![Email Deliverability — How To Protect Your List [LNIM181]](https://www.latenightim.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Depositphotos_6249748_xl-2015-1080x675.jpg)
Are your emails ending up in the spam or promotions folder instead of the inbox? Email deliverability can make or break your marketing results. In this episode, Mark offers seven actionable best practices you can implement immediately to improve your email deliverability and protect the list you have worked so hard to build.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- Why email deliverability matters more than the size of your email list
- Seven proven best practices for getting your emails into the inbox
- How to protect your sender reputation from common mistakes
- Technical setup steps including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication
Episode Summary
Mark starts with context. A decade ago, the internet marketing world revolved around email. The money was in the list, and if you made money online, you made it with SEO and email. The rise of social media caused a temporary shift, but email has resurged as one of the most valuable marketing channels. At the same time, email spam detection and deliverability systems have become significantly more sophisticated, creating real challenges for legitimate email marketers.
Here are Mark's seven best practices for improving your email deliverability:
1. Use double opt-in. When someone gives you their email address, require them to click a confirmation link before you start sending. This keeps you compliant with most email laws, prevents sending to people who do not genuinely want your emails, reduces spam complaints, and protects your reputation.
2. Use a clear and personalized “From” line. Mark uses “Mark from LateNight.im” which combines his personal name with the brand. This makes the email look friendly and personal while maintaining brand recognition, which increases open rates.
3. Create compelling subject lines. Open rates directly impact your email reputation, which in turn affects deliverability. Good subject lines get people to open your email rather than ignore it or report it as spam. Segment your subscribers and craft subject lines that drive engagement for each group.
4. Prune your list periodically. Remove email addresses that consistently go unopened or bounce. They cost you money since most email service providers charge based on subscriber count, and unopened emails drag down your deliverability metrics.
5. Check your sender reputation regularly. Monitor your sender score and check blacklists to make sure your server IP is clean. Make unsubscribing easy and obvious because frustrated subscribers who cannot find the unsubscribe link will hit the spam button instead, which directly harms your reputation.
6. Be consistent with your sending frequency. When subscribers expect your emails, they are accustomed to receiving them and less likely to report them as spam. Surprising people with unexpected emails increases complaints.
7. Set up a custom sending domain with proper authentication. Configure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to prove you are a legitimate sender and not spoofing someone else's domain. Check with your email service provider to ensure your emails look like they come from your brand.
Key Takeaways
- Double opt-in protects your deliverability, compliance, and sender reputation simultaneously
- A personalized “From” line combining your name and brand increases open rates
- Subject lines directly affect your email reputation through their impact on open rates
- Regularly pruning inactive subscribers saves money and improves deliverability metrics
- Make unsubscribing easy or frustrated readers will use the spam button instead
- Consistent sending frequency builds subscriber expectations and reduces spam reports
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication proves you are a legitimate sender
What's Changed Since This Episode
Mark recorded this episode in September 2019, and email deliverability has become even more critical and complex. Google and Yahoo implemented major new sender requirements in February 2024. Bulk senders (those sending more than 5,000 emails per day) must now authenticate their emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC; provide easy one-click unsubscribe; and maintain spam complaint rates below 0.3 percent. These requirements made the technical steps Mark describes not just best practices but mandatory for reaching Gmail and Yahoo inboxes.
Apple's Mail Privacy Protection launched in 2021 and significantly changed how email marketers track open rates. Apple now pre-fetches email content for Mail app users, which inflates open rate numbers and makes them less reliable as a metric. Email marketers have shifted toward click-through rates and conversion metrics as more accurate indicators of engagement.
Email service providers have evolved considerably. ConvertKit, which Mark mentions, rebranded to Kit in 2024. Other platforms like Beehiiv, Substack, and Ghost have emerged as popular alternatives, each with different approaches to deliverability and audience building. The core deliverability principles Mark shares remain essential regardless of which platform you use.
Resources Mentioned
- Sender Score — check your email sending reputation
- GlockApps — email deliverability testing
- Build Your Own Internet Business — free beginner's guide
- Apple Podcasts — subscribe to LNIM
- Spotify — subscribe to LNIM
- LNIM Podcast
Related Episodes
If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:
- LNIM180 — Get More Email Subscribers With Exit Intent Popups
- LNIM179 — Get More Traffic With Browser Push Notifications
Listen and Subscribe
Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.
