What could cause a sudden drop in email open rates on Flodesk?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot suggests that reasons for decreased open rates include sending emails too frequently, sending to an unengaged list, and using a deceptive subject line. They recommend segmenting your email list, cleaning your email list, and optimizing your subject lines.
Email marketer from Gmass shares that your email is likely landing in the promotions tab. Change your email to be more focused on one person instead of many.
Email marketer from Email Geeks recommends seed tests as an early warning system for delivery issues and for forensics on any config changes.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares an experience where an ESP changed the shared IP pool, leading to deliverability issues. Suggests checking if the sender has been moved to a different IP family.
Email marketer from Litmus states that spam filters, blocklists, authentication issues, bounce rates, and engagement rates will all affect deliverability. It is important to monitor and be aware of all.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that engagement can decrease from the following problems. You aren't sending relevant content. You aren't sending to the right people. You're not sending at the right time.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailExpert123 shares that a sudden drop could be due to changes in spam filter algorithms. Check your sender reputation and ensure your emails aren't triggering spam filters. Also, review the content for any spam trigger words.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests using seed lists to check raw messages and identify any changes in sending IPs.
Email marketer from Quora, Jane Doe, highlights that open rates can plummet if your list has become stale. People change email addresses or lose interest. Regular list cleaning and re-engagement campaigns are crucial.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains if your email is not loading, or loading very slowly, it's likely because you have a large image in your email, or you're linking to an image hosted on a slow server. Images that are either too large in file size or pixel dimension can have a major impact on rendering.
Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that a sudden drop in email open rates can be attributed to a variety of factors including changes in audience demographics, shifts in email client algorithms, and alterations in the sender's email practices. These factors collectively impact email visibility and engagement, leading to noticeable fluctuations in open rates.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that high spam complaint rates reported through feedback loops directly impact sender reputation and can drastically reduce deliverability, leading to lower open rates.
Expert from Word to the Wise discusses new IP addresses. When transitioning to a new IP address, engagement rates of the new IP will be low until the receiving end recognizes it as a legitimate sender.
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that when looking at content, examine hostnames and links rather than prose.
Expert from Email Geeks advises looking at analytics provided by the platform, such as clicks and bounces, to diagnose deliverability issues.
Expert from Email Geeks responds to a question about deliverability issues with Flodesk, suggesting to first examine content and technical issues before blaming sender reputation. Mentions checking metrics across all ISPs.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that a sudden decrease in open rates can be caused by subscribers becoming inactive or losing interest. Changes in their online behavior, such as switching email addresses or no longer engaging with marketing content, can lead to lower open rates.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list bombing can happen, where a bot signs up hundreds or thousands of email addresses on a list. When the confirmation email and subsequent emails are sent, the server has an immediate and precipitous drop in the engagement ratios. Because mailbox providers use engagement as a significant measure of whether to deliver email to the inbox or the spam folder, this tactic significantly affects deliverability.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from Mailchimp mentions that reasons for low engagement include using purchased lists, not having permission to send, sending irrelevant content, and sending too frequently.
Documentation from Google explains using an authentication method such as SPF, DKIM, or DMARC will help protect your messages from being marked as spam.
Documentation from MessageBird states that a sudden drop in email open rates can stem from various deliverability issues, such as blacklisting, spam filtering, or authentication problems (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Monitoring sender reputation and addressing any authentication errors are essential steps to rectify the situation.
Documentation from Microsoft shares that when too many users block a sender, email providers and spam filters learn to see the sender as untrustworthy and filter their messages automatically.
Documentation from SendGrid details that key components to look at in email deliverability include Authentication, Reputation, Content, and Infrastructure. Any of these aspects may impact deliverability.