What causes low email delivery?
Low email delivery rate means that your emails somehow are getting stuck between you and the recipient, and in return you get the ever so frustrating email saying that "the delivery failed", aka a "bounce". However, one thing many people don't know is that there are actually two different types of bounces: hard bounces and soft bounces. The second one is the most common one, and this one you can actually control.
The first one is the type of bounce that simply occurs because the recipient's email address doesn't exist. But the second one is actually not that bad. It means that the bounce is only temporary and that if you try again within a day or two, it will probably not bounce at all. So what are soft bounces?
What are soft bounces and how can you avoid them?
There are multiple things you can do to reduce the risk of soft bounces. The top 4 checks we recommend at Zaplify are the following
Make sure that you don't reach out from a brand new domain. If you are using a brand new domain, make sure to warm it up slowly before going full throttle with Zaplify.
If you are a person who usually don't send a lot of emails, there is a risk that your email activity will seem suspicious at first if you go too hard with Zaplify the first couple of weeks after starting using the service. Make sure to set your campaign schedule to a level that is best fit for your account.
Your emails might be marked as spam by the recipient. Usually this happens if they contain irrelevant or too generic content, or simply if the emails are targeting an audience irrelevant for your content (see below for details).
Make sure that your email domain is setup with best practises such as SPF-, DKIM- and DMARC DNS-records in place.
Are your emails getting flagged as spam?
Getting a spam-flagged email can be very frustrating. Having email automation as one of our core products, we understand the importance and priority of great email deliverability. If you have been spam flagged, there are a few steps you can take with your IT department and email provider to resolve the issue and ensure that your future emails are not marked as spam. Here's what you can do:
Check your email content: The first step is to review the content of your email. Is it possible that the email was flagged as spam because it contained certain words or phrases that are commonly associated with spam? Avoid using words like "free," "limited time offer," "act now," or any other language that may be interpreted as spammy. Also known as "spam trigger words".
Avoid using too many links: Emails with a lot of links can be seen as spammy. So, if your email contains a lot of links, try to reduce the number of links and make sure that they are relevant to the content of your email.
Check for blacklisting: If your email address or domain has been blacklisted, this can result in emails being flagged as spam. You can check if your email address or domain has been blacklisted by using a free online tool like MXToolBox. If your email address or domain is blacklisted, you will need to contact the blacklist provider to get it removed.
Authenticate your emails: Email authentication is a process that verifies that the sender of an email is legitimate. This can be done by adding an SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record, DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) signature, and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record to your email. Most email service providers have guides that explain how to set up email authentication for your domain.
Monitor your sender reputation: Your sender reputation is a score that is assigned to your domain based on various factors such as spam complaints, bounce rates, and email engagement. You can use tools like Sender Score to monitor your sender reputation and take action if your score drops.
In conclusion, despite it being out of the control of Zaplify to resolve a spam-flagged email address, we're here to guide and support you in resolving the issue. Follow the process above with your IT department and/or email provider. If your email has been spam flagged, it's important to take action to resolve the issue and improve your sender reputation. By following the steps outlined above, you can reduce the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam in the future.