Why is my transactional IP reputation neutral in Talos?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Vendor Guide explains incomplete or incorrect authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) can damage your sending reputation, even for transactional emails. He advises checking and fixing any authentication issues to improve your standing.
Email marketer from Email Geeks asks if the transactional comes from a dedicated domain and if it's purely transactional without promotional content.
Email marketer from Quora User MailMaster explains misleading or spam-triggering subject lines, even in transactional emails, can lead to a neutral or poor reputation. Ensuring clear, accurate, and relevant subject lines is important.
Email marketer from StackExchange User EmailGuru explains a sudden increase in sending volume, even for legitimate transactional emails, can trigger filters and affect your reputation negatively. Gradually ramping up volume is generally recommended.
Email marketer from Reddit user u/EmailPro shares insight that neutral reputation could be due to inconsistent sending volume, which is especially impactful for transactional IPs. He recommends ensuring a predictable daily/hourly sending pattern.
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests it was just a blip if the transactional practices are followed and offers to help figure it out if it dips lower.
Email marketer from Mailjet says proactively monitor and address spam complaints. Even a small number of complaints on transactional emails can significantly affect your IP reputation.
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid advises ensuring that your transactional email content is truly transactional and not promotional. Even subtle promotional elements can negatively impact the IP's reputation.
Email marketer from Litmus says review your sending practices including content personalization. Generic or poorly personalized transactional emails can be flagged as suspicious, potentially impacting your sender reputation.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise discusses that sending a significant amount of 'graymail' (emails that are not strictly spam but not highly desired by recipients, like certain notifications) can lead to a neutral reputation. Even if users don't mark these messages as spam, low engagement can hurt your reputation.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that while he doesn't have a ton of Talos experience he has seen transactional reputation wobble a bit here and there, so he is not totally surprised.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that temporary network issues, misconfigurations, or brief spam incidents can cause a temporary dip in reputation to 'neutral'. It may resolve itself if the underlying problem is fixed quickly and future sending is clean.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from Talos Intelligence explains that not actively monitoring and responding to feedback loops (FBLs) can contribute to reputation issues. He recommends subscribing to FBLs to identify and address complaints promptly.
Documentation from Talos Intelligence explains that a high number of invalid email addresses or spam traps in your sending list can negatively impact your IP reputation, potentially leading to a neutral rating. Regularly cleaning your email lists is crucial.
Documentation from Talos Intelligence explains that factors impacting IP reputation include email volume, spam complaints, sending infrastructure configuration (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and engagement metrics. A neutral reputation could indicate inconsistencies or areas needing improvement in these factors.