You can have the cleanest list in the world and still get zero replies if your email lands in spam. Deliverability is a system — here's the short version that actually matters.
1. Verify before you send
Sending to invalid or role addresses tanks your sender reputation fast. Only send to addresses that pass verification against live mail servers, and skip disposable or role inboxes.
2. Authenticate your domain
- SPF — authorizes who can send for your domain
- DKIM — cryptographically signs your mail
- DMARC — tells inboxes what to do with mail that fails the first two
3. Warm up and pace
Use a dedicated sending domain, warm it for a couple of weeks, and ramp volume slowly. Keep daily sends modest per inbox and rotate across a few inboxes for scale.
4. Write like a human
Short, specific, one clear ask. Avoid spam-trigger words, giant images, and link-heavy templates. A plain, personal message with a merge token for the business name outperforms a designed newsletter.