In our previous blog post, we covered spam filters and how to avoid them. This post picks up where that one left off: here are seven things you can do to improve your email deliverability and get more of your campaigns into your recipients' inboxes.
What is email deliverability?
"Email deliverability is a measure of how many of your emails actually reach your subscribers' inboxes, often expressed as a percentage.", OptInMonster
How to improve your email deliverability
Only email recipients who have opted in. Send only to customers or contacts who have agreed to hear from you. Never buy email databases. Purchased lists damage your sender reputation and your company's standing with email providers. When you email people who actually want your content, engagement goes up, and better engagement directly improves deliverability.
Use confirmed opt-in lists. A confirmed opt-in list works like any standard mailing list with a subscribe form, except that new subscribers receive a confirmation email to verify their address and confirm their intent. This guarantees that everyone on your list wants to be there and helps you avoid spam traps, both of which protect your deliverability.
Watch your email stats. Open rates and click rates matter, but keep a close eye on your bounce rate and spam complaint rate too. A high bounce rate usually points to an old or purchased database. A high spam complaint rate can mean spam traps have made it onto your list. Either way, both will erode your sending reputation quickly.
Clean your email database. Scrubbing your list is not glamorous work, but it pays off. Options include list validation, running re-engagement campaigns, and removing contacts who have gone completely dormant. A smaller, cleaner list will outperform a large, stale one every time.
Check your subject line. Certain subject line patterns trigger spam filters before your email ever reaches a human. Avoid all-caps text, anything money-related, the word FREE, and anything else that reads as promotional or deceptive. If you pause before hitting send because a subject line feels off, trust that instinct.
Send segmented campaigns. Blasting your entire list with the same email is one of the fastest ways to hurt engagement. Sending tailored emails to specific segments means the right people receive the right message. Higher engagement signals to email providers that your mail is wanted, which improves inbox placement.
Send emails your recipients actually want to open. If your emails offer no real value, subscribers will ignore them or mark them as spam. Useful, relevant content drives engagement, and consistent engagement is one of the strongest signals you can send to inbox providers that your mail belongs in the inbox.
If you need help with your email deliverability or anything else related to email marketing, get in touch with us. We would be glad to help.
Frequently asked questions
- What is email deliverability?
- Email deliverability measures how many of your emails actually reach your subscribers' inboxes, usually expressed as a percentage. A high deliverability rate means more of your campaigns are landing in the inbox rather than the spam folder or being rejected outright.
- Why is my bounce rate high and what should I do about it?
- A high bounce rate usually means your database is old, has not been maintained, or was purchased rather than built organically. Start by running your list through a validation tool, removing hard bounces immediately, and running a re-engagement campaign to identify contacts who are still active.
- What is a confirmed opt-in list and why does it matter?
- A confirmed opt-in list requires new subscribers to click a verification link in a confirmation email before they are added to your list. This ensures every address is valid and that the person genuinely wants to receive your emails, which reduces spam complaints and keeps spam traps off your database.
- Does segmenting my email list really improve deliverability?
- Yes. Sending relevant content to smaller, targeted segments produces higher open and click rates than bulk sending to your full list. Email providers treat consistent engagement as a sign that your mail is wanted, which improves your sender reputation and inbox placement over time.