Why are Braze emails showing as delivered but not appearing in the user's inbox?
Summary
What email marketers say13Marketer opinions
Email marketer from HubSpot shares that improving email deliverability involves: building a clean email list, using a familiar sender name, segmenting your audience, setting expectations upfront, and providing value with your content. Monitoring your email performance and adjusting your strategy is key.
Email marketer from Litmus shares that to improve email deliverability rates, marketers need to: authenticate their emails, segment their lists, clean their email lists regularly, monitor their sender reputation, and provide value to their subscribers. Engagement is a key factor in determining deliverability.
Email marketer from ActiveCampaign shares that effective strategies for email deliverability include: using a dedicated IP address, authenticating your domain, segmenting your audience, and engaging with your subscribers. Building trust with mailbox providers is crucial for getting emails delivered.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the email might be getting suppressed by the ESP.
Email marketer from EmailGeeks Slack Community explains that a common reason for emails not reaching the inbox despite showing as delivered is aggressive spam filtering. ISPs may accept the email but still filter it into spam or junk folders based on sender reputation, content, or user behavior.
Email marketer from SendPulse shares that common reasons for emails going to spam include: using spam trigger words in the subject line or body, having a poor sender reputation, not authenticating your email, and sending to unengaged recipients. They recommend cleaning your email list regularly and improving sender authentication.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that potential causes include: the email provider filtering to spam, the user having rules set up that automatically move emails, or the email being caught by a corporate firewall/security appliance. They suggest checking spam folders and contacting the recipient to verify their email settings.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that factors affecting email deliverability include: sender reputation, authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), engagement (opens, clicks), and content quality. Low engagement and poor sender reputation can lead to emails being filtered.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests asking Braze what “delivered” means for them and checking for a 250OK response. If a 250OK is received, the user should check filters and spam folders or consult with any other additional anti abuse filter which might have accepted but not deposited the message.
Email marketer from Constant Contact explains that to avoid spam filters, you should: avoid using all caps, refrain from using excessive exclamation points, keep the content relevant, and ensure that the email is mobile-friendly. Provide a clear and easy way for subscribers to unsubscribe.
Marketer from Email Geeks suggests it could be landing in the user's quarantine folder if it’s corporate mail.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that if emails are not appearing in the inbox, reasons include: the recipient's email server has marked emails as spam; the recipient's email server is temporarily unavailable; the sender's IP address is on a blocklist; the domain name is not properly authenticated.
Email marketer from Campaign Monitor explains that maximizing email deliverability entails: authenticating your email, maintaining a clean list, monitoring your sender reputation, and engaging with your subscribers. Testing your emails before sending and optimizing for mobile are also important.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that even when an email is technically 'delivered' (accepted by the receiving server), inbox placement is determined by factors like sender reputation and engagement. Feedback loops help senders identify complaints and improve their practices, positively impacting inbox placement.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that maintaining good list hygiene is essential. Sending to inactive or invalid email addresses hurts sender reputation, leading to filtering even if initial 'delivery' is successful. Regular list cleaning improves deliverability and inbox placement.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is critical for deliverability. Lack of authentication can cause ISPs to filter emails, even if they are technically 'delivered' to the receiving server. Authentication helps establish trust and improve inbox placement.
Expert from Email Geeks explains it could be auto filtering, suppressed due to past complaints, user level blocking, etc. They suggest ensuring the sender is in their address book, is not listed as a blocked account and try sending again.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Google explains that to troubleshoot email delivery issues, check the MX records are correct, the sender IP is not blocked, and that the email content does not trigger spam filters. Review email logs to determine where the email failed to deliver.
Documentation from Braze explains that 'delivered' means the message was accepted by the receiving server, not necessarily delivered to the device. Factors like spam filters, network issues, or device settings can prevent final delivery, even after the server accepts the message.
Documentation from SparkPost explains that best practices for email deliverability include: implementing proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warming up your IP address gradually, monitoring your sender reputation, and segmenting your email list. Consistent sending practices and good email hygiene are crucial.
Documentation from AWS explains that bounces and complaints directly impact sender reputation. High bounce or complaint rates can lead to emails being blocked or filtered. They recommend processing bounces and complaints promptly and removing problematic addresses from your sending list.