Why are emails being blocked by Yahoo/AOL in February 2022?

Marketer from Email Geeks saw the Yahoo/AOL inboxing issues, with the 25th being slightly better but then cropping back up.

Email marketer from Validity Blog discusses the importance of maintaining a clean email list by removing inactive subscribers and bounces. They highlight that a high bounce rate can negatively impact sender reputation and deliverability.

Marketer from Email Geeks confirms also seeing 421/TSS04 errors.

Email marketer from MailPoet Blog shares that deliverability issues at Yahoo and AOL could stem from various factors, including IP reputation, email content, authentication, and spam complaints. They recommend checking sender reputation, ensuring proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and reviewing email content for spam triggers.

Email marketer from Litmus Blog emphasizes the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to improve deliverability rates. They explain how authentication helps ISPs verify that emails are legitimate and not spam.

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog emphasizes the importance of email list segmentation and personalizing emails to improve deliverability rates. Sending relevant and engaging content to specific recipient groups lowers spam scores and increases positive engagement.

Marketer from Email Geeks reports experiencing 421 errors with Yahoo/AOL inboxing.

Email marketer from GlockApps Blog advises warming up new IPs gradually to establish a positive sending reputation with ISPs like Yahoo and AOL. They recommend starting with small volumes and gradually increasing over time, monitoring deliverability rates and engagement metrics.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester recommends checking if your sending IP or domain is on any blocklists, as this can significantly impact deliverability to major providers like Yahoo and AOL. They advise using tools to monitor blocklist status and taking steps to get removed if listed.

Marketer from Email Geeks notes that shared IPs are not being hit, just open rates, and most dedicated IPs are getting blocked.

Marketer from Email Geeks asks if the Yahoo inboxing issues are related to Yahoo filters reacting to potential malicious activity related to the war in Ukraine, and asks if others are seeing it system-wide or with specific senders and if there is any difference between the 24th and 25th.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow explains that temporary rejection can be due to greylisting, temporary server issues, or exceeding rate limits. They suggest implementing retry logic in your sending infrastructure to handle these temporary failures.

Marketer from Email Geeks says the deferrals are system-wide, started on the 24th, and have been relentless with no specific reason for the sudden change.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that deliverability issues could arise from poor sender reputation, lack of authentication, high spam complaint rates, or sudden changes in sending volume. They suggest gradually increasing sending volume, monitoring feedback loops, and ensuring proper list hygiene.

Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) discusses the importance of permission and list hygiene for email marketing, especially with AOL. She emphasizes that if you lack explicit permission to send emails, your messages will likely be treated as spam, leading to blocking. Regular cleaning of your email list is therefore a vital part of your email strategy.

Expert from SpamResource explains that email blocking can occur due to factors like poor sender reputation, spam complaints, lack of authentication, or being listed on blocklists. They suggest monitoring sender reputation, authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and actively managing spam complaints to improve deliverability.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that implementing DMARC helps protect your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks, which can improve deliverability. They detail the steps involved in creating and publishing a DMARC record and monitoring its impact.

Documentation from SocketLabs.com explains that AOL and Yahoo Mail blocking emails due to DMARC policy issues.

Documentation from Yahoo Help emphasizes the importance of following bulk sending best practices, including authenticating emails (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), managing lists responsibly (opt-in, unsubscribe options), and monitoring reputation. They state that failure to comply can lead to blocking or filtering.

Documentation from RFC 5248 explains that 421 status codes indicate a temporary failure. These can arise from various issues like server overload, temporary unavailability, or exceeding connection limits. Retrying later is often advised.

Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DKIM Key rotation can have issues if not handled well. In general ensure there is overlap between both old and new keys before rotating them