What steps can I take to troubleshoot and resolve exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM?

Summary

Troubleshooting low email open rates during BFCM requires a comprehensive approach focusing on deliverability, sender reputation, list hygiene, and content optimization. Start by investigating if emails are reaching inboxes, checking spam folder placement, and analyzing open rates by receiving domain, particularly for ISPs like Hotmail. Implement inbox placement testing and pre-send testing to identify deliverability issues like broken links or spam triggers. Warm up your IP address and ensure proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation, which should be actively monitored using tools like Google Postmaster Tools and Sender Score. Regularly clean your email list to remove invalid addresses and inactive subscribers, and segment your audience for more targeted campaigns. Optimize subject lines for urgency and personalization and offer exclusive deals. Throttling sending volume, especially during BFCM, and monitoring for blacklisting are crucial. Finally, re-engage inactive subscribers with special offers and create dedicated landing pages.

Key findings

  • Deliverability Diagnostics: Checking for spam folder placement, analyzing open rates by domain, and inbox placement testing are critical first steps.
  • Email Authentication: Properly implementing and verifying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC improves deliverability by authenticating your emails.
  • Sender Reputation Impact: Maintaining a positive sender reputation, monitored through tools like Google Postmaster Tools, is essential for avoiding spam filters.
  • List Hygiene Importance: Regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid addresses and inactive subscribers improves deliverability and engagement.
  • Segmentation and Personalization: Segmenting your audience and personalizing email content increases relevance and engagement, boosting open rates.

Key considerations

  • ISP-Specific Deliverability: Pay close attention to deliverability issues with specific ISPs, as this might indicate targeted spam filtering.
  • Volume Management: Carefully throttle sending volume increases during BFCM to prevent being flagged as a spammer, even with a good reputation.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check email blacklists and take steps to get delisted if your IP address or domain is listed.
  • Proactive Testing: Utilize pre-send testing tools to identify and resolve potential issues before sending emails.
  • Re-Engagement Strategies: Develop strategies to re-engage inactive subscribers, such as special offers or personalized content.

What email marketers say
12Marketer opinions

During BFCM, exceptionally low email open rates can stem from various factors, including deliverability issues and increased competition in recipients' inboxes. Troubleshooting and resolving these issues involves a multi-faceted approach. Key strategies include segmenting your audience for targeted campaigns, cleaning email lists to remove inactive subscribers and spam traps, optimizing subject lines for urgency and relevance, and verifying email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve sender reputation. Monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, throttling sending volume to avoid spam flags, and using pre-send testing tools to identify potential issues (broken links, spam triggers) are also crucial. Checking email blacklists and re-engaging inactive subscribers with special offers are additional tactics.

Key opinions

  • Segmentation: Segmenting audiences allows for more targeted and relevant campaigns, increasing engagement during the high-volume BFCM period.
  • List Hygiene: Cleaning email lists by removing inactive subscribers, invalid addresses, and spam traps is essential for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Authentication: Properly configuring email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for verifying sender identity and preventing emails from being marked as spam.
  • Sender Reputation: Monitoring sender reputation through tools like Google Postmaster Tools is crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues proactively.
  • Pre-Send Testing: Using pre-send testing tools helps identify potential issues like broken links and spam trigger words before sending emails.

Key considerations

  • Volume Throttling: Gradually increase sending volume, especially to new lists or during peak seasons, to avoid being flagged as a spammer.
  • Blacklist Monitoring: Regularly check email blacklists to ensure your IP address or domain is not listed, and take steps to get delisted if necessary.
  • Re-Engagement: Implement re-engagement campaigns with special offers to reactivate inactive subscribers.
  • Subject Line Optimization: Craft compelling subject lines that create a sense of urgency and relevance to stand out in crowded inboxes during BFCM.
  • Inbox Placement Testing: Use inbox placement testing tools to see where your emails land (inbox, spam, promotions tab) and identify deliverability problems across different email providers.
Marketer view

Email marketer from HubSpot Blog recommends re-engaging inactive subscribers with special offers, sending reminder emails close to the end of BFCM, and creating a dedicated landing page for email campaigns.

June 2024 - HubSpot Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus Blog advises using pre-send testing tools to identify potential deliverability issues, such as broken links, rendering problems, and spam trigger words, before sending emails during BFCM.

September 2021 - Litmus Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailchimp Blog advises segmenting your audience to send more targeted campaigns, cleaning your email list to remove inactive subscribers, and optimizing subject lines to increase open rates during busy periods like BFCM. They also recommend testing different send times.

September 2023 - Mailchimp Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor Blog explains that using segmentation to send relevant content to specific groups of subscribers can significantly improve engagement rates, especially during high-volume periods like BFCM.

September 2021 - Campaign Monitor Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign Blog suggests warming up your IP address, monitoring your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools, and authenticating your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to maintain deliverability during high-volume sending times.

June 2023 - ActiveCampaign Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog highlights the importance of creating a sense of urgency in email subject lines, personalizing email content, and offering exclusive deals for subscribers to stand out during BFCM.

February 2023 - Sendinblue Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps Blog recommends using inbox placement testing tools to check where your emails land (inbox, spam, promotions tab) across different email providers and identify potential deliverability issues before sending to your entire list.

November 2023 - GlockApps Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that throttling your sending volume, especially when sending to new lists or during peak seasons, helps to avoid being flagged as a spammer. Gradually increase the volume over time to establish a good sending reputation.

May 2023 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from ZeroBounce Blog suggests regularly cleaning your email list to remove invalid, inactive, or spam trap addresses to improve your sender reputation and overall deliverability.

July 2022 - ZeroBounce Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email on Acid Blog recommends verifying that your email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) are set up correctly and are not causing any deliverability issues. They also suggest monitoring DMARC reports to identify potential spoofing attempts.

July 2022 - Email on Acid Blog
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit suggests checking email blacklists, such as Spamhaus or Barracuda, to see if your IP address or domain is listed, and taking steps to get delisted if necessary.

October 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests looking at a breakdown of open rates by receiving domains to isolate the cause of low open rates.

July 2022 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

When facing exceptionally low email open rates during BFCM, it's crucial to investigate deliverability and list health. Checking if emails are landing in spam folders, particularly with specific ISPs like Hotmail, helps pinpoint issues. Employing inbox testing is essential. Careful volume throttling during peak periods, even with a good reputation, is necessary to prevent spam filter triggers. Proactive monitoring of sender reputation using tools is key to detecting deliverability problems early. Maintaining excellent list hygiene by removing bounced addresses, unsubscribes, and unengaged users is vital for a healthy sending reputation and improved open rates.

Key opinions

  • Deliverability Checks: Verifying email delivery, identifying spam placement (especially on specific ISPs), and implementing inbox testing are crucial steps.
  • Volume Throttling: Careful volume management during BFCM is essential to avoid triggering spam filters, even with a strong sender reputation.
  • Reputation Monitoring: Actively monitoring sender reputation metrics facilitates early detection and mitigation of deliverability issues.
  • List Hygiene Impact: Poor list hygiene significantly reduces deliverability and open rates; regular maintenance is vital.

Key considerations

  • ISP-Specific Issues: Pay close attention to deliverability problems with specific ISPs (e.g., Hotmail) as they might indicate targeted spam filtering.
  • Inbox Testing: Implement inbox testing to assess how emails are classified by different providers.
  • Proactive Monitoring: Continuously monitor sender reputation even when sending volume is stable.
  • Regular List Cleaning: Establish a routine for removing inactive or problematic email addresses from your list.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that if low open rates are mainly around Hotmail, it's likely the emails went to spam and asks if inboxing testing is in place.

November 2021 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests checking if the emails were delivered, went to the spam folder, and identifying if a specific ISP had a particularly low open rate.

June 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that poor list hygiene significantly impacts deliverability and open rates. Regularly removing bounced addresses, unsubscribes, and unengaged users is crucial for maintaining a healthy sending reputation. Low open rates are a symptom of the overall health of the list.

April 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource advises carefully throttling email volume increases during BFCM, even with good sender reputation. Sudden large spikes can trigger spam filters regardless of past performance.

November 2022 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource highlights the importance of monitoring sender reputation with tools such as Sender Score and Return Path. Keeping a close eye on these metrics allows for early detection of deliverability issues. These problems will then impact open rates.

July 2023 - Spam Resource

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Troubleshooting low email open rates, especially during BFCM, requires a focus on email authentication and sender reputation. Monitoring domain reputation and spam rates via tools like Google Postmaster Tools helps identify deliverability issues signified by sudden drops or spikes. Implementing DKIM verifies sender identity, reducing the chance of emails being marked as spam. Understanding that sender reputation is a score ISPs assign based on sending behavior is key, as low scores result in spam filtering. DMARC is crucial for preventing email spoofing by allowing domain owners to dictate how receivers handle emails failing SPF and DKIM.

Key findings

  • Domain Reputation Monitoring: Google Postmaster Tools provides insights into deliverability issues via domain reputation and spam rate monitoring.
  • DKIM Implementation: Implementing DKIM helps verify sender identity, improving email deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation Impact: A low sender reputation score assigned by ISPs leads to emails being filtered as spam.
  • DMARC Prevention: DMARC prevents email spoofing by enabling domain owners to specify email handling for authentication failures.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Monitoring: Regularly monitor Google Postmaster Tools for any changes in domain reputation or spam rates.
  • Proper Authentication: Ensure DKIM is correctly implemented to authenticate your emails.
  • Reputation Management: Focus on improving your sender reputation to avoid being filtered as spam.
  • Spoofing Prevention: Implement DMARC to protect your domain from email spoofing attempts.
Technical article

Documentation from RFC explains that implementing DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) helps verify the sender's identity, which can improve email deliverability by reducing the chances of emails being marked as spam.

September 2023 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from Validity explains that your sender reputation is a score that ISPs assign to your sending IP address and domain based on your sending behavior. A low sender reputation can lead to emails being filtered as spam.

April 2023 - Validity
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org specifies that DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) helps prevent email spoofing by enabling domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks.

June 2024 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Google Postmaster Tools explains that monitoring your domain reputation and spam rate within Postmaster Tools can provide insights into deliverability issues. Sudden drops in reputation or spikes in spam complaints may indicate problems that need to be addressed.

January 2023 - Google