What affects deliverability
| Factor | Impact | Your control |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) | High | Full — configure DNS records |
| Sender reputation | High | Moderate — built over time |
| Content quality | High | Full — write good emails |
| List hygiene | High | Full — clean regularly |
| Bounce rate | High | Moderate — remove bad addresses |
| Spam complaints | Critical | Moderate — send relevant content |
| Domain age | Moderate | Low — new domains need warm-up |
| Sending volume consistency | Moderate | Full — avoid spikes |
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup
These three DNS records authenticate your emails and prove to receiving servers that you are a legitimate sender.SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF tells email servers which IP addresses are allowed to send email from your domain.Get your SPF record
Go to Settings → Email Services → Dedicated Domain and copy the SPF record provided.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM adds a digital signature to every email, proving the message was not altered in transit.DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)
DMARC tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.Create a DMARC record
Add a TXT record for
_dmarc.yourdomain.com with a policy. Start with monitoring mode:Domain warm-up process
New sending domains have no reputation. Sending high volume immediately will trigger spam filters.| Week | Daily volume | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20–50 | Send to your most engaged contacts only |
| 2 | 50–100 | Continue with engaged contacts |
| 3 | 100–250 | Expand to broader segments |
| 4 | 250–500 | Monitor bounce and complaint rates |
| 5 | 500–1,000 | Scale if metrics are healthy |
| 6+ | 1,000+ | Gradually increase to full volume |
Sender reputation
Your sender reputation is a score that ISPs assign to your domain and IP based on sending behavior.Building good reputation
- Send consistently (not in bursts)
- Maintain low bounce rates (under 2%)
- Keep spam complaints under 0.1%
- Get high open and click rates
- Remove inactive contacts regularly
Checking reputation
- Google Postmaster Tools — free tool to monitor your domain’s reputation with Gmail
- Microsoft SNDS — similar tool for Outlook/Hotmail
- MXToolbox — check blacklists and DNS configuration
Bounce management
| Bounce type | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Hard bounce | Email address does not exist | Automatically removed from future sends |
| Soft bounce | Temporary issue (inbox full, server down) | Retried automatically. After 3 consecutive soft bounces, treated as hard |
| Block bounce | Receiving server blocked your email | Review content and authentication |
List hygiene
Remove inactive contacts
Contacts who have not opened an email in 90+ days hurt your engagement metrics. Create a re-engagement campaign, and remove those who do not respond.
Verify email addresses
Use a third-party email verification service before importing large lists. This catches typos, disposable addresses, and invalid domains.
Honor unsubscribes immediately
HoopAI handles this automatically, but make sure your unsubscribe links work and are visible.
Spam triggers to avoid
- ALL CAPS subject lines
- Excessive exclamation marks or special characters
- Spam keywords: “free,” “act now,” “limited time,” “click here”
- Image-only emails with no text
- Shortened URLs (bit.ly, tinyurl)
- Missing unsubscribe link
- Misleading subject lines
- Large attachments
Monitoring with Google Postmaster
Set up Google Postmaster Tools
Go to Google Postmaster Tools and verify your sending domain.
Troubleshooting low open rates
Emails going to spam
Emails going to spam
Check SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration, review email content for spam triggers, check domain reputation in Google Postmaster Tools, and verify you are sending to opted-in contacts.
Low engagement across the board
Low engagement across the board
Clean your list — remove contacts who have not engaged in 90+ days. Improve subject lines. Send at optimal times. Segment your audience.
High bounce rate
High bounce rate
Verify your email list before importing. Remove hard-bounced addresses (automatic). Check for typos in email addresses.
Emails not being delivered at all
Emails not being delivered at all
Verify your dedicated domain is properly configured in Settings. Check that your wallet has sufficient balance. Review the email logs for specific error codes.