Why did my email open rate drop after implementing DMARC and what should I do?

Email marketer from Reddit shares that when implementing DMARC, they saw initial drops in open rates due to misconfiguration of SPF records. They recommend checking your SPF records using online tools to validate they are correct.

Email marketer from Sender explains that implementing DMARC without proper SPF and DKIM setup can negatively affect email deliverability and open rates. It is important to ensure that your emails are properly authenticated before implementing DMARC.

Email marketer from StackOverflow explains a scenario where incorrect subdomain delegation for email sending caused DMARC failures and impacted open rates. Ensuring proper DNS configuration is vital.

Email marketer from Mailjet shares that DMARC itself doesn't directly impact open rates, but incorrect DMARC setup leading to delivery issues certainly can. They recommend carefully monitoring DMARC reports and ensuring proper authentication.

Email marketer from GMass suggests after making major changes, such as changing authentication, you should warm up your IP to reduce any potential open rate impact.

Email marketer from Email on Acid shares the importance of continuously monitoring DMARC reports to identify and resolve any authentication issues that may arise after implementing DMARC, to prevent drops in deliverability and open rates.

Email marketer from Litmus explains differences in how various email clients handle DMARC policies. Certain clients might be more strict in their enforcement, leading to unexpected deliverability issues post-implementation.

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that low open rates could be due to poor subject lines, irrelevant content, or sending emails at the wrong time. He suggests A/B testing subject lines, segmenting your audience, and optimizing send times.

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that DMARC shouldn't affect inbox placement or open rates if it's passing, but changing DKIM signatures can impact inbox placement and open rates.

Expert from Spamresource responds to the question that if DMARC is improperly configured, legitimate emails might be rejected or quarantined which will cause the email open rate to drop. It is important to monitor DMARC reports to see if there are any failures.

Expert from Email Geeks states that if mail is failing DMARC, it's not compliant with requirements to authenticate with the domain and is currently authenticated as mailchimp. She advises setting up DKIM signing at Mailchimp.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that implementing DMARC may expose underlying deliverability issues related to filtering. Addressing these issues might require content adjustments or sender reputation improvements.

Expert from Email Geeks clarifies that a decrease in open rates after DKIM setup isn't necessarily a sign of mail going to spam, but may be due to changes affecting pre-fetching of pixels. Inbox testing at Google is difficult, requiring data interpretation.

Expert from Email Geeks reinforces setting up DKIM. Laura mentions you may see a decrease in open rates after setting up the DKIM key because of the new authentication. Depending on volume, a warmup might be needed.

Expert from Email Geeks explains that the DMARC record itself is unlikely to increase open rates unless there are delivery problems. She also suggests testing mail delivery to the bulk folder.

Documentation from RFC details the limitations of SPF records, including the 10 DNS lookup limit. Exceeding this limit can cause SPF to fail, leading to deliverability issues and potentially impacting open rates post-DMARC implementation.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains DMARC policies (none, quarantine, reject) and their impact on email handling by receiving mail servers. A 'reject' policy will instruct recipient servers to refuse emails failing authentication, potentially lowering open rates if legitimate emails are affected.

Documentation from Microsoft Support details steps to troubleshoot email delivery problems, including checking DMARC records and authentication status. It recommends verifying SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured and that the sending IP address is authorized.

Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that DMARC can impact delivery if not configured correctly. It states that a strict DMARC policy (p=reject or p=quarantine) without proper DKIM and SPF setup can cause legitimate emails to be blocked or marked as spam.