Email Deliverability Master Series Part 3 - Building Your Sender Reputation - The Unsung Hero of Email Deliverability

Hope you’re enjoying the journey so far through the intricate (and sometimes infuriating) world of email deliverability. It's time now to delve into the third piece of our series puzzle – building a strong sender reputation.

Just like you'd want a good credit score when applying for a loan, or a 5-star rating as a rideshare driver, in the world of emails, you want a top-notch sender score. This score, influenced by your email habits, is a vital determining factor on whether ISPs roll out the welcome mat or the "return to sender" stamp.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

What is a sender reputation?

Simply put, your sender reputation is your credibility score in the eyes of ISPs. It's like your email credit score, and it influences how ISPs handle your outgoing emails. If you've got a high sender score, ISPs will have your emails gliding effortlessly into inboxes. If it's low, well, it’s the email equivalent of being in the dog house.

How is it calculated?

There are several factors that ISPs consider when calculating your sender score:

• Spam complaints: Keep these low. Complaints are a big red flag that you're not sending emails people want.
• Bounce rate: Emails bouncing back? This could mean you're sending to invalid addresses. ISPs don't like that.
• Volume: Sending a huge amount of emails at once can be a red flag. ISPs prefer seeing consistent and predictable email volumes.
• Engagement: If your emails are often opened, replied to, or forwarded, this can boost your sender reputation.

How to improve your sender reputation

Now for the golden question – how can you improve your sender reputation?

1. Quality over quantity: Be selective about who you email. Make sure your list consists of people who actually want to hear from you.
2. Engaging content: Create emails that people want to open and interact with.
3. Consistent sending volume: Don't send 10 emails one week, then 10,000 the next. Keep your sending volume relatively steady.
4. Authenticate your emails: We've chatted about this before – make sure you're using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
5. Regular list cleaning: Keep your email list tidy. Regularly remove unengaged, invalid, or bounced email addresses.

And don't forget, Super Send is your trusty sidekick in this journey. We provide tools and analytics to keep you on track, from monitoring engagement to managing email volumes.

Up next, we'll be learning how to craft high-quality email content that escapes spam filters and engages your audience. So, stick around – we’re just getting started!

Until then, remember – building a strong sender reputation is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep pacing, and you'll cross the finish line in the inbox every time.

Happy sending!