3 Little-Known Issues That Affect Email Deliverability

You’ve created fantastic email copy you know will appeal to your audience. Not only that, the email’s design is engaging and optimized. You know this campaign will be a hit.

But it takes more than relevant, engaging copy and design for an email to be a success. First, you’ve got to make it into your recipient’s inbox. Believe it or not, it takes a lot more than being able to bypass an ISP’s spam filter for your email deliverability to be a success. Many small things can hurt your email deliverability.

Let’s look at some little-known issues that could be keeping your emails from reaching the inbox or being flagged as spam by the recipient.

Leaving Your Subscribers Hanging

First impressions are important, especially when it comes to email marketing. Think about this: When someone signs up for your emails, what happens? Do they receive an engaging welcome email? Or do they receive an email from you three months later? If it’s the latter, the subscriber has likely forgotten they subscribed to your emails, have no idea who you are and will likely unsubscribe or report you as spam. Not such a great first impression, right?

Fix this by sending a welcome email when someone signs up for your list. Include something relevant or of value in this email – whether it’s a blog link you think new subscribers will find helpful or a useful e-book.

Let new subscribers also know how often you’ll be sending emails, so they know what to expect from your brand.Then, be sure to send consistently.

Overlooking the Subject Line

Before your recipient opens your email, they see the subject line. Emails with compelling subjects get opened; dull or annoying ones don’t. But a subject line can also alert an ISP that the email might be spam.

When creating your subject lines, avoid the use of all caps, excessive punctuation or special characters. And even though you might have an amazing offer, avoid using the terms “exclusive,” “urgent” or “one-time only.”

Keeping your subject lines concise and avoiding the above terms and characters can help ensure your emails land in the recipient’s inbox and get opened.

Sending to Unengaged Subscribers or Bad Email Addresses

Low engagement rates can tell an ISP that your recipients aren’t engaged with your content and emails. Similarly, sending to invalid email addresses can affect the number of emails that make it to the inbox – and the amount of spam reports you receive.

Using an accurate email validation service helps remove those invalid emails from your list. You may also try sending a re-engagement campaign to those who have not engaged with you in three or six months. A list of engaged subscribers – free of invalid emails – helps maintain your sending reputation.

Giving your subscribers relevant, engaging content on a consistent basis – and ensuring your list is clean and active – can help strengthen your email results.