Why is my email getting throttled by Gmail and Microsoft despite high engagement and good reputation?

Marketer from Email Geeks mentions that others have reported similar issues in the channel.

Email marketer from Reddit shares that poor list hygiene, even with engaged subscribers, can cause throttling. This includes sending to old addresses that have become spam traps or high bounce rates. Regular list cleaning is essential.

Email marketer from Email Deliverability Forum answers that if using a shared IP, the actions of other senders on that IP can negatively impact deliverability and lead to throttling, even with good sending practices. Monitoring IP reputation is important.

Email marketer from Email on Acid answers the question by pointing out that being listed on a blocklist, even temporarily, can significantly impact deliverability and cause throttling. Regularly check your IP and domain against common blocklists.

Email marketer from Mailjet answers the question by stating that sometimes, even with a good reputation, the content of the email can trigger throttling. Suspicious keywords, poor HTML coding, and high image-to-text ratios can be flagged by spam filters, leading to delays.

Marketer from Email Geeks shares that they ran into issues with Microsoft recently and asks about the status in SNDS for the IP.

Email marketer from Neil Patel's Blog explains that even with high engagement, poor sender reputation (due to past sending practices or infrastructure issues) can lead to throttling by Gmail and Microsoft. He highlights the importance of consistently monitoring sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools.

Email marketer from Stack Overflow notes that not properly processing feedback loops (FBLs) from ISPs can lead to throttling. FBLs provide information about user complaints; ignoring them can signal to ISPs that the sender isn't addressing abuse.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests reaching out to the postmaster to request mitigation, especially if volume is consistent, trap hits and complaint rates are low, and the sender is filtering on engagement.

Marketer from Email Geeks reports a similar situation and received the same reply regarding throttling.

Marketer from Email Geeks suggests escalating issues to get them resolved.

Email marketer from Sendinblue responds by emphasizing the importance of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). They explain that even with high engagement, missing or misconfigured authentication can make Gmail and Microsoft suspicious, resulting in throttling.

Email marketer from Litmus shares that sudden and significant spikes in email volume can trigger throttling, even with a good reputation. ISPs may see this as a potential spam attack and limit the number of emails accepted. Gradual volume increases are recommended.

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that throttling can occur for reasons that aren't always transparent. Even with good metrics, there might be backend triggers related to infrastructure changes, algorithm updates, or temporary glitches on the receiving end that cause delays.

Expert from Spam Resource responds that even with high engagement, problems with email sending infrastructure or security, such as compromised servers or unusual sending patterns from your network, can raise flags and lead to throttling by Gmail and Microsoft.

Documentation from RFC Editor explains that non-compliance with email formatting standards outlined in RFC 5322 (and related RFCs) can lead to parsing issues and filtering, potentially resulting in throttling, even with good engagement metrics.

Documentation from DMARC.org explains that a DMARC policy set to 'quarantine' or 'reject' can cause emails to be throttled or blocked if they fail authentication checks (SPF or DKIM), regardless of engagement. Reviewing DMARC reports is important.

Documentation from Google answers that consistently maintaining a good IP reputation is crucial. Even if open rates are high, sudden spikes in volume or sending from newly created IPs without a warm-up period can trigger throttling.

Documentation from Microsoft answers that even with high engagement, an increase in complaint rates (even if seemingly small) reported via the Junk Email Reporting Program (JMRP) can lead to increased throttling. Monitoring SNDS is critical.