Why does my newsletter land in Outlook/Hotmail spam and what can I do about it?

Marketer from Email Geeks shares their experience of virtually giving up on Microsoft domains due to poor inbox placement. They only send to Microsoft domains that have engaged with email in the last 15 days and see a ~35% unique open rate. They add that personal experience with Outlook.com shows that legitimate emails often go to spam.

Email marketer from Word to the Wise says to focus on engagement metrics by actively monitoring open and click rates of various email campaigns. They recommend analyzing and reacting to any anomalies to ensure your email campaigns continue to reach the inbox.

Email marketer from Email on Acid recommends segmenting email lists to send hyper-targeted campaigns. By sending only relevant emails to smaller groups of contacts increases engagement rates and deliverability for email marketing efforts, as well as reduce spam reports.

Email marketer from Reddit explains that using a dedicated IP address for sending emails can improve deliverability to Outlook/Hotmail by building a positive sender reputation over time. They recommend warming up the IP address gradually to establish a good sending history.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests the domain's reputation or age could be a factor. They advise that if users move the email out of the spam folder and add the sender to their address book, the problem might resolve over time. They also suggest analysing ESP statistics and using a third-party inbox-monitoring service to assess the issue's extent, and recommends giving users an incentive to want the confirmation email and to contact support if they don't receive it in ten minutes.

Email marketer from GlockApps says that using URL shorteners in email campaigns can often flag emails as spam. They suggest using full URLs and ensuring domain reputation of any URLs included in the email are good.

Email marketer from Return Path says that Microsoft uses a feedback loop (FBL) program that helps senders identify and remove spammers from their lists. They recommend signing up for and actively monitoring the FBL to maintain a clean and engaged mailing list.

Email marketer from ZeroBounce suggests that checking email lists using email verification tools is crucial to remove invalid or inactive email addresses. They say these practices boost deliverability, reduce bounce rates, and protect your sending reputation.

Email marketer from Sendinblue Blog emphasizes that content is key. They say that avoiding spam trigger words, ensuring a clear unsubscribe link, and providing valuable, relevant content can improve inbox placement in Outlook/Hotmail. They also suggest testing your email content with spam checkers before sending.

Marketer from Email Geeks notes that Microsoft filters are picky about IP health and the cleanliness of domains linked in emails. They give an example of a client who had issues due to links to blacklisted sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Yelp. Removing those links helped. They also reiterate the importance of adding the sender as a contact and using double opt-in.

Email marketer from Litmus suggests to use seed list testing to determine how email campaigns are being placed across different providers, including Outlook/Hotmail. They suggest these tests reveal any content-related or authentication issues causing deliverability problems.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow responds that ensuring reverse DNS (rDNS) is properly configured for your sending IP address can improve deliverability to Hotmail. They advise that rDNS helps verify that the IP address is associated with your domain, which builds trust.

Email marketer from Mailjet Blog explains that issues delivering to Hotmail and Outlook often relate to sender reputation. They recommend authenticating your emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your identity and build trust with Microsoft's email servers.

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that deliverability issues with Outlook/Hotmail can stem from low engagement. They recommend segmenting your list and focusing on subscribers who actively open and click your emails, and removing unengaged subscribers to improve your sender reputation.

Expert from SpamResource responds that consistently cleaning your email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses is a crucial aspect of improving deliverability. By focusing on sending emails only to engaged recipients, you're less likely to be marked as spam and more likely to land in the inbox.

Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes the importance of participating in feedback loops (FBLs) offered by mailbox providers like Microsoft. They explain that FBLs allow senders to identify and remove subscribers who mark emails as spam, which in turn improves sender reputation and deliverability.

Documentation from DMARC.org says to implement Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) policies, which allows senders to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and DKIM, and tells receiving servers what to do if neither of those authentication methods passes – such as reject the message.

Documentation from RFC explains that implementing Sender Policy Framework (SPF) records can prevent spammers from forging your domain in the 'From' address. They say that publishing an accurate SPF record tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain, reducing the risk of being flagged as spam.

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that being listed on a blocklist can significantly impact deliverability. They state that it is important to check if your IP address or domain is listed on any major blocklists, including Spamhaus, and take steps to delist if necessary by following their procedures.

Documentation from Microsoft Postmaster outlines that using the Smart Network Data Services (SNDS) program can help diagnose issues with email delivery. They state that SNDS provides data about your IP address's reputation, complaint rates, and spam trap hits, enabling you to identify and address problems before they impact deliverability.