Why are Google Workspace emails not delivering to Proofpoint?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests that Proofpoint may have aggressive filtering rules. He also suggests checking Proofpoint's logs for specific rejection reasons and working with the recipient to whitelist the sending domain or IP address.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that common causes include SPF/DKIM/DMARC misconfiguration, especially if multiple domains are used as aliases. They recommend checking these settings and ensuring proper authentication is in place.
Email marketer from StackOverflow emphasizes the importance of PTR records (reverse DNS) matching the sending IP addresses. Mismatched PTR records can raise red flags with Proofpoint's filtering system.
Email marketer from LinkedIn discusses the importance of IP reputation. If the sending IP address has a poor reputation due to previous spam activity, Proofpoint is more likely to block emails. Monitor IP reputation and take steps to improve it if necessary.
Email marketer from SuperUser mentions Proofpoint may be throttling emails if the sender is sending a large volume of emails in a short period. Adjust sending volume to avoid triggering throttling mechanisms.
Email marketer from Mailflow Expert Blog mentions that if the email content triggers Proofpoint's spam filters, emails might not be delivered. They advise reviewing email content for spam-like keywords, excessive links, or suspicious attachments.
Email marketer from Quora suggests contacting the recipient's IT department and requesting that your domain or IP address be whitelisted in Proofpoint. Whitelisting creates an exception to bypass the Proofpoint's filtering rules.
What the experts say8Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks says that without a rejection message, he agrees with Matt V that it is likely domain/content related.
Expert from Word to the Wise (Blog) shares to check that your authentication is working, and make sure you have set up dmarc correctly.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that lack of SPF alignment for alias domains on GSuite is a common pain point, even without cold leads.
Expert from Word to the Wise (Blog) shares to make sure you've signed up for feedback loops (FBLs) with major mailbox providers, including those that share data with Proofpoint. FBLs provide valuable information about spam complaints, allowing you to quickly remove problematic subscribers from your lists and prevent future delivery issues.
Expert from Email Geeks suspects the client is doing cold outreach using that return path.
Expert from Email Geeks believes the issue is domain/content related.
Expert from Spam Resource (Blog) indicates that Proofpoint heavily relies on sender reputation metrics. Monitoring your domain and IP reputation using tools like SenderScore or Talos is crucial to identify and address any negative reputation issues that might be affecting delivery to Proofpoint recipients.
Expert from Spam Resource (MailingList) suggests that Proofpoint is very sensitive to list hygiene. Even a small percentage of spam traps or invalid addresses can significantly impact delivery rates. Regularly cleaning your mailing lists and removing inactive or problematic addresses can improve deliverability.
What the documentation says6Technical articles
Documentation from DKIM.org provides information on generating DKIM keys and adding them to the DNS records.
Documentation from DMARC.org offers information about DMARC policy setup.
Documentation from Proofpoint Support states that Proofpoint's system analyzes sender reputation based on factors like IP address, domain, and email content. Poor sender reputation can lead to blocked or filtered emails. They recommend monitoring reputation and addressing any issues identified by Proofpoint's system.
Documentation from Google Workspace provides guidelines regarding email sending limits, especially when sending to large groups of receipients.
Documentation from RFC-Editor specifies the correct syntax for SPF records, ensuring all Google Workspace sending IPs are correctly declared.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help shares to ensure that SPF records include all sending sources for your domain, including Google Workspace servers. Also, verify DKIM is properly configured and enabled for your domain to digitally sign outgoing emails.