8 Steps To Perfect Email Deliverability

Let’s Talk Deliverability 👉🏻

In this newsletter, we’re focusing on a critical aspect of cold email outreach - deliverability. Without proper deliverability, even the best-crafted emails will go unread. Here’s your step-by-step checklist based on the latest best practices to ensure your cold emails land in the recipient’s primary:

1. Optimize Email Authentication

The foundation of strong email deliverability is email authentication. Without proper authentication, your emails may never make it past the spam filters. Here are the three key protocols to set up:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF helps verify that the email is coming from an authorized server. Ensure that your SPF record is correctly configured for all sending domains.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): This protocol adds a digital signature to your email’s header. It ensures that the content of your email has not been tampered with in transit.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): DMARC ties together SPF and DKIM by providing instructions to email providers on what to do if the authentication fails (e.g., quarantine or reject the email). This protocol protects your domain from spoofing and phishing attacks.

Together, these protocols build trust with email service providers (ESPs), increasing the likelihood that your email reaches the primary inbox.

2. Gradual Domain Warm-Up

When you start sending emails from a new domain, immediately sending large volumes can raise red flags for ESPs. Domain warm-up allows you to gradually increase your sending volume over time, helping you establish a positive reputation.

Start by sending a small number of emails and increase the volume incrementally, ensuring engagement levels (opens, clicks, and replies) stay high. This practice is particularly important if you’re scaling a campaign.

3. Prioritize List Hygiene

A clean email list is essential to good deliverability. Sending emails to invalid or inactive addresses can result in high bounce rates and damage your sender reputation. Here’s what you need to do:

• Remove Hard Bounces: Monitor for hard bounces—these occur when emails are sent to invalid addresses. Removing these addresses is crucial.

• Suppress Unengaged Users: Regularly remove or suppress contacts who have not engaged with your emails over a long period.

• Use Double Opt-In: This ensures that only people genuinely interested in receiving your emails get added to your list, reducing the risk of spam complaints.

• Maintain Active Engagement: Focus on a mix of nurturing and active outreach to keep your list engaged.

4. Ensure Proper Email Infrastructure Setup

Your email infrastructure plays a critical role in deliverability. Here are key factors to keep in mind:

• IP Address Reputation: Whether you’re using a dedicated or shared IP, it’s crucial to monitor your IP’s reputation. Tools like SenderScore can help you track this.

• Reverse DNS Records: Ensure that the IP address you’re sending from aligns with the PTR (Pointer) records. A misalignment can signal to ESPs that your emails are spam.

• Consistent Sending Behavior: Maintain consistent email volumes and times to avoid suspicious activity that could trigger spam filters.

5. Craft Relevant and Compliant Emails

The content of your emails can impact your deliverability as much as your technical setup. Here are best practices for compliant email writing:

• Avoid Spammy Keywords: Words like “Free,” “Guaranteed,” and “Urgent” are often flagged by spam filters. Use them sparingly and ensure your content sounds natural.

• Proper Formatting: Keep your email well-formatted. Avoid image-heavy designs or large attachments, as these can trigger spam filters.

• Clear Subject Lines: Misleading or overly sensational subject lines may boost open rates short-term but will hurt your sender reputation in the long run.

• Comply with CAN-SPAM/GDPR: Always include a clear opt-out option and ensure you’re compliant with global anti-spam regulations.

6. Monitor Deliverability and Adjust

No deliverability strategy is set-it-and-forget-it. Regularly monitor key metrics like bounce rates, open rates, and spam complaints to identify any issues early. Tools like Google Postmaster Tools or Mail-Tester can help you gauge your reputation and inbox placement.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Bounce Rates: Should be below 2%. If they’re higher, investigate list hygiene or email infrastructure issues.

• Spam Complaints: Keep these under 0.1%. High spam complaints damage your sender reputation.

7. Leverage Tools for Testing and Optimization

A variety of tools are available to help optimize email deliverability:

• Mail-tester.com: Analyze your email’s spam score before sending.

• Google Postmaster Tools: Monitor your domain’s reputation and ensure you’re hitting inboxes.

• MXToolbox: Test your domain for blacklists and ensure your DNS records are properly configured.

These tools can give you real-time insights into how ESPs view your emails and what adjustments might be needed to improve deliverability.

8. Stay Updated on Best Practices

Email deliverability is constantly evolving as ESPs update their algorithms. Staying informed about industry changes ensures you’re always ahead of the curve. Google, for instance, recently updated its guidelines on how it handles promotional emails and engagement signals.

Regularly revisiting your deliverability strategy and adjusting for new trends will ensure long-term success in your cold email campaigns.