Spam rules for email and text marketing

Email marketers, it's time to mark your calendars. On February 1st, 2024, Google and Yahoo will require bulk senders to authenticate their emails, make unsubscribing easy, and stay under a spam rate limit. Let's walk through the new standards: ✅ Email Authentication: Senders need DMARC, SPF, and DKIM verification. 🚫 Easy Unsubscription: One-click unsubscribe with a two-day honor period. 🙅 Low User-Reported Spam: Under 0.3% spam rate threshold. These new requirements are a good thing! Less spam in inboxes means your legitimate emails are more likely to be seen. Authenticated emails are also essential for security reasons, making phishing attempts easier to squash. Emails also look more reputable and on-brand from your organization's domain than your technology provider's. (The same guidance applies to URLs.) For nonprofits, these rules take effect after the EOY fundraising season. That said, February 1st will be here before you know it. Here are some steps to take: EMAIL AUTHENTICATION There are two ways to verify if you have DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records in place. 1. Find an email from your organization sent to your personal Gmail address. Click the three dots and select "Show Original." Each record should be marked as "PASS." 2. Use a web tool such as EasyDMARC's domain scanner. Enter each domain you use to send bulk emails, and it will show you whether DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records are in place. If you don't have all three in place, check with your tech provider for a how-to guide. EASY UNSUBSCRIPTION To meet the new "one-click" unsubscribe requirements, emails must include a List-Unsubscribe header. Email services use this to add unsubscribe links directly to their interfaces, so readers don't need to dig through the fine print to find the link. Look for an underlined "Unsubscribe" link in Gmail next to the email sender. In Yahoo's interface, click the three dots next to the spam button and look for an "Unsubscribe" option. Most modern email platforms have this covered, but contact yours if it is not in place. Honoring unsubscribes within two days means ensuring you have your email tool(s) set up correctly to exempt opt-outs. This should be instant, but watch out if you send from multiple platforms. When someone asks to unsubscribe from one tool, make sure their choice is respected in all the others. This is all the more reason to integrate your tech stack and have a centralized system for collecting consent, sending emails, and managing opt-outs. LOW USER-REPORTED SPAM With the right tools, the 0.3% threshold is easy to manage. First off, enable Google's Postmaster Tools to see where you stand. Secondly, make sure you only send to engaged contacts. This will reduce your spam rate and increase your engagement rates. Email deliverability doesn't need to be a mysterious process! Familiarize yourself with the terminology, get your house in order, and commit to better email practices.

New Strategies For Keeping Your Emails Out of Spam 👇 You might be making amazing emails. But if no one sees them, they won’t drive revenue. Step 1: Your Domain Has a Credit Score (And You Probably Don’t Know What It Is) Inbox providers like Google and Yahoo assign a kind of “credit score” to your domain based on how people interact with your emails. Open rates, clicks, replies = build a good credit score → inbox. No engagement, high bounce/spam complaints = bad credit score → spam folder. Use GlockApps to check yours (not a sponsor I just like them). They’ll give you test email addresses, you send a campaign, and they’ll show you exactly where you’re landing (Inbox vs Promotions vs Spam). Goal: You want 75%+ inbox placement. Step 2: Set Up Your Technicals (Takes 5 Minutes) This is non-negotiable. Missing this = guaranteed spam. Make sure the following records are correctly set up: SPF DKIM DMARC If you're using Klaviyo, this is pretty painless and most of it is automated. You just need to manually add a DMARC record (Klaviyo has an article in this if you look it up). Once it's done, it's done forever. Step 3: Warm Up Your Domain (Even If You’ve Been Sending for Years) Think of warming up your domain like building trust with inbox providers. You wouldn’t apply for a $100k loan with zero credit history. Same thing here. If you’re switching domains or have low open rates, treat your list like it’s fresh: Example Warm-Up Cadence: Start with 250 contacts. Then 250 → 500 → 1000 → 2000 Send unique campaigns every other day. Monitor open rates and only scale when engagement stays strong. Even with a massive list, you can get to full sends within 1 month. Step 4: Send Consistently! In 2025, going silent for weeks and blasting your full list out of nowhere is a huge red flag. Set a minimum cadence of 2 emails per week, even if it’s just a simple text-based update. This keeps your domain “active” and builds positive sending history over time. Step 5: Engagement Is Necessary Open rates, clicks, and replies tell inbox providers, “Hey, people actually want this.” Shoot for: 50%+ open rates 0.5%+ click rates <0.1% spam complaint rate Pro tip: If you’re not hitting those numbers, STOP sending to everyone. Instead, build a 30-day engaged segment (people who opened/clicked in the last 30 days) and only send to them. Once you’re consistently hitting 50%+ open rates, expand to 60, 90, 120-day segments. Bonus: Simple Emails = Higher Engagement Fancy designs are cool. But inbox providers love engagement, not aesthetics. Mix in text-based founder emails. Keep buttons clear. Add PS sections. Make it feel personal. It’s not just better for engagement, it builds trust and makes people want to open the next one.

If you aren't doing these things, you're eviscerating your email delivery rates... 1. Authenticate Your Emails: Implement SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) to authenticate your emails. Get to know Google Postmaster Tools. 2. Clean Your Email List Regularly: Remove inactive subscribers and invalid email addresses. A clean list reduces bounce rates and improves your sender reputation. 3. Segment Your Audience: Send targeted emails to specific segments of your audience. Personalization increases engagement, which signals to ISPs that your emails are valuable. 4. Craft Engaging Subject Lines: Create compelling and relevant subject lines to improve open rates. Avoid using spam trigger words like “free,” “buy now,” or “guarantee.” 5. Use a Reputable Email Service Provider (ESP): Choose an ESP with a good reputation for delivering emails and strong anti-spam measures. They can help ensure your emails are properly configured and compliant with regulations. 6. Optimize Email Content: Keep your emails concise, relevant, and visually appealing. Use a mix of text and images, and ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. Personalized video goes a long way. 7. Include a Clear Unsubscribe Option: Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe if they no longer wish to receive your emails. This helps maintain a positive sender reputation and reduces spam complaints. 8. Monitor Your Email Metrics: Track key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. Use this data to refine your strategy and improve future email campaigns. 9. Warm Up Your IP Address: If you’re starting with a new IP address, gradually increase your email sending volume. This helps build a positive sender reputation with ISPs. 10. Avoid Using URL Shorteners: URL shorteners can be associated with spam. Use full URLs or branded links to maintain trust and avoid triggering spam filters. 11. Ask for Whitelisting: Encourage your subscribers to add your email address to their contact list or whitelist. This ensures your emails land in their inboxes. 12. Check Your Email’s Spam Score: Use tools to analyze your email content for spammy elements before sending. This helps you identify and rectify potential issues that could land your email in the spam folder. By following these simple tricks, you can significantly improve your email delivery rates, ensuring your messages reach your audience effectively and boost your overall email marketing success. Feel free to share any additional tips or experiences in the comments!

Are you sending more than 5k emails to Gmail accounts and is your spam rate <0.3%? 🤔 It's not a question you would have asked yourself a week ago. Google's latest announcement around new Gmail requirements as of Feb'24 will mean a good amount of companies will need to review their email-sending practices very soon if A) they're sending over 5k emails per day to Gmail users B) have a >0.3% spam rate A couple of things to note on the spam rate 1. Spam rate applies to all email traffic of the domain, not just sales/marketing 👀 0.3% is 3 emails marked as spam for every 1,000 emails sent This means you'll need to drive down spam rate for your email domain across every email motion whether you're sending newsletters, cold emails etc. 2. 0.3% spam rate requirement is for all the senders, not just those sending over 5K emails to Gmail users. What you should consider doing? 1. Monitor Postmaster Tools 2. Increase quality and reduce quantity (Easier said than done). 3. Warm-up EVERY mailbox you use to send emails to people you don't know 4. Introduce dedicated domains for email motions and do domain rotation 5. Reduce # of emails you have in a sequence. More emails sent to a recipient within a short timeframe = higher likelihood of spam report There's more, but ultimately think from a user's standpoint and reduce the likelihood of them reporting your email as spam. There are things that aren't in your control due to email fatigue. Some users # Don't open emails from unknown senders. They can't/won't manage it. # Automatically filter emails from unknown senders or use tools to block them. # Mark automatically as spam, even newsletters they signed up to, which is cruel :) The good news there's plenty of time for you to adjust. More info and a link to the article in the comments below.

Updated bulk email requirements by Google and Yahoo. I would imagine Microsoft won’t be far behind. Yahoogle will begin enforcing these requirements beginning in Feb. So only 26 days left to get this done or risk your emails being blocked/denied by Yahoo, AOL, and Google. I’ve color coded the screenshot to make it super easy to know what *you* are responsible for. ‣ RED: Set up your SPF and DKIM Records ‣ ORANGE: Install Google Postmaster Tools and monitor your spam rate. It should be kept under 0.1%. Spam complaints are calculated on a daily basis. If your complaint rate gets close to or over 0.3% - you’re at risk of burning your sending domain/email. ‣ BLUE: Use your own domain - you’ll no longer be able to send from email addresses like tyler@gmail(.)com from your ESP. This is because Google themselves are implementing their own DMARC policy and if you’re sending from a gmail(.)com email address, that will fail Google’s DMARC and none of your emails will be delivered. ‣ PINK: Set up a DMARC policy. Here’s a copy/paste example DMARC Record for you ----- Record Type: TXT Name: _dmarc Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:email+dmarc@yourdomain(.)com; sp=none; adkim=r; aspf=r ----- ***update that RUA tag to *your* email. I recommend putting the “+dmarc” to make these reports easy to filter since dmarc reports are generated daily. So my email tyler@hypermediamarketing(.)net would look like this tyler+dmarc@hypermediamarketing(.)net. Then in gmail I would create a filter for any emails to the email address “tyler+dmarc@hypermediamarketing(.)net” to go into a dmarc folder. Or there are DMARC monitoring services you can have those reports sent too. Which I would also recommend so you're actively monitoring your DMARC reports. ----- Last, this is something that needs to be done for every software you're using for emailing. If you're using Google Workspace for 1:1 emails - ensure all authentication measures have been set up. If you're using ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Keap, MailChimp, etc - SPF and DKIM records need to be set up for those *as well as* Google Workspace. If you're using a help desk - SPF and DKIM records need to be set up. Hit me up with questions if you have them! #emailmarketing #emailmarketingtips

ICYMI: There are new email rules going into effect for Google on February 1, 2024, and Yahoo in Q1. Failure to comply could cause your emails to be rejected, so make sure to add this to your list over the next 6 weeks. These rules apply to any company sending more than 5,000 messages to Gmail accounts or Yahoo-owned inboxes within a 24-hour period. I've seen some confusion about how this is calculated, so here are some facts direct from Google FAQs, which appear to be the same as Yahoo: - For now, this includes recipients with personal addresses ending in @gmail.com, @yahoo.com or @aol.com, though it may extend to recipients with corporate accounts in the future. - It also applies to senders from any domain or email provider. - The count is aggregated by domain (e.g., if 100 people with the same sender domain each send 50 emails to gmail accounts within a 24-hour period, that counts as 5,000). - The count includes emails from both humans and systems (transactional emails, automations, etc.). With stuff like this, it’s typically better to be safe than sorry and assume they apply to your company. It’s also expected that other providers will follow their lead. There are three main things to do: 1. Authenticate your email and align your “from addresses.” This is pretty technical and instructions differ by provider. Some links to guides from common ESPs in the comments. 2. Enable 1-click unsubscribe from commercial emails and process within 2 days. It’s unclear how broadly they will define “commercial” but it explicitly doesn’t include transactional emails (e.g., password resets, form submit confirmations). 3. Stay below a spam rate. Google recommends staying below 0.1% and will now enact more harsh penalties if it goes above 0.3%. Check the comments for more detailed resources from reputable sources and platforms you might be using. #yourweeklymap #deliverability

Important Email Update! New requirements from Gmail and Yahoo Mail effective February 2024. 𝐄𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬: As part of their ongoing commitment to enhance email security and protect user inboxes, Gmail and Yahoo Mail have announced a set of new requirements for email senders, effective February 2024. The new requirements include long-standing best practices that all email senders should follow in order to achieve good deliverability with mailbox providers. What's new is that Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and other mailbox providers will require alignment with these best practices for those who send bulk messages over 5000 per day or if a significant number of recipients indicate the mail as spam. 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: - SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a domain-based way to determine what IPs are allowed to send email on somebody's behalf. - DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is a message-based signature that uses asymmetric cryptography to sign email and verify that a message was not altered in transit. - DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) builds on top of SPF and DKIM and instructs receivers to approve, quarantine, or reject email messages. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: For senders of bulk messages, meeting these requirements is crucial to maintaining good deliverability and ensuring that your emails reach the intended recipients' inboxes. Failure to comply may result in emails being marked as spam or rejected by mailbox providers. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨: Review your current email sending practices to ensure alignment with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. If necessary, update your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations to comply with the new requirements. Check the diagram showing how SPF and DKIM work together with your DMARC policy. #EmailSecurity #GmailUpdate #YahooMail #SPF #DKIM #DMARC #Authentication #CyberSecurity #EmailBestPractices

Amongst customers and on my network, I’ve seen continued chatter around the new bulk send requirements from Google and Yahoo. As most of you are aware, these new regulations will hit February 1, 2024. Like Outreach CEO Manny Medina said a couple of weeks ago, don't worry - these changes are positive for our industry. These new requirements are actually reinforcing best practices Outreach has been encouraging customers to adopt over the years. And as Outreach’s President of Product and Technology, I’d like to dive into this a bit more.   Last week, Google elaborated on its email sender guidelines and clarified they do not apply to messages sent to Google Workspace accounts. Sender requirements and Google enforcement apply only when sending email to personal Gmail accounts (@gmail.com accounts). We know these new regulations will impact our customers - those sending B2C communications more quickly than B2B - and will work with you to help update your settings to avoid business disruptions when these changes roll out. While these regulations impact personal emails, we can’t be sure it will be this way forever so we recommend organizations adopt our best practices now. How do you get a prospect to read your email? Send better, more relevant emails with personalized content that is targeted at a specific persona. As we've been recommending for years, we advise all of our customers to follow these best practices when sending emails to get more ROI: - Use Persona-based messaging to drive an Account-based selling motion - Limit use of automated email steps in sequences, and vary content when doing so - Limit exposure to unnecessary spam complaints by auditing your contact database to remove personal Gmail accounts and ensure that you are sending to corporate emails for all B2B prospects and customers  And I want to reiterate that we are here to help you through these changes. We want to partner with you to design a more efficient, strategic, organized sales process to unleash seller productivity and ultimately help your organization generate revenue. Our customers always come first - if you have any questions, please reach out, and the Outreach team will be happy to help you. 

How to send cold emails in 2024, without getting banned by Google. Here are my email best practices for 2024: - Warming up - Use Plain-text - Avoid email burst - Contact the right person - Personalized emails only - Using a separate domain - Sending <50/day per person - One email one core message - Add one-click unsubscribe link - Configure ARC, DMARC, DKIM, and SPF - Don’t use HTML and CSS to hide content - HTML signature (avoid pictures and links) - Avoid spam words: free, limited, NOW, or win 5000 daily emails include: - direct emails - cadence tools - marketing automation - transactional emails (password reset, alerts, etc.) Spam - Avoid a spam rate of 0.30% or higher - Aim to keep your spam rate below 0.10% - Tip: Use the Postmaster tool to monitor spam rate That is 3 out of 1000 emails can be spam. Not much. You can not rely only on email for outbound. This means: - Cold calling is a must - Be in online communities - Use intent data to target better - Conferences and in-person meetings are crucial - Use LinkedIn for personal brand and social selling Diversification is key. P.S. How are you preparing outbound in 2024?

You know to protect your reputation... and your brand reputation... but what about your sender and domain reputation? Google and Yahoo's latest email requirements aren't just a technical checklist but they're essential to maintaining your professional credibility. Here’s how non-compliance could impact you: 1. Sender Reputation Emails Blocked or Marked as Spam: Fail to pass authentication checks (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC), and your emails might never see the light of an inbox. High Spam Complaint Rates: Exceeding the 0.3% spam complaint rate could see your domain blocklisted, diminishing your reach and credibility. 2. Domain Reputation Damage to Trust: Incorrect email authentication measures could tag your domain as a source of untrustworthy emails. Incomplete DMARC policy: A policy of only "p=none" passes the test, but you won't receive feedback reports. This "incomplete" policy prevents you from monitoring any authentication issues impacting reputation. 3. The Domino Effect on Brand and Personal Reputation Brand Trust: If essential emails like order confirmations and program notifications don't reliably reach inboxes, it can tarnish your brand's reliability and customer trust. Personal Impact: For freelancers and consultants, non-compliance can lead to emails being blocked or marked as spam, reflecting poorly on professionalism. Why take the risk? By ensuring compliance with these new requirements, you safeguard your sender and domain reputations, which are foundational to maintaining your overall brand and personal reputation in the digital world. Are you confident in your email practices, or is it time for a reputation check-up? DM me if you want me to check your domain and sender reputation. #emailmarketing #digitalmarketing #entrepreneurship