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My emails are getting delivered to spam, how do I improve my email deliverability?
My emails are getting delivered to spam, how do I improve my email deliverability?
Bryan Caporicci avatar
Written by Bryan Caporicci
Updated over a week ago

With all the technical innovations and improvements we've seen over the years, email is still an old technology. The world of email deliverability is complicated, and there's no sure way to win the game. Multi-million dollar companies like MailChimp and Aweber (who exclusively offer email delivery services) still struggle with the email deliverability problem. 

Some email providers are extremely strict with their spam rules. Hotmail, for example, will send emails not sent from a personal inbox to spam more often than not. That means that any studio management system, email marketing software or CRM tool will have a difficult time getting into the inbox, no matter how hard they try! 

Sprout Studio follows the best practices for sending emails. We're continually making improvements to based on the latest research and discoveries regarding email deliverability. With Sprout Studio, all your outgoing email is queued up, packaged and sent using one of the most reputable and reliable email delivery services available.

In addition to the measure we've taken to ensure your emails get delivered, there are a few ways to increase the likelihood of your emails making it safely into your clients' inbox. 

Step 1 - Use Email Integration

When you first set up your Sprout Studio account, the default email address your emails will be sent from is no-reply@sproutstudio.com. These emails are sent on your behalf, using your name, and all of your clients' replies come to you.

The first step to ensure your emails get delivered is to integrate your own email address, because: 

  1. Your email address is already "trusted" by your customer's email platform (i.e., Gmail). 

  2. Since you're the only one who uses your email address, it's likely to be fairly "healthy" in email terms. 

Step 2 - Turn off tracking

If you are experiencing issues with email deliverability, it may be because you have email tracking turned on. To offer email tracking, Sprout Studio inserts a small 1px x 1px image in an email so we can learn when your client opens the email. 

Sometimes, some email service providers don't like this. 

If you are experiencing concerns with deliverability, turn email tracking off to see if it makes a difference. 

Step 3 - Check your spam rating

Check your spam rating using Mail Tester. Set them up as a "client" and send them a few emails. Depending on your rating, follow their advice to increase your score and ensure more reliable deliverability. 

Step 4 - Optimize your emails

Here are a few tips to help you avoid landing in your clients' spam folder: 

  • Avoid images in your emails. Images in emails are often flagged as spam and may result in a less-than-desired email delivery rate. 

  • Avoid attachments in your emails. Like images, attachments are often flagged as spam, especially in the last few years, as email attachments are often how hackers distribute viruses. Fortunately, Sprout Studio provides links to attachments in email as opposed to attaching it to the email itself, so if you use Sprout Studio attachments, you're safe. 

  • Use subject line best practices. Read this article here, here and here. Some quick tips include - don't use all caps, don't be spammy, and don't beg your clients to open the email in the subject line. 

  • Use your name as your "from" email address (i.e., bryan@) instead of something generic such as sales@ or inquiries@. 

Step 5 - Use DKIM Records for your E-mails

Using DKIM Records can help improve e-mail deliverability overall.

  • The best option is to set up your DKIM settings under Settings > Account > Users > E-mail.

  • For a complete guide click here

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