Improve email deliverability

Email deliverability is a feedback loop for whether you’re sending the right content to the right contacts at the right time. Email engagements such as clicks, opens, and spam complaints contribute to your email sending reputation. Higher rates of positive engagements improve your chances of reaching the inbox instead of getting stuck in a spam filter.

Create good quality content

To improve engagement, test your email to be sure it renders as expected. You can use the test in email client features to be sure your email is optimized for mobile devices. Within the email editor, click the bar graph icon to open the email optimizer and review recommendations to improve your email content and deliverability. 

Use email features that improve deliverability

• Work with your IT team to connect your email sending domain. Adding a few records to your Domain Name Server (i.e. GoDaddy) confirms that you own the email domain you're using with HubSpot. This makes your emails look more authentic to email filters. If your IT team uses a DMARC policy, make sure all necessary records are updated.
• Turn on double opt-in on your HubSpot forms. When this feature is enabled, contacts who submit a form will receive a follow-up email with a link to confirm their subscription. This extra step helps you avoid fake or misspelled email addresses and ensures that all new contacts added to your database are actively engaged with your content. 

• Turn on graymail suppression in your email settings. Graymail is a term for email that sits unopened in your recipients' inbox, which makes you look like a sender who's sending spam. This feature uses the Sends since last engagement contact property to automatically exclude contacts that aren't engaging with your emails to instantly improve your email deliverability results.

Warm up your email sending

To ensure consistent delivery and establish a positive reputation with email inbox providers, you should gradually ramp up the volume and frequency of the emails you send:

• When you purchase the dedicated IP add-on, you'll go through an automated 40 day warm-up period. Your email traffic will be split between HubSpot's shared network and your new IP address. If you opt out of this automated warm-up period, you should manually warm up your email volume. Learn more about IP warm up here.
• If you recently migrated to a brand new domain or email service provider, mailbox providers and ISPs will immediately not recognize the new domain when email is delivered. You should send a low number of emails at first, then gradually increase your email volume over the next 30 to 60 days. Learn more about switching to a new ESP on the HubSpot user blog.
• Regularly monitor your sending reputation for continued positive engagement rates, such as your cumulative click and open rates. You can check on the last 30 days of your deliverability performance using the Email Health tool. 

Analyze email performance

• Review your contact lists regularly to identify outdated email addresses and unengaged contacts. Remove these contacts from your lists to see better email metrics and boost your sending reputation. Email engagements are stored in a series of contact properties that help you identify trends and take action to improve your future email results.
• Learn to analyze your email results. Email opens and clicks demonstrate that you're sending the right types of content to your subscribers. Spam complaints, high bounce rates, and unsubscribes are negative email engagements that can damage your email sending reputation. Track your results to learn what content resonates with your readers, and which contacts you should include in your email campaigns going forward.
• By varying your email's send time, subject line, or content you can run an A/B test on your marketing emails. Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise customers can use the A/B testing feature in the email tool.