Why are my emails going to the spam folder in Hotmail / Microsoft even with good click to open rates?

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that even with good engagement, Hotmail/Outlook may filter emails to spam due to factors like sender reputation, content triggers, or authentication issues. They suggest checking sender score, reviewing email content for spam triggers, and ensuring proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up.

Email marketer from Email Geeks Forum suggests that even with good average open rates, a portion of unengaged users can hurt your reputation with Microsoft. Implement a sunset policy to remove or re-engage inactive subscribers.

Email marketer from GlockApps Blog explains that Hotmail's spam filtering can be affected by low engagement from a segment of your audience. Even with good overall open rates, if some users consistently ignore or mark your emails as spam, it can negatively impact deliverability. Suggests segmenting and suppressing unengaged subscribers.

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog shares that Microsoft uses complex algorithms to filter spam, focusing on factors beyond open rates. They say that content, sending frequency, and overall sender reputation play significant roles. They advise warming up IP addresses, segmenting lists, and avoiding spam trigger words.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that if you're suddenly seeing deliverability issues, particularly with a specific provider like Hotmail/Outlook, check to see if your IP address or domain has been blocklisted. Use tools to check your status on various RBLs (Real-time Blackhole Lists).

Email marketer from StackExchange explains that although you may have good click-through rates, the actual content of your email can be a trigger for spam filters such as using excessive links, spam trigger words or poor HTML structure.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests several reasons for Microsoft delivery issues including potential reputation problems with Spokeo's website and aggressive mailing to Office365 tenants. Also states that Microsoft saying “Don’t see any issues” is Microsoft speak for “your mail is being correctly filtered as spam”.

Expert from Email Geeks suggests that the drop in opens at Hotmail could be due to spam foldering. The click-to-open rate is consistent, which suggests a fraction of the mail is going to the spam folder.

Expert from Spamresource explains that Hotmail (Outlook) places significant emphasis on user engagement. Even if you have good open rates overall, a low engagement rate from a portion of your recipients can trigger spam filtering. It is important to proactively manage your list to remove unengaged users.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that maintaining a clean email list is crucial for avoiding spam filters. Sending emails to old or uninterested email addresses can damage your reputation and result in emails ending up in the spam folder.

Documentation from RFC-Editor provides information on implementing SPF, DKIM and DMARC. These are technical standards that improve the chances of avoiding spam folders and improving email authentication. Poor configuration of these will mean your emails are likely to go to the junk folder.

Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster explains that Outlook.com uses filtering technologies to identify and separate unwanted email. Even if emails seem legitimate, there are a number of reasons emails may still be filtered, like sender reputation or unusual sending patterns. It advises senders to use the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) and Sender Information Data Access (SIDA) to monitor their sending IP.

Documentation from Google explains that IP reputation is important as well as how often users mark messages from you as spam, can affect delivery. Even with good open rates it can affect delivery. Ensure authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are setup correctly to avoid spam folders.