Why are my IPs listed on Proofpoint and how to resolve it?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Marketing Tips Blog shares maintaining a clean and engaged email list is essential. Regularly remove inactive subscribers and those who haven't engaged in a while to reduce the risk of spam complaints and improve your sending reputation, which can help avoid IP listings.
Email marketer from Reddit advises ensuring your PTR records (reverse DNS) are correctly configured and match your sending domain. This helps establish trust with email providers and reduces the likelihood of IP listings.
Email marketer from TechTarget explains sender reputation is a critical factor in email deliverability. Monitor your IP and domain reputation using tools like SenderScore and Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address any issues that might lead to IP listings.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Forum explains if you're on a shared IP, another user's poor sending practices can affect your reputation. Consider switching to a dedicated IP address if you have high sending volume and a good sending reputation.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum explains that to delist IPs, check Proofpoint's reputation lookup tool for information, clean up your email lists, implement feedback loops, authenticate your email, monitor your sending reputation, and then contact Proofpoint's postmaster team with evidence of your remediation efforts.
Email marketer from Email Service Provider Help Center shares that after implementing the recommended best practices, contact Proofpoint's postmaster team directly through their web form or via email (postmaster@proofpoint.com) to request delisting. Provide detailed information about the steps you've taken to address the issues.
Email marketer from Reddit explains that Proofpoint could list your IPs due to spam complaints, high spam trap hits, poor sending reputation, or blacklisting by other security vendors.
Email marketer from Deliverability Consulting Website explains setting up feedback loops with major ISPs and email providers allows you to receive notifications when your emails are marked as spam. This enables you to identify and address the source of the problem quickly.
Email marketer from Email Deliverability Blog shares that you must improve your email marketing practices, focusing on list hygiene, engagement, and authentication, which is crucial for avoiding and resolving IP listings by Proofpoint.
What the experts say7Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks suggests the problem might be caused by customer actions like complaints about spam or spamtrap hits.
Expert from Email Geeks says the PTR/rDNS format doesn't seem to be the problem.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that Proofpoint's perspective is that they may block senders that send even legitimate mail if their customers don't want it. Being a legitimate mailer doesn't guarantee deliverability to Proofpoint-protected recipients.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains Proofpoint customers’ classification decisions can significantly influence filtering. Focusing on list hygiene, clear opt-in processes, and honoring unsubscribe requests can reduce false positives.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests waiting for a response from <mailto:postmaster@proofpoint.com|postmaster@proofpoint.com> and checking if customers are engaging in B2B cold email.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that factors influencing Proofpoint filtering include complaint rates, spam trap hits, sender reputation, and content analysis. Addressing these areas can help improve deliverability.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that Proofpoint's aggressive filtering can disproportionately affect smaller senders who may lack the resources to address deliverability issues effectively. Constant monitoring and proactive communication are crucial.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from DMARC.org explains Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) builds upon SPF and DKIM to provide a policy framework for email authentication. DMARC allows domain owners to specify how email receivers should handle messages that fail authentication checks and provides reporting mechanisms for monitoring email authentication results, aiding in identifying and addressing deliverability issues.
Documentation from DKIM.org explains DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) provides a method for email senders to digitally sign their messages, allowing email receivers to verify the authenticity of the message and that it hasn't been altered in transit. Implementing DKIM can improve email deliverability and reduce the chances of IP listings.
Documentation from RFC-Editor explains Sender Policy Framework (SPF) helps prevent email spoofing by allowing domain owners to specify which mail servers are authorized to send email on their behalf. Implementing SPF records can help improve email deliverability and reduce the likelihood of IP listing.
Documentation from Proofpoint Knowledge Base explains that Proofpoint uses a variety of factors to determine IP reputation, including spam trap hits, complaint rates, and overall sending behavior. It advises monitoring your reputation and proactively addressing any negative trends.