> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hoopai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Email deliverability guide

> Comprehensive guide to email deliverability in HoopAI — SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain warm-up, list hygiene, and troubleshooting.

Email deliverability determines whether your emails land in the inbox or get filtered to spam. This guide covers everything you need to maximize your delivery rates in HoopAI.

***

## 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.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your SPF record">
    Go to **Settings → Email Services → Dedicated Domain** and copy the SPF record provided.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add to DNS">
    Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS with the provided SPF value. If you already have an SPF record, merge the HoopAI include into your existing record.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a digital signature to every email, proving the message was not altered in transit.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your DKIM records">
    In **Settings → Email Services → Dedicated Domain**, copy the DKIM CNAME records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add to DNS">
    Create the CNAME records in your domain's DNS as specified.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)

DMARC tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a DMARC record">
    Add a TXT record for `_dmarc.yourdomain.com` with a policy. Start with monitoring mode:

    ```
    v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Gradually tighten policy">
    After monitoring for 2–4 weeks and confirming legitimate emails pass, move to `p=quarantine` and eventually `p=reject`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Do not set DMARC to `p=reject` until you have confirmed all legitimate email sources pass SPF and DKIM. A premature reject policy will block your own emails.
</Warning>

***

## 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       |

<Tip>
  During warm-up, send to contacts who are most likely to open and click — this builds positive engagement signals with ISPs.
</Tip>

***

## 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                                        |

HoopAI automatically handles bounces — hard-bounced addresses are suppressed. You can view bounced contacts in **Marketing → Email → Suppression List**.

***

## List hygiene

<Steps>
  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify email addresses">
    Use a third-party email verification service before importing large lists. This catches typos, disposable addresses, and invalid domains.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Honor unsubscribes immediately">
    HoopAI handles this automatically, but make sure your unsubscribe links work and are visible.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove role-based addresses">
    Addresses like info@, admin@, support@ have higher complaint rates. Remove them from marketing lists.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## 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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up Google Postmaster Tools">
    Go to [Google Postmaster Tools](https://postmaster.google.com/) and verify your sending domain.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Monitor key metrics">
    Check regularly for:

    * **Spam rate** — keep under 0.1% (must stay under 0.3% per Google requirements)
    * **Domain reputation** — should be "Medium" or "High"
    * **Authentication** — SPF, DKIM, DMARC pass rates should be 95%+
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Troubleshooting low open rates

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="High bounce rate">
    Verify your email list before importing. Remove hard-bounced addresses (automatic). Check for typos in email addresses.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>