What are the steps to troubleshoot DMARC reject policy causing low email delivery rates after implementation?

Email marketer from Stackoverflow advises validating your SPF and DKIM configurations. He suggests using online tools to check if SPF records are correctly listing all authorized sending sources, and to confirm DKIM signatures are valid for outgoing emails. Errors in either can cause DMARC failures.

Email marketer from Email Geeks advises against implementing a full reject policy before authenticating all sources sending as the root domain.

Email marketer from Spamhaus shares that if you're still facing delivery issues after correcting SPF and DKIM, check if your domain or sending IPs are on any blocklists. DMARC 'reject' can amplify the impact of blocklisting, so addressing any blocklist issues is crucial.

Email marketer from EasyDMARC shares that you should analyze DMARC aggregate reports to understand why emails are failing authentication. These reports will show which IPs are sending emails on your domain's behalf and whether those emails are passing SPF and DKIM checks. Identify any unauthorized sending sources.

Email marketer from EmailGeekForum recommends setting up a dedicated email address for receiving DMARC aggregate reports (rua). Analyze these reports using a tool like DMARC analyzer to identify any discrepancies between your sending practices and your DMARC policy.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that the first step is to revert the DMARC policy to 'p=none' to stop rejecting legitimate emails. Then, review DMARC reports to identify which sources are failing authentication and correct SPF/DKIM records for those sources. Finally, move to 'quarantine' and then 'reject' policies once confident.

Email marketer from Postmark explains that checking your SPF and DKIM records is crucial. Ensure that all sending sources are included in your SPF record and that DKIM signatures are valid. Use a DMARC record checker to validate your record's syntax.

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests using Validity's Everest platform for monitoring. They recommend changing to `p=none`, monitoring/fixing issues, and then gradually increasing the policy back to `p=quarantine` or `p=reject`.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that after setting DMARC to reject and experiencing deliverability issues, the immediate action should be switching back to p=none. Afterward, examine the DMARC reports carefully to pinpoint which sending sources are not properly authenticated, and ensure these are corrected.

Email marketer from GlockApps recommends utilizing a DMARC monitoring service that provides user-friendly reports. These services process the complex XML data from DMARC reports into actionable insights, making it easier to identify and resolve authentication issues.

Expert from Email Geeks advises against implementing `p=reject` without solid DMARC reporting and weeks/months of report analysis.

Expert from Email Geeks recommends changing the DMARC record to `p=none` to alleviate the immediate issue. They further advise analyzing DMARC reports to improve authentication and then reconsidering `p=reject`.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that one should consider how DMARC p=reject impacts reputation. Because a p=reject can cause widespread failures if authentication isn't perfect, proactively monitoring sending reputation is a must.

Expert from Email Geeks asks why Taya Kenny went with a `p=reject` DMARC policy. She advises immediately changing the policy to `p=none` if authentication wasn't checked beforehand, as the current policy is causing mail to fail by instructing recipients to reject it.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests using aboutmy.email to check mail and diagnose authentication issues. She indicates that unauthenticated mail is likely the root cause, exacerbated by the company's recommendation to implement `p=reject` without prior monitoring.

Documentation from Microsoft Defender for Office 365 documentation explains that mail flow insights can help identify DMARC failures due to misconfigured SPF or DKIM records. The documentation details how to analyze the reports and correct the authentication setup.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that a DMARC policy of 'reject' instructs recipient servers to reject messages that fail DMARC checks, potentially leading to delivery issues if legitimate emails are not properly authenticated. It emphasizes verifying SPF and DKIM records are correctly set up and aligned.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains the importance of monitoring DMARC reports when implementing a 'reject' policy. They recommend starting with a 'none' policy, analyzing the aggregate reports to identify authentication issues, and then gradually moving to 'quarantine' and finally 'reject' after ensuring legitimate mail is properly authenticated.

Documentation from Cloudflare details that a common mistake is setting a 'reject' policy without thoroughly testing and monitoring DMARC reports. Cloudflare emphasizes reviewing the feedback loop reports to pinpoint issues like missing SPF includes or DKIM misconfigurations.