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When working with mailing lists, surprises can arise. A common situation: everything worked fine, but suddenly the open rate of emails dropped sharply, and the postmasters of the mail systems began to signal that your mailing lists were in Spam.
What to do in such a situation and how to get out of "Spam"?
Step 1. Checking against a number of criteria
First of all, it is necessary to conduct a basic assessment of the mailings: perhaps they really are not so smooth, which gives the mail services a reason to put them in Spam. IN we have listed the main factors that should be worked out when starting mailings in order to minimize the likelihood of getting into "Spam".
If everything is fine with the technical parameters of mailings, content and other basic things, but the letters are still in Spam, it's time to move on to action.
Step #2. Analysis of spam filter logic + checking FBL reports
The first step is to understand the nature of getting into "Spam". It is possible that individual spam filters work for some subscribers. Mail system algorithms analyze how users interact with similar messages.
If a person has previously sent emails similar to yours to the Spam folder, then your mailing list may also end up there. In this case, there is a problem, but it is not as serious as if your entire domain was on the untrusted list.
Checking the scale of the problem is simple: you need to send a letter to your own mailboxes in those mail services whose users have stopped opening messages. If emails sent to yourself get through, then you are dealing with individual spam filters.
You can get around them like this: try to contact users through other channels and explain how to move the letter from Spam to Inbox by adding your return e-mail to the address book. Then the following messages will already pass without problems.
You also need to remember about Feedback Loop (FBL) reports. This tool lets you know if someone has put your emails in Spam. It is important to immediately remove such subscribers from the database and not send anything else to them, as well as to all those who clicked on the unsubscribe link. Mailing list services automatically process FBL reports from mail providers that provide them, for example, they are sent by mail.ru. But the problem is that some mail services, including, for example, Gmail and Yandex, do not send them, so you will have to clean the database from such subscribers yourself. We will talk about how to do this below.
Step #3 Cleaning up the base
Each database has subscribers who receive mailings, but they are not opened for a long time. Including because they once sent them to Spam. You need to say goodbye to such subscribers. This will not only reduce the size of the database and save on its maintenance (payment for mailing services, etc.), but also increase the reputation of the domain and get rid of the spam traps of mail providers.
The DashaMail service has to remove inactive subscribers manually:
This is enough for a start, but for the future it is better to write down the rules according to which the system can inactive subscribers and delete them automatically. In addition, you can also set up reactivation automailing for them - when a message with a super catchy subject is sent to the subscriber before the final move to the inactive list. If this does not work, then the subscriber, most likely, no longer sees your letters and it is better to remove him from the database.
Step #4 Newsletter to the most active segment of the subscriber base
In any mailing list, there are users who open emails from time to time and / or do not particularly respond to them, and there are those who are interested in the content, they open mailing lists and follow links. In order to increase the reputation of mailing lists in the event of delivery problems, it is worth working with such users for some time.
They've opened your emails before, they're obviously interested in the content, so they're more likely to get an email in their inbox.
To separate active subscribers into a separate segment, you can use DashaMail activity ratings. Initially, all subscribers receive 2 stars in the rating. Further, the number of stars changes depending on the subscriber's activity in mailing lists.
An example of a subscriber rating in DashaMail:
Send one or two emails only to those with an activity rating of 4 stars or higher, even if the segment is small. It is highly likely that after such a mailing, the deliverability of messages and mail reputation will increase. But this, nevertheless, does not eliminate the need to clear the database from inactive subscribers.
Step #5 Contacting Postal Service Support
If you have done all the steps described above and are confident in the quality of your mailings, but the letters still end up in Spam, then there is only one option left: contacting the mail service support service.
The appeal must be written correctly. It is better to do without emotions and reasonably describe your position by providing relevant data. In the general case, you will need to talk about your business, describe how to collect a subscriber base, attach a copy of the letter that got into Spam in EML format. If you have postmasters of mail systems configured, you can attach a screenshot proving that the letter really ended up in Spam.
You will also need data on a specific letter, the fate of which you are interested in. To upload a letter in EML format, you will need your own mailboxes in the desired mail systems. For example, here's how you can download the EML version of a letter in Yandex.Mail:
Here's what the EML version of the email looks like:
It is also worth contacting the mailing service you use and requesting logs by a specific e-mail. When you have collected all the data and prepared a letter, you need to send it. Here's where to write:
After that, it remains only to wait for a response and be ready to provide additional information and answer questions.
Conclusion: checklist for exiting Spam
In conclusion, let's once again go through the steps that need to be done in order to get a chance to exit the "Spam":
- Check technical settings and apply best practices. Check domain reputation, DKIM settings, SPF, and other important settings. If you did not use double opt-in when collecting the base, then be sure to implement it.
- Set up mail system postmasters. This way you will be able to monitor the status of your mailings.
- Analyze engagement and monitor base hygiene, clean up on time. Test different content formats, choose what works best, do not write to those who are not interested.
- If you are in Spam - first analyze everything and collect as much data as possible. Understand how big the problem is, what email services it covers, test the mailing on your mailboxes and download the logs and the EML version of the message.
- Communicate competently with the provider's support service. Communication with support specialists is very important. You need to prove, without aggression, calmly and reasonably, point by point, that you are not spamming people, but sending useful content that they have subscribed to and that is of value to the recipient.
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Source: habr.com