What email engagement metrics affect inbox delivery and sender reputation?

Summary

Email engagement metrics significantly impact inbox delivery and sender reputation. Mailbox providers (MBPs) analyze user actions to determine if recipients want the mail, applying filters based on engagement. Positive engagement (opens, clicks, forwards, read time) boosts deliverability, while negative engagement (spam complaints, deleting without reading, ignoring emails) harms it. Sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene (removing inactive addresses), content quality (avoiding spam triggers), and consistent sending habits are essential. However, measurement factors vary across ISPs, and engagement recommendations are less relevant for B2B audiences. Feedback loops (FBLs) help manage spam complaints. Maintaining a clean IP, warming IPs gradually, and understanding that there are financial and psychological costs associated with sending to unengaged users are also important.

Key findings

  • Engagement Signals: Positive engagement metrics like opens, clicks, forwards, and read time improve deliverability.
  • Negative Engagement Hurts: Spam complaints, deleting without reading, and ignoring emails negatively impact sender reputation.
  • Authentication is Critical: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are essential for sender authentication and building trust.
  • List Hygiene is Key: Removing inactive or invalid email addresses improves deliverability and reduces costs.
  • Content Matters: Avoiding spam trigger words and creating relevant, engaging content are crucial.
  • ISPs Differ: Different ISPs use varying engagement metrics, so understanding your audience's ISPs is important.
  • B2B is Different: Engagement recommendations are less relevant for B2B audiences due to different filtering methods.
  • FBLs Are Important: Feedback Loops (FBLs) help identify and address spam complaints.

Key considerations

  • Implement Authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate your email.
  • Maintain List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers and invalid addresses.
  • Segment Your List: Segment your audience based on engagement and relevance.
  • Monitor Engagement Metrics: Track opens, clicks, spam complaints, and other metrics to assess deliverability.
  • Warm Up IPs: Gradually warm up new IP addresses to establish a positive sending reputation.
  • Review Postmaster Pages: Consult Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft postmaster pages for recommended best practices.
  • Manage Spam Complaints: Actively monitor and address spam complaints through feedback loops (FBLs).

What email marketers say
9Marketer opinions

Email engagement metrics, such as opens, clicks, and conversions, are crucial indicators of email deliverability and sender reputation. High engagement signifies that recipients find content valuable, while low engagement or spam complaints can lead to deliverability issues. Building a clean email list through double opt-in, segmentation, and regular cleaning of inactive subscribers is essential. Personalization, a reputable email service provider, and consistent sending habits further contribute to a positive sender reputation. Technical aspects like proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), avoiding spam trigger words, and monitoring bounce rates are also key. User interaction, dedicated IP addresses, and warming up IPs gradually are effective strategies. Ultimately, maintaining list quality, relevant content, and positive engagement are critical to avoiding the spam folder and ensuring successful email delivery.

Key opinions

  • Engagement Matters: High email engagement (opens, clicks, conversions) improves deliverability and sender reputation.
  • List Hygiene is Key: Maintaining a clean email list by removing inactive or invalid addresses is crucial.
  • Authentication is Essential: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is necessary to verify sender identity.
  • Content Quality Impacts Delivery: Avoiding spam trigger words and creating relevant content improves inbox placement.
  • Sender Reputation is Significant: Monitoring and managing sender reputation prevents blacklisting and spam filtering.
  • Cost Considerations: Sending to unengaged users carries costs beyond server expenses, including damage to sender reputation and deliverability, as well as list hygiene time.

Key considerations

  • Implement Double Opt-in: Use double opt-in to ensure subscribers genuinely want to receive emails.
  • Segment Your Audience: Segment your audience based on engagement to send more relevant content.
  • Personalize Your Emails: Personalize emails to increase engagement and relevance.
  • Monitor and Address Spam Complaints: Actively monitor and address spam complaints to maintain a positive sender reputation.
  • Warm Up Your IP: Gradually warm up your IP address when starting a new email program.
  • Dedicated IP Benefits: Consider using a dedicated IP address for greater control over your sender reputation.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus explains the quality of your email list, authentication setup, and most importantly, how recipients engage with your emails impact deliverability. Monitor metrics like opens, clicks, and spam complaints. High engagement contributes to a positive reputation, while low engagement or negative actions signal deliverability problems.

July 2023 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that to improve deliverability, focus on building a clean email list by using double opt-in, segmenting your audience based on engagement, and regularly cleaning out inactive subscribers. Personalize your emails, use a reputable email service provider, and monitor your sender reputation to avoid being marked as spam.

July 2021 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Quora shares that to improve email deliverability, focus on creating engaging content that recipients want to read. Use personalization to make your emails more relevant, segment your list based on user behavior, and regularly clean your email list to remove inactive or invalid addresses. User interaction like replies also boosts your sender reputation.

January 2023 - Quora
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot shares that a positive sender reputation is built on consistent sending habits, low bounce rates, and high engagement rates. Ensure your emails are properly authenticated, your content is relevant to your audience, and you’re following best practices for email list management to maintain a good sender score and avoid the spam folder.

July 2021 - HubSpot
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid says factors include authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list quality (opt-in practices), and engagement rates (opens, clicks, conversions). Negative impacts arise from high bounce rates, spam complaints, and blacklisting. Regularly review and adjust your email practices to maintain a healthy sender reputation.

June 2021 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that email engagement metrics like open rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion rates are crucial indicators of deliverability and sender reputation. High engagement signals that recipients find your content valuable, while low engagement or spam complaints can lead to deliverability issues.

February 2025 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that several factors impact email delivery, including using a dedicated IP address, warming up your IP gradually, segmenting your list based on engagement, and avoiding sending unsolicited emails. User engagement, such as opens and clicks, is crucial to maintaining a positive sender reputation.

September 2022 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email Marketer from Email Geeks explains that there are costs associated with sending to unengaged users, such as batch and blast taking focus away from targeted programs, time spent on list hygiene, deliverability concerns, and degradation of list equity. They suggest testing different approaches to see what gets the best ROI and that if you don't feel good about what you're doing your motivation will take some sort of hit, which is also a cost.

January 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum notes that if your emails are going to the spam folder, check your sender reputation, ensure your emails are properly authenticated (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and avoid using spam trigger words in your content. Also, actively monitor your bounce rate and remove invalid email addresses from your list. Also if you get users to add you to their contacts this can help you get into the inbox.

October 2021 - Email Marketing Forum

What the experts say
10Expert opinions

Email engagement metrics significantly influence inbox delivery and sender reputation, with various factors at play. Mailbox providers (MBPs) use complex metrics to determine user engagement and whether recipients want the mail. Positive engagement, such as opens, clicks, and forwards, boosts deliverability, while negative engagement, like deleting without reading or marking as spam, harms it. Different ISPs have different measurement factors, making it crucial to understand the specific ISPs involved. For B2B audiences, engagement metrics are less relevant compared to consumer-focused email programs. Reviewing Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft postmaster pages helps align sending practices with what mailbox providers consider desirable. Feedback loops (FBLs) are essential for identifying and addressing spam complaints promptly. Furthermore, what actions are considered positive or negative by mailbox providers are constantly changing.

Key opinions

  • ISPs Vary: Different ISPs have different factors for measuring email engagement and determining delivery.
  • Engagement Matters: Positive recipient engagement (opens, clicks, forwards) improves deliverability.
  • Negative Engagement Harms: Negative engagement (deleting without reading, spam complaints) hurts sender reputation.
  • B2B is Different: Recipient engagement recommendations are less relevant for B2B audiences.
  • Postmaster Pages Provide Guidance: Mailbox provider (Yahoo, Google, Microsoft) postmaster pages offer insights into desired sending practices.
  • Feedback Loops are Critical: Feedback loops help identify and address spam complaints to maintain sender reputation.
  • Reply Action: A recipient replying to an email has a high impact on increasing the sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • Identify Target ISPs: Understand the specific engagement factors used by the ISPs to which you are sending.
  • Monitor Engagement: Track email engagement metrics to identify and address potential deliverability issues.
  • Address Spam Complaints: Promptly remove users who mark emails as spam from your mailing list.
  • Review Postmaster Guidelines: Regularly consult Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft postmaster pages for best practices.
  • Data Driven Decisions: Removing in-active users from your email lists will help improve sender score, but make sure you base it on the data from your own client's data before applying as a general rule of thumb.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains negative engagement metrics are similar, but it depends on the history of the users behavior and the broader reputation of the mailstream. At its simplest, not reading an email doesn't mean much, but not reading any emails from a mailstream for six months means more. One user being disinterested in your emails doesn’t mean much. If most of the recipients at a mailbox provider ignore them then it’s greymail of little value to anyone.

October 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that recipient engagement is a significant factor; positive engagement (opens, clicks, forwards) helps, while negative engagement (deleting without reading, marking as spam) hurts sender reputation and deliverability.

July 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that any measurable metric may or may not have an impact on delivery decisions. They’re not combined like a simple addition or compared in order. Depending on how your mail is perceived across the entire population of recipients, the behaviour of a particular recipient may affect their individual delivery decisions in different ways. He also mentions that the most common way to get on a safe sender list is to have the recipient reply to you.

July 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests reviewing Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft postmaster pages for language about sending mail users want and what that looks like. This can justify removing users who haven't interacted in a while, maintaining the percentage of active users without impacting revenue.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that recommendations about recipient engagement are much less relevant for B2B audiences. B2B filters don’t work the same way and there’s a TON of mail that comes into a business that isn’t ‘engaged’ with in the classic sense and so the filters measure engagement differently. If you’re sending to consumers, you want to send to folks who are engaged with your brand - even if they may not be measurably engaged with your email.

December 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that MBPs determine engagement with a complex set of metrics designed to identify mail that their recipients want.

October 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that different ISPs have different factors involved in their measurements, so it depends on which ISPs you're talking about. They can track things that happen in the web interface or on gmail managed mobile clients but can't track private mail client activity. Also believes reply is important, as addresses are automatically added to the address book, acting as a safe sender list. Safe sender lists are less effective due to spammers faking emails from folks on the same mailing list.

August 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that feedback loops (FBLs) are essential for identifying and addressing spam complaints. Monitoring FBLs and promptly removing complainers from your list helps maintain a good sender reputation and improve deliverability.

March 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks states consumer mailbox providers want to deliver mail that users want, using user actions to determine what 'wanted' means. They apply filters globally when they don't have good individual measurements, and act on individual knowledge when they do. The big questions are: can they measure X? Do they measure X? Does X give them insight into whether mail is wanted or unwanted by the recipient? Can X be extrapolated from individual user behavior to more global delivery decisions?

February 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares insights from a client who found that after 180 days from the last measurable activity (open or click), there was basically no further activity ever from that user. They were able to determine exactly how much revenue is lost by removing folks from sends after 180 days of non-activity, however, generally 180 days is too short, this is what the data says is appropriate for them.

September 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Email deliverability and sender reputation are significantly influenced by various factors, primarily centered around sender authentication, list hygiene, content quality, and recipient engagement. Sending authenticated mail, maintaining a clean sending IP, and avoiding unwanted mail are crucial. Positive engagement signals, such as opens, clicks, forwards, and read time, demonstrate that users want your emails, while negative signals like spam complaints, deleting without reading, ignoring emails, and unsubscribes negatively impact sender reputation. Consistent sending volume and a low spam rate are essential for maintaining good standing. It's vital to prune unengaged subscribers and avoid spam traps to optimize deliverability.

Key findings

  • Authentication is Key: Sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for establishing trust.
  • List Hygiene Matters: Maintaining a clean and engaged email list improves deliverability.
  • Engagement Signals: Opens, clicks, forwards, and read time positively impact sender reputation.
  • Negative Signals Hurt: Spam complaints, deleting without reading, and ignoring emails negatively affect deliverability.
  • Consistency Helps: Consistent sending volume contributes to a positive sender reputation.
  • Spam Rate Crucial: Maintaining a low spam rate is essential for avoiding deliverability issues.

Key considerations

  • Implement Authentication: Ensure proper sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is configured.
  • Prune Unengaged Subscribers: Regularly remove unengaged subscribers to improve list quality.
  • Avoid Spam Traps: Implement strategies to avoid sending emails to spam traps.
  • Monitor Engagement Metrics: Track engagement metrics to identify and address potential issues.
  • Maintain Clean IP: Ensure a clean sending IP by following best practices and addressing negative feedback.
Technical article

Documentation from Validity details that recipient engagement data is a critical factor in deliverability. Opens, clicks, forwards, and even read time signal to mailbox providers that users want your emails. Conversely, deleting without reading, marking as spam, or ignoring your messages negatively impacts your sender reputation.

October 2021 - Validity
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that several factors influence sender reputation, including sending authenticated mail, avoiding sending unwanted mail, maintaining a low spam rate, and keeping your sending IP in good standing. High spam rates and sending to invalid user accounts negatively impact sender reputation and delivery rates.

November 2024 - Google
Technical article

Documentation from Mailjet explains that key factors impacting deliverability include sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), list hygiene (removing inactive or invalid addresses), content quality (avoiding spam trigger words), and consistent sending volume. Engagement metrics like opens and clicks signal positive sender reputation, while spam complaints and unsubscribes negatively affect it.

May 2023 - Mailjet
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost shares that engagement signals like opens, clicks, and adding to address books positively influence deliverability. Conversely, spam complaints, deleting without reading, and ignoring emails negatively impact sender reputation. Deliverability optimization includes sending relevant content and regularly pruning unengaged subscribers.

April 2021 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft shares that maintaining a clean sending IP is crucial. It's essential to avoid spam traps, keep complaint rates low, and authenticate your email. Consistent sending volume and positive recipient engagement contribute to a positive sender reputation, whereas sudden spikes in volume or high bounce rates can harm it.

April 2024 - Microsoft