Email marketing is widely used by companies for effective promotion. However, without good email deliverability, it will be difficult to achieve the full potential of email mailing.
Want better email deliverability? You’re in the right place. Emails can’t be opened or clicked unless they land first—deliverability rates affect everything.
Luckily, email deliverability isn’t too complex. Follow best practices, get organized, and be a good sender, and your email deliverability will skyrocket. Let’s walk through what you need to know to boost email deliverability and elevate your email marketing campaign.
What is Email Deliverability?
Deliverability shows how many messages end up in the recipient’s inbox or in specific folders (excluding the evil “spam” folder). Email deliverability failure is usually when an email goes to the spam folder or gets blocked by the ISP This matters because even stellar email content falls flat if it doesn’t reach your audience.
Steps to Improve Email Deliverability
Authenticate Your Email Domain
Impersonation isn’t just a flattering in email—it’s a fast track to a damaged sender reputation. Without Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM), you risk email spoofing (someone hijacking your email domain) and poor delivery rates.
Maintain Proper IP Allocation
As your email program grows, you need solid infrastructure to scale, accordingly. At 25,000 daily emails, switch to a dedicated IP address. This requires proper warming up before the full list is sent to build ISP trust. Gradually increase your email volume, letting ISPs adjust to your sending patterns.
Don’t add multiple IPs to sidestep penalties—ISPs catch on and will block entire IP pools if they suspect foul play. Instead, focus on building a good sending reputation with consistent, quality emails.
Perfect the Opt-in Process
Your email collection method heavily influences deliverability rates. An optimized opt-in process will provide you with an engaged user list. Double opt-in, where users confirm subscriptions via email, proves more effective in building an engaged email list. This step verifies recipients truly want your emails, which lowers spam-marking chances.
Write Non-Spammy Subject Lines
Subject lines play a huge role in whether users will open your emails. While ISPs use sophisticated filtering, avoid common spam triggers like “FREE!!!”, “Click here”, and “Buy now”—these phrases often land emails in spam folders.
Dedicate some time to craft subject lines offering real value without sounding pushy. Instead of “Act Now to Get 50% Off!”, try “Special Offer: 50% Off Your Next Purchase”.
Provide a Preference Center
Once recipients agree to your emails, offer a preference center for choosing contact frequency. This puts recipients in control, boosting engagement. ISPs notice this and reward it with improved deliverability. Preference options might include email frequency (weekly, monthly) and content types (newsletters, promotions).
Avoid Spam Traps
Spam traps catch spammers red-handed. Hitting a spam trap can flag you and land you on a deny list. Therefore, you should keep a clean list of engaged users and never ever buy email lists. Purchased lists often contain outdated or fake addresses, leading to spam trap hits and poor deliverability.
Monitor and Improve Sender Reputation
Sender reputation heavily influences deliverability. Track your sender score with tools like Sender Score and take action to improve if needed. Steer clear of practices that harm your reputation, such as sending unsolicited emails or ignoring bounce rates.
Use Reliable Email Delivery Platforms
Reliable email delivery platforms can really boost deliverability. These platforms provide various tools and insights for effective campaign management. Therefore, look for platforms with strong email verification/SMTP services to ensure emails reach valid addresses.
Holger Sindbaek, designer-turned-developer and owner of World of Card Games, shares, “After acquiring WOCG in April 2023, I quickly realized that our conversion rates for the premium ad-free version were falling short of expectations. Digging into the data, I discovered that our email deliverability was the root cause. Many of our follow-up emails weren’t reaching our players’ inboxes, leaving them unaware of the benefits of upgrading. Recognizing the issue, we switched to a more reliable email platform. The impact was immediate: our open rates jumped by 22%, and, more importantly, we saw a 16% increase in premium subscriptions.”
Focus on the Right Metrics
Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates to really gauge campaign success. Also track inbox placement rate, showing the percentage of emails in the main inbox versus spam or promotions folders. This metric will give you a clearer picture of email performance.
Optimize for Mobile Devices
Most of your audience is likely to open your newsletter on their phones. So you should optimize your emails accordingly—use responsive design, keep subject lines under 30 characters, and place your call-to-action prominently. Mobile-friendly emails improve user experience and engagement, positively impacting deliverability.
Make It Easy to Opt-Out
An easy opt-out process prevents frustrated recipients from marking your emails as spam. Make the unsubscribe link visible and accessible. This practice meets legal requirements, maintains a healthy email list, and protects your sender reputation.
Constantly Improve Your Campaigns
One of the ways to improve your campaigns is to A/B test them. With its help, you can identify what resonates best with your audience. Test different subject lines, and content, and send times to refine your strategy. Continually improving campaigns based on data-driven insights ensures higher engagement and better deliverability.
Conclusion
Improving email deliverability requires a bit of a complex approach, from authentication and IP management to constant improvement of your campaigns. The steps mentioned earlier will help your emails reach intended recipients, and boost campaign success. Prioritize email deliverability and watch your engagement and results soar!