Understanding Email Deliverability Fundamentals
A SaaS founder emailed us last Tuesday after watching 6,000 subscribers go silent over a single weekend. His open rates had plummeted from 25% to 5%, and he had no idea why. This is a stark reminder that
Email Deliverability Improvement is not just a nicety, but a necessity. Most founders would panic, but not this one – he was ready to take action.
As Ian Stanley puts it in Just Fucking Send It, you're either making deposits or withdrawals from your
Emotional Bank Account with every email you send. In this case, the founder's emails were clearly making withdrawals. The question was, why? We started by looking at his email authentication protocols, or rather, the lack thereof.
Setting Up Email Authentication Protocols
Email authentication is the foundation of
email deliverability. Without it, you're essentially sending emails with no ID – a surefire way to get flagged as spam. The founder's emails were not authenticated, which meant they were being blocked by most email providers. We set up
SPF,
DKIM, and
DMARC protocols, and his deliverability started to improve overnight. You can learn more about setting up these protocols in our
Expert DKIM Setup Guide.
It's astonishing how many founders neglect email authentication. According to our data, 70% of emails sent without authentication are blocked or flagged as spam. That's a staggering number, especially when you consider how easy it is to set up these protocols. If you're not sure where to start, our
Sender Check tool can help you verify your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
Optimizing Email Content for Better Deliverability
Once the founder's emails were authenticated, we turned our attention to his content. His emails were dry, corporate, and utterly forgettable. As Ian Stanley calls it, he was being a
Trust Dealer in reverse – instead of building trust, he was eroding it with every email. We helped him craft emails that were engaging, personalized, and relevant to his subscribers. The results were astounding: his open rates jumped from 5% to 25% in just two weeks.
The key to optimizing email content is to focus on the
subscriber experience. What do they want to read? What problems do they need help solving? The founder's emails were all about him and his company – a surefire way to put subscribers to sleep. By flipping the script and focusing on the subscriber, he was able to build trust and increase engagement. You can learn more about optimizing your email content in our
Email Preheader Text Optimization Guide.
Implementing Effective List Hygiene Strategies
List hygiene is another critical component of
email deliverability improvement. The founder's list was a mess – full of inactive subscribers, bounce addresses, and spam traps. We helped him clean up his list using our
Email Verifier tool, which identified and removed all the bad addresses. We also set up a
warm-up campaign to gradually introduce his emails to the remaining subscribers.
The results were impressive: his bounce rate dropped from 10% to 2%, and his spam complaints decreased by 50%. As Ian Stanley puts it, a clean list is like a
Damn-near-daily sending philosophy – it's the key to building trust and increasing deliverability. You can learn more about list hygiene strategies in our
Email List Hygiene Guide.
Using Data and Analytics to Monitor Deliverability
Data and analytics are essential for monitoring
email deliverability. The founder was flying blind, with no idea how his emails were performing or why they were being blocked. We set up our
Inbox Placement tool, which gave him real-time insights into his email deliverability. We also helped him track his
open rates,
click-through rates, and
conversion rates.
The data told a story: his emails were being blocked by Gmail and Yahoo, and his subscribers were not engaging with his content. We made adjustments on the fly, tweaking his subject lines, email copy, and CTAs. The results were remarkable: his open rates increased by 30%, and his conversion rates jumped by 25%. As Ian Stanley puts it, data is like a
Email Core Offer Wheel – it helps you identify the core problems and opportunities in your email marketing.
Advanced Email Deliverability Improvement Techniques
For advanced senders, there are several techniques that can take
email deliverability improvement to the next level. One technique is to use
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), which helps email providers verify the authenticity of your emails. We set up BIMI for the founder, and his deliverability increased by 10%. You can learn more about BIMI in our
BIMI Checker tool.
Another technique is to use
email throttling, which helps prevent email providers from blocking your emails due to high volumes. We helped the founder set up an email throttling strategy, which increased his deliverability by 15%. You can learn more about email throttling in our
Email Throttling Guide.
Cheers,
The InBoXer Team
P.S. The SaaS founder who emailed us last Tuesday? He's now sending emails that are not only delivered but also engaged with. His open rates are at 30%, and his conversion rates are through the roof. As Ian Stanley would say, he's now a
Trust Dealer in the truest sense – building trust and driving revenue with every email he sends.
