Everyone strives to reach their subscribers’ inboxes. Many factors determine deliverability—but it’s no secret that reputation is among the most important.
So what can you do to fix a broken reputation? How can you know what your reputation is or if it needs improving? And what role does an ESP play in working email magic?
Like most things with deliverability, the answers aren’t always straightforward, and often there’s no easy fix. However, it’s essential to focus on the things you can control.
In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain a few actionable steps for taking control of your email reputation. From the technical aspects to long-term fixes, here are some tips for achieving an excellent sender reputation.

Pullquote
“If you’re having sender reputation issues, you probably don’t want to have a verified sending domain in place because it means that your reputation is carrying a lot of weight to determine whether your message lands in the inbox or spam folder. If your reputation is damaged, there’s a good chance you’re not going to land in the inbox.” ~ @alyssa_dulin
Main Takeaways
- [04:35] Unfortunately, it’s difficult to tell what your sender reputation is. There’s no website with a score or phone number to call. However, reputation is powerful. An ESP can do everything right, but your emails won’t deliver if your reputation is damaged.
- [12:46] Your sender reputation is like your credit score. It measures trust, and every mailbox provider has its formula for determining reputation.
- [16:05] Your reputation is determined mainly by your subscribers. That’s why it’s so important to regularly clean your list of unengaged subscribers who are damaging your reputation. Open rates, clicks, replies, and a recipient marking your email as ‘not spam’ are all positive signals that improve your reputation.
- [26:10] Both your marketing strategy and the technical aspects of deliverability can make or break your reputation. The best course of action is to engage people who see your emails and use marketing tactics that encourage people to open, click, and reply.
- [36:27] To improve a damaged reputation, determine the root issue and remove subscribers who did not opt-in to receive your emails.
Links
- Deliverability Defined 104: Protecting Yourself From Listbombing
- Deliverability Defined 216: What Makes A Good Subscriber?
- Deliverability Defined 107: Meaningful Metrics: Going Beyond Open Rates
- Google Postmaster Tools
- reCAPTCHA
- Dogecoin
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