged subscribers. Sending to these recipients not only decreases your engagement metrics but also signals to ISPs that your emails are not valuable, leading to lower deliverability rates and potential spam folder placement.

June 2023 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog shares that sending to unengaged subscribers increases the risk of hitting spam traps, which are email addresses used by ISPs and blacklist providers to identify spammers. Sending emails to these addresses damages your sender reputation and can lead to deliverability issues, including blacklisting.

January 2022 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus Blog points out that sending to unengaged users leads to lower open and click-through rates, which can negatively impact your sender reputation and deliverability. ISPs use these metrics to determine whether your emails are valuable and whether they should be delivered to the inbox or the spam folder.

December 2023 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that sending more unwanted email reduces the amount of wanted email that gets delivered, framing it as: 'Delivered email = wanted email minus unwanted email,' or 'D=W-U'.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that email quality and engagement are paramount to deliverability. Decreased engagement from sending to unengaged users signals poor email quality to ISPs, impacting inbox placement. They advise focusing on targeted content and list segmentation to improve engagement and deliverability.

August 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerLite shares that low open rates, click rates, and high unsubscribe or spam complaints from sending to unengaged subscribers significantly affect your sender reputation. ISPs use these metrics to decide whether to deliver your emails to the inbox or spam folder, so maintaining a healthy list is crucial.

November 2022 - MailerLite
Marketer view

Email marketer from Moosend Blog shares that maintaining good email list hygiene is essential for deliverability. Sending to unengaged subscribers can increase bounce rates, spam complaints, and unsubscribe rates, all of which can negatively affect your sender reputation and lead to deliverability problems.

December 2021 - Moosend Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains that sending email to people who don't want them will damage email reputation and get emails marked as spam.

October 2022 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog explains that sending emails to unengaged subscribers negatively impacts deliverability because it lowers engagement rates and increases the likelihood of spam complaints. ISPs use engagement as a key factor in determining whether to deliver your emails to the inbox or the spam folder.

January 2025 - ActiveCampaign Blog

What the experts say
7Expert opinions

Sending emails to unengaged subscribers results in several negative deliverability consequences. Although decreased metrics themselves may not directly cause harm, sending to uninterested recipients leads to increased spam complaints and lower engagement, signaling to ISPs that the emails are unwanted. This can result in emails being delivered to the spam folder or blocked altogether, potentially leading to a 'death spiral' of decreasing engagement and deliverability. Low open rates, especially on consumer domains like Gmail, are often indicative of spam placement. Monitoring open rates and engagement by domain, utilizing tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and practicing regular list hygiene (cleaning and suppressing inactive users) are crucial for mitigating these effects and maintaining a positive sender reputation.

Key opinions

  • Spam Complaints: Sending to uninterested recipients increases the likelihood of spam complaints.
  • Low Engagement Signals: Low open rates and other decreased metrics signal to ISPs that emails are unwanted.
  • Spam Folder Placement: Emails are more likely to be delivered to the spam folder when engagement is low.
  • Domain-Specific Issues: Lower open rates on consumer domains like Gmail may indicate specific issues with those providers.
  • Sender Reputation Damage: Consistently low engagement damages sender reputation, leading to further deliverability problems.

Key considerations

  • Monitor Engagement: Track open rates and engagement by domain to identify potential issues.
  • List Hygiene Practices: Regularly clean and suppress inactive users from email lists.
  • Google Postmaster Tools: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation and identify potential issues with Gmail delivery.
  • Targeted Content: Focus on sending relevant and engaging content to improve engagement rates.
  • ISP-Specific Strategies: Adjust sending strategies based on specific issues with individual ISPs, such as focusing on other domains if Gmail is problematic.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that sending to unengaged subscribers (or neglecting list hygiene) results in higher spam complaint rates, lower engagement, and can ultimately damage sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. She recommends regular list cleaning and suppression of inactive users.

August 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that lower open rates on consumer domains often indicates mail is going to spam.

April 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that deliverability is affected if low engagement rates due to sending emails to unengaged subscribers. Sending high volumes of email without sufficient engagement hurts sender reputation because mailbox providers use engagement as a signal for quality.

October 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains there are no direct consequences to decreased metrics, but there are consequences to sending mail to uninterested recipients, who may report it as spam. These consequences include mail going to spam or being blocked, which also affects metrics.

September 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if you can demonstrate that lower open rates are primarily from Google, you can argue that the issue is with Google Mail. A potential solution is to focus on sending more emails to other domains that are less reactive, while maintaining good practices with Google. Google Postmaster Tools can be used to monitor reputation, although it's often a trailing indicator.

April 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that if open rates are below 10%, it's a good sign that a lot of the mail isn't ending up where recipients are looking for it and a significant portion of that is likely in the spam folder.

April 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that if recipients are uninterested in emails, consumer ISPs are more likely to deliver them to the spam folder, potentially leading to a 'death spiral'. The goal should be to have more mail seen and read by recipients, not sending more mail to the spam folder.

May 2023 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Sending emails to unengaged subscribers significantly harms email deliverability, primarily by negatively impacting sender reputation. Documentation from Google, Microsoft, and SparkPost emphasizes that maintaining high engagement rates and avoiding sending unwanted emails to inactive users is crucial. Damaged sender reputation results in emails being filtered as spam or blocked entirely by ISPs. Furthermore, sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) has broader consequences, including direct and indirect costs, reputational damage, and potential blacklisting, as highlighted by RFC documentation. Therefore, prioritizing list hygiene and responsible sending practices is essential for effective email communication.

Key findings

  • Sender Reputation Impact: Sending to unengaged subscribers directly harms sender reputation.
  • Filtering and Blocking: Damaged sender reputation leads to emails being filtered as spam or blocked by ISPs.
  • Importance of Engagement: High engagement rates are crucial for maintaining a positive sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene: Regularly removing inactive subscribers is recommended by multiple sources.
  • Broader Consequences of Spam: Sending unsolicited bulk email has far-reaching costs, including economic and reputational damage.

Key considerations

  • Prioritize List Hygiene: Implement and maintain a robust list hygiene program to remove inactive users.
  • Monitor Sender Reputation: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor sender reputation.
  • Focus on Engagement: Create engaging and relevant content to encourage interaction and maintain high engagement rates.
  • Avoid Unsolicited Bulk Email: Adhere to best practices for permission-based email marketing.
  • Compliance with Regulations: Ensure compliance with relevant email marketing regulations (e.g., GDPR, CAN-SPAM).
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft 365 Documentation explains that sending to unengaged recipients can negatively affect your sender reputation, leading to deliverability issues. Microsoft recommends regularly removing inactive subscribers from your mailing list to maintain high engagement rates and avoid being marked as spam.

November 2024 - Microsoft 365 Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost Documentation shares that sender reputation is a crucial factor in email deliverability. Sending to unengaged subscribers can harm your sender reputation, leading to ISPs filtering your emails to the spam folder or blocking them altogether. Maintaining a clean and engaged email list is essential for preserving a positive sender reputation.

July 2024 - SparkPost Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that consequences of sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) include direct costs (network and server resources, user time and bandwidth), indirect costs (lost productivity, fraud), and reputational damage (decreased public trust and legal liability). ISPs blacklist spammers, leading to deliverability issues.

November 2022 - RFC
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools Help explains that a sender's reputation directly impacts deliverability. Sending unwanted email, spam, or email to unengaged users can negatively affect your sender reputation, leading to more emails being filtered to spam or blocked. Maintaining high engagement rates and avoiding sending to inactive users is crucial for preserving a positive sender reputation.

March 2023 - Google Postmaster Tools Help