Email deliverability refers to your ability to ensure emails reach the inbox instead of being directed to spam or junk folders. Good deliverability means your prospects actually see your message, which is critical for outreach, sales, and marketing campaigns.
If your emails are bouncing, going to spam, or disappearing altogether, it’s usually down to a few key factors you can control.
Key Factors Affecting Deliverability:
1. Sender Reputation
What it is: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email platforms like Google and Microsoft score your domain and IP based on past behavior. Poor practices damage this reputation and cause more emails to be filtered.
How to improve:
Keep complaint rates low by only emailing people who expect to hear from you.
Use a consistent sending pattern rather than spikes of activity.
Remove hard bounces quickly. Invalid emails are a fast way to destroy reputation.
Warm up new domains and inboxes before sending at scale.
2. Email Content
What it is: What you write, how you format it, and even what you avoid can all impact inbox placement.
How to improve:
Keep it personal and relevant. Emails that look like bulk spam are more likely to get flagged.
Avoid “spam trigger” words (free, guarantee, urgent, act now).
Limit links and images. Too many can look suspicious.
Always write like a human, not a template bot.
3. Authentication
What it is: Technical setup that proves your emails are genuine and not spoofed.
How to set it up:
SPF: Authorizes the IPs or services that can send emails for your domain.
DKIM: A Cryptographic signature that verifies emails weren’t altered in transit.
DMARC: Sets rules for what happens if SPF or DKIM fail, and protects your brand from spoofing.
4. List Hygiene
Why it matters: Low-quality data lists equal high bounce rates and spam traps.
How to improve:
Regularly verify email addresses before sending (services like Outreachly’s Verified B2B Data Package include deliverability checks).
Remove unengaged or invalid contacts.
Segment your list so you’re only emailing relevant audiences.
5. Engagement Signals
Why it matters: Email providers monitor how recipients interact with your emails. Positive engagement (replies, forwards, moving to inbox) boosts deliverability, while negative engagement (deletes, spam reports, no opens) hurts it.
How to improve:
Prioritize replies over clicks. A real conversation signals high relevance.
Personalize subject lines and first lines—avoid mass-blast “quick question” templates.
Don’t send endless follow-ups if people aren’t engaging.
6. Stop Tracking Opens and Links
Why this matters: Many senders rely on open and click tracking to measure success. But hidden tracking pixels and tracked links are increasingly flagged by Google, Microsoft, and Apple as “suspicious.”
Apple Mail Privacy Protection now blocks open tracking by default.
Tracked links (with long redirects) can make your email look like phishing.
These practices can directly reduce your deliverability and inbox placement.
Better alternative: Focus on real engagement. Track replies and booked meetings instead of artificial open rates. If you need link clicks, use clean, direct URLs (no tracking parameters).
7. Ongoing Monitoring
Deliverability isn’t “set it and forget it.” Stay proactive:
Check blacklists regularly.
Use tools to monitor domain health and reputation.
Keep warming domains active to prevent decay.
Final Word on Deliverability
Strong deliverability is the foundation of successful email outreach. By protecting your sender reputation, keeping content clean and authentic, and avoiding practices like open/link tracking, you’ll land in more inboxes, start more conversations, and ultimately win more deals.
🚀 By focusing on these key factors, you can improve the effectiveness of your email outreach and maintain a positive sender reputation.