Why are Outlook/Microsoft spam rates spiking recently?

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that their Everest/Validity account dropped from 100% to 80% for their Seed List, and while still ahead of the Everest Community curve, there's a noticeable dip for Hotmail.

Email marketer from EmailToolTester answers that the reason your email deliverability may have gone down is due to: being blocklisted, low engagement, not authenticating your email, sending to spam traps, or because your content is triggering spam filters. He suggests checking your sender reputation, email authentication and content of emails.

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that sender reputation is critical for deliverability, advising to consistently send valuable content, authenticate emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and actively manage subscriber lists to maintain a positive sender reputation.

Email marketer from Reddit suggests that increased spam filtering by Outlook could be due to changes in user complaint rates, IP reputation issues, or changes in Microsoft's spam filtering algorithms. He recommends checking your sender reputation and ensuring your email content is not triggering spam filters.

Email marketer from GlockApps indicates that there are a variety of reasons for emails landing in the spam folder, including: incorrect setup of SPF, DKIM and DMARC, a low sender reputation, being on a blocklist, a high spam complaint rate, or problematic email content.

Marketer from Email Geeks relays a response from Everest stating that the seed list update was due to older seeded email addresses no longer being effective in Yahoo/AOL and Microsoft filtering. The newer seeds simulate new subscribers to provide more accurate landing results.

Marketer from Email Geeks observed that the spam confidence level started jumping from a rating of 1 to 5+ even without changes to the email template/content, leading to a higher chance of ending up in the junk folder.

Email marketer from Sendinblue details the importance of warming up your IP address, segmenting email lists, cleaning your lists of inactive users, and using double opt-in to avoid being marked as spam.

Email marketer from Neil Patel emphasizes the importance of list hygiene, sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engaging content to improve email deliverability and avoid spam filters. He suggests segmenting your email list and sending targeted content to increase engagement and reduce spam complaints.

Expert from Word to the Wise shares insight into the importance of following Microsoft's guidelines and best practices to improve email deliverability. They suggest reviewing Microsoft's documentation and engaging with their support channels to understand and address deliverability issues effectively, while ensuring compliance with Microsoft's sending policies.

Expert from Spamresource explains that Microsoft's increased filtering and false positives are significant challenges for email senders. Microsoft often increases the sensitivity of its filtering, leading to deliverability issues. They recommend careful monitoring and adjustments to sending practices to navigate these fluctuations.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that IP reputation is a critical factor in email delivery. If your IP address is listed on a blocklist due to spam activity, your emails are more likely to be marked as spam by Outlook and other email providers. Monitor your IP reputation and take steps to remove your IP from blocklists if necessary.

Documentation from DKIM.org explains the use of DKIM which provides a mechanism to verify the authenticity of an email message. The implementation and validation of DKIM protects senders and recipients from fraudulent and deceptive email.

Documentation from RFC defines SPF as an email authentication method designed to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain. Implementing SPF records correctly can help improve your sender reputation and reduce the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam by Outlook and other providers.

Documentation from Microsoft Learn explains that several factors influence whether emails are delivered to the Inbox or Junk Email folder, including sender reputation, content filtering, and user actions. Spikes could be due to changes in Microsoft's filtering algorithms or a sudden decrease in sender reputation.