Boosting Email Deliverability: A Guide for Non-Profit and Union Communications Teams
With social media becoming increasingly noisy and hostile, it’s time to return to basics. Email remains one of the most potent tools for non-profits and unions to engage their audiences, rally support, and drive action. However, ensuring your emails land in recipients’ inboxes rather than the dreaded spam folder requires a solid understanding of email deliverability. This guide will explain the key factors affecting deliverability and provide actionable tips tailored for non-profits and unions.
What is Email Deliverability?
Email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach your audience’s inbox successfully. Unlike the delivery rate, which measures whether the recipient’s server accepts an email, deliverability focuses on whether the email avoids spam filters and gets seen by actual humans. A poor deliverability rate can render even the most compelling email campaigns pointless.
Factors Influencing Email Deliverability
1. Sender Reputation
Your sender reputation is like a credit score for your email domain. Internet service providers (ISPs) evaluate this reputation when deciding whether to deliver your emails to the inbox. Factors influencing sender reputation include:
- High complaint rates (e.g., recipients marking your emails as spam)
- Frequent sending to invalid email addresses
- Low engagement rates (e.g., few opens or clicks)
Tip: Use Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain’s reputation.
2. Email Authentication
Authentication protocols help ISPs verify that your emails are legitimate. The three primary authentication protocols are:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which servers can send emails on your behalf.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a cryptographic signature to your emails to verify their authenticity.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) instructs ISPs on handling unauthenticated emails.
Each of these settings needs to be added to your domain in your DNS (and possibly in your email-sending program).
3. List Hygiene
An outdated or poorly managed email list can significantly harm your deliverability. Sending to inactive or non-existent email addresses increases your bounce rate and damages your reputation.
Tip: Regularly clean your list by:
- Removing hard bounces and invalid addresses (most email-sending programs do this automatically).
- Segment and re-engage inactive subscribers (e.g., if someone isn’t opening or clicking on your messages, give them a last chance, but then remove them from your list).
- Use double opt-in methods to ensure new subscribers provide valid email addresses.
- Run new sign-ups through email verification systems.
4. Content Quality
You still have to meet the old standards for avoiding the spam trap. The content of your email plays a critical role in deliverability. Spam filters analyze your email’s subject line, body content, and design.
Tips for Content Optimization:
- Avoid excessive use of spam trigger words (e.g., “free,” “guarantee,” or “win”).
- Ensure a good balance of text and images.
- Personalize emails for your audience.
- Use a clear and recognizable “From” name.
- Consider using a simpler email structure. Spam filters often mistakenly interpret overly complicated formatting as an attempt to hide malicious content.
5. Engagement Metrics
ISPs track how recipients interact with your emails. Low engagement—such as few opens or clicks—can signal to ISPs that your emails aren’t valuable, leading to lower inbox placement rates.
Tip: Boost engagement by:
- Crafting compelling subject lines and preheaders.
- Testing your send times to match your audience’s behaviour.
- Segmenting your list to deliver relevant content to different groups.
- Write your email with your members or supporters as the audience. Don’t write what you think they should read; write what they want to read.
Some Special Considerations for Non-Profits and Unions
1. Avoid Shared IP Addresses
Some non-profits use free or low-cost ESPs that operate shared IP pools. While cost-effective, these shared IPs can hurt your deliverability if other senders on the same IP have poor practices.
Tip: Upgrade to a dedicated IP address if your budget allows, especially if you send emails in high volumes.
2. Ensure Accessibility
Many supporters of non-profits and unions rely on mobile devices or assistive technologies to access email. Emails that aren’t accessible can alienate recipients and lower engagement.
Tips for Accessibility:
- Use responsive email designs.
- Include alt text for images.
- Structure content with clear headings and concise paragraphs.
Tools to Improve Deliverability
- Email Testing Tools: Use platforms like Litmus or Email on Acid to test your emails across devices and check for spam triggers.
- Deliverability Monitoring: Tools like Mailgun provide insights into inbox placement and engagement.
- List Verification Services: Tools like EmailHippo help identify invalid email addresses before you send.
If you have any questions about the above or want technical implementation support or even best practices for writing compelling emails, please reach out!
