Deliverability 101: Learn the Basics

Hey, Matt here.

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Love it or hate it, deliverability is a highly important part of email marketing. If you're not implementing email and deliverability best practices, you're not giving your email the best chance of arriving in the inbox.

So what makes up good deliverability? In the next few weeks, I'm going to be going into each area of deliverability in more detail. As an overview, it looks like this:

Here’s a breakdown of the critical steps needed to maintain a stellar IP reputation.

1. Correct DNS Setup: A correctly configured Domain Name System (DNS) is foundational to your email deliverability. Ensure that you have the following DNS records set up:
   • SPF (Sender Policy Framework): This DNS record verifies your identity by listing the mail servers authorized to send emails on your behalf.
   • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): This email authentication method helps detect email spoofing by providing a digital signature that verifies your email's integrity.
   • DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): This authentication protocol uses SPF and DKIM to determine the authenticity of an email message, providing instructions to ISPs on how to handle unauthenticated emails.
     
2. Maintain a Warm IP with a Good Reputation: It’s vital to keep your IP address "warm" by gradually increasing the volume of emails sent. This strategy builds a history of good sending behavior, which is highly regarded by ISPs.
   
3. Consistency in Sending Volumes: ISPs favor consistency in email volumes. Abrupt spikes in email sending can flag your activities as spammy. Strive to send roughly the same amount of emails regularly to maintain a rhythm that ISPs recognize as legitimate.
   
4. Effective Subscriber Management: The clarity and transparency of your signup process play a crucial role in subscriber management. Ensure that:
   • The signup process is straightforward and sets clear expectations.
   • The content delivered matches what subscribers were promised during sign up.
     
5. Create Engaging Content: While open rates are a basic metric of engagement, clicks are a more robust indicator. Content should be compelling enough to encourage interactions without prompting subscribers to move your emails to junk or hit the spam button.
   

Ensuring a robust IP reputation is a continuous process that demands attention to detail and strategic planning. Over the next few weeks, I’ll go deeper into each of these areas, providing more insights and practical tips.

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