What You Need to Know About Email Deliverability (And How to Improve It!)

We’ve all been there—you’ve put together the perfect email campaign, and you’re confident it’s going to drive engagement, maybe even some sales. But as the numbers start coming in, you realize…something’s off. Your open rates are low, and worse yet, it looks like many of your emails aren’t even making it to the inbox. Welcome to the world of email deliverability!

Don’t worry, though—you’re not alone in this. Email deliverability can be tricky, but once you understand the factors at play and take the right steps, you can improve your chances of landing in the inbox rather than the dreaded spam folder.

What is Email Deliverability?

At its core, email deliverability is all about making sure the emails you send actually reach the people you’re trying to communicate with. It’s not just about hitting “send” and hoping for the best. You need to ensure your emails are accepted by email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook and don’t get flagged as spam.

Think of it as a journey. Your email has to pass several checkpoints before it can be delivered to your recipient’s inbox. These checkpoints include spam filters, domain reputation checks, and recipient engagement metrics. If you don't maintain a good sender reputation or if you send out too many emails too quickly, you risk getting blocked or sent straight to spam.

Why Does Email Deliverability Matter?

It’s simple: if your emails don’t make it to the inbox, everything else you’ve done—the great copy, design, and offers—won’t matter. You could have the most incredible email in the world, but if your recipients never see it, what's the point?

This is why having a solid grasp on deliverability is crucial for your email marketing efforts. And if you’re running a business, improving email deliverability can significantly impact your revenue and customer relationships.

How to Boost Your Email Deliverability

Now that we know how important deliverability is, let's talk about how to improve it. Here are a few key steps you can take:

1. Start with a Good Warm-Up Strategy

If you’re just starting out or moving to a new email service provider (ESP), you need to “warm up” your sending domain. What does that mean? It’s like introducing yourself to email service providers, one step at a time. Instead of sending thousands of emails right off the bat, you’ll want to start small and gradually increase your email volume. This helps build trust with email providers and ensures your emails don’t get flagged as spam.

For more info on how to do this properly, check out email warmup tools, which can automate the process and make it easy to build a strong sender reputation over time.

2. Clean Your Email List Regularly

One of the most common reasons emails bounce or end up in spam is because they’re being sent to outdated or invalid email addresses. Cleaning up your list regularly to remove inactive users, or those who never engage with your content, is essential to keeping your sender reputation healthy.

A great way to avoid sending to invalid emails is by integrating an email verification API into your system. This tool ensures that every email on your list is valid and active, reducing the chances of bounces and improving your deliverability score.

3. Hire an Email Deliverability Consultant

Sometimes, email deliverability issues can be complicated. Maybe your email campaigns aren’t working as well as they used to, or perhaps you’re unsure about how to improve your domain reputation. This is where an expert can step in. An email deliverability consultant can help you audit your email processes, fix deliverability issues, and implement strategies that will improve your overall email performance.

They’ll help with everything from setting up authentication protocols (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) to providing guidance on email content that can help reduce spam complaints. It’s a worthwhile investment if you’re serious about boosting your email game.

Final Thoughts

Improving email deliverability isn’t something you can do overnight, but with the right strategies in place, you can significantly increase your chances of reaching your audience and making an impact. Start small, track your results, and keep refining your approach.

Remember, your email campaign is only as good as its deliverability. After all, what’s the use of a killer email if no one ever sees it?