Skip to main content

Email Deliverability

Email deliverability is the ability to get your emails into recipients' inboxes (not spam folders). Here are best practices to maximize deliverability when using Score CRM.

Domain Authentication​

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)​

SPF tells recipient servers which servers are authorized to send email from your domain.

Action: Add an SPF record to your domain's DNS:

v=spf1 include:sendgrid.net include:sparkpostmail.com ~all

Adjust the include statements based on your SMTP providers.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)​

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your emails, proving they haven't been tampered with.

Action: Configure DKIM in your SMTP provider's dashboard and add the required DNS records.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)​

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do with unauthenticated emails.

Action: Add a DMARC record:

v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
tip

Start with p=none (monitoring mode) before moving to p=quarantine or p=reject.

List Hygiene​

Keep Your Lists Clean​

  • Remove inactive subscribers: Regularly segment and remove contacts who haven't engaged in 6+ months
  • Validate on upload: Check for typos and invalid email formats before uploading
  • Honor suppressions: Never re-add suppressed contacts without a legitimate reason
  • Avoid purchased lists: Purchased email lists have high bounce and complaint rates

Monitor Bounce Rates​

RateAssessment
< 2%Healthy
2-5%Needs attention
> 5%Critical — clean your list immediately

Score CRM automatically suppresses hard bounces, but you should monitor the rate and investigate spikes.

Monitor Complaint Rates​

RateAssessment
< 0.1%Healthy
0.1-0.3%Warning zone
> 0.3%Critical — ISPs may block your sends

Content Best Practices​

Subject Lines​

  • Avoid ALL CAPS and excessive punctuation (!!!!)
  • Don't use spam trigger words excessively ("FREE", "ACT NOW", "LIMITED TIME")
  • Keep subject lines under 60 characters
  • Be honest — the subject should reflect the email content

Email Body​

  • Maintain a good text-to-image ratio (not image-only emails)
  • Include a plain text version
  • Don't use URL shorteners (they're commonly used by spammers)
  • Avoid excessive links
  • Include your physical mailing address

Unsubscribe​

  • Always include {{unsubscribe_url}} — it's legally required
  • Make the unsubscribe link easy to find
  • Process unsubscribes immediately (Score CRM handles this automatically)

Sending Practices​

Warm Up New IPs/Domains​

Never send a large volume from a new IP or domain immediately. Use Score CRM's throttling and IP warm-up features:

  1. Start with 500 emails/hour on Day 1
  2. Gradually increase over 7-14 days
  3. Monitor bounce and complaint rates at each stage
  4. If rates spike, slow down

See Scheduling & Throttling for warm-up configuration.

Send Consistently​

  • Maintain a regular sending schedule
  • Sudden volume spikes trigger ISP scrutiny
  • Use day-parting to spread sends across business hours

Segment Your Audience​

  • Send relevant content to targeted segments
  • Recipients who find emails relevant are less likely to complain
  • Use engagement data to suppress unengaged contacts

Monitoring Deliverability​

Key Metrics to Watch​

MetricTargetAction if Below Target
Delivery Rate> 98%Check for authentication issues, clean your list
Open Rate> 15-25%Improve subject lines, send to more engaged segments
Click Rate> 2-5%Improve content relevance and CTAs
Bounce Rate< 2%Clean your list, verify addresses
Complaint Rate< 0.1%Improve targeting, make unsubscribe easier

Use Score CRM Reports​

Review Campaign Reports after every send to monitor:

  • Bounce rate trends
  • Complaint rates
  • Geographic delivery patterns
  • Email client rendering issues

When Things Go Wrong​

Emails Landing in Spam​

  1. Check domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  2. Review email content for spam triggers
  3. Check if your sending IP is on any blacklists
  4. Reduce sending volume and warm up again
  5. Improve engagement by targeting active subscribers only

Sudden Drop in Open Rates​

  1. Check if you've been blocked by a major ISP
  2. Verify your tracking pixel is working
  3. Note that Apple Mail Privacy Protection may affect open tracking accuracy
  4. Check for deliverability issues via bounce rate increases

High Bounce Rates​

  1. Immediately pause sending
  2. Clean your list — remove invalid addresses
  3. Check if your domain or IP has been blacklisted
  4. Resume with smaller batches and monitor closely