{"id":207559,"date":"2023-08-03T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T06:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/blog\/improve-email-deliverability"},"modified":"2026-01-23T11:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:17:57","slug":"improve-email-deliverability","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/blog\/improve-email-deliverability","title":{"rendered":"29 ways to improve email deliverability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the years, many of us in the email marketing world have talked about improving email deliverability, personalisation and more. Still, email almost died on us as spam and junk gremlins invaded our inboxes and damaged marketers’ reputations.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

With email marketing making a comeback, and spam filters only getting smarter, it\u2019s time to look at the 29 ways to improve email deliverability. Some are the same best practices that can stand the test of time, others are more recent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

So take a look and see what it takes to make sure your emails are getting delivered to your inbox.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

1. Create a great IP reputation<\/h2>\n

Seems obvious, doesn\u2019t it? But ISPs judge your IP on a sender score, which can be affected by whichever metrics they deem fit. The best advice we could give if you\u2019re working with a new IP address is to send small email campaigns to users you know will engage with you. The more they engage, the more trust you build with the ISP and the more your score improves. You can then slowly increase the numbers of users you send to.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

2. Improve your reputation score<\/h2>\n

If you want to check your score per email, we would suggest using an inbox placement tool like <\/span>Send Forensics<\/span>. However, there are four basics that you can cover without the need for technology:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Keep your complaints low. Send to users who aren\u2019t going to mark your emails as spam. That means writing relevant, informative emails!<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Format your emails correctly. Dodgy coding that won\u2019t render properly will be picked up.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Keep your bounce rate low. Cleanse your marketing lists to make sure you\u2019re not getting too many hard bounces.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Avoid getting blacklisted!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    <\/div>\n

    3. Create a consistent email volume and send time<\/h2>\n

    If you\u2019re a high-volume email sender, the more erratic your sends, the more you\u2019ll attract the attention of ISPs. Keep your volume of sending consistent (we\u2019d say once a week is a good starting point) so you can create a solid reputation. Plus, users like to know when they\u2019re getting good content!<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    4. Keep your mail server secure<\/h2>\n

    Your mail server needs to be secure if you want to keep spammers well-clear, so make sure you don\u2019t have an open relay or open proxy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    5. Have a dedicated IP address<\/h2>\n

    When you\u2019re sharing an IP with other senders, their activity and status naturally have an effect on your deliverability. Therefore, we would highly recommend using an IP address which is solely dedicated to you to improve your email deliverability.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    6. Authenticate your emails<\/h2>\n

    To build trustworthiness in the eyes of email servers, you need to do an \u2018ID check\u2019 to make sure you are who you say you are. Implementing a Domain Keys Identified Mail and Sender Policy Framework means your emails are more likely to be accepted.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    7. Use preference centres<\/h2>\n

    Although you might want to send everything to everyone, not everyone wants all the information you have to offer. Using a preference centre means you\u2019re going to send relevant content to relevant people \u2013 making it less likely for them to mark your emails as spam or junk and instead engage with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    8. Data cleanse<\/h2>\n

    We\u2019ve already touched briefly on bounces, but a data cleanse should be a regular part of your email marketing (just like checking your sender score). We would suggest doing a data cleanse annually, though the more data you have the more often you should cleanse.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    9. Build up a double opt-in database<\/h2>\n

    A great way to data cleanse and ensure email engagement rates is to create a double opt-in database. With the GDPR having caused a ruckus recently, more B2B marketing teams are starting to build up a double opt-in database.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    10. Minimise complaints <\/h2>\n

    To help you maintain your domain reputation, you should endeavour to keep your complaint rate, bounce rate and spam folder placement rate low. An inbox placement tool can help you identify if your email will make it to the inbox, or lie sat in junk. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    11. Make it easy to unsubscribe <\/h2>\n

    Think about adding a preference centre to your unsubscribe process. This allows your contact to decide what content they want to receive from you. Ultimately, it should be easy for your audience to unsubscribe, but a preference centre may help make this event less likely to occur. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    12. Leave the attachments to the 1-1 emails <\/h2>\n

    In your personal 1-1 emails, attachments are great. But when it comes to a large email campaign, this really isn\u2019t true. Malware has a tendency to hide in attachments, so when sent on mass, it probably won\u2019t end well for your reputation. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    13. Keep the graphics low <\/h2>\n

    This one came as a bit of a shock, but image-heavy email designs have recently started setting off the spam filters. So, where possible reduce the number of images you\u2019re using. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    14. Check your infrastructure <\/h2>\n

    You need a solid infrastructure on which to build your reputation. Here at Spotler, we recommend the primary three methods of authentication. Ensuring your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are all set up correctly ensures mailboxes can confirm that mail sent has come from you and not a spammer. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    15. Test your inbox placement <\/h2>\n

    With Inbox placement tools you can identify the likelihood that your email will make it to the inbox. Both <\/span>Inbox Checker<\/span> and <\/span>SendForensic<\/span>s <\/span>give you a score within GatorMail to display the likelihood of your email reaching your recipient or being picked up as spam. So you can make any required amends before you hit send. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    16. Manage your bounces <\/h2>\n

    You can get one of two types of bounces. A hard bounce, or a soft bounce. A soft bounce occurs when we receive a message from the recipient s inbox saying the mail has not been accepted but doesn\u2019t warrant a hard response. A hard bounce occurs when the recipient\u2019s mailbox outright rejects the delivery of the email. Manage your bounces so that those who hard bounce are removed from your mailing list. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    17. Clear email subject lines <\/h2>\n

    Make it clear what your email will hold. Misleading subject lines can not only irritate your readers, but the ISPs will look at them too. There\u2019s no absolute rule for what will guarantee you getting a place in the inbox, but focusing on the genuine message and content of your email can help avoid those pushy sales words which garner you a place in the spam folder. <\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    18. Get personal with emails<\/h2>\n

    By now you know this as an email marketer \u2013 recipients don\u2019t want to feel like they are being marketed to. That\u2019s why top performers create digital experiences that make prospects feel that someone is speaking to them about their needs and offering them a product that adds value to their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This is why the best way to fail with subscribers is by not personalising emails. According to an Experian Marketing Services Study, <\/span>personalised emails<\/b> were shown to lift transaction rates and revenue per email six times higher than non-personalised emails. Companies that aren\u2019t using customer personas and aren\u2019t segmenting their audiences are less likely to personalise their emails, and, as a result, are achieving less open and click rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Just as a friend spells your name correctly, knows what your likes and dislikes are, remembers your birthday and speaks with you in a conversational voice, a good email marketing campaign exhibits these personable traits as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    19. Strive for consistency<\/h2>\n

    Many of us have that one friend that bombards us with phone calls and outings, then disappears for weeks or months at a time. It gets old in a hurry.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you don\u2019t want to succeed in your marketing campaigns, be that friend that doesn\u2019t stay in touch consistently.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you do want to succeed, however, don\u2019t be insensitive toward the emotions and needs of your subscribers by delivering your messages inconsistently or at the wrong time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    20. Make your offers specific<\/h2>\n

    Top performers succeed because they speak to their subscribers clearly and effectively. Laggers, however, fail because they focus on getting their name out there more than delivering real value to their audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Customers that merely tolerate your messages need your product but aren\u2019t committed to a real, long-term relationship with you because you aren\u2019t being clear on what it is you are offering. By not making your offers specific, you\u2019re on your way to losing prospects and customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    21. Don\u2019t spam your recipients<\/h2>\n

    Want to fail with your email marketing campaigns? Spam your recipients. By sending unsolicited emails to your list of subscribers and not sending permission-based emails, you are set on your way to email marketing failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

    What\u2019s more, is that if you send out emails without permission, a lot of your recipients will click the Report Spam button putting your campaigns at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    22. Follow customer behaviour<\/h2>\n

    Emails should be sent based on data and behaviour. Inactive users can get a nudge to come back. Active users can get emails about features they haven\u2019t tried yet or emails that inspire them to engage even more.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you want to connect with your subscribers, you have to focus on segmentation in order to deliver data-driven emails. If you don\u2019t want to see results, don\u2019t track customer behaviour and don\u2019t collect information to reach out to them in the most effective ways with the right messages.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t make the lives of your subscribers harder. Close to 68% of online shoppers abandon product purchases just because they have a negative buying experience. We need to create email marketing tactics that delight and engage our customers. Are you struggling with <\/span>the do\u2019s and don\u2019ts of email marketing?<\/b> Perhaps it\u2019s time to align your marketing and sales teams and focus on tactics and strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    23. Avoid interrupting!<\/h2>\n

    First things first; consider when your audience is most likely to be actively checking their inboxes, as opposed to interrupting them. To do this, you\u2019ll need to get into <\/span>the collective mind of your subscribers<\/b> (you may find persona building helps you achieve this). Additionally, think about your colleagues\u2019 schedules: chances are if there\u2019s a recurring meeting every morning until 10 am you might want to avoid this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

    24. Test your email campaign, and test again.<\/h2>\n

    As mentioned, there is no one-size-fits-all answer here, so <\/span>testing<\/b> the time of day and day of the week you send your email campaign is strongly recommended. You can report on the engagement timeline in GatorMail to analyse spikes in opens; sometimes you may find this is after the initial send time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Think about your own habits with your inbox. Do you check your emails on your phone? If so, do you check your emails on your commute to\/from work? Depending on your subscriber base and whether you are B2B or B2C will help you plan this.<\/span><\/p>\n

    There\u2019s a simple play to consider here:<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • For <\/span>B2B<\/b> think about when you\u2019re at your desk. Ideally, you want to catch subscribers who are at their desks and mildly distracted or just finishing a task. But let\u2019s face it, we\u2019re not mind-readers or spies\u2026<\/span><\/li>\n
    • If your campaign is for <\/span>B2C<\/b>, then think about when you\u2019re not at your desk\/the opposite of the above: coffee and lunch breaks, going home.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      <\/div>\n

      25. Click or call?<\/h2>\n

      Consider not only what your call to action is, but <\/span>how much effort it takes your subscriber<\/b> to complete. For example, if the CTA is to read a lengthy article or to make a phone call, you might want to think about when you would have the time in your own day to complete these actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n

      26. Personal vs. Business<\/h2>\n

      Drilling further down; awareness of whether you are approaching your subscriber to meet business or personal needs will determine \u201cwhen\u201d to send your email marketing campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

      For example, a phone call might be better suited to your subscribers during their lunch break if the content is personal. Whereas, if it\u2019s business related it should be while they are at work, working. Therefore avoiding 11:30 am \u2013 2:30 pm (when lunch is taken) is preferable.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Additionally, if your call to action is quite literally a call, you\u2019ll need to assure that you have sufficient staff to answer the phones. Remember you want your subscriber to feel as though the <\/span>interaction is effortless<\/b> on their part!<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n

      27. Segment with more tailored, specified emails<\/h2>\n

      Firstly, <\/span>segmenting your contacts<\/b> into as concentrated groups as you can will kick your engagement into gear. With this, you can send content that is more relevant to your audience \u2013 and we all know that relevancy gets interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Use the information from your CRM, but also focus on what your contacts have shown interest in. Whether it\u2019s a page on your website, a social media campaign, or a blog post, it will all let you know what each lead is most likely to want from you. Once you know that, it\u2019s just about showing them how to get it.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n

      28. Marketing automation \u2013 right time, right contact, right campaign<\/h2>\n

      Marketing automation can help massively with engagement, especially if you have <\/span>a strong workflow<\/b>. With marketing automation, you can feed in a number of different pre-written emails and get them sent by the system at specific times in a buyer journey. What this means is that you don\u2019t have to spend as much time worrying about when to get in contact next, and can instead focus your time and energy on bringing in new leads to follow.<\/span><\/p>\n

      <\/div>\n

      29. Don\u2019t waste time or space<\/h2>\n

      As we\u2019ve said before, your email <\/span>only has 2 seconds to live in the inbox<\/b>. With that in mind, you can\u2019t waste any space in your email copy telling your contact things you don\u2019t want them to focus on. Get to the point: be short, sharp and clear about what your email is for.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Mainly remember not to overcomplicate. As long as you show them what you need them to see, you can always link them to more information elsewhere in the email \u2013 in fact, this can spark the kind of intrigue that gets you a warm lead.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      It doesn’t matter how good your content is if your email isn’t reaching the inbox! Luckily building your deliverability is straightforward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":207561,"template":"","cat_industry":[],"cat_topic":[2671,2672],"class_list":["post-207559","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cat_topic-deliverability-en-int","cat_topic-email-marketing-en-int"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/207559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/207559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209575,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/207559\/revisions\/209575"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cat_industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_industry?post=207559"},{"taxonomy":"cat_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spotler.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cat_topic?post=207559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}