What should I do if Gmail blocks my email after using a purchased list?

Summary

After Gmail blocks your email due to using a purchased list, the overwhelming consensus is to immediately cease sending to that list. Purchased lists are inherently problematic, filled with spam traps, invalid addresses, and non-consenting recipients, severely damaging sender reputation. The primary steps involve cleaning your existing list to remove unengaged contacts, authenticating your email with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and initiating a slow IP warm-up process with engaged subscribers. Monitor and address any blacklist appearances and prioritize building an organic, opt-in list. Some recommend 'resting resources' (stopping sending entirely for a period) and, cautiously, opening a ticket with Google Postmasters. Long-term success hinges on data quality, ethical sending practices, and consistently providing easy unsubscribe options.

Key findings

  • Stop Sending Immediately: Discontinue emailing the purchased list to prevent further reputation damage and potential blacklisting.
  • Clean Existing List: Remove unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses to improve engagement metrics and sender reputation.
  • Implement Authentication: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to authenticate your email and verify your sending domain.
  • Warm-Up IP Address: Gradually increase sending volume, starting with engaged subscribers, to rebuild your IP reputation.
  • Monitor Blacklists and Spam Traps: Regularly check for blacklist appearances and take steps to avoid spam traps by focusing on data quality and opt-in practices.
  • Build Organic List: Focus on acquiring subscribers through legitimate, opt-in methods rather than purchasing lists.
  • Rest resources: Consider resting your email sending completely for a short period

Key considerations

  • Reputation Recovery: Rebuilding sender reputation is a lengthy process, potentially taking months, requiring consistent effort and adherence to best practices.
  • Ethical Sending Practices: Prioritize ethical email marketing practices, respecting subscriber preferences and providing easy unsubscribe options.
  • Data Quality: Focus on maintaining a high-quality, engaged email list by continuously cleaning and validating addresses.
  • Compliance: Adhere to email marketing regulations and policies to avoid legal issues and maintain good standing with ESPs.
  • Monitor Deliverability: Continuously monitor email deliverability metrics and adapt your strategy based on performance to identify and address potential issues proactively.

What email marketers say
11Marketer opinions

After using a purchased email list and getting blocked by Gmail, the immediate consensus is to stop sending emails to that list entirely. Focus should then shift to cleaning your existing list by removing unengaged subscribers and invalid email addresses. It is crucial to authenticate your email sending practices using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to establish credibility with email providers. A slow and steady warm-up process, starting with highly engaged subscribers, is essential to rebuild your sender reputation. Monitoring blacklists, checking for spam traps, and setting up feedback loops with ESPs are also important steps. Some experts recommend opening a ticket with Google Postmasters and refraining from sending to Gmail or Google Workspaces for a period of time. Some recommend changing IP or using a new IP.

Key opinions

  • Stop Sending: Immediately cease sending emails to the purchased list to prevent further damage to your sender reputation.
  • List Cleaning: Remove unengaged subscribers and invalid email addresses from your existing email list to improve engagement metrics.
  • Authentication: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication protocols to verify your sender identity with email providers.
  • IP Warm-up: Slowly warm up your IP address by sending emails to highly engaged subscribers first and gradually increasing volume.
  • Monitor Blacklists: Regularly check if your IP address or domain is blacklisted and take steps to get removed if necessary.
  • Engage Audiences: Only engage with audiences on organic lists and don't email to purchased lists.

Key considerations

  • Patience: Rebuilding sender reputation is a time-consuming process that can take several months.
  • Engagement Focus: Prioritize sending emails to subscribers who are actively engaged with your content.
  • Feedback Loops: Set up feedback loops with ESPs like Gmail and Yahoo to monitor spam complaints and other deliverability issues.
  • Spam Traps: Implement strategies to avoid sending emails to spam traps, such as using double opt-in and regularly cleaning your list.
  • Domain Reputation: Monitor and maintain your domain reputation, as it significantly impacts email deliverability.
  • Opening a ticket: Consider opening a ticket with Google Postmasters to explain the situation and demonstrate your commitment to improving email practices. Some also don't agree to this strategy.
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog recommends regularly cleaning your email list to remove unengaged subscribers and invalid addresses. This helps improve your sender reputation and deliverability. They advise using tools to identify and remove these problematic addresses and implementing a sunset policy to automatically remove inactive subscribers.

December 2022 - ActiveCampaign Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from StackOverflow states to completely stop emailing purchased addresses! Email service providers (ESPs) are very good at detecting this, and they will blacklist you in a hurry. You'll need to take some serious action to attempt to clean it up

March 2024 - StackOverflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Gmass advises segmenting your email lists into highly engaged and unengaged subscribers. Focus on sending to the engaged segment first to improve your sender reputation, and remove unengaged subscribers. He also recommends setting up feedback loops to get feedback from ESPs, such as Gmail and Yahoo, about complaints.

January 2022 - Gmass
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid states that one of the first things to address is email authentication. If you haven’t set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain, now’s the time. ISPs use these records to verify that you are who you say you are, so having them in place is vital for improving sender reputation.

January 2023 - Email on Acid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks advises against swapping IP or domain. They recommend opening a ticket with Google Postmasters, stopping sending to Gmail and Google Workspaces for at least 7 days, then slowly warming up Gmail from scratch with the most engaged subscribers. They state it will probably take 6 to 9 months to get back to all green with Gmail.

March 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks advises checking for spam traps and blacklisting at SPAMHAUS. They agree with previous advice to not change IP or sending domain, immediately stop sending to Gmail, remove the purchased list, and refrain from sending to Gmail for 15-30 days. They recommend a very slow rewarming process, starting with low volumes and gradually increasing.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit states that the best course of action is to stop sending to the purchased list immediately. They state damage is done, so create a new IP, authenticate that properly then email warm it up slowly. After this email only engage audiences.

July 2023 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sender Blog advises to first identify the problem, which in this case is using a purchased list. Stop sending immediately, clean your list by removing unengaged and invalid addresses, authenticate your email, and request to be removed from any blacklists. Then, slowly warm up your IP address by sending to highly engaged subscribers first.

October 2022 - Sender Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog advises against using purchased lists and suggests focusing on building an organic list. If you've already used a purchased list and are experiencing deliverability issues, they recommend cleaning your list by removing unengaged subscribers, setting up authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and warming up your IP address.

February 2023 - Mailjet Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that while you can't typically identify spam trap email addresses directly, tools like 250ok/Everest report on the number and types of spam traps hit. This information can help discuss data acquisition and validation methods with the sender. They stress focusing on data quality because spam traps are ever-changing.

August 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Web Hosting Talk forum details a quick guide for how to resolve an issue around IP/Domain Reputation. Some of their tips include getting off blacklists, using tools to analyse, and check your DNS is working. They also mention to make sure the emails you are sending are opt-in emails.

December 2024 - Web Hosting Talk

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Experts strongly advise against using purchased email lists due to the high risk of deliverability issues, spam traps, and damage to sender reputation. If blocked by Gmail, a primary recommendation is to cease sending emails for a period to allow the block to lift. Rebuilding reputation after list bombing is a long and challenging process. Building an organic, opt-in email list is the recommended alternative.

Key opinions

  • Avoid Purchased Lists: Purchased lists are a significant risk to sender reputation and should not be used.
  • Rest Resources: Stopping sending emails for a period ('resting resources') may help lift a block.
  • Organic Growth: Focus on building an organic email list of engaged subscribers who have opted-in.
  • Deliverability Impact: List bombing, often resulting from purchased lists, severely damages deliverability and is difficult to recover from.

Key considerations

  • Ethical Concerns: Sending unsolicited emails to non-opted-in recipients is unethical.
  • Legal Implications: Sending unsolicited emails can have legal consequences.
  • Long-Term Strategy: Building a healthy sender reputation is a long-term strategy that requires consistent effort and adherence to best practices.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that list bombing will ruin your deliverability and is difficult to recover from. They state you will be blocked and it will take a long time to recover your reputation. They also highly discourage the use of purchased lists and recommend building your list organically.

February 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource warns against using purchased lists. They state these lists often contain spam traps and invalid email addresses, which will damage your sender reputation. They also state that sending to people who haven't opted in is unethical and can lead to legal issues.

November 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks quotes a Google postmaster, advising to "rest your resources," meaning to stop sending for a while so the block will fall off.

September 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Using purchased email lists violates email sending best practices and policies, leading to deliverability issues. Documentation emphasizes sending wanted mail with easy unsubscribe options and obtaining subscribers organically. Sender reputation hinges on engagement, bounce rates, and spam complaints, all negatively impacted by purchased lists. Implementing authentication protocols like DKIM and DMARC is crucial for verifying sender identity and message integrity, helping to prevent spoofing and phishing.

Key findings

  • No Purchased Lists: Buying email lists violates policies and damages deliverability.
  • Organic Subscribers: Acquire subscribers organically to ensure engagement and consent.
  • Easy Opt-Out: Provide simple unsubscribe options to reduce spam complaints.
  • Authentication: Implement DKIM and DMARC for sender verification and message integrity.
  • Double Opt In: Ensure that you use double opt-in so new subscribers confirm their interest.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Maintain a positive sender reputation through good sending practices.
  • Compliance: Adhere to email sending policies and regulations.
  • Security: Protect against email spoofing and phishing through authentication.
Technical article

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help emphasizes the importance of sending wanted mail. They recommend only sending to users who want to hear from you and providing easy unsubscription options. They also state that buying email lists is against their policies and can result in deliverability issues.

October 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC details the DKIM authentication framework. DKIM allows an organization to take responsibility for a message by associating a domain name with it, providing a means to verify the sender's identity and the message's integrity. Implementing DKIM helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attempts.

February 2022 - RFC Editor
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost highlights that sender reputation is based on various factors, including spam complaints, bounce rates, and engagement. Using purchased lists typically leads to poor reputation due to low engagement and high complaint rates. They recommend focusing on acquiring subscribers organically and maintaining a clean list.

July 2023 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft states to ensure to use a double opt-in, so new subscribers confirm their interest in receiving emails, it helps reduce spam complaints. Also Microsoft highlights that it is essential to provide clear and easy opt-out options in every email. When recipients can easily unsubscribe, they are less likely to mark your emails as spam.

December 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org explains DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) which uses SPF and DKIM to determine the authenticity of an email message. It allows domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks, providing an additional layer of security against email spoofing and phishing.

November 2024 - DMARC.org