Email Deliverability 101: How to Improve Your Chances of Reaching Inboxes

Email Deliverability 101: How to Improve Your Chances of Reaching Inboxes

Email deliverability measures the percentage of emails that reach your subscribers' inboxes instead of being filtered into spam or junk folders. Ensuring your emails land in inboxes is crucial for effective communication with your audience, and high deliverability should be a top priority.

Key Tips to Boost Deliverability

To improve email deliverability, it's essential to adopt a subscriber-focused approach. Here are some tips:

1. Send relevant content: Subscribers should find value in the emails they receive from you.

2. Be consistent: Regularly send emails to maintain familiarity without overwhelming your subscribers.

3. Allow subscriber control: Let your subscribers choose how often they hear from you and the type of content they receive.

All of these practices contribute to higher engagement, better inbox placement, and lower chances of ending up in spam folders.

What Influences Email Deliverability?

Mailbox providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook consider several factors when determining where to place your email. Essentially, they answer three questions:

1. Is the message safe?

2. Is it wanted by most subscribers?

3. Is it wanted by this specific subscriber?

If the answer is “yes” to all three questions, your email will likely reach the inbox. If not, it could be flagged as spam.

Sender Reputation: How Important Is It?

Sender reputation is a critical factor in email deliverability. Mailbox providers use algorithms to calculate a ‘sender score,’ which indicates the likelihood of your emails being delivered to the inbox. While the exact algorithms are not disclosed, subscriber engagement plays a significant role in this process.

Positive Subscriber Engagement Tips:

• Maintain a healthy subscriber list: Only send emails to people who have explicitly opted in.

• Use double opt-ins or CAPTCHAs: This helps prevent bots from signing up and diluting your list.

• Regularly clean your list: Remove inactive or "cold" subscribers to avoid poor engagement rates.

Maintain Consistency

Consistency is key for building and maintaining a good sender reputation:

1. Avoid drastic changes: Sending patterns that change too suddenly can appear suspicious to mailbox providers.

2. Recognizable domains: Use familiar and trusted domains for sending, and ensure they’ve been active for the past six months.

3. Consistent volume: Don’t make large jumps in the number of emails sent. Gradually grow your list to maintain credibility.

Batch Large Subscriber Influxes

If your list experiences significant growth, divide new subscribers into batches. This gradual increase prevents mailbox providers from flagging the sudden jump in volume.

Frequency of Emails

Maintaining a consistent email frequency is essential for staying relevant in subscribers' inboxes. Aim to send at least one email per month to retain engagement. However, avoid overwhelming your subscribers with too many emails.

Pro Tip: Let your subscribers decide how frequently they want to receive your emails. Providing options can reduce unsubscribes and increase engagement.

Content: A Key Factor for Deliverability

Content impacts email deliverability, especially if your sending habits lack consistency. Here’s how to optimize your email content for better deliverability:

1. Avoid spammy language: Phrases like "Limited Time Only" or "Hurry, Act Now" may trigger spam filters. Focus on making your emails feel personal and conversational.

2. Be cautious with subject lines: Don’t use misleading or “tricky” subject lines like "RE: Your Order #12345" when no such order exists.

3. Skip link shorteners: Spammers often use link shorteners, so it's best to include full, transparent URLs in your emails.

4. Balance images and text: Make sure there’s enough text to communicate your message effectively, even if images fail to load.

5. Encourage engagement: Ask subscribers to respond to your emails by requesting something personal, such as a recommendation for a TV show, song, or recipe.