What is the impact on email deliverability of providing direct PDF download links in emails?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot responds that offering valuable downloadable content can strengthen relationships with subscribers, leading to higher engagement rates and improved email deliverability, as recipients are more likely to mark the sender as safe.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor answers that by providing useful resources that subscribers want, you're ensuring relevance, which improves engagement and ultimately boosts your overall deliverability rates.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum says that monitoring download activity helps identify active subscribers, allowing for removal of unengaged contacts and maintaining a clean mailing list, positively impacting overall deliverability.
Email marketer from Gmass suggests that tracking PDF downloads can improve segmentation, leading to better targeted campaigns and higher engagement rates, indirectly boosting deliverability by ensuring relevant content reaches the right audience.
Email marketer from Reddit warns against the potential security risks of direct downloads, suggesting scanning downloaded files for malware, which could negatively affect deliverability if users associate issues with the sender.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum shares that downloads act as positive engagement signals, telling ISPs that recipients are actively interested in the content, which helps in maintaining a good sender reputation.
Email marketer from Email on Acid shares that providing valuable content through downloads can lead to increased engagement and improved deliverability. However, they stress that the quality and relevance of the content are crucial.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that delivering the content that users expect will keep them engaged and reduce the risk of being marked as spam. Tracking these downloads can help to ensure only engaged users are on the list.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign responds that if recipients find your emails valuable enough to download content, it improves sender reputation and reduces the chances of emails landing in the spam folder.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that offering direct downloads can positively impact deliverability if the recipient engages with the content. This indicates to mailbox providers that the email is valuable and not spam.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Spam Resource explains that positive engagement signals, like downloading a PDF, positively influence sender reputation, which is key for deliverability. High engagement indicates that recipients find the content valuable and are not marking it as spam.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that the value of gating PDFs is low, suggesting that any branding or content should be in the PDF itself. Furthermore, since the download link is tied to the email recipient, there is no need to capture additional information.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that in delivery terms, tracking whether a recipient has downloaded something recently or ever is important for spotting who is and isn't interacting with your mail.
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that while direct downloads can be convenient, the actual impact on deliverability hinges on the quality and relevance of the PDF content. High-quality content drives engagement, which signals to ISPs that the email is valuable, improving deliverability.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that using direct PDF download links improves deliverability because it confirms recipient's interest and engagement, acting as a form of double opt-in and indicating to ISPs that the recipient wants the mail.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from SendGrid highlights that strong engagement (like downloading a PDF) signals to ISPs that recipients want to receive emails, improving sender reputation and deliverability.
Documentation from Spamhaus notes that positive interactions with emails (like downloading a PDF) contribute to a good sender reputation, which is crucial for avoiding blacklists and ensuring messages reach the inbox.
Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools implies that positive user interactions, such as downloading files linked in emails, can decrease spam complaints and improve deliverability rates to Gmail users.
Documentation from Microsoft details how user engagement, such as downloading content, contributes positively to a sender's reputation, which is a critical factor in determining email deliverability to Outlook and Hotmail users.