The Importance of Deliverability in Email Marketing

Deliverability is arguably the most crucial metric in email marketing. After all, what’s the point of crafting beautiful, compelling emails if they never even make it to the inbox? If your emails are being sent to spam folders or bounced back, your efforts are essentially wasted. That’s why focusing on deliverability is a top priority for every email marketer. What is Deliverability?

Deliverability refers to the ability of your emails to actually reach your recipients' inboxes. It’s different from your open rate, which only measures how many people open the emails that have successfully landed in their inbox. Deliverability involves a series of factors that determine whether or not your email ever arrives at all. Why Does Deliverability Matter?

Simply put: If your emails don’t get delivered, they won’t get opened, and they won’t generate any conversions. Deliverability is the gateway to your engagement metrics. Without a high deliverability rate, all your efforts in creating effective campaigns and writing excellent subject lines will be in vain. If your email lands in spam, or if it’s blocked entirely, no one will ever have a chance to interact with it.

A strong deliverability rate is vital for maintaining your sender reputation. Major email service providers (ESPs) like Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft all have algorithms that evaluate and filter incoming emails based on sender reputation and behavior. If your reputation is poor, your emails are more likely to land in the spam folder, even if they’re perfectly legitimate. Key Factors Affecting Deliverability

1. Sender Reputation: Your sender reputation is the primary factor in determining whether your email will land in the inbox or the spam folder. This reputation is built over time based on how recipients engage with your emails (opens, clicks, unsubscribes), as well as how your email practices align with best standards. How to maintain a good sender reputation:

   • Maintain a clean email list (remove inactive or bounced emails regularly)

   • Send relevant, valuable content to engaged subscribers

   • Monitor your spam complaints and act quickly to resolve them

   • Avoid sudden spikes in email sending volume (this can raise red flags for spam filters)

2. Email Content and Structure: The content of your email plays a crucial role in whether your email passes spam filters. Avoid using trigger words like “free,” “limited time offer,” or excessive punctuation (!!!) in your subject lines and body content. Ensure your emails contain:

   • A clear and concise subject line

   • Personalization and segmentation

   • A healthy mix of text and images (don’t overdo the images or use too many large files)

   • An easy-to-find unsubscribe link (this is required by law in most countries)

3. Authentication Protocols: Authentication protocols are key to proving that your emails are legitimate and not spam. Protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) are designed to authenticate your emails and prevent phishing attacks. How to implement these protocols:

   • Work with your email service provider to set up SPF and DKIM records.

   • Regularly monitor your domain’s health using DMARC reports.

4. Engagement Metrics: How your subscribers interact with your emails directly impacts deliverability. If you’re sending emails to people who never open them, that’s a red flag for email providers. Low engagement can lead to your emails being marked as spam. How to improve engagement:

   • Segment your email list based on past behavior and engagement levels

   • Re-engage inactive subscribers with targeted campaigns

   • Regularly clean your list to remove unengaged contacts

Best Practices for Improving Deliverability

1. Maintain List Hygiene: Keeping your email list clean is a non-negotiable. Inactive or invalid email addresses are harmful to your reputation. Use email verification tools to identify and remove bad emails, and keep an eye on metrics like bounce rates and spam complaints.

2. Segment Your Audience: Not all subscribers are equal. By segmenting your audience, you can send the right messages to the right people, increasing engagement and reducing the risk of marking your emails as spam. Popular segmentation strategies:

   • Engagement-based segmentation (active vs. inactive subscribers)

   • Purchase history

   • Customer preferences or location

3. Use a Consistent Sending Schedule: Consistency helps establish a good reputation. It’s better to send emails at a steady rate rather than overwhelming recipients with too many emails all at once.

4. Test Your Emails: Before hitting send, test your emails using tools like Litmus or Email on Acid. These services simulate how your emails will appear across different email clients and help you spot any issues that could hurt your deliverability.

5. Monitor and Adjust: Email marketing is an ongoing process of testing, monitoring, and optimizing. Regularly review your deliverability rates and take action on any issues you find.

   
   

   Good deliverability has a direct impact on your revenue. The more emails you get into the inbox, the more likely your subscribers are to engage with your content and, ultimately, make a purchase. With the right deliverability strategy, you can significantly improve open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

   If you’re struggling with deliverability, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to restore your reputation and get your emails back on track.