Email Deliverability Tips Gwynne Dixon

What we’ll cover Email testing Email seed lists Types of spam traps Data hygiene Going further… Email seed lists Inbox placement Bounces and suppressions Email templates

What is a seed list? A set of mailboxes managed by the sender, designed to receive the sender’s own campaign mail only Each mailbox should represent a different provider, which can be selected according to the distribution of your audience The most prolific providers should feature on your seed list (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo etc.)

Inbox placement Using a seed list to monitor inbox placement Different types of inbox placement (spam folder, inbox, secondary folders etc.) Gmail and Outlook.com (the ‘Promotional’ and ‘Other’ folders) Improving your inbox placement – avoiding complaints and getting added to ‘trusted’ lists

Bounces & suppressions The difference between a soft and hard bounce Different types of hard bounce (spam or policy related, bad mailboxes or domains etc.) Managing your bounce lists in Engaging Networks Engaging Networks suppression criteria and the suppression list spam-related=99999 virus-related=99999 content-related=99999 quota-issues=3 routing-errors=5 inactive-mailbox=3 bad-mailbox=1 relaying-issues=5 bad-domain=1 policy-related=99999 protocol-errors=99999 bad-configuration=99999 no-answer-from-host=3 bad-connection=99999 message-expired=99999 other=99999 invalid-sender=99999

Responsive templates Source: Return Path ‘The Email Client Experience’ (2017)

Engaging Networks Email Builder Mobile responsive design at your fingertips Build and edit new template components with ease Use editable regions to customise your content The confidence of having a rigorously tested product shaping your email templates Ensure that your templates are up to spec with current industry standards and requirements

Testing your emails Use the Email Preview tool to check your email on a range of different devices and platforms Check how the email layout renders in iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, tablets, and desktop computers Send test emails to a range of different webmail, desktop clients, and devices before your supporters receive it

Types of spam traps Pure spam traps (honey pot email addresses designed to dupe spammers) Recycled email addresses (old accounts no longer used by customers) Invalid email addresses (typos, fake addresses)

Data hygiene Attrition and re- engagement Using double opt ins Acquisition of data (paid for lists, typos from submission) Third-party data cleaning services

Going further… Return Path Senderscore and third-party DNS blacklist checks Feedback loops and Gmail Postmaster Tools Email testing services such as Email on Acid and Litmus