Deliverability Defined

Deliverability FAQs

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 28 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa answer frequently asked questions about domain reputation, handling spam complaints, understanding the promotions tab, reasons for declining open rates, the implications of blocklists, the impact of unsubscribes, and much more.

In this episode:

[06:48] - What are the best ways to improve my domain reputation?
[09:39] - How do I get out of the promotions tab?
[16:09] - Why are my open rates dropping?
[22:00] - What does it mean if my IP is blocklisted?
[28:12] - Are unsubscribes bad and will they hurt my domain reputation?
[31:14] - Should I be on a dedicated IP to help my domain reputation or deliverability in general?
[33:49] - How does Google Postmaster Tools use their data?
[40:21] - Should I resend to an unopens?
[42:03] - Can I use tools that provide email addresses of website visitors?

Quotes

“Should I resend to unopens? I wouldn't do it with every send. I would do it sparingly and only if you have a really engaged healthy list. Make sure it makes sense for your scenario and know that there are people who are going to receive it twice.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

“These deliverability testing tools, I would almost lean toward saying they can sometimes be more hurtful than helpful in the sense that if you don't know what to look for and you also don't understand how the infrastructure works at the ESP, it can be really confusing.” ~ Melissa Lambert

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Level Up Your Lead Magnets

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 21 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

While a lead magnet might seem insignificant, creating a high-quality and high-impact offer requires some strategic planning. An effective lead magnet provides a solution that's both valuable and efficient, which creates trust and lays the groundwork for a loyal subscriber base.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the power of lead magnets to grow your email list and engage subscribers. They share their experience working with top email marketers and highlight the strategies that have helped them gain thousands of new subscribers and a more engaged and loyal audience. They also share tips on how to create lead magnets and what makes them effective.

In this episode:

[05:44] - Lead magnets and their purpose.
[10:49] - A cautionary tale.
[13:07] - The importance of sender identity in email deliverability.
[15:28] - How to level up your lead magnets.
[19:39] - Tailoring lead magnets to audience preferences.
[20:41] - Reminding subscribers of their opt-in at the top of emails.
[21:53] - Using ads to drive traffic to lead magnets.
[24:27] - Creating lead magnets with ConvertKit.

Key Takeaways

Lead magnets are valuable resources or incentives offered to potential subscribers in exchange for their email addresses.
Effective lead magnets provide upfront value and help build a strong subscriber relationship.
A well-crafted lead magnet helps you make a strong first impression and build a highly engaged email list.
When creating a lead magnet, it’s important to have a well-defined value proposition and understand the needs of your ideal subscribers.
Lead magnets should be part of a larger strategy to convert subscribers into customers.
It's essential to have a clear strategy for delivering value to your subscribers after they sign up for your lead magnet.

Quotes

"A lead magnet is a great way to provide value upfront. Instead of people just signing up to your email list and they start getting sales emails from you, you're giving them things." - Alyssa Dulin

"When you have a lead magnet set-up, be sure that you have a strategy around what kinds of emails that person will be getting after they sign up, and not to start sending them broadcasts and sequences accidentally." ~ Melissa Lambert

"After the lead magnet's delivered, send an email introducing yourself and make it memorable. Don't just make it a generic bio." ~ Alyssa Dulin

"Depending on the kind of list collection you are using, your subscriber quality can be different. That's not a bad thing. It just means you may have to adjust the way you initially have people engaging or not engaging." ~ Melissa Lambert

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The Future of Newsletters

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 14 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

The creator landscape thrives on connection, and newsletters have always been a powerful tool for nurturing these relationships. However, email marketing is changing. Just as domain reputation has become a crucial factor in email deliverability, the future of newsletters hinges on creators adapting their approach when needed, and practicing effective strategies and best practices.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the future of newsletters. They reflect on the changes in the email marketing landscape over the past few years and offer some predictions for the future. They highlight the importance of mastering both newsletter creation and email marketing strategies to succeed in the email space. Additionally, they suggest how AI could eventually help navigate subscriber preferences and improve email marketing strategies.

Join us as we discuss:

[02:25] - The benefits of the email promotions tab.
[05:00] - Managing inbox with labels.
[07:08] - How newsletters have evolved in recent years.
[09:21] - Alyssa's prediction for the future of newsletters.
[12:08] - Creators who have successfully combined newsletters and lead magnets to monetize their content.
[16:44] - Melissa's prediction for the future of emails and newsletters.
[19:54] - Potential roles for AI in emails.
[22:04] - The challenges of deliverability in the current email ecosystem.
[25:51] - The risks of not following email best practices.
[27:05] - Reframing mindsets and embracing opportunities.

Key Takeaways

Deliverability is becoming more challenging and requires an empathy-based marketing approach.
The future of newsletters will involve creators mastering both regular newsletters and strategic email marketing tactics to maximize success.
The use of AI tools in list management could become more prevalent in the future.
Senders must take control of their own domain reputation and follow best practices to ensure success in the ever-changing email landscape.

Quotes

[10:30] - "The future is people mastering both newsletter creation and email marketing strategies. People who figure out both of those things will be the most successful in the email space." - Alyssa Dulin

[10:48] - "All those people who have crushed the newsletter game could benefit a ton by figuring out what the email marketers have figured out, having their own digital products or services, paid newsletters, or things they are selling." ~ Alyssa Dulin

[22:24] - "Deliverability is going to continue to be harder and harder because senders have to rely on their own domain reputation. It's more sensitive than it was previously. There's more that can upset certain systems." ~ Melissa Lambert

[25:51] - "Even if you are at an email service provider who may be able to sign up your emails with a domain that belongs to the email service provider, there's always going to be a chance in this new era of deliverability where a bad actor could potentially really hurt a lot of people." ~ Melissa Lambert

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Leveling Up Your Email Engagement with Tarzan Kay

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 07 May 2024 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa talks with email marketing expert Tarzan Kay. They discuss the value of building an engaged email list and prioritizing real connections over high numbers. Tarzan shares her strategies to boost email engagement and deliverability while avoiding gimmicks. They also discuss the role of storytelling in emails, improving subscriber relationships, and the importance of self-editing for clarity.

In this episode:

[02:59] - Tarzan's background - from copywriting to email marketing
[08:47] - The power of engagement over list size
[18:43] - Crafting emails that engage and convert
[25:30] - Unlocking the power of storytelling
[27:31] - Common email marketing mistakes and how to avoid them
[27:48] - The importance of list nurturing and engagement
[30:28] - Navigating unsubscribes and feedback
[39:17] - Maximizing engagement - the shift to a more interactive newsletter
[41:52] - Automation and personalization

Key Takeaways

Creating great content that engages your subscribers improves your relationship with them. It also boosts your overall deliverability.
Regularly maintain your email list. This includes removing inactive subscribers. It's critical for keeping your engagement rates up. It also ensures your content reaches those who value it most.
Balance the mix of text and images in your emails. Do this with a focus on user experience and content clarity. This balance fosters higher engagement rates.
Storytelling isn’t just for novels. Adding it to your emails can captivate your audience. It will make your messages resonate more and linger in their minds.
Sometimes less is more. Being brief and valuing clear, direct communication can strengthen your message. It can also improve subscriber engagement.

Quotes

“What I love about email as a medium, and why I've chosen to make it the center of my business, is because it's relationship building.” ~ Tarzan Kay

“Anytime someone hits reply on an email, that's an opportunity for me to get content ideas. So I'm always looking for the things that they care about and writing emails about those topics.” ~ Tarzan Kay

“Engagement matters so much more than the size of your email list.” ~ Tarzan Kay

“When people see the same thing week after week, they glaze over, they scroll past it. So sometimes I move things around; maybe I'll put the interesting links at the top, maybe I'll put them at the bottom.” ~ Tarzan Kay

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Building an Email Course Flywheel with Sean Stewart

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Many creators understand the importance of email marketing but need help to transform it into a sustainable growth engine. An email course offers a solution that's both powerful and efficient. This strategic approach provides a structured learning experience, establishes credibility, and supercharges audience growth.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa are joined by Sean Stewart to discuss how to build an email course flywheel and the benefits of email courses for creators. Sean also explains the four types of email courses: crash course, step-by-step, biggest mistakes, and resources and templates, and provides valuable tips for creating them.

In this episode:

[00:23] - Saint Patrick's Day.
[05:35] - Sean's background and how he became an expert in email courses.
[09:18] - Getting rid of the weird marketing sales pitches.
[10:53] - The benefits of doing an email course.
[17:06] - Tips for finding a niche.
[18:57] - Common misconceptions about email courses.
[25:16] - Four types of email courses.
[29:28] - The importance of landing pages when creating email courses.
[31:48] - Tips for making an effective email course.
[36:18] - Why having an email course adds credibility as a thought leader.
[40:22] - One-week email course challenge.

Key Takeaways

Email courses are a powerful tool for creators to establish credibility, build relationships, and grow their audience.
Email courses offer a lot of value when considering the relatively short amount of time needed to create them.
Clear headers in each email help readers quickly understand the value they will receive.
Creating a landing page with a specific URL for the email course increases credibility and makes it easier to promote and share.

Quotes

"Email courses are a great way to create doorways into your world. It's an opportunity that a lot more creators can and should take advantage of." ~ Sean Stewart

"Solving problems for people and building relationships with them is how you create lifelong fans who are going to create that referral flywheel for you. Not only is it the most effective way to grow a business, but it also feels genuine and good." ~ Sean Stewart

"The beauty of email courses is that they let you do that at scale. It's like having this little copy of you who is an expert, who will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and welcome everyone into your world with this amazing course where you're teaching and solving a problem for them and building a relationship. And you can do this for dozens of people a day." ~ Sean Stewart

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Optimizing Subscriber Experience for Better Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Many people find their inboxes overflowing with generic emails and promotional content, all vying to grab their attention. But what separates an email that gets deleted from one that gets opened, sparks engagement, and drives results? Ultimately, effective emails prioritize value over promotion. It's finding and understanding your target subscribers and delivering value that addresses their needs.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa talk about the steps and strategies for creating effective emails. They provide practical tips on identifying the target audience, creating a value proposition, and reaching potential subscribers through lead magnets and social media strategies.

Join us as we discuss:

[01:32] - One of Alyssa's favorite content creators.
[02:07] - The steps to writing an effective email.
[09:33] - Popular strategies for Instagram and Pinterest.
[12:59] - An effective Instagram strategy.
[18:23] - Using lead magnets to grow an email list.
[24:50] - The importance of clarity in writing emails.
[26:52] - Why the size of your email list does not guarantee success.

Key Takeaways

Understanding your target subscriber and their needs is crucial for creating valuable content.
Ues lead magnets and strategic social media tactics to grow your email list.
Creating a clear persona of the target subscriber, including their job, age, interests, and challenges, will help you deliver more value.
Developing a value proposition that communicates the unique benefits offered to your ideal subscribers strengthens their understanding of your product or service.
When writing emails, focus on providing value and addressing your subscriber's specific needs. This will increase engagement.

Quotes

"A lot of people think about their email as a bunch of random email addresses, and they are thinking about their goals. It's a much better strategy to reverse this thinking and get laser-focused on how to serve your audience. Then, you'll find way more success because you'll be serving people and giving them what they need." ~ Alyssa Dulin

"If you have a lot of engagement on TikTok and Instagram because of the reels you do, but you don't have a newsletter or a website, you are missing out." ~ Melissa Lambert

"Having this lens [a lead magnet and target subscriber] makes your life much easier. Because now, with every single email you send, instead of coming from your goals, you have a human you're writing to in your head when you sit down to write an email." ~ Alyssa Dulin

"We know people at ConvertKit who have smaller lists and are successful. It's not about the list size. It's because they figured out what their audience needed and put that into place ahead of time." ~ Melissa Lambert

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How Does Shared Reputation Work?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Domain reputation has been a theme this season. And for good reason. In the world of email, IP addresses and domains have reputations that can make or break an email’s journey. While it might seem a little technical, understanding these nuances can have a big impact on your email deliverability.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the differences between shared and dedicated reputation regarding IP addresses and domains. They talk about the importance of IP and domain reputation, the factors that affect them, and their impact on email deliverability. They also highlight ConvertKit's approach to maintaining a high reputation.

Join us as we discuss:

[02:47] - The difference between shared IP and dedicated IP.
[06:12] - Who is most likely to benefit from dedicated IP?
[07:01] - The benefits and risks of using a dedicated IP.
[08:30] - Shared IP and Google Postmaster Tools.
[11:42] - The risk of shared IP pool and the importance of having good email managers.
[15:44] - The team behind ConvertKit's deliverability and compliance.
[16:52] - How ConvertKit monitors block lists.
[20:51] - How IP reputation and domain reputation work together.
[23:50] - The impact of domain reputation on mail providers.
[30:09] - ConvertKit's new domain features.

Key Takeaways

Most email service providers commonly use shared IP addresses which are a good option for the majority of users.
Dedicated IP addresses are recommended for high-volume senders or those who want complete control over their reputation.
Domain reputation is crucial in email deliverability and can impact whether emails land in the inbox or the spam folder.
Senders need to take responsibility for maintaining a healthy domain reputation by following best practices and avoiding spammy behavior.
ConvertKit’s new feature allows users to purchase and validate a domain within the platform, making it easier for senders to own their email identity.

Quotes

[07:19] - "If you care about completely owning the reputation of your email, you want to be low risk, and you don't want any other factor to influence your email's deliverability, you might want a dedicated IP. Your deliverability is all on you 100 percent." ~ Alyssa Dulin

[22:56] - "Your domain reputation is extremely important and can be the cause of emails going to spam. There is nothing your ESP can do about it if you don't clean up your side of the street." - Melissa Lambert

[27:59] - "Helping our customers and senders buy their own domains and figure out their own mailboxes so that they can really own their identity and their mail is helpful to the entire ecosystem." ~ Alyssa Dulin

[31:58] - "We want to be good stewards of email and are also trying to get tooling in place to support that. We've tried to align our tooling with our belief that this is the best way for senders to have autonomy over their domain reputation, and we're going to give you a tool to make it even easier." ~ Melissa Lambert

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Benchmarks for Email Metrics

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

If you’ve ever found yourself in a tangle of numbers, wondering which email metrics actually matter, this episode is for you.

This week, Alyssa and Melissa unravel the tangled web of open rates, bounce rates, click rates, and complaint rates, guiding email senders toward clarity. They discuss why maintaining low bounce and complaint rates is essential, and explore the impact of metrics on email deliverability. They also explore the value of subscriber engagement and the reality of cold subscribers. Understanding these metrics (which ones deserve your attention and how to interpret them) is vital for your email deliverability.

In this episode, we discuss:

04:42 - Understanding open rates and their impact on deliverability
09:59 - Exploring bounce rates and new ConvertKit features
13:34 - The importance of monitoring complaint rates
17:58 - The nuances of click rates
21:05 - Cold subscribers and list cleaning strategies
24:01 - Every sender’s deliverability puzzle is unique
25:35 - Know your metrics and look for abnormalities

Key Takeaways

Open rates are more than just percentages; they're indicators of your emails landing in the inbox, especially important post-Apple's Mail Privacy Protection.
Maintaining a bounce rate below 2% is critical, and a sudden spike can signal deeper deliverability troubles that merit further investigation.
Complaint rates are a vital health check for your domain reputation, and staying below 0.1% is essential, especially with stricter Gmail rules in place.
The enigma of click rates can be demystified by examining content strategy and understanding the role of bot clicks, not just deliverability factors.
Regularly engaging with and cleaning your cold subscribers can significantly boost the overall health and deliverability of your email list.

Quotes

“If I were to give any advice to someone who is experiencing a drop in open rates, it would be to not panic and just start slowly digging into different aspects of why your open rates might be changing.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“Get really familiar with your metrics. What's normal for you? What's a normal open rate for you? What's a normal click rate for you? And spot anything that is abnormal.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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A Creative Way to Boost Replies

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa explore some creative ways to boost email replies and enhance deliverability. From leveraging engagement signals and building community to using incentive-driven tactics, they share valuable strategies to amp up replies and strengthen relationships with subscribers.

The discussion also touches on the impact of replies on domain reputation and suggests practical methods for handling and organizing replies. As email deliverability continues to evolve, nurturing meaningful interactions through replies is a powerful tool for ensuring your messages thrive in the inbox.

In this episode, we discuss:

00:59 - Love is Blind season finale
02:00 - Email replies as a deliverability superpower
05:08 - Creative strategies to boost email replies
09:23 - Engaging your audience with questions and trivia
12:49 - Putting a new spin on popular strategies to increase engagement
18:12 - How to turn clicks into replies
19:32 - Managing replies

Key Takeaways

Leveraging email replies is a potent strategy for fortifying domain reputation and fostering meaningful interactions with subscribers.
Crowdsourcing content ideas and feedback through replies can invigorate engagement and provide valuable insights for content creation.
Setting up filters or folders to organize replies can streamline the management of incoming engagement signals and nurture subscriber interactions.

Quotes

“I think if you can come up with a creative way to ask different questions, people will answer. They will want to answer. People love to talk and they love being able to share their opinions.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“So instead of making people click a button to confirm their opt-in and receive that lead magnet, whatever it may be, you're asking them to reply to your email to get the lead magnet.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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Keeping Your List Healthy While Using Recommendations

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa dive into the topic of using recommendation tools to grow your email list while maintaining healthy deliverability. They explore the potential impact of using ConvertKit’s Creator Network recommendation tool, and provide insights on how to effectively manage new subscribers.

Balancing list growth with subscriber engagement is critical for email senders. Making a strong first impression with new subscribers through a clear and compelling creator profile, setting up a robust welcome sequence, and implementing automated list cleaning will help keep engagement high and maintain deliverability.

In this episode, we discuss:

00:19 - Nicolas Cage’s Dream Scenario
04:50 - Email deliverability and recommendations tools
05:40 - Understanding subscriber dynamics with recommendation tools
12:23 - Crafting the perfect creator profile
15:15 - The importance of a welcome email sequence
21:02 - Optimizing subscriber engagement and list health

Key Takeaways

Balancing list growth with subscriber engagement is crucial for maintaining healthy deliverability.
Making a strong first impression through a clear and compelling creator profile enhances subscriber understanding and interest in your content.
Utilizing welcome sequences and automated list cleaning helps in demonstrating value, ensuring engagement, and maintaining deliverability standards.

Quotes

“We often see people who have other methods of subscriber collection, that are not illegal and they're not bad necessarily, but they don't always convert to the best subscribers.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“If you have friends who are newsletter people or they have an email list and they know how to grow their list, that's a great fit. Reach out to your friends, be like, hey, let's form a pod, let's recommend each other. Then every time one of you grows your list, you're all benefiting, which is awesome.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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A Guide to DMARC

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

Ever feel like you're decoding an ancient script when trying to comprehend email authentication? DMARC may seem like just another complex acronym in the world of email, but it's a guardian against the spoofers and spammers.

Setting up DMARC is like locking your digital doors—it's not just necessary; it's your first line of defense. And since missed emails mean missed opportunities, understanding DMARC is a critical piece of the email deliverability puzzle.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa unpack the mysteries of DMARC records and how they protect your domain from email spoofers. They explore why big players like Gmail and Yahoo demand DMARC for mass senders and provide simple steps to set it up without the tech headache.

In this episode, we discuss:

01:50 - The basics of DMARC.
06:44 - The importance of DMARC and its impact on email security.
11:45 - Exploring the technicalities of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
16:13 - Navigating the complexities of email authentication and deliverability.
20:43 - Setting up DMARC: the right way to protect your domain.
25:24 - Tips for getting the most out of DMARC reporting.

Key Takeaways

DMARC isn’t just a fancy acronym; it's your armor against domain spoofing and should be part of your security strategy.
Begin with a DMARC policy of “none” to collect data without impacting deliverability, and level up to” quarantine” or “reject” as you become more confident in your setup.
Your domain's reputation is as valuable as a treasure chest in the world of email deliverability — protect it with proper DMARC implementation.
Don’t let the technical jargon intimidate you. Use the right tools to demystify DMARC and help streamline the management of email authentication.

Quotes

“DMARC is a level of security for your emails. It helps authenticate your emails and protect your domain from being used by bad people. At a very basic level, it's a protection mechanism.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“If you are a good email sender, you have an asset that's really valuable to spammers. So, if you're wondering, ‘Am I actually affected by this? Why would someone do this?’ They want that healthy domain that you have. And if it's not protected by DMARC, then you are a target for it.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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Managing Your Domain Reputation

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400

If managing your domain reputation sounds complicated, you’re not alone. Recent changes to Yahoo’s and Google’s authentication rules have forced all email senders to take a more active role in the path to the inbox.

In this episode of Deliverability Defined, Alyssa and Melissa untangle some of the mysteries around domain reputation and why it’s so important. They highlight how trends in open rates, complaint rates, and bounce rates are not just metrics but invaluable insights that contribute to a healthy email list. They also discuss some highly practical best practices for ensuring your emails reach the inbox.

In this episode, we discuss:

01:37 - How domain reputation is like a credit score.
08:30 - The importance of domain reputation in email deliverability.
14:35 - Monitoring domain reputation and how it’s calculated.
21:27 - The technical side of email deliverability and domain reputation.
24:55 - Navigating complaint rates and subscriber behavior.
27:02 - Maintaining a healthy email list.
31:55 - Why segmented audiences lead to higher engagement rates.
35:35 - What to do if you have a low sender reputation.

Key Takeaways

Domain reputation is like your credit score — it's pivotal for the health of your email marketing and can impact your success when moving between email service providers.
Monitor your metrics — stay ahead of the curve by keeping an eye on open rates, complaint rates, and bounce rates. And remember, a dip in open rates by ten points is a definite red flag!
Subscriber engagement is paramount — keep your email list clean, segment your audience for targeted content, and employ double opt-ins to shield against list bombing.

Quotes

“One of the biggest influences of sender reputation is your audience and subscribers and subscriber behavior. Opening, clicking through your emails, spending time on the email, reading through it, all of these things have a really positive impact on your domain reputation.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“Your subscribers have the power over your reputation. For the most part, they're voting with their actions on whether your domain reputation goes up or down.” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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A Guide to Google Postmaster Tools

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0500

If you’ve ever wondered how to improve your domain reputation, Google Postmaster Tools is here to help. In the wake of Google’s and Yahoo’s changes and authentication requirements, Google Postmaster Tools has become a crucial resource for email senders. In this episode of Deliverability Definied, Alyssa and Melissa take a deep dive into Google Postmaster Tools—what it is, how to get the most out of it, and why it’s so important for monitoring domain reputation and ensuring optimal email deliverability.

While Google Postmaster Tools can provide a lot of great insight, the best deliverability strategies are still basic best practices. Things like maintaining a low spam complaint rate, prioritizing engagement, list hygiene, and ethical list-building practices. By following these guidelines senders can enhance their domain reputation, increase inbox placement, and ultimately, improve the effectiveness of their overall email marketing efforts.

In this episode, we discuss:

01:16 - Google Postmaster Tools overview
08:11 - Domain reputation explained
11:11 - Spam complaint rates
19:24 - Why it's more important than ever to clean your list
21:48 - Using automations for list health
23:18 - Understanding IP reputation

Key Takeaways

Google Postmaster Tools can give you insights into your domain reputation, which plays a crucial role in your email deliverability. Aim for a high domain reputation to secure solid inbox placement.
Managing spam complaint rates is key to maintaining a positive sender reputation. Keep your complaint rate below 0.1% to avoid negative impacts on your domain reputation and email deliverability.
Pay attention to your list health by cleaning your list, avoiding excessive emails to new subscribers, and ensuring engagement with your content.
Implementing strategies like double opt-ins for new subscribers and automations to manage inactive subscribers can help improve your list health and reduce spam complaints.

Quotes

“It's important to keep your spam rate below 0.1%. This is the threshold where Gmail will start sending some messages to spam and potentially from there decrease your domain reputation. At 0.3% and above, spam filtering will start to happen, and the domain damage will also start to happen and be more impactful and harder to recover from.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“I encourage all people to have their eyes on the Google Post Master tools dashboard every day. Go analyze people who are complaining. What do they have in common? Are you sending them way too many emails?” ~ Alyssa Dulin

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An Update on Yahoogle Requirements

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0500

Welcome back to Season Five of Deliverability Defined! Do you ever feel like you're navigating the Bermuda Triangle when it comes to understanding the latest email marketing requirements? You're not alone. Staying ahead of these changes and requirements is crucial in maintaining email deliverability.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the recent changes from Yahoo and Google and how they impact email senders. They dive into the new authentication requirements, the one-click unsubscribe rule, and what it means for your domain reputation. Plus, they introduce a game-changing feature from ConvertKit to help you easily navigate these changes. As the email landscape continues to evolve, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve to ensure your messages reach the inbox.

In this episode, we discuss:

02:15 - Yahoo’s and Google’s new sender requirements.
04:55 - The importance of domain reputation and authentication.
09:39 - Gmail’s delivery delays.
13:14 - Convertkit’s verified sending domain setup.
16:17 - Customer compliance with email requirements.
18:54 - Google Postmaster and best practices for domain reputation.

Key Takeaways

Email senders are now required to authenticate messages using their own domain instead of their email provider's domain. This is a critical step in maintaining domain reputation and a key factor for deliverability.
Using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your domain reputation in Gmail is essential in optimizing your email deliverability.
Domain reputation management is key for keeping spam complaints low and ensuring high deliverability rates for your email campaigns.

Quotes

“The best thing you can do is go back to basics. Like cleaning your list and making sure you're sending to engaged subscribers. Those things were important before, but they're going to be even more important now that you are relying more heavily on your own domain reputation.” ~ Melissa Lambert

“Even if you have a great sender reputation after these changes, everyone needs to pay way more attention to their own domain reputation than you probably have in the past and make sure that spam complaints stay low and reputation stays high." ~ Alyssa Dulin

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New Requirements from Gmail and Yahoo

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:03:00 -0500

Gmail and Yahoo have announced new sender requirements taking affect in February of 2024. You can read more here: https://help.convertkit.com/en/articles/8538056-gmail-and-yahoo-s-new-requirements-for-2024-and-what-to-expect

The 3 main steps to take:
- Set up a verified sending domain in your email provider
- Set up a DMARC record if you haven't already
- Start monitoring your spam complaint rates within Google Postmaster Tools

How to Utilize AI for Your Newsletter with Naomi West

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Email remains one of the oldest and most popular digital communication channels, yet content creators struggle to stand out in their audience’s email inboxes. The explosion of ChatGPT has prompted questions about AI’s role in the deliverability space. Should AI be integrated into email marketing strategies, and if so, in what capacity?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk with email marketing expert Naomi West about her relationship with AI. Naomi is a seasoned SaaS Lifecycle Marketer and creator of Email Characters, a Google Chrome extension designed to optimize email content. Naomi is not only an email enthusiast, but also an email expert, having earned the “Email Whiz Award” in 2021 at EiQ’s email marketing conference.

Together, Alyssa, Melissa, and Naomi delve into the pros and cons of using ChatGPT for content creation, the future of AI, and Naomi’s advice for creators running their own businesses.

Key Takeaways

[04:00] - Who is Naomi West?
[10:33] - Naomi’s relationship with AI.
[12:33] - The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for content creation.
[24:53] - Where is AI headed?
[32:49] - How AI could affect ESPs.
[39:06] - Naomi’s tips for creators running a business.
[41:45] - Where to find Naomi (@emailfromnaomi)

Quotes

[08:18] - “I tried to get into marketing in university for three years straight. And the business school of my university rejected me for three years straight. And I was like, ‘Well, I guess I'll do an arts degree and I will write a lot of papers. And then I graduated and I immediately did marketing. And here I am.” ~ @emailfromnaomi

[39:41] - “[Email] is this completely interconnected space. When you are sending email you have to be cognizant of what’s going on on your other channels as well as recognizing that email is not just you. The inbox is so overwhelmed these days with senders, everyone's doing email. So just be aware that you're not the only individual in the space, but you can still provide unique value.” ~ @emailfromnaomi

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How to Grow and Monetize Your Newsletter Featuring Dylan Redekop

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

As a creator, you are never going to feel “ready” to build something. The hardest part is getting started and accepting that creation is an iterative process, and the mistakes you make along the way will lead to stronger content over time.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk with Dylan Redekop, Growth Currency Newsletter Strategist and Product Marketer at SparkLoop, about his journey building his newsletter from scratch. What started as a multitopic newsletter niched down into a newsletter that helps creators and solopreneurs start, grow, and monetize their own newsletters. Dylan delves into the best ways to keep lists clean and audiences engaged, even if your newsletter is still in its nascent stage. There’s no need to wait until your audience reaches a certain threshold to seek monetization opportunities.

Together, they discuss Dylan’s process in choosing his niche, tips for growing and monetizing newsletter content, and the power of referral networks in gaining high-quality subscribers.

Key Takeaways

[06:40] - An introduction to Dylan.
[09:26] - How Dylan chose his newsletter niche.
[12:15] - Dylan’s advice to anyone niching down.
[15:36] - How to grow and monetize your newsletter.
[25:04] - How referral networks expand your list.
[32:25] - How to keep your list clean while using partner programs.
[36:43] - Where to find Dylan and his newsletter (@growthcurrency)

Quotes

[12:35] - “The subscribes and the unsubscribes, it's all vanity metrics. What matters is that the people that are reading your newsletter and are subscribed to it are interested in it, and you don't just want people to hang on because the numbers look good.” ~ @growthcurrency

[20:13] - “You only need to have one person on your email list to sell them something, right? People get caught up in, ‘I need to have a certain amount of subscribers to make a sponsorship deal or to sell my ebook or my course or my service.’ But I don’t think you have to wait. Why wait until you have a certain threshold to start trying?” ~ @growthcurrency

[26:00] - “The reason why I love [partner programs] is because it's cost-controlled and it's quality-controlled. When you create a Facebook ad or an Instagram, as soon as somebody clicks, you're paying, regardless of if they unsubscribe or never open an email. You don't have that quality control filter.” ~ @growthcurrency

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Selling Digital Products Featuring Charli Prangley

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 23 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Many people strive to become creators but often forget the discipline, hard work, and consistency required to build an audience. But while the task can seem daunting, it’s not impossible. The best way to learn how to grow a subscriber base is by learning from creators who have successfully done so.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk with Charli Prangley, Creative Director at ConvertKit, about her experience as a YouTuber with more than 220K subscribers, and the author of the Marketing Design Dispatch newsletter with more than 15K subscribers. Charli discusses what led her to ConvertKit, why creators should take advantage of email when building their brand, and why simple designs often land best with audiences.

They also discuss Charli’s digital product offerings, her different sources of income, and her advice for aspiring creators.

Key Takeaways

[06:00] - An introduction to Charli and her creator journey.
[07:35] - What brought Charli to ConvertKit.
[10:04] - Charli’s day-to-day at ConvertKit.
[13:07] - Why creators should use email.
[18:30] - An overview of Charli’s digital products.
[20:18] - How Charli decided which products to create.
[22:00] - What do Charli’s income streams look like?
[25:53] - Charli’s design advice for creators.
[34:26] - How Charli encourages email replies.
[42:28] - Charli’s closing thoughts.
[48:31] - Where to find Charli.

Quotes

[14:29] - “Email is powerful for directly reaching your audience.” ~ @charliprangley

[25:53] - “The main thing I suggest is to keep it simple. The more simple you make it, the more refined your design is going to feel.” ~ @charliprangley

[43:10] - “Don't make all of the decisions just based on business reasons, but include your own enjoyment in there as a factor too.” ~ @charliprangley

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Why Is Email Still a Key Player in Today’s Marketing Landscape?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 16 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Email is a universal method of communication that brings together people of all different ages and backgrounds. While some people may check their emails more than others, it remains true that everyone needs an email address to survive in the digital world.

Whether you use your email to stay up-to-date on current events, manage your reservations, or collect discount codes, email is a versatile tool to stay informed and connected.

Email is a more reliable form of communicating with your audience because its popularity is not as volatile as social media. As we’ve observed with apps like Vine or MySpace, no social media platform is invincible or irreplaceable. Email content is also more customizable than social media, which allows creators to connect with different audiences and curate content specific to their needs and interests.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss why email is crucial for your business. They cover how to customize content for your audience, how monetization for emails differs from social media, and how a good ESP can help you grow your list and find advertisers.

Key Takeaways

[04:14] - Why does email work?
[09:28] - Why it is important to “own your audience”.
[14:36] - How to customize email outreach based on your audience’s preferences.
[17:51] - How email monetization differs from social media.
[21:45] - How a good ESP can help your business.

Quotes

[07:25] - “Your subscribers have the control to interact with your email when it’s best for them.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[10:34] - “We don’t always know which direction [social media platforms] are going to go in, not just the success of a platform, but also how their algorithms work.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[15:36] - “A lot of brands have become very successful because of targeted ads on Instagram. You could be making that money instead of Instagram.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[16:36] - “You want to make sure that you’re treating people’s inboxes with as much care as possible.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Answering Your Deliverability Questions

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 09 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

The way our email inboxes operate has changed dramatically with the evolution of the internet and increased awareness and caution around email scams. Email security and privacy have become a top priority for users, resulting in enhanced protection measures and more stringent regulations.

With so many changes happening in the email deliverability world, several factors could be affecting your success metrics as an email marketer or a content creator. Email strategies need to be adapted according to the sender’s needs and their intended audience.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa cover how various factors impact deliverability, including email privacy protection, automatic clicks, link shorteners, VSDs, and DMARCs.

Key Takeaways

[03:50] - Are clicks impacted by Apple Mail Privacy Protection?
[09:19] - What should I do if my clicks are inflated from non-human interactions?
[11:36] - How do I reduce automatic clicks?
[12:07] - Should I use link shorteners?
[14:10] - Should I use a VSD (verified sending domain)?
[19:00] - Should I set up a DMARC?
[24:51] - What is my deliverability reputation score?
[26:47] - What can I learn from Gmail’s Postmaster Tools?

Quotes

[11:32] - “Here are a few recommendations we give to reduce automatic clicks. 1) Always use HTTPS links, not HTTP links. 2) Keep your sender reputation healthy. Make sure you're cleaning your list and listening to engaged subscribers. 3) Encourage replies to your emails. 4) Pay attention to the content of your message — make sure that it

doesn't look spammy, and that the links in your emails are not suspicious.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[13:19] - “As far as trying to reduce automatic clicks, using something like Bitly is not going to help you do that. In fact, it’s probably just going to increase your chance of having automatic clicks in your email because it’s not a trusted domain.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[29:45] - “These small pieces individually might not be overwhelming, but how they all work together in order to help people be the best sender possible gets tricky. So if you feel like deliverability is overwhelming or you just don't know where to start, know you're not alone. It's very understandable.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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What We Learned From a Promotions Tab Experiment

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 02 May 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Email service providers are committed to providing their users with the best possible experience, increased security and safety measures may come at the expense of content creators’ success. A content creator’s biggest fear may be their emails landing in the spam folder, but emails landing in the promotions tab is also a major worry.

The promotions tab is determined by Gmail’s ever-changing and unpredictable algorithm. While these messages are not technically labeled as spam, they imply to your audience that there is promotional or advertising content inside. While the promotions tab is meant to organize users’ inboxes, creators fear that it might tarnish their engagement and the audience relationships they’ve worked so hard to build.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss what the promotions tab is and how to avoid it, why you shouldn’t try to beat the algorithm, and what you should focus on instead to improve your deliverability metrics.

Key Takeaways

[07:25] - What is the promotions tab?
[12:32] - Sender best practices to help you avoid the promotions tab.
[15:20] - Alyssa reveals her big secret.
[17:50] - Key insights from Alyssa’s experiment.
[24:59] - Why you should focus on what you can control.
[27:20] - One thing deliverability experts can all agree on.

Quotes

[14:55] - “Senders can underestimate the effectiveness of just being honest with your subscribers.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[19:43] - “The primary promotions tab placement algorithm isn't a human.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[27:19] - “Focus on what you can control and do not lose sleep over where your email is placed.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Grow Your Email List Using Instagram

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Whether you’re a consumer, business owner, or content creator, Instagram's potential to expand your reach is undeniable. With more than one billion active users, Instagram can help you connect with new audiences and engage existing ones.

Although growing your Instagram following is important, it's only half of the battle. While Instagram remains a popular social media platform, its future is unpredictable. Algorithms can change and platforms can go out of business or be replaced by competitors. Therefore, it's crucial to convert your Instagram following into email subscribers to ensure that you have a more stable and direct relationship with them, one that is not subject to the platform's uncertainty.

In this episode, Alyssa delves into how and why you should convert your Instagram followers to email subscribers, what to avoid when building your Instagram presence, and which best practices you should follow to maximize your audience growth.

Key Takeaways

[02:30] - Why should you use Instagram for your business?
[06:38] - What are the best practices for Instagram?
[08:50] - How to convert your Instagram following into email subscribers.
[21:50] - What to avoid when building your Instagram presence.
[26:34] - Why authenticity makes you more relatable on Instagram.

Quotes

[16:15] - “Your Instagram is building up your proof that you know what you're doing, you know what you're talking about, you are someone that can be trusted, and you have valuable insights to share.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[17:28] - “The ideal situation is that it's a symbiotic relationship. You're not asking people for a favor. You are helping them as well, and they're excited to give you their email address, and you all can build a connection and relationship, and it's a win-win for everyone.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[26:34] - When it comes to Instagram, authenticity is key. It’s not Twitter or LinkedIn. We don't really want to see that perfectionism.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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B2B vs B2C Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

While creators hope their audience will open and read their emails, the first step is to ensure emails actually make it into the intended audience’s inbox. The goals of B2C audiences (business to consumer) are not the same as B2B audiences (business to business). By understanding the unique challenges of B2B and B2C subscribers and tailoring the message accordingly, creators can achieve better results in their deliverability strategy.

While we have control over our personal email inboxes, B2B audiences often rely on increased security measures that can block unknown senders or direct emails straight to spam. What is an ESP’s role in deliverability for different audiences, and what kind of control does the sender have in getting these messages successfully delivered?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss how the goals of B2B and B2C audiences differ, how to optimize deliverability to B2B email addresses and tailor your message to their needs, and why transparency with your audience matters.

Key Takeaways

[06:02] - How do the goals of B2B and B2C differ?
[10:44] - How B2B subscriber bases skew success metrics.
[12:15] - How to optimize delivery to B2B email addresses.
[16:06] - Why transparency with your audience matters.

Quotes

[06:31] - “For B2B addresses, the main goal of those usually are for communicating with coworkers and clients and more task-oriented, business-focused. So marketing emails that land in B2B inboxes are typically treated more like spam, even if the person signed up for it.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[13:25] - “The ESP you use can help with B2B delivery, but it cannot guarantee it. There are some things that are going to be tough no matter which ESP you're using because you might be sending to a mailbox where the person who controls the mailbox does not want any promotional, newsletter, or other type of email to get through. However, using an ESP with really strict compliance will help make sure your sending IP isn't on any major block list and that you're sending from an IP and domain that have a healthy reputation. That's always extremely helpful for any deliverability, but especially B2B deliverability.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[16:20] - “Be honest with your audience. Have transparency, ask for their help.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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What to Do if You Are Looking to Move to a New ESP?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Creators hope to grow a following, but communicating with an audience at scale is challenging. Technology can help facilitate communication with your subscribers, especially if you’re seeking analytics on email performance and engagement.

Email service providers, or ESPs, are services that allow you to send campaigns to subscriber lists. Different ESPs have different features, such as automation, audience segmentation, template builders, A/B testing, and customer support. Not all ESPs are created equally, and the type of ESP that is right for you can vary depending on your goals.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss what the decision-making process looks like when moving to a new ESP (email service provider). Together they discuss how to choose the right ESP depending on your goals, how ESPs impact email deliverability, and what actually happens when you switch ESPs.

Key Takeaways

[03:05] - How to look for a new ESP.
[05:42] - Why ESPs can’t solve all of your problems.
[08:47] - How the “right” ESP for you changes depending on your goals.
[10:21] - How different ESPs impact email deliverability.
[16:12] - What switching ESPs actually looks like.
[23:09] - Why price shouldn’t be your only consideration when choosing an ESP.
[25:47] - How switching ESPs affects your IP address and domain.
[28:22] - Why creators might want to switch ESPs?

Quotes

[04:19] - “Find creators who are using the ESP and ask them their opinion. Do your shopping. Sign up for a free trial if they have a free trial. What works for one person is not gonna work for someone else.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[06:29] - “Is the problem something that switching to a new ESP can actually help with? Or are you beating around the bush on whatever the actual root issue is?” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[09:42] - “You could be in the same exact space as another creator, and your needs at an ESP are completely different.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[22:22] - “Don’t switch ESPs for a feature or price at the risk of a deliverability issue.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Run an Inbox Placement Test

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

When emails don’t perform well, creators will do whatever it takes to uncover the root cause of the issue and win back their subscribers. Senders can learn whether their messages could get lost in the spam folder by running an inbox placement test that predicts deliverability issues.

This type of test gives creators more insight into their emails, especially if open rates have been lower than usual. Perhaps there’s a single word in the copy that’s causing the entire email to default to the “promotions” tab, and a quick revision could prevent this going forward. The test isn’t perfect, but it’s an effective way to gather data on your emails and their deliverability.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the benefits and drawbacks of inbox placement tests. Together they discuss what an inbox placement test is, why and how people run one, and what the results will look like.

Key Takeaways

[03:21] - What is an inbox placement test?
[05:27] - How panel data is used.
[07:07] - Why you should keep an open mind when running inbox placement tests.
[07:41] - Why inbox placement tests may not always be accurate.
[08:47] - The reasons people run inbox placement tests.
[10:36] - How to run an inbox placement test.
[13:31] - What do the results of an inbox placement test look like?
[17:00] - How to know if your emails are being blocked.
[20:45] - Why data-driven data people will love inbox placement tests.

Quotes

[07:07 ] - “With an inbox placement test, you really have to keep an open mind and not take it for the absolute because there are so many other factors that occur in those mailboxes and with subscriber behavior.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[07:27] - “If you're going to run an inbox placement test and try to gather insights from it, you have to use that data alongside your real subscriber data.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[20:27] “Panicking doesn’t solve an issue. The best thing you can do is reach out to an expert and get some advice on what changes or steps you can take next that are actionable and helpful.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Growing Your Audience Through Recommendations

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Word-of-mouth has proven to be one of the most consistent business tactics of all time. If someone we admire and trust recommends something to us, we are much more likely to take their recommendation seriously and take action. The same holds true for creators. Successful creators who have already built their audiences know which newsletters are worth subscribing to and which creators are worth following, and they only recommend the content they believe in to maintain their audience’s trust.

ConvertKit’s Creator Network is a place where creators can work together to grow their audience with similar interests and similar niches. One of the biggest challenges for newsletter creators is growing an audience, because the ability to “go viral” doesn’t exist in the same way it does via social media. Reaching audiences organically and ensuring they will be a good fit is difficult, but not impossible. How can recommendations give you an advantage when trying to expand your email reach?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss how to grow and get to know your audience

organically through ConvertKit’s Creator Network, how to recommend creators that will resonate with your subscribers, and how to maintain a highly-engaged email audience by cleaning your list and being consistent.

Key Takeaways

[03:02] - What is the Creator Network?
[06:20] - How creators can grow their newsletter lists and get to know their audience better.
[08:42] - How to choose which creator will resonate the most with your audience.
[10:30] - How automation helps deliverability.
[13:26] - Why it’s crucial to clean up your lists.
[16:27] - How to boost subscribers on your email lists.
[21:05] - Why consistency is key for content creators.

Quotes

[07:59] - “If you're going to recommend someone to your audience, it's really important that you believe in their content. You don't want to recommend people sign up for a list that you actually don't enjoy, and then for your audience to lose that trust.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[09:59] - “We know that a lot of creators on our platform are busy running their own businesses. They don't have a lot of time to do the research. So if we are recommending people to you that we know have a similar audience, that's less work that you have to do on your end.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[14:11] - “It's gonna be more important than ever to check engagement levels and make sure that people who may not be opening your emails are either excluded from receiving certain emails or eventually removed from your list.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[20:38] - A larger creator can recommend a smaller creator and have such a big impact. It's wild. I hope a lot of creators get to partner up with each other and connect and help each other grow.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Deliverability Horror Stories

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

We’ve all been there: you press “send” on an email and immediately recognize there’s a mistake. Recalling an email requires quick reflexes, and unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that your request will be successful. The good news is that we are all human, and email mistakes such as typos, inaccessible links, and failed deliverability are much more common than you’d expect.

When sending emails, you may occasionally have more control over a situation than others and can take preventative measures to avoid common issues. There are also scenarios where deliverability issues are unrelated to anything you have personally done wrong. So, how can you spot these mistakes, learn from them, and avoid them in the future?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the worst-case scenarios when sending emails, why deliverability is not always in your control, and how to avoid deliverability horror stories of your own.

Key Takeaways

[05:44] - What are Alyssa and Melissa’s email horror stories?
[10:30] - Why deliverability is not always in your control.
[15:45] - Even Arnold Schwarzenegger has deliverability issues.
[19:44] - When chef Mario Batali went viral in the wrong way.
[23:00] - How to avoid email horror stories of your own.

Quotes

[10:10] - “Even if you have the best intention, you have to be careful with preview text being shortened. That’s just a recipe for disaster.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[13:09] - “There’s so much of deliverability that is not under one person’s control.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[23:35] - “Always send yourself a test.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How Deliverability Impacts Newsletter Sponsorships

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0400

Creators are always looking for a way to earn income through their efforts, which traditionally evolves into sponsorship or brand deals. Of course, creators want to earn this extra income, but they struggle to keep their audiences happy; no one likes to feel like they’re being sold to when reading their favorite newsletter. Is there an option that balances the needs of creators, audiences, and sponsors alike?

One solution is newsletter sponsorship. Creators spend a long time crafting relationships with their audiences to keep them loyal and engaged, and this can pay off for them in the long run once they’ve amassed a following with consistent open rates. Brands with similar target audiences strive to work with creators who have already built their readers’ trust.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss what newsletter sponsorship is and how to use it to your advantage. Together, they delve into how newsletter sponsorship differs from email marketing, how sponsorship impacts your deliverability, and why newsletter sponsorship is mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

Key Takeaways

[04:27] - What is newsletter sponsorship?
[07:21] - What is the ConvertKit Sponsor Network and who is the target audience?
[10:26] - How newsletters differ from email marketing.
[15:14] - What sponsors are looking for when they pay to appear in a newsletter.
[18:10] - How will your newsletter’s deliverability change once you start introducing sponsorship?
[23:30] - Why newsletter sponsorship is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.
[26:40] - What to do when you experience deliverability issues with a sponsor.

Quotes

[12:21] “Another thing that's really awesome about newsletters and sponsors and brands is that you can really clearly help brands find out where they should go to find new customers.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[20:13] - “The more you can encourage replies and that one-to-one feel in your newsletters, the better chance you have of moving those back to the primary inbox.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[21:24] - “I do recommend making sure that the ad still sounds like it's coming from you, that it visually matches your branding, and then, also, that the copy matches your branding.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How Nathan Barry Made $50K From a Passive Evergreen Newsletter

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0500

You may be familiar with traditional newsletters, but an evergreen newsletter is a smart and automated approach to standard email newsletters. It allows established creators to step off the content hamster wheel, build a personalized journey for new subscribers, and make better versions of future email sequences based on audience feedback.

Nathan Barry, CEO of ConvertKit, has made $50K from “a secret newsletter about money.” He noticed that a lot of content existed for new creators, but not for established ones. Nathan’s “Secret Money Newsletter” is a paid $149 email sequence targeting established creators that make at least $200K annually. It currently has 500 subscribers and an impressive 87% open rate.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk to Nathan about the power of transparency and providing context behind success metrics, the advantages of an evergreen newsletter, and connecting with your audience by incorporating their feedback into future email sequences.

Key Takeaways

[03:03] - What is Nathan’s paid newsletter about?
[08:26] - Why Nathan is so transparent about his own finances, and is it worth it?
[17:24] - How much revenue has Nathan’s paid newsletter generated?
[22:36] - What is the most challenging aspect of an evergreen newsletter?
[29:06] - Why evergreen newsletters are a great way to showcase your expertise.
[32:30] - How an evergreen newsletter can remove the pressure of wanting it to be “perfect”.
[34:21] - How to keep email sequences from overwhelming your subscribers.
[36:45] - What are Nathan’s plans for the future of his newsletter?
[39:59] - Why asking your audience for specific feedback makes it so much easier to keep writing content.
[45:16] - Nathan’s method for coming up with content for future emails.

Quotes

[14:04] - “By putting advice out there, and real numbers, you show people what’s possible and they can learn from the specifics. It makes a huge difference when people share actual numbers, it gives you real context.” ~ @nathanbarry

[20:35] - “I love with email how few barriers there are between your ideas and the reader.” ~ @nathanbarry

[32:47] - “If you know this is going to be email #1 for a long time, that puts the pressure on it. But, good news — you can edit it. So 15 people will get that, and you can learn from it and so the version that’s going to go out to 500 people over a period of time is so much better, and a lot of the pressure comes off.” ~ @nathanbarry

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How to Fix Reputation Issues with Gmail

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

According to Finances Online, as of January 2020, Gmail had over 1.8 billion active users. When you’ve got a mailbox provider so prevalent on your email list, keeping yourself on good terms with that provider is essential for the survival of your subscriber count. But how do you know if your reputation with Gmail has tanked? And what’s the best way to respond?

While every mailbox provider cares about customers first, Gmail has its advantages for senders too. For example, Gmail allows you to track your domain and IP reputation. Gmail also sends helpful hints when your emails land in the spam folder, but it can be confusing.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss how to determine where your sender reputation stands with Gmail, what to make of every possible inbox tip-off, how to respond when you realize your reputation has tanked, and reaching the root cause of your strained relationship with Gmail.

Key Takeaways

[03:28] - There are many clues and data points Gmail provides that can point senders in the right direction when it comes to fixing your reputation.
[06:37] - While Gmail is the mailbox provider, the actions of your subscribers determine where you land in the inbox. Remember that mailbox providers care about their customers (your subscribers) above all else.
[07:34] - Subscribers will sometimes tell you when your messages are landing in their spam folders. Keep in mind that the promotions tab is still the inbox.
[11:24] - If you land in the spam folder and see a banner that reads, “Why is this message in spam?” — it usually means you’re not using a verified sending domain with an ESP.
[13:16] - If you realize you have a bad reputation with Gmail, immediately stop sending to unengaged subscribers and figure out the root cause.
[14:07] - Clean your list, check to see if you’ve been listbombed, and avoid sending to unengaged subscribers for two weeks. As you see your reputation start to improve, you can gradually begin re-engaging subscribers who haven’t been receiving your messages.

Quotes

[06:59] - “Gmail’s number one priority is their customers, who are your subscribers. So you may have every good intention in the world of helping people, sending relevant content, but if those subscribers are not interacting in a positive way, then your reputation may be suffering.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[17:43] - “You have to give them time to build that trust back. And you want to make sure that in that process, when you’re building it back, you don’t do anything that would cause more negative signals to show up. Don’t try and re-engage your list too fast. You want to do all that really slowly and try to make sure that the most things they’re seeing when you send messages are those positive engagements like opens, and clicks, and replies.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[19:22] - “Even though reputation issues can be scary, at least at Gmail there are a decent amount of tools, signals that you can use to be able to work on certain aspects of your list and your sending habits, and they give you an opportunity to get better.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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How to Clean Your List

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 03:00:00 -0500

From likes to follows to subscribers, when everything feels like a numbers game, the idea of actively deleting your subscribers can feel counterintuitive and downright terrifying. But there’s power in deleting people from your list who aren’t opening or engaging any longer. List cleaning saves you money and saves your reputation, a gift to yourself and the subscribers who matter. Well, at least the subscribers opening your emails.

But how exactly do you clean your list? Is the best list cleaning strategy the same for everyone? What really defines an unengaged subscriber? Depending on your niche, your followers, and your current deliverability health, the steps may differ. Nevertheless, one thing will always remain the same – list cleaning is an essential step for every creator, regardless of your audience size and regardless of your email strategy.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss why list cleaning matters, tips for a top-notch re-engagement campaign, why less is more when it comes to opt-in confirmation emails, and knowing when to pull the plug and part ways with the people on your list.

Key Takeaways

[02:12] - List cleaning is so important because unengaged senders will damage your sender reputation by sending negative signals to inbox providers. That damaged deliverability can ultimately prevent engaged subscribers from seeing your emails.
[04:13] - A re-engagement series ending with an opt-in confirmation email is a great list cleaning strategy for a sender who isn’t struggling with deliverability issues.
[05:55] - If you are struggling with deliverability issues, sending a single opt-in confirmation email or simply deleting unengaged subscribers from your list are better options.
[09:31] - For the best results, send 1-3 re-engagement attempts and make sure those emails contain your best high-value content.
[12:27] - Strong opt-in confirmation emails are straight to the point with a clear action item. Fluff is unnecessary and distracting.
[18:14] - Senders should run re-engagement campaigns every 3-6 months. Avoid going more than 6 months without cleaning your list.
[20:24] - Unengaged subscribers are defined as subscribers who haven’t opened an email in 90 days or have been on your list for 30 days and haven't opened anything. You should always consider removing subscribers who haven’t engaged in six months.

Quotes

[03:23] - “This is the reason why we have this episode, why it’s so important to regularly clean your list of unengaged subscribers because if you let them sit there on your list, they’re going to start damaging your reputation and causing your messages to land in the spam folder.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[07:43] - “A lot of senders don’t love to watch their numbers go down, especially when there’s a few thousand sometimes cold subscribers that need to be deleted, but you’re paying for those subscribers. And if there’s no interaction, if there’s no engagement, it’s probably not worth paying for those subscribers.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[08:13] - “You have to look at the big picture and recognize that, even though it’s hard to cut ties with people, they can always come back. Just because you delete them off your list because they’re not engaging, doesn’t mean that they don’t have the opportunity to come back some day if they really want to.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Email Behind the Scenes

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Many creators know the ins and outs of authentication, spam traps, BIMI, and listbombing. And if you’ve been creating for a while, you probably understand best practices for email strategy and creative tips for encouraging engagement. But what about the basics? Do you really understand what happens to your email after clicking “send”? Most creators don’t, and there’s a strong case for shifting that statistic.

When a tool helps you earn a living, it’s important to have a general understanding of how that tool works from a technical standpoint. Email is no different. The inner workings of email are complex and understanding those complexities helps you improve your strategy, ask better deliverability questions, and stay calm when unexpected issues arise. So if you think technical know-how is irrelevant and only for the computer programmers of our world, think again.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss technical complexities behind clicking “send”, how inbox providers determine where your email lands, what ESPs like ConvertKit really can control, and why understanding email basics sets you up for deliverability success.

Key Takeaways

[03:22] - Knowledge is power, and when you’re a creator depending on email for your livelihood, having a technical understanding of email can only help you.
[03:57] - There are many steps between when an email is “sent” and when the email reaches the inbox of your subscriber. This back-and-forth conversation between the sender and the recipient is complicated but only lasts several seconds.
[06:34] - Once a message is sent, there are still things on the recipient’s end that can cause deliverability issues. Once sent, an email is either accepted (delivered) or rejected (bounced).
[10:32] - Once delivered, the mailbox provider has to consider several factors before determining where your email will land.
[18:48] - Once a message is delivered, you can track how subscribers react to that message through open tracking, although it’s important to look at open rate trends over time versus day-to-day open data.
[24:47] - Spam complaints are another great data point for senders searching for feedback.

Quotes

[26:48] - “Being able to break down every step of email, in general, will help highlight how it all works together because it’s definitely not a to and from, easy send, one-sided piece of mail. Even with the post office, when you take a letter to the post office, it’s not just being magically delivered instantaneously to that person, it’s going through a lot of work to get there.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[27:34] - “I think one of the best outcomes from this episode is at least maybe you have a better understanding of how complex email is and whenever you do have a subscriber bounce or someone says their message went to the spam folder, it will feel a little more like, ‘Ok, I get that there’s a lot of moving pieces going in here, let’s take a look, let’s not panic.’” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[28:13] - “Our whole goal at Convertkit is that you’re earning a living from your emails, from your products that you’re selling, things like that. So when something is the cornerstone to your business, you should have a general understanding of how it works.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Learn From Unsubscribes

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Rejection is a terrible feeling. Especially when you’re pouring everything into a business and yearning for the approval of a new audience. But there are things to learn from every negative in life, and unsubscribes are no different.

So if you’re feeling down about your unsubscribes, consider this: the unsubscribe button is an automated list-cleaner, allowing subscribers the option to opt-out themselves, saving you the hassle of removing them manually when your deliverability starts to wane. And by implementing tools like exit surveys, you’re turning that unsubscribe into an invaluable insight.

Not to mention, unsubscribes are an unavoidable fact of email marketing. As our lives change, so do our email preferences. Plus, with a new feature from ConvertKit, you can send every unsubscriber a survey on their way out the door. While responses are never an exact science, there’s knowledge to be gained from every answer.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss why an unsubscribe option is a win-win, what you can learn from every exit survey, how not to position your unsubscribe option, and why trying your best to avoid them can turn a minor loss into an email catastrophe.

Key Takeaways

[04:47] - Legally, all bulk emails are required to have an unsubscribe button, and morally, including an unsubscribe option is respectful to everyone.
[08:47] - Don’t make the unsubscribe button difficult to find. If you make it extra complicated, subscribers may mark your emails as spam to speed up the process.
[11:48] - Subscribers removing themselves from your list is beneficial to you because unengaged subscribers will ultimately damage your deliverability.
[12:11] - Surveys are a great way to learn from unsubscribers, and a new feature from ConvertKit sends your unsubscribers an exit survey.
[17:09] - If someone responds, “I no longer want to receive these emails”, most likely, they’ve simply outgrown your services.
[20:26] - A lot of “I never signed up to receive these emails” responses indicate that you’ve been a victim of listbombing.
[23:00] - Responses that your content is “inappropriate” may mean subscribers are surprised by the content they’re receiving. Be transparent with your subscribers about what they’ll be receiving from the get-go.
[26:51] - Multiple responses that your content is “spam” is also concerning. It may be an email frequency issue.
[28:46] - When someone marks “other”, there’s not much to be learned. It may be that you’re sending too much, the emails are no longer relevant, or maybe that subscriber just didn’t feel like explaining themselves.

Quotes

[11:07] - “Deliverability is one of those things where you really do have to follow the rules or you’re going to end up putting yourself in a hole. There are not a lot of ways you can get around doing things you don’t want to do. You have to do the right thing or you’re not going to have success.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[11:51] - “Unsubscribes are not personal, but they’re beneficial to both the subscriber and you. If someone doesn’t want to be on your email list, you don’t want them there. Having people on your list who don’t actually want to be there is guaranteed to damage your deliverability, ultimately hurting your ability to reach those people who do want to be on your list.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[22:26] - “We’re here to help you reach the inbox and emailing people who didn’t sign up for your list is not going to get you there. Make sure that any list you’ve imported comes from sources where each individual opted in to receive emails from you specifically.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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iOS 15’s Impact on Open Rates So Far

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

When change happens, many of us panic. The rules of yesterday no longer apply and our future feels uncertain. But not all changes are catastrophic. In fact, a few recent email updates may seem more dramatic than they actually are. Case and point: Apple’s new privacy changes.

Earlier in 2021, Apple announced an update that sent many senders stressing. Within Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature, pixels load automatically and recipients are unable to determine who’s actually opening their emails. For years, open rates have been a hallmark metric in the world of deliverability, but now that technology has turned the tables, what’s next for measuring email success?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain what the iOS 15 update really means for senders and subscribers, who’s impacted, where open rates are surprisingly still useful, and why Apple’s update is an email blessing in disguise.

Key Takeaways

[01:50] - Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection is a feature that automatically loads pixels in an email to prevent senders from collecting information about the receiver. As a result, it will always appear that subscribers are opening emails.
[05:56] - Who’s impacted? Any subscriber using an Apple device with iOS 15 installed who uses the Apple Mail app to manage their emails. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell which subscribers fall into this category.
[07:48] - Since Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection was released, ConvertKit has seen open rates increase from 30% to 37%.
[11:14] - Even before the release of iOS 15, open rates were becoming less and less reliable. With this update, open rates are officially an email metric of the past.
[14:48] - It’s time for creators to move away from relying on open rates to determine email success and start focusing on increasing engagement.

Quotes

[05:43] - “An interesting effect of the Mail Privacy Protection is that a lot of senders aren’t going to be able to clean their list and make sure people are receiving what they want to receive the way that they could with accurate open rate data.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[14:51] - “It takes the pressure off. You don’t have to make [open rates] such a large part of your goal. Because if your goal is to make a sale, then maybe we shouldn’t be focused on just the open rate, maybe we should be focusing on that actual purchase.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[15:46] - “Having that pulse on your open rate can tell you how your deliverability is doing and that’s really what open rates are good for these days, just that basic, ‘ok, I’m getting through the front door.’ But when you’re really focusing on what metrics are going to tell you, ‘Are you being successful? Is this message resonating? Did people read it?’, there are other things you need to be focusing on, like clicks, conversions, and replies.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Top 5 Email Myths

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Are there tips and tricks to avoiding the promotions tab? Can simple keywords send you straight to the spam folder? Is email on the way out? Misinformation about best practices can send your email strategy spiraling. While it sounds cliche, avoid trusting everything you read on the internet.

Because despite living in the era of information, many email mythologies have survived. If you’re feeling lost and confused about what’s true, what’s old news, and what never served anyone in the first place, this episode is for you. From the value of open rates to email’s future as a medium for successful creators, Alyssa and Melissa tackle the ever-present underlying question: email fact or email fiction?

Key Takeaways

[02:19] - Specific words will automatically send your email to the spam folder. This is a myth! Sender reputation and list health determine your deliverability.
[06:55] - When it comes to list collection, following legislation is enough. Don’t forget, subscribers need to give explicit permission to receive your marketing emails.
[09:43] - Email is dead (or dying). Far from the case, with social algorithms changing daily, email is more powerful than ever before.
[13:06] - Tips and tricks will push your email out of the promotions tab and into the primary tab in Gmail. These tricks don’t exist and landing in the promotions tab is usually beneficial.
[19:09] - Open rates should be the main metric you use to measure email success. Open rates are less reliable than ever. Focus on engagement instead.

Quotes

[09:09] - “If you want to reach the inbox and you want to be a good responsible sender, you need to make sure that every single person on your list opted in for your messages and you are delivering what they were expecting to receive.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[10:14] - “Any of these social media platforms could go away tomorrow. We’ve seen it happen. And being able to communicate with people on your list in a more targeted way is really cool and I don’t think it’s going to go away anytime soon.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[17:12] - “Trust the process, encourage engagement, but trying to trick an algorithm isn’t going to work for very long, even if you find a loophole. And it’s not going to make people more likely to purchase something from you.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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The Audience-Building Flywheel

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

The most common question deliverability experts hear is, “how do I get more subscribers?” As a brand new creator, finding followers is probably your top concern. And although there are many answers depending on who you ask, the best explanation may be something called the flywheel effect. In short, you have to put out content consistently and strategically, blending social media with email to reach the most subscribers possible.

While it’s hardly rocket science, sending out content when you’ve only got one or two subscribers to your email list or five followers on Instagram can be nerve-wracking. However, in order to set the flywheel in motion, consistently creating in public is the name of the game. Or at least part of the name of the game.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa describe each step of the flywheel concept, explaining how to maximize your results and stay motivated along the way, even with just one follower to your name. It may be a slow process, but if done correctly, the flywheel concept guarantees growth and may be the simplest answer to that number one creator question.

Key Takeaways

[02:03] - The flywheel concept explains audience building as a process with a painfully slow start. Consistency speeds up the flywheel until the wheel spins faster and faster and audience-building becomes easier and easier.
[12:29] - The first step of the flywheel process is posting to social media and creating in public.
[14:57] - The second step is telling followers to sign up for your email list and telling them exactly what they’ll get out of it. In other words, incentivize subscribers to join your list.
[19:09] - The third step is to send an email and then send consistent, high-quality content to your list.
[22:23] - The final step is to tell social media about the email you’ve just sent. Let them know what they’re missing out on if they aren’t subscribed.

Quotes

[14:21] - “When we say high value, that kind of depends on what your subscribers or followers find value in. It doesn’t necessarily mean something that took you hours.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[19:23] - “The key here, and this is what we’ve talked about through all of our episodes, is to send consistently high-quality content to your list that meets the need that you just told them you were going to meet.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[19:35] - “People tend to lose interest in things that they forget about. And that is what I notice on social media and also related to email. People like consistency. Even if you have to repurpose your content in some way or ask questions for more content, it’s better to send something.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Real World Email Examples of Great Emails

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

Every once in a while, we stumble upon a promotional email from a brand we love or a service we recently subscribed to and think, “that’s a great email.” Today, Alyssa and Melissa break down some of their favorite examples.

Because when it comes to teachable moments, stellar examples of real-world emails are the best way to translate best practices and learn from the email experts all around us. And while we often spend time discussing the “don’ts” of email marketing, nothing lights a fire under our server like emails that make the grade. A newsletter that rocks? An opt-in confirmation email with a crystal clear CTA? An incredible newsletter from a creator who knows their audience and adds targeted value?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa break down real-world email examples from their very own inboxes. No brand is off limits and no creator is safe from today’s celebratory review.

Key Takeaways

[03:42] - Ben Rector’s killer opt-in confirmation email.
[07:13] - The most comprehensive welcome email of all time.
[09:54] - A welcome email that adds value.
[12:46] - A newsletter from an author who knows her audience.
[16:07] - An email newsletter with gripping subject lines.
[21:22] - Why it’s important to clean your list.
[22:22] - This wedding venue guarantees a clean break-up with a sweet list-cleaning email.
[27:34] - When brands understand personalization.
[29:33] - Airbnb’s hyper-targeted email that helped out Alyssa.
[32:17] - The email “don'ts” that made us cringe.

Quotes

[15:28] - “Here are the three main things that are super important with a newsletter: being consistent all the time in your timing, the layout, and the quality.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[36:07] - “I think sometimes we have a mindset shift when we become the sender and sometimes we just want our needs to be met, and we’re like ‘we have to make this number of sales’ or ‘we have to get this open rate.’ So it’s helpful to change your mindset to the actual subscriber and think about what’s going to serve them. And then that’s going to actually end up serving you the most.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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The Future of Email

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

If you could peek into a crystal ball and see the next 10 or 15 years of email evolution, what would it look like? Are the strategies you’re implementing ready for the future?

Many say that in a world of ever-changing algorithms, email stays the same. While it’s never an exact science, the predictability and control senders have over their content certainly makes email an attractive outlet. However, nothing is ever stagnant, email included. For example, Apple’s recent privacy changes, the promotions tab controversy, and that infamous ‘unsend’ option rolled out by Gmail years ago.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa make their email predictions for 2022 and the years ahead. From metrics to privacy to engagement and open rates, here’s everything the experts are betting on. While there’s no guarantee these changes will come to fruition, it’s always important to consider what’s next.

Key Takeaways

[03:27] - Over time, Alyssa predicts that metrics like open rates will become more and more unusable before eventually returning.
[04:47] - Further into the future, large mailbox providers will develop new tools to help senders understand their email performance while still protecting the privacy of subscribers.
[11:32] - Melissa predicts that emails will become more and more targeted and senders will continue finding creative ways to encourage engagement.
[17:25] - Alyssa believes that more and more creators will use email to connect with their audience rather than relying only on social media.
[22:26] - Melissa predicts that emails will become more interactive and senders will find new ways to encourage and track that engagement.

Quotes

[12:28] - “I think people have a lot of options and they’re becoming smarter with what they’re interested in, and I think senders and marketers will have to be even more specific about what they send subscribers, especially if they don’t have that open rate data.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[17:55] - “ A lot of [people] still probably don’t use email, especially the ones getting started, because they just don’t understand the value of it. But I think as time goes on, that’s going to change, and as soon as you decide you want to be a creator or have some sort of platform or build an audience, email is going to be one of the first things you do.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[21:13] - “Figure out a way to beat [social media] and own your audience instead of trying to constantly worry about what people aren’t seeing. Because if they were on your email list and you had good engagement and also practiced good deliverability, they probably would see everything.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Utilizing BIMI to Display Your Logo in Subscriber's Mailboxes

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 03:00:00 -0500

What happens when security and style combine? Enter BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, a text record that lives in your DNS records and helps verify your email address against phishers with malicious intent. This verification can be found in the brand’s logo, conveniently embedded in a sender’s email.

While this high-tech security option may be a tough bet for small creators working alone, if you’ve got a large following and an equally large team, BIMI is a great way to increase your security.

According to the Harvard Business Review, companies are falling victim to hackers at an alarming rate, with COVID and remote work leaving us vulnerable to keyboard bandits and email spoofing more than ever before. Needless to say, security is important, and anything you can do to protect your own brand and the privacy of your subscribers saves you face and money. If you can add a personal branded touch, all the better.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the importance of mixing style with security, the technicalities behind implementing BIMI, and why security is so important for big brands, small creators, and everyone in between.

Key Takeaways

[05:08] - The goal of BIMI is to provide another layer of trust to your emails. With the embedded logo, subscribers can verify that the email is coming from your brand.
[10:05] - While massive data breaches aren’t a top concern for the average creator, email spoofing can happen to anyone, and BIMI protects against spoofing.
[12:06] - To start using BIMI, you have to be using a strict DMARC record. BIMI is incentivizing senders to use DMARC.
[17:38] - Aside from setting up a strict DMARC record, if you’re a ConvertKit user, you have to set up a verified sending domain.
[19:51] - You must also have a proper TXT record in your DNS.
[21:55] - Keep in mind that not all mailbox providers support BIMI. Yahoo, AOL, Netscape, Gmail, G Suite, and Fastmail are mailbox providers that do.

Quotes

[11:45] - “We care a lot that email is a safer place and that people aren’t being spoofed. And then, on the other end, a lot of people who send mail probably aren’t as interested, don’t care as much about it. But [BIMI] gives them an incentive to start to really crack down on their security.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[18:17] - “I feel like people think that they have to have all these things. A lot of new senders think, ‘Oh I need to change things in my DNS settings and I need to add a DMARC record’, and you don’t have to do anything. It’s not like those things will make you land in the inbox more often.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[19:03] - “At the end of the day, [BIMI] encourages people, or it should encourage people, to really work on their sender reputation if they want to have these things set up, which is a good thing.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Why Some Subscribers Don't Confirm Their Opt-In

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

As creators and email marketers, we’ve got a lot of important things keeping us up at night. From our marketing strategy, the hassle of freelance taxes, and, of course, those subscribers who don’t confirm their double opt-ins. But of all our worries, is an unconfirmed subscriber really something to stress over? After all, what’s “normal” subscriber behavior?

It might be time to rethink how you expect subscribers to engage with your emails. Because subscribers don’t follow the same rules you do, and what feels negative to you may feel normal to them. For example, according to a recent MailChimp study, 61% of subscribers never complete the double opt-in process.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk about why subscribers don’t confirm their opt-ins, when to know if it’s a real red flag, how to fix your double opt-in dilemma, and why you shouldn’t obsess over it. Because having unconfirmed subscribers doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong — sometimes, it’s just human behavior.

Key Takeaways

[03:38] - Subscribers may not confirm their opt-in if the confirmation email is confusing or unclear. Make your confirmation email simple and straightforward.
[07:47] - If subscribers don’t confirm the double opt-in, it’s also possible that they never signed up for your list. You may have been a victim of list-bombing.
[11:30] - While it sounds like a joke, it’s very possible that subscribers have not checked their inbox and that’s why they have yet to confirm.
[16:33] - It’s possible that your confirmation email bounced or went to spam.
[22:05] - If the number of unconfirmed subscribers is driving you crazy, it’s ok to remove the double opt-in, but make sure you’re securing your email list in some way.
[28:58] - If you’re stressed about unconfirmed double opt-ins, remember, there are better metrics to focus on.

Quotes

[11:06] - “I would rather see a bunch of unconfirmed subscribers on my list than see a bunch of confirmed ones who are never going to engage in my emails.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[31:44] - “It’s way better to have this small, engaged list that’s protected than to have a huge list where you let in anyone who wants to be there, but then a big chunk of them are marking your messages as spam or not opening your messages and your deliverability is tanked and now everyone receives your email in the spam folder. That is a reality we’ve seen happen for people who don’t clean their list and don’t protect their list with double opt-in.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Protecting Your Email List and Reputation

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

As creators, trust is everything. The trust between you and the subscribers who stay tuned is the foundation of your business and the source of your creative freedom. And while it can take months or years to build up hard-earned trust, it only takes one spammer to derail it.

In the tech-driven twenty-first century, spamming is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, an email list and an ESP mean you’re a prime target for spammers seeking lists, data, and, above all else, subscribers who trust your domain. As such, it’s important to take steps toward staying secure and spam-proof, for your peace of mind and for the sake of your business.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the top three steps for stopping spam, hacks, and phishing. From two-factor authentication to securing forms, double opt-ins, and the beauty of DMARC, here’s everything you need to know.

Key Takeaways

[03:55] - An email list backed by a trusted ESP is valuable email currency. This currency makes you especially vulnerable to spammers and phishers.
[06:48] - Using two-factor authentication at your ESP is essential.
[10:19] - The most common damage spammers do is buy loads of subscribers or followers and send them spam or phishing links.
[14:18] - Data breaches have long-lasting impacts. The two seconds it takes to double authenticate are worth it to avoid years of potential fallout.
[15:06] - Use double opt-in and reCAPTCHA to prevent list bombing.
[25:57] - Aside from spam prevention, double opt-ins ensure your list has the most engaged subscribers.
[27:38] - Implement DMARC to prevent spoofing.

Quotes

[03:56] - “You might be thinking, ok, email spam is annoying, but how does this affect my email list? As someone with an email list and an account with an ESP, you have an asset that’s valuable to spammers.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[14:38] - “You could have someone send spam from your account or phish, and then it could take you months to build that up again. But it would only take one send for them to ruin your whole reputation.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[26:00] - “Double opt-in is so great to make sure the people in your list are the most high-quality. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Serve Multiple Audience Types

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

As we evolve as creators, it’s inevitable that our audiences evolve with us. If you find yourself serving multiple audiences, deciding which audience to speak to and when can feel like an impossible task that inevitably isolates one fan base or another. Unfortunately, with most mediums, creators must choose.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa answer the question, how do you create for multiple audiences? Because this is Deliverability Defined, email is always the answer. And while email has many superpowers, audience segmentation is possibly the most undervalued. Whether your audience is made up of both parents and teachers or dog owners and cat lovers, here’s how to embrace them all while keeping it personal.

Key Takeaways

[08:08] - Social media will inevitably be filled with clutter you don’t care about. Email allows us to subscribe to only the content we’re interested in.
[13:33] - Before you segment subscribers, you have to learn about them. Start by asking questions through a welcome sequence.
[16:23] - Don’t feel weird asking people for information. We underestimate how much people enjoy talking about themselves.
[18:02] - Segmentation isn’t permanent. As you start sending content, you can combine your lists when content is relevant to multiple audiences.
[19:00] - Having multiple audiences via email can lead to multiple business opportunities.
[19:35] - Gathering subscriber information at signup is more upfront work, but it makes your life much easier down the line. Build the system, don’t be the system.

Quotes

[07:00] - “I think it’s easy to overlook that there are people in your audience who are different.” ~ @mel_lambert_

[11:25] - “Email is so unique in the way that you can have all of your audience together in one place, but send them completely different emails.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

[16:23) - “People underestimate how much people want to share about themselves. It’s definitely an art to learn to listen and ask people questions that get them excited about themselves, but once you do, people are willing to share a lot. And I don’t mean that in a weird way, it just creates that deeper connection with your audience.” ~ @mel_lambert_

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Growing Your List With a Referral Program

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 03:00:00 -0500

Creators always ask, “how do I grow my audience?” While the answer is different for everyone, when you’re an emerging creator with a tight budget, referral programs are a great way to expand without burning revenue. And not only expand, but find subscribers more likely to engage.

As we continue moving away from open rates as our main metric, referral programs are a great step toward increased engagement. Luckily, where there’s a will, there’s an app. Tools like SparkLoop smooth out the logistics and make tracking your referral progress fun and easy.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the benefits of a referral program, the steps to referral success, and examples of creators who are doing it right.

Key Takeaways

[07:09] - Referral programs are a great way to grow your audience in a way that’s relatively “hands-off”.
[08:39] - Tools like SparkLoop help you automate your referral program. Automation is especially useful if you’re a small creator.
[14:24] - People trust referrals from friends more than anything else. A referred subscriber has built-in trust with you that otherwise, you would have to spend time, money, and energy to establish.
[16:11] - Referral programs reward subscriber engagement.
[16:47] - Using incentives not only drives traffic to your newsletter but also the content outside of your newsletter.
[19:22] - Referral programs lower the cost of subscriber acquisition and get people excited about your upcoming content.
[22:18] - Before launching a referral program, you need a newsletter with measurable subscriber value rather than a brand new newsletter with no built-in audience.
[24:08] - You also need a clear explanation of how your referral program works so it’s obvious to your subscribers what they have to do.

Quotes

[12:12] - “Any other way to try and find people to join your list, like maybe doing paid ads, can only do so much to get the right person in front of that sign-up form. And it’s kind of more like casting a wide net and hoping to find the right people. But this is perfect. Your subscribers clearly are the perfect fit for your email list, they’re already there, they signed up for it, and they likely know other people who also would love your content.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Creative Strategies to Increase Engagement

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 03:00:00 -0500

If we learned anything last season, it was that open rates are no longer the magic email metric. Changes to Apple’s privacy settings dethroned an already shaky measurement tool, albeit one many marketers loved to tout.

While staying laser-focused on one metric is a surefire way to derail your email strategy (and fill your subscribers’ inboxes with spam-friendly subject lines), is there a new golden standard for senders? Now that open rates are a thing of the past, how can we shift our focus?

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the importance of focusing on subscribers and encouraging engagement, breaking down the benefits of subscriber engagement, and sharing some creative ways to encourage likes, shares, and replies. It’s time to stop viewing subscribers like spreadsheets and start building a real relationship with the people behind your metrics.

(29:13) “In this day in age, we’re all so focused on clicks and likes and that’s what this whole podcast episode is about. But in order to get those things from your subscribers, you have to build a relationship with them.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Key Takeaways

[11:26] Add “reactions” to your email message. This is a great feature that not only encourages engagement but helps you as a sender understand how your subscribers are responding to your emails.
[14:50] Create a fun segment in your email newsletter that encourages responses. Polls and surveys are great for engagement and another way to solicit feedback.
[21:48] With tools like ReplyVid, you can even ask subscribers to reply to your email with a video message. It’s a fun relationship-building technique and a feature unique from any form of social media.
[24:18] Add something to your emails that subscribers can interact with – like a pet to “feed” or a flower to “water”.

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Ask Our Experts: How to Prepare for the Holiday Season!

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 03:00:00 -0400

With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s never too early to start planning. In fact, the longer you wait, the more likely you are to find yourself on the naughty list, aka, in the spam folder.

When it comes to sales, deals, and purchasing potential, the holiday season is in a category of its own. Subscribers are slammed with more emails than ever, retailers slash prices, and inbox providers are extra sensitive to spam. One rookie mistake can derail your most profitable time of year.

In this episode, Alyssa, Melissa, and Akos, a ConvertKit deliverability specialist, talk about how to stand out from the holiday crowd, prevent inbox fatigue, and avoid the spam folder.

“I highly recommend that senders just re-evaluate their content strategy, try to make it as valuable to the sender as possible. Even creators can get so much more creative with how they do this.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[04:39] To have success during the holidays, don’t suddenly increase your volume or frequency. Ramp up to that volume or frequency starting now. If it’s a surprise come December, subscribers and inbox providers may send you straight to spam.
[07:49] Don’t procrastinate your planning strategy. It’s never too early to start cleaning your list for the holiday season.
[08:09] Remember consistency and engagement. Sending a consistent volume will train the inbox algorithm and sometimes, less is more. Over-sending can cause inbox fatigue. And as the holidays approach, slowly tweak your list to include only subscribers most likely to engage.
[16:57] Subscribers receive so many holiday promotional emails every season. It’s important to make your holiday emails stand out from the crowd. Get creative and add value for your audience.

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Ask Our Experts: Help, My Emails Are Landing in the Promotions Tab!

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 03:00:00 -0400

When it first landed in our inbox, many believed the promotions tab would ruin email marketing for good. Years after Gmail’s controversial update, it’s time to set the record straight for scared senders.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa break down their take on the promotions tab while unpacking insights from ConvertKit’s team of email pros.

When it comes to deliverability, there are plenty of email mishaps to worry about. But is landing in the promotions tab one of them? While this secondary tab can feel like a spam folder for senders, here’s why Gmail may actually be doing you a favor.

“Really, the goal isn’t to get out of the promotions tab, it’s just to do a better job within the promotions tab.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[06:27] Opens in the promotions tab are much stronger signals than opens in the primary tab. Users are in a much better headspace to respond or purchase when they’re not responding to emails from their grandmother, boss, or dentist.
[06:53] If you’re really hoping to avoid the promotions tab, you can ask subscribers to drag your email into the primary inbox, encourage subscribers to reply, and regularly clean your list of unengaged subscribers.
[12:00] The promotions tab is still the inbox. If you’re landing in the promotions tab, find ways to make your interactions with your audience feel one-to-one.
[21:05] To create more valuable content, know your audience, segment your subscribers and send personalized messages, create captivating subject lines, avoid link shorteners, and balance images with text.

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Ask Our Experts: What Metrics Should Senders Focus On?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 03:00:00 -0400

While Season 02 of Deliverability Defined has come to an end, email never stops! Before we kick off Season 03, we’re doing a series called Ask Our Experts, where we pose important deliverability questions to our amazing team at ConvertKit.

Today’s question: Other than open rates, what metrics should senders focus on? With Apple’s new privacy laws furthering the fall of open rates, it’s time for senders to get creative and pivot to a measurement system that’s right for their business.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the math behind conversion rates, the power of healthy organization, and getting subscribers excited to hit ‘reply’ on your latest email.

“I love what Akos had to say about setting your own benchmarks based on your numbers and your own goals. What do you need to reach in order to be profitable and how are you going to get there?” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[03:51] Determine the action you want from your senders and use that action to determine your measurement of success. For example, if you want subscribers to download a podcast, your target metric should be the number of podcasts downloaded from a link in your email.
[07:21] Encourage clicks and replies. Ask your subscribers a question they would be excited to reply to. You can also learn a lot about your subscriber base from their replies.
[11:16] Pay attention to conversion rates. The formula for determining your conversion rate percentage is (# of conversions / delivered emails) x 100.
[16:48] Don’t forget about your cold subscribers! Look for patterns among your cold subs to determine how to improve your email strategy and reduce unengaged recipients.
[22:042] Focus on your account organization. A lack of organization within your email deliverability system will lead to email mistakes.

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Top 4 Takeaways of Season 02

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Whether you’re a musician or an author, a blogger or an artist, email is the secret sauce to owning your audience and making a passion project your full-time hustle. While deliverability may sound like an algorithm with built-in metrics for success, there’s more than one way to reach the inbox and engage subscribers.

Last season, we defined the ABCs of deliverability. In season 02, we went beyond the basics, looking at the complexities of email and (hopefully) proving that inbox success has more to do with the person receiving your emails than a robotic, spam-resistant recipe.

Our top four takeaways from this season cover everything from marketing strategy to opt-in forms and what Apple’s privacy changes mean for measuring sender success.

“The goal of deliverability is that people get what they want. Subscribers get what they want. So, if any sender runs into a deliverability issue, it’s essentially saying there’s a disconnect here. You might not know where it’s happening, but at some point down the line, people aren’t getting what they want.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[04:00] Stop focusing so much on open rates and prioritize other metrics such as clicks and purchases. Open rates were never a perfect metric and with Apple’s new privacy changes, they’re even less meaningful.
[08:44] Quality and consistency lead to email success. When you hit the sweet spot of high-quality content that’s also consistent, it’s hard not to be successful.
[16:03] Send relationship-building emails rather than purely promotional emails. Your subscribers determine your deliverability, so get to know them.
[27:49] Monetize your email list. Whether that’s through a paid newsletter, an email course, or an email series, figure out where it feels most natural to monetize.

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How to Have the Perfect Signup Form

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

As a new creator, you may feel like reaching as many eyeballs as possible is the most important end goal. Just remember, not all subscribers are created equal. Having an opt-in form helps weed out the unengaged and uninterested subscribers that aren’t worth paying for and can damage deliverability.

However, like subscribers, not all opt-in forms are equally as effective. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa walk through their must-haves for top-performing signup pages while showcasing one creator with a stellar, deliverability-approved website.

From clear messaging to single opt-in versus double, here’s everything to keep in mind when you’re building out a signup form. This page is likely the first step in your relationship with a new subscriber. Make a great impression and make it count.

“How do I even get subscribers? Put out helpful content. Have a link to your sign-up form anywhere people can find you. And showing (right off the bat) the value they’re going to get so they are excited to be on that email list. That’s really the key.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[03:45] Don’t use opt-in shortcuts! They are terrible for deliverability.
[05:20] It’s not just about being a good sender, it’s about the quality of the subscriber. Subscriber quality is the most important factor when you’re trying to convert those subscribers into sales.
[10:26] If you have a double opt-in form, don’t make it fancy or gimmicky. It should be easy for a potential subscriber to find it in their inbox.
[14:53] Just because you have a single opt-in doesn’t mean your subscribers will be more engaged. In fact, you’ll typically see the opposite.
[39:35] Create a platform where people clearly understand what your value is and what problem you can solve. This helps potential subscribers trust you with their email list and their screen time.
[41:54] Consistency is key to succeeding as an online business.

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Apple’s New Privacy Changes

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 03:00:00 -0400

You’ve probably heard about Apple’s latest privacy changes. Their new OS includes an update that marks all emails as opened, removing a metric many senders relied on to measure email success.

Privacy is incredibly important and there’s no universe where senders are entitled to a recipient’s data. However, as deliverability specialists, it’s our job to find workarounds that help senders reach the inbox of their subscribers. And there’s no denying this update has impacted senders’ ability to reach that top deliverability spot, simply because a data point we previously relied on no longer exists!

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain how to get creative and reach subscribers in Apple’s new world, why ignoring the update is your worst marketing move, and the new north star metric for measuring email success.

“Get creative about getting more clicks and measuring engagement differently. And then once you’ve done that, I would say every six months, send an email to everyone who has not clicked or purchased in the last six months, and ask if they want to stay on your list.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[15:10] Clicks are suddenly more important when it comes to measuring email success. They will likely become the metric open rates once were. To incentivize clicks, embed like buttons into your emails.
[17:24] Consider sharing less in the email itself and adding a “read more” button for recipients to click on.
[19:09] Include crystal clear calls to action. Don’t make recipients’ wade through thick text to find that coveted “click here to stay subscribed” button.
[21:36] Incentivize clicks by offering prizes or bonus content for recipients that consistently open or read emails.
[22:59] List cleaning is still important, but now you have to approach it differently. You have to start removing people from your list who appear to be opening your emails based on other data points that indicate they are cold subscribers.
[30:05] This update also makes it more difficult for ESPs like ConvertKit to identify spam.

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How’s Your Email Reputation?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Everyone strives to reach the inbox of their subscribers. While many factors determine deliverability, it’s no secret that reputation is among the most important. So what can you do to fix a broken reputation? How can you know what your reputation is or if it needs improving? And what role does an ESP play in working email magic?

Like most things with deliverability, the answers aren’t always straightforward, and often, there’s no easy fix. However, it’s important to focus on the things you can control.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain a few actionable steps for taking control of your email reputation. From the technical aspects to long-term fixes, here are some tips for achieving a great sender reputation.

“If you’re having sender reputation issues, you probably don’t want to have a verified sending domain in place, because it means that your reputation is pretty much 100% carrying the message to the inbox or spam folder, and if your reputation is damaged, there’s a good chance you’re not going to go to the inbox.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[04:35] Unfortunately, it’s difficult to tell what your sender reputation is. There’s no website with a score or phone number to call. However, reputation is powerful. An ESP can do everything right, but if your reputation is damaged, your emails won’t deliver.
[12:46] Your sender reputation is like your credit score. It measures trust and every mailbox provider has its own formula for determining reputation.
[16:05] Your reputation is largely determined by your subscribers. That’s why it’s so important to regularly clean your list of unengaged subscribers who are damaging your reputation. Open rates, clicks, replies, and a recipient marking your email as ‘not spam’ are all positive signals that improve your reputation.
[26:10] Both your marketing strategy and the technical aspects of deliverability can make or break your reputation. The best course of action is to engage people who are actually seeing your emails and use marketing tactics that encourage people to open, click, and reply.
[36:27] To improve a damaged reputation, determine the root issue and remove subscribers who did not opt-in to receive your emails.

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What Makes a Good Subscriber?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Every creator hopes for thousands of YouTube subscribers, Instagram followers, and Twitter likes. But if you’re approaching your email list with a similar “more is better” mentality, you may be missing the mark.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss why not all email subscribers are created equal and why smaller, high-value lists are healthier than a massive list filled with cold and unengaged subscribers.

Let’s outline what makes a great subscriber, the common mistakes that attract “bad” subscribers, and why bigger isn’t always better.

“Email addresses that are undeliverable are worthless and costing you money, and bad addresses that are just spam traps are even worse. Don’t waste your time on email addresses that are not doing anything for you. I think it’s a really hard concept for people to wrap their minds around sometimes because we really do want a larger list, we want to focus on the numbers, but when it comes to email, we don’t see more equaling better.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Main Takeaways

[08:55] Disposable domains, role-based accounts, and spam traps are emails to weed from your list. These can often, if not always, be classified as “bad subscribers.”
[20:00] Clean your email list! The longer you go without cleaning out cold subscribers, the harder it will be to clean out your list down the line and the longer your deliverability will suffer.
[29:30] Someone can subscribe to your emails as a highly engaged, high-value subscriber, but if you don’t deliver value, they can quickly become a cold subscriber.
[31:52] Rather than focusing on the number of subscribers you have, treat your subscribers like real people and focus on providing consistent value.

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Why Are My Open Rates Dropping?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

If you see a sudden and dramatic drop in your open rates, don’t panic. There could be an easily fixable solution behind those scary numbers. And even if it takes a bit more digging, your open rates aren’t the be-all and end-all metric for measuring success.

Nevertheless, lower open rates could signify a larger issue, whether it’s your marketing strategy or something as simple as an HTML error. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa outline the questions every email marketer should ask themselves if and when their open rates drop.

Once you’ve answered a few key questions, you can start figuring out what’s causing the problem and stop an email catastrophe in its tracks. Or, better yet, figure out which issues are actual catastrophes, and which aren’t.

“Getting in the promotions tab is not the end of the world. It probably will lower your open rates, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to lower the success of your email.”~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[08:10] Ask yourself, in what capacity are my emails dropping? Are they dropping 2% every day or 5% after one email? That increment of change can be the difference between a technical issue and a simple sender mistake.
[13:28] Have you recently switched ESPs? It’s important to gradually transition, otherwise, inbox providers won’t recognize your new domain and may send you to spam.
[16:28] What changes have you made otherwise? Even a simple change in your email template can cause open rates to drop if you’ve got an HTML error.
[22:09] Are you sending to cold subscribers? Most email providers have a threshold of how many times you can send emails to people who aren’t opening them.
[30:37] Promotions tab? Don’t panic. While your open rate may drop if your emails are suddenly sent to promotions, when customers have a filing system for their emails, they’re more likely to engage with the emails in their promotions tab, rather than just opening the email to clear space.
[34:20] Is your open tracking pixel being clipped? If your message is too large, someone’s open won’t be logged. Luckily, there’s an easy fix.
[36:31] Is your email not authenticated properly? Errors in authentication cause bounces and drastically lower open rates.
[38:09] Focus on positive signals to increase open rates. Positive signals will make more of an impact than trying to hack your open rates.

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How to Use Twitter to Build Your Email List

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Are you intimidated by Twitter? Do you scroll and consume 24-7? Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Twitter can be invaluable for building an audience and boosting visibility. If you’re strategic and intentional, Twitter can help you reach massive creator milestones.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss actionable steps to growing a following on Twitter and expanding your email list. Don’t just look for a retweet. Engage with people who will become high-value subscribers and true fans.

While it’s loud and sometimes controversial, you can’t knock Twitter for a lack of engagement. If Twitter is the right medium for you, you can use that engagement to your advantage and build your email list.

“If you are a creator and you have a very specific niche, think about, what problem do you solve for people? Or what can you teach people? Or maybe you’re just really funny and it’s like, how can you get your voice across on Twitter and provide laughs? So, whatever your thing is, show up and do it very consistently. And when you do that, you will see your audience naturally grow.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[07:20] A successful tweet is clear and concise. It can be tricky capturing it all in 280 characters.
[08:27] Tweet consistently and provide the value that you’re known for.
[10:07] Create threads that take people on a journey, use valuable data, and tell a story.
[18:45] Know your why. You don’t have to engage with every platform, and you don’t have to be on Twitter if you don’t have a reason to be tweeting. Twitter should make sense for your brand and your intention.
[19:29] If you create a thread, use that last tweet to plug your email list or newsletter or whatever medium you want.
[23:24] Not all subscribers provide the same amount of value to your email list. Twitter is a great place to attract high-quality subscribers. Because if they like your tweets, they will most likely subscribe, not for a coupon or Instagram contest, but to hear your voice and to hear your story.

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How to Level up Your Emails with Automation

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Sending one-time emails to your entire list may feel like a familiar and reliable default. And automating anything related to email might sound intimidating. However, automation opens the doors for incredible results and makes your life as a sender much easier.

It’s a cardinal rule of business that you should never treat every customer (or every subscriber) the same. The beauty of automation is that it allows you to differentiate your otherwise anonymous email list and send each subscriber the content that’s most likely to stick. Believe it or not, not sending someone irrelevant content goes a long way.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss automation, how it works, and how you can use it to level up your email marketing and bring the best possible value to your subscribers.

“A lot of us are busy, we don’t have time to sift through a ton of information for every email, for a promotion especially. So when something is really targeted, it’s nice because then I don’t have to do the work to find what it is that I’m supposed to be buying.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Main Takeaways

[09:08] Automation allows you to target subscribers by geographic location, whether they’ve made a purchase, and even by specific interests. Targeting helps you cater content to subscribers for their convenience, ensuring they get the most value from your list and stay happily engaged.
[11:57] If you’re a smaller creator, automation helps level the playing field between you and the big brands and big businesses, while giving you the time to expand your business.
[14:20] Your welcome sequence is key to successful automation and meaningful subscriber engagement.
[16:46] Be careful how much you send. If you’re sending five emails per day to a subscriber (automated or not), they’ll quickly become unengaged.
[19:06] Automation is a great way to re-engage cold subscribers.
[22:05] Automation is also a great way to boost a product or event launch.

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Why do emails bounce?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 25 May 2021 03:00:00 -0400

So often we view emails as a one-way conversation. In reality, there are plenty of complicated mechanics that go on behind-the-scenes between both sender and the receiving server. But what really goes on when an email bounces? Is it the fault of the ESP? Should we clean our lists of every email address that bounces?

Like everything with deliverability, finding the why behind your email bounce rarely leads to a simple and clear-cut resolution.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain the technical blueprint of a bounce, common reasons for the dreaded default, and a few best practices for stopping bounces before they begin.

“Essentially, anytime you’re collecting subscribers, ask yourself, are these people here because they want to receive my emails? If the answer is no, don’t do it.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[09:52] When it comes to bounces, there are hard bounces and soft bounces. Hard bounces are a bit more permanent. If you see a high number of bounces all at once, that’s a sign that something deeper is going on with your email deliverability.
[11:53] Don’t delete your bounced subscribers because that makes it much harder to diagnose the problem.
[13:03] When you send to a list that results in high bounces often and you’re not addressing those bounces, it can cause deliverability issues.
[14:08] If you have a high bounce rate, look for why people are providing incorrect email addresses. Maybe you have an email collection system that’s frustratingly impossible to exit out of. Or collecting emails with pen and paper, for example, always causes human errors.
[23:17] If you add a DMARC record, make sure your email is passing!

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How to Recover From an Email Fail

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 18 May 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Even veteran senders get nervous before pressing send. There’s always that worry in the back of our minds: What if I send this to the wrong group of people? What if I send a test email by mistake? What if there’s a broken link or typos or lingering placeholder text?

So, if and when the dreaded email fail happens to you, what can you do? We’ve all received an email fail and every pro sender has made a mistake or two. If you do mess up, don’t worry. You’re not alone and there are ways to recover.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa talk about when to panic, when to apologize, how to apologize, and how you can turn your email failure into an email opportunity.

“Just keep your marketing in mind and the choices you make in mind and know that deliverability isn’t all just technical and machines and all of that, there are humans involved.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[06:19] There are some fails you should always send a follow-up email to address and some you should simply leave alone. If your email is missing a key piece of information that allows your subscribers to take the desired action, send a follow-up correction.
[07:42] If your email accidentally went out to a group of cold subscribers, move on and focus on hitting your more engaged audience next time.
[11:18] If you’re going to send an apology follow-up email, make sure your email adds value to your subscribers, or at the very least, uses humor to address the error, so your subscribers don’t feel like they’re getting spammed twice.
[23:50] Aside from the algorithm, your marketing strategy matters when it comes to email deliverability. Be careful how you apologize because there are always humans on the other end.
[25:38] Listen to your audience when it comes to addressing email missteps and always apologize authentically.
[28:38] When you make a mistake, sending a funny email response that acknowledges your fail reminds your subscribers that you’re a relatable human. Your apology can deepen the relationship you have with your audience.

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A Day in the Life of a Deliverability Specialist

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 11 May 2021 10:17:43 -0400

Do you really understand deliverability? Is a career in deliverability right for you? Deliverability is a niche topic and it’s sometimes hard for friends, family, and curious ears to understand.

But aside from innate curiosity, if you’re a sender, learning what a deliverability expert does can provide incredible insight into how deliverability actually works.

From educating to solving problems and balancing tech skills with empathy, Alyssa and Melissa walk through their daily lives as deliverability specialists and talk about everything that goes on behind the scenes of a deliverability job.

“There is a lot happening each time an email gets sent and there are a lot of different parties involved. So part of our job is being kind of like the middle person and having relationships with the mailbox providers, the receivers.”~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[10:15] It can be hard to unplug from deliverability because it never stops. At all times, someone somewhere is sending an email.
[21:36] Deliverability is complex. There’s so much that happens after an email is sent, and deliverability specialists are key in making sure that the lengthy, complicated process from sender to recipient goes smoothly.
[24:50] As a sender, you don’t necessarily need to know everything there is to know about deliverability. But many of us are introduced to deliverability only when something goes wrong. Learning the basics of deliverability can help you prevent problems before they arise.
[25:40] Deliverability specialists have an educational role. We know senders are often a team of “one” doing everything themselves. So our job is to make senders’ lives easier by being the email experts for them.
[28:06] Deliverability specialists need to have an analytical eye but they also can’t get too caught up in the numbers and trends. In other words, you can’t rely on the trends. You have to look at each situation with fresh eyes. You also need strong communication and empathy skills.

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What to Check Before You Click "Send"

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 04 May 2021 03:00:00 -0400

So much of deliverability is fixing issues after you realize there’s a problem. But what about solving problems before they become a problem?

There are ways to predict your deliverability future and improve not only your business but your subscribers’ experience as well.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa outline tips for proactively preventing deliverability issues before your email even reaches a recipient. Some of these tips may sound counterintuitive and some may sound a bit obvious, but they work! So before you send your next email, listen up.

“You have to remember that everyone on your list has a whole life with so many things going on. They’re busy. And you have to kind of treat them that way and make sure that if you are going to take up space in their inbox, potentially causing notifications on their phone that distract them from other things going on, you better have a good reason for doing it.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[03:26] How engaged is this group that I’m about to send to? If the list is more than 30% unengaged, adjust your strategy. Use filters to filter out unengaged subscribers.
[05:04] Is this email going to provide value to my subscribers? Don’t send an email just to send an email. Your marketing strategy and voice can make a big impact on deliverability. Remember, deliverability is more than a numbers game.
[10:48] Send yourself a test email! Just make sure that you send it to a different email address than the address you send from.
[16:38] Make sure your links are working correctly and pull the message headers to make sure authentication is passing. Also, aesthetics matter. The formatting should be readable, so avoid big chunks of text.
[22:52] Make sure the message isn’t clipped. When it’s clipped, the open tracking pixel will get clipped as well so it’s impossible to tell who’s actually opening your emails. Keep the message size below 100kb.
[24:58] Is it clear who the sender is? Will the recipient recognize the sender name and address?
[29:22] Make sure the subject line is incentivizing people to open. Don’t kill deliverability on arrival by giving away the email’s context.
[36:41] Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe. People will resent you if you make it hard and may even mark your email as spam.
[45:19] Is the email authentic to your brand and voice? Use A/B testing and don’t let salesmanship ruin your voice.
[48:10] Make sure all of your links work.

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Bypass the YouTube Algorithm With Email Marketing with Ben Schoeffler

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

With hundreds of big creators monopolizing YouTube, starting a channel from scratch and beating YouTube’s notoriously tricky algorithm is no small feat. Take it from Ben Schoeffler, a content creator who’s learned a few tricks for bypassing the algorithm with email marketing.

YouTube doesn't provide the names of your subscribers. So while it may sound counterintuitive, going off YouTube is often the only way to grow your channel and build a relationship with your otherwise mysterious audience.

In this episode, Melissa and Ben discuss why creators should build an audience off-platform, how to grow that audience through email marketing, and how YouTubers can monetize their email list. So stay tuned and don’t let YouTube stop you from owning the audience you built.

“If most people are not focused on YouTube like I am, and they’re probably not going to YouTube multiple times a day like I am, the only way they’re going to find your videos is if you reach out and tell them about it. And so, that’s why, it kind of goes full circle here, your email list is important and building up on other platforms is also really important.” ~ @BenSchoeffler

Main Takeaways

[09:39] Having an email list is key to bypassing the YouTube algorithm. And owning that audience also allows you to monetize outside of YouTube.
[14:30] Don’t immediately focus on monetization. Focus on audience-building and consistency and learning the process of content creation. Start gathering email addresses before you even have a product. So by the time you launch or monetize anything, you already have an audience to sell to and you’ve probably asked them what they would be interested in purchasing.
[26:36] Including videos isn’t great for email deliverability, but what’s really detrimental is when you include images that link to a domain that has a bad reputation with email providers.
[31:01] Don’t guess what your audience wants or is willing to pay for. Ask them! It’s so important to have a strong relationship with your subscribers and that two-way relationship can really only happen via email.

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Avoiding Automatic Clicks and Opens

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

No matter how much we plan and analyze, there will always be things outside of our control. When it comes to email deliverability, avoiding automatic clicks is sometimes the hardest pitfall to avoid. Nevertheless, there are ways to stand up to security systems and work around the (almost) impossible.

In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain why automatic clicks are so common and what you can do to take back control.

As email marketers, we don't have many metrics to determine our success. So we need to make sure the metrics we’ve got are showing us the full picture as often as possible.

“Even though we say a lot of times there’s not always an obvious deliverability solution that’s going to just change everything right away, when you are doing everything to the best of your ability and you’re making good choices with your deliverability, it is a lot easier to pinpoint and determine where there are issues and what’s causing problems with your sender reputation. It’s easier to find those when everything else looks good.” ~ @mel_lambert_

Main Takeaways

[11:23] Automatic opens and clicks are more common for B2B addresses with strict anti-spam policies, especially .edu and .gov addresses. If you are a B2B sender, ask recipients to subscribe with their personal email addresses.
[14:38] Determine which subscribers are auto-clicking links by adding a "hidden" link in your email.
[17:49] Only use HTTPS links. Using mixed-security levels in your links can look untrustworthy and lead to automatic opens. For example, ConvertKit's tracking links are HTTPS and if it reroutes to an HTTP site, that looks suspicious.
[18:57] Monitor content. Content quality plays a big role— not only at the link level but also image-to-text ratio and other factors. Avoid clickbait and “aggressive” email marketing. If you act like a spammer, you’ll be treated like a spammer.
[21:41] As with everything else deliverability-related, sender reputation can make or break your NHI (non-human interaction) levels. Senders with highly engaged recipients don’t get nearly as many NHIs.

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How to Switch ESPs Without Damaging Your Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Deliverability isn’t an exact science. There’s no hard and fast rule for success, and advice may vary from time to time. But of all the grey areas in email marketing, switching ESPs is probably the most confusing.

If you’ve wanted to make a change in your service but haven’t pulled the trigger for fear of damaging your deliverability, you’re not alone. That said, there are ways to switch it up without ruining your rep, and we’re breaking them all down.

In this episode, we explain what to look for in potential ESPs, why small changes have a big impact, and how to navigate the No. 1 trickiest and most confusing part of making the switch.

“What I always tell people is, the real way to measure deliverability performance across ESPs is what we’re talking about right now. Are you going to have support? Do they take this stuff seriously? Do they have experts? Do they have relationships with all the different mailbox providers and blocklistings?” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

[3:58] The three most important things to look for when choosing an ESP are, 1) making sure they have all the features you need, 2) making sure they take deliverability and spam seriously, and 3) making sure you have access to expert deliverability support.
[8:23] Having access to deliverability experts rather than general tech support will save you valuable time.
[15:40] When switching ESPs, it’s important to avoid emailing people who’ve unsubscribed. Either don’t import them into your new ESP, or import them and immediately unsubscribe them.
[17: 56] If possible, bring over any engagement data you can. Although your email data is starting from scratch with a new ESP, it’s not starting from scratch for email providers and blocklists.
[20:35] When you make the switch, keep your sender name and email address the same so the transition feels seamless for your subscribers.
[23:00] Depending on the IP you’re sending from, you may want to warm up your list before switching ESPs. Your new ESP should have a team on-hand to help you manage this process.
[27:59] When warming up your list, always start with the most engaged subscribers. But don’t scatter your emails by sending everything to your most engaged subscribers one day and your least engaged the next. Otherwise, your deliverability will drop when you send to all of those less than engaged subs.

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How Musicians Can Turn Fans Into SuperFans Through Email Marketing

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 03:00:00 -0400

In an era of streaming services and a pandemic that’s pushed touring to the side, monetizing music has never been harder. While it may sound old-fashioned for a rockstar, emails can unlock your income potential.

In this episode, we’re speaking to the musicians looking to monetize and turn casual followers into fans and superfans. Learn to stay strategic with your releases, use Instagram to build an email list, and personalize content to incentivize sign-ups.

If you’re listening to this, you probably know that reaching more listeners is what propels your career forward. More fans mean larger venues and, of course, larger paychecks. So stop renting your followers and embrace emails for full-time fandom.

Main Takeaways

Focus on the music before anything else. No manager or fancy gear or release strategy will grow your audience faster than great content.
Always release a song with a marketing push. Start working on email marketing and growing your social presence at least six months in advance.
Email allows for a level of personalization that isn’t possible on social media. A combination of promotional and personalized emails boosts fan engagement.
Don’t rent your audience from a social media platform. An email list puts you in direct contact with your audience where you can build relationships.
Build a landing page and link it everywhere fans can find you. And give fans a reason to give you their email address. Drive urgency and incentivize fans with free, personalized content.
Send emails asking your audience to pre-save your songs before they release. This helps sway the streaming algorithm in your favor once you do release.
Create a paid newsletter to monetize your craft.

“When you sit down and you open your inbox, whether it’s on your phone or your computer, you’re right there ready to take an action that someone wants you to. You're in a better headspace. So asking someone to pre-save your song on Spotify through email is probably going to have a much higher success rate than doing it on Instagram. And the reason why that’s really important is because, sort of like how email deliverability works, it tells the algorithms that people want to hear this song.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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10 Common Email Marketing Mistakes

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0400

To emoji or not to emoji? Can sending a test email actually harm deliverability? Is my title too vague? Too specific? Email marketing is an artform and mastering it takes more than a quick How-To. But even if you’re a pro at emails, you may be making minor mistakes that can have a major impact on deliverability.

In this episode, we’re walking through 10 common email marketing mistakes to avoid, plus, a few bonus tips and tricks for prime deliverability. We also mention a few big brands that miss the mark.

Main Takeaways

Your “friendly from,” or sent from email address should be a name your subscribers recognize.
Don’t use too many emojis in your subject line. Emojis can look cheap and spammy.
Don’t type out a full URL. Instead, add a link to a click here button.
Don’t send too many emails in a short period. This leads to subscriber burnout.
Proofread your emails before sending them.
If you’re setting up a DMARC, make sure you’re doing it correctly.
Clean out your list regularly. Otherwise, you’ll keep emailing cold subscribers which harms your deliverability.
Think about your needs and carefully choose one ESP. Don’t bounce from one ESP to the next.
Don’t put so much content and imagery in an email. The email may get cut off.
Use a double opt-in! Otherwise, you’re bound to have subscribers on your list who didn’t mean to subscribe. That’s a fast-pass for complaints and cold subscribers.

(26:24) “You know when Amazon will come up to your house and deliver something to you, and they’re in an Amazon marked truck or something so you’re like, someone’s coming up to my door, I know who it is, I see the Amazon thing on their car and that’s what they always do. I know what to expect. That’s sort of like the mail that you’ve been sending from your ESP for a while. And then as soon as you switch to a new ESP, and maybe you are just trying it out, it’s sort of like when Amazon shows up to your house and they’re just in a normal car.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How Writers Can Earn a Living Through Email

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0400

As writers, email marketing should come easy, right? You already know how to engage an audience, use your voice, and create a compelling read. But sometimes, your skills as a narrator don’t always transfer. And, like many writers, maybe you write alone for too long, hesitant to share your work with an email address outside your own.

In this episode, we’re battling the mother of all monsters: writer’s block. So let’s outline how to create content that helps you build an audience, reach an audience, and, ultimately, earn a living online. We’re also showing off a few writers who crush the email marketing game, and others who’ve left their engagement by the wayside.

If you’re looking to publish but worry about writing into an empty void, these tips will help you drive an important and often forgotten step in the publishing process: finding readers.

Main Takeaways

Start with a small audience and build from there. Authors with an existing audience have an easier time selling their published work over authors with zero followers.
Send emails consistently and make sure your content format is also consistent. Consistency helps your subscribers know exactly what to expect, which fosters stronger engagement and therefore stronger email deliverability.
Make sure the content is right for your audience. Make it your own and make sure that it matches your subscribers’ preferences.
Ask for a reply! Ask your subscribers what they want, what their interests are, and how you can provide value. Aside from helping you know your audience, replies also help your email deliverability because they’re a sign of engagement.
Create a newsletter. Newsletters are in-demand. People love digestible content in an age of content overload.
Cater your emails to your audience. Sometimes that means cutting the flowery language you love. Simplify your emails while including links to longer-form writing.

(9:46) “Try not to just create in isolation. Try to create in public as well alongside your writing so that people can join in and be in your audience and be a reader of your work. The people who are creating in public are going to naturally do a better job building their audience and are going to have an easier time when it comes to selling their product or services.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Re-Engage Subscribers Without Damaging Your Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0400

Realizing that you have a problem is the first step to solving a problem. And when you notice some of your subscribers starting to disengage, jumping on a re-engagement campaign is probably your solution. But like anything else, there’s a right and a wrong way to re-engage. In fact, if you're not careful, your campaign may do more harm than good.

So what’s the right way to win back cold subscribers? What content should you push and how much of it? Should you re-engage everyone all at once? And when do you finally cut the cord and let lost subscribers go? In this episode, we’re breaking down how to re-engage while saving your domain’s reputation.

Remember, before hitting send to everyone on your list who’s seemed less than interested lately, consider your audience, your numbers, and a strategy that won’t bust your deliverability.

“Make sure that whatever you’re doing to get people to re-engage is actually on-brand for you and is consistent with the type of content they’re going to receive from you. It shouldn’t be gimmicky.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

Your email subscribers determine your deliverability. Negative actions like reporting as spam or leaving an email unread will harm your deliverability rate. Think of deliverability like a credit score for your domain.
It’s important to frequently clean out your list to avoid cold subscribers dinging your deliverability with negative responses.
Make sure the content you send adds value to your subscriber. Ask yourself why your audience subscribed in the first place, and deliver.
Don’t send more than three re-engagement emails per campaign.
Don’t re-engage with everyone who has lost interest all at once. Re-engage in small batches and send emails to your engaged audience in between batches to offset negativity.
Re-engage with your audience at least every three months to avoid lists filled with cold subscribers.

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Audience Building for Creators

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 03:00:00 -0500

After spending Season 01 chatting all things technical, we’re kicking off Season 02 with some general advice for making a living and building an audience online.

In this episode, we’re going to take a step back to define “creators”, help you push past the starting line, and make the task of asking your audience to subscribe a little less awkward. Even if you’ve nailed deliverability basics, growing an online presence depends on your marketing strategy just as much as it does your technical know-how.

If you’ve made it this far but still haven’t hopped on the email bandwagon, just look at how many creators were forced to go back to the basics in 2020 when the world shifted beneath them. And because we know there’s more than one type of creator, every other episode of Season 02 will deep dive into advice for specific creators. From musicians to chefs to writers and artists, whatever you do, we’ve got you covered on this season of Deliverability Defined.

“The key here is to, at the very beginning, add value. Let people know what to expect and give them a reason to give you their email address. You don’t want to just be asking.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Main Takeaways

A creator is anyone who’s creating a product or a service that provides value. Everyone has a passion or a skill set in something, and we all have the opportunity to lean-in and become a creator.
If you’re struggling with where to start, ask yourself, what questions do people always ask me? If you’re a go-to person for two people, you can be a go-to person for 200,000.
Starting is the hardest part of establishing yourself as a creator. Don’t be discouraged by slow growth. Keep pushing and keep the consistency going.
Instagram may feel fresh and colorful, but at the end of the day, Instagram will still own your audience. Email marketing is a way for you to reach your audience outside of a platform that changes its algorithm at random.
Paid newsletters and email courses are great ways to make a living online and retarget your existing audience.
Don’t be afraid to sell your email services to your audience. If they weren’t interested in your content, they wouldn’t be following you.

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Top Four Takeaways of Season One

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

We’ve made it through the inaugural season of Deliverability Defined! Since we’ve covered so many important deliverability topics over the course of this season, we wanted to bring you our top takeaways. If you do nothing else, these strategies will help you significantly improve your deliverability.

We’ll be back in January with brand new content. Thanks for making season one what it was and we’ll see you all again soon!

Main Takeaways

Permission is key. Sending an email to someone who doesn’t want it or didn’t sign up is a big no-no. Building your audience organically is hard, but the right way to do it.
Engagement determines inbox placement. There are positive and negative interactions, and no-interaction email addresses should be scrubbed from your list.
Provide value and adjust to your audience. Send content that provides value to your subscribers, but don’t oversend, or people may unsubscribe.
Authentication matters. Understand authentication, what it means, and how it impacts your email deliverability, even if your ESP handles a lot of this.

“It’s tough because deliverability issues, a lot of times. are actually marketing issues or strategy issues that have turned into deliverability issues. Because if someone's emails or the way they're marketing themselves aren't landing well with subscribers, then the subscribers aren't going to be very engaged and they might mark the messages as spam. And then the marketing issue will turn into a deliverability issue.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Do's and Don'ts of Growing Your Audience

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Everyone in the email world wants more subscribers – that’s a given. But how you go about getting those people on your list can have a major impact on your email deliverability, which, in turn, affects all your other email metrics.

In this episode, we’re discussing some best practices on how to grow your list effectively so that you don’t get penalized for having subscribers on your list that don’t want to be there. We’ll also give you some tactics to avoid when trying to boost your numbers.

If you’re looking to grow your list, then these guidelines will help you get there without all of the guesswork or trial and error.

Main Takeaways

How you collected your subscribers is one of the most important factors in your deliverability.
Things you should do when building an email list:
- Create a signup form on your website.
- Provide a link in your Instagram bio with an email signup.
- Add an optional step when purchasing something.
- Make physical signup available (like at merch table, event, etc.)
- Offer an email course or challenge that people sign up for.
Things you shouldn’t do when building an email list:
- Use purchased, shared, or scraped lists.
- Add personal or LinkedIn contacts (ask them to sign up first).
- Use trade show lists.
- Add subscribers by doing giveaways.
Do not add anyone to your list where the subscriber didn't consent to receive your emails directly and weren't forced to provide their email.

“It's not the size of your list, it's the quality. And this is a hard thing for me to talk with customers about, because we really do put a value on our numbers. I have seen it time and time again, when you have a list that's not healthy, you miss out on so many sales, so many opportunities to connect with subscribers. And you're ultimately doing yourself a disservice by trying to just focus on the numbers instead of focusing on the quality. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Self-Led Deliverability Audit

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

We want to empower you to take as much control of your email marketing as possible and that includes addressing deliverability issues. A deliverability audit is a great place to start if you want to assess the health of your email marketing efforts. Throughout this episode, we take you through some of the things we check when doing a deliverability audit so that you can start doing them yourself.

If you’ve been struggling with your open rates or deliverability, these strategies for conducting a deliverability audit will help set you on the path to identifying and fixing your deliverability issues.

Also worth noting, if you're a ConvertKit customer with a Creator Pro plan, you can get a complimentary audit. Just reach out to support and they'll connect you with us.

Main Takeaways

Common reasons to request or perform a deliverability audit include low open rates, sudden drops in open rate, subscribers telling you that emails go to spam, or simply curiosity.
Often, fixing sender reputations is a culmination of many little things that need to be addressed individually.
Scrubbing your list is one of the best things you can do during your deliverability self-audit.
Here are a few things we do during a deliverability audit:
- Check your spam trap hits (this is probably a step you won't be able to do on your own)
- Run your list through an email validation tool
- Analyze the volume and frequency of your sends
- Check the authentication and content of your email
- Look through your form sign-ups for signs of listbombing

“We are coming with the knowledge of what mailbox providers like, what they want to see, and what they don't want to see. If your marketing strategy is getting in the way of that, then we're going to have to tell you and give you advice. You should regularly, with complaints, subscribers, and also maybe your cold or unengaged subscribers, go through and look at the emails, even sending them and again, and try to understand the story of what's going on there.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Deliverability Terminology You Need to Know

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

It’s starting to look like fall in many parts of the country, so you know what that means! Pumpkin spice! Just kidding. Back-to-school! Today, we’re going to do a little vocab lesson and make sure we’re all up-to-date on the lingo being tossed around in the deliverability world.

We’re going to define each term, and if need be, point you to more in-depth resources about each one. Get your baggy sweatshirts and binders out, because this is a lecture you’ll want to listen to!

Deliverability Terms

Delivery — When an email is successfully delivered at the end of the email sending process.
Deliverability — When an email reaches the inbox of a subscriber.
Spam Filter — The algorithms and machine learning that filters emails for its users, and decides whether emails belong in the inbox, spam folder, or somewhere else.
Complaint — When a subscriber marks a message as spam.
Feedback Loop — The way that mailbox providers can send complaint information back to the sender.
Mailbox Provider — The platform that a subscriber uses to host their mailbox.
Domain — The part of an email address after the “@” symbol.
Spam Trap — An email address that is used to catch senders with bad practices.
Blocklist — A company or organization that compiles a database of risky domains or IP addresses.
Authentication — Methods to help ensure that the person sending the email is who they say they are. The three types are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Message Headers — The "transcript" of the email.
MX Record — A domain record that specifies the mail server responsible for accepting email messages on behalf of a domain name.
Open/Open Rate — Opens are tracked using an invisible pixel embedded in the email. Open rate is typically calculated by the number of opens divided by deliveries.
Click/Click Rate/Click Through Rate — A click is tracked when someone clicks a link in an email. Click rates are typically calculated as the number of clicks divided by deliveries.
Click-to-Open Rate — The number of clicks vs. the number of opens.
List Bombing — When subscribers are added to your form by a bot, and they didn't actually sign up to receive your emails.
Double Opt-in/Confirmed Opt-in — When you require that anyone who signs up to your form has to click a link in an email to confirm that they actually signed up.
Opt-in Confirmation Email/Permission Pass — An email that contains a link for subscribers to confirm that they want to stay on your list. Those who don't click to confirm should be removed from the list.
Call-to-Action — The action step in your email that you're emphasizing.
Seedlist — A list of test email addresses that report whether emails landed in their inbox or spam folder.
Spoofing — When someone sends an email pretending to be another person, company, brand, etc.
Allowlist/Safelist/Address Book — A way for subscribers to mark a sender as "safe" and ensure all of their messages go to the inbox.

“Just from working at ConvertKit for the last two years, I have seen people with really engaged lists, even if they are smaller, have a higher rate of success when it comes to sales and people engaging with their emails. So [double opt-in] really is, I think, one of the most important things people can do to protect their list and make sure that their marketing efforts aren't going unnoticed.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

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Pros and Cons of Inbox Placement Tests

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

If you've ever downloaded or used one of those free tools or applications that sync with your email inbox and automatically unsubscribes you from email that you don't open very often, there's a chance your email data is actually being used by someone else's inbox placement test to determine where their messages land.

It’s impossible to know if an email actually hits the primary inbox, but these free tools might be working behind the scenes to acquire that data for someone else. It’s a controversial practice that we want to shed some light on.

In this episode, we talk about the ins and outs of inbox placement tests and how useful they are (if at all).

Main Takeaways

There are so many factors influencing your inbox placement that it’s nearly impossible to know which one is the culprit. Suggestions can often lead to fruitless rabbit holes.
There are two ways to figure out where your email is landing with inbox placement tools: 1) seed lists, which are fake addresses that populate data back into the tool you’re using, or 2) panel data, which are real people using a free application that is aggregating their data in the background. (Google banned this in March 2019.)
Seed lists aren’t going to act in the same way as real subscribers because they are fake. This isn’t bad, per se, but it doesn’t offer much help to marketers.
Don’t treat inbox placement tests as an authority, treat them as a supplement to other tools for increasing your open and deliverability rates. Be sure to look at your own data in conjunction with anything coming from an inbox placement test.
Inbox placement tests can scan for basic issues like long urls, large images, or HTML problems. These are useful if you’re new to the game.

“It's good to know how to look at all of the data in front of you. And it's totally fine if inbox placement tests are part of that data you're looking at, but just make sure it's not all of the data you're looking at and treating it like it's 100% factual. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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FAQ's About Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

As you’ve no doubt discovered, email deliverability is a complex topic. There are a number of factors that affect deliverability for senders, and it’s easy to get lost in all of the information when something goes wrong.

In this episode, we discuss some of the frequently asked questions we get at ConvertKit, and some practical strategies for improving your deliverability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are emails going to spam?
Why do subscribers "bounce" and what do I do with them?
What do I need to do to my DNS settings when using an email marketing platform?
How often should I send emails to my list?
Why am I sending on a blocklisted IP?
I used "some kind of email testing tool and my sender score is ____". What does this mean and how can I use it to help me?
I just migrated from ____ and my open rate was ____. Why isn't it that high at ConvertKit?
A subscriber reached out to me and they aren't receiving my emails, what can I do?

“Senders tend to assume that all of their messages go to spam or they have a crazy huge issue. It definitely could be the case, but a lot of times, spam filtering happens on such an individual basis that it’s not like you have a huge issue. It’s just that one subscriber had some sort of spam filter or setting that decided your message to go to the spam folder.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

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Does Gmail Filter Email Based On Political Beliefs?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

It’s election season, and with that comes controversy, advertising, and extra emails in your inbox. In recent years, there have been claims that email providers, specifically Gmail, have filtered emails based on political beliefs. Congressman Greg Steube from Florida complained to the CEO of Google because he believed that his emails were being filtered to spam because he is a Republican.

In a similar incident in 2019, Tulsi Gabbard, a Democratic presidential candidate, sued Gmail for $50 million. The lawsuit claimed that Google implemented a 6-hour suspension on her campaign ads and placed her emails into spam folders.

So, does Gmail filter emails based on political beliefs? As I hope we’ve shown throughout the previous episodes, the short answer is. no, it doesn’t. In this episode, we talk through several reasons why those claims are unfounded and what the real reason may be behind their emails ending up in spam folders.

Main Takeaways

It’s true that political emails tend to experience more deliverability issues because of the inherent nature of the industry.
Most senders try to remain relevant throughout the year to maintain a healthy reputation. In many cases after elections, senders either stop sending altogether or send much less consistently, so their sender reputation takes a hit.
Emails should contain at least some value to the reader. Some political emails just ask you to donate to their campaign or provide information about their platform, which is information you can find anywhere online.
Where emails end up speaks more to the skill of whoever is running a politician’s email marketing and less to any bias from Gmail.

“It’s algorithms, it isn’t personal. But if you’re showing signs of sending that a spammer has used, you might look like a spammer and it might go to the spam folder. And if you’ve seen political emails, or you’ve been in one of those lists, you know for a fact that they are showing signs of being a spammer.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

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All About Gmail: The Promotions Tab, the Spam Folder, Postmaster Tools and More

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Gmail has become ubiquitous as the leading mailbox provider. Gmail is also often considered the most advanced in terms of filtering and features among online mailboxes. And with so many users, it’s critical to understand how Gmail thinks about deliverability.

Apart from keeping your emails safe, Gmail also includes a ton of other features that are helpful to both senders and receivers. That said, it can be overwhelming if you’re just getting started.

In this episode, we discuss how Gmail determines where to place emails, the promotions tab, Google Postmaster Tools, and how to fix spam filtering issues.

Main Takeaways

Gmail’s priority is keeping your messages safe, which has led to a complex algorithm used to identify spam. It considers domain reputation heavily and that may cause your emails to be filtered differently than in other mailbox providers.
When using your own domain, it’s important that you have a solid sender reputation and consistent email volume. If you don’t, a large portion of your emails will bounce.
The promotions tab in Gmail separates the user’s subscription emails from the primary inbox where one-to-one messages land. If your email goes to the promotions tab and someone opens it, they truly wanted to do so, and they're going to spend time reading that email.
Google Postmaster Tools help you know what your current reputation is as a sender. It will tell you if your domain reputation is good or bad and where you need to improve.

“Opens are not all equal. You might see your open rates drop if your messages go to the promotions tab and that’s when people usually panic. But the “open” in the primary tab might not be as valuable as the “open” in the promotions tab.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How to Start Preparing for Holiday Promotions

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

You may think it's too soon to talk about holiday promotions, but for email marketing, the time is now! The holidays often involve the biggest promotions of the year, so it’s important to plan your strategy well ahead of time.

For many senders, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest days of the year in terms of promotions and sales. But without proper preparation, senders can run into deliverability issues that can derail even the best marketing emails.

In this episode, we talk about common mistakes, how to avoid them, and what you should start doing now to prepare for one of the busiest times of the year.

Main Takeaways

Plan backward. Define what results you want for the holidays and then work backward to how you can achieve that with your email strategy. Start running re-engagement campaigns for subscribers who haven't opened your emails in the last 90 days. If subscribers don't re-engage, remove them from your list.
Consistency is important. Make sure you’re sending emails to your list throughout the year and not just when you’re trying to sell something. Slowly ramp up your sending so that by the time you reach Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your email volume looks like a nice consistent incline instead of a sudden leap in volume.
The most successful creators are the ones with an engaged list. Work on engaging your list better and not just growing it.
Don't throw best practices out the window in pursuit of a sale. The push for sales can make it tempting to email any subscriber you can find. However, this can cause your holiday emails to get lost in the spam folder, which can significantly impact your business.

“Don’t throw best practices out the window in pursuit of a sale. Because if you do that, when you’re trying to make that big sale, there’s a good chance it’s going to go to the spam folder.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

ConvertKit

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What Your ESP Can (And Can't) Do for Your Deliverability

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

There are a lot of email service providers (ESPs) out there and many misconceptions about how to choose the one that works for your needs. To understand what an ESP can and can’t do to help you with deliverability, it’s good to start by looking at the function of an ESP and the role it plays in your email marketing.

While each ESP has its own specialty, its main purpose is to help email marketers reach their audience. At its most basic function, the ESP handles the entire delivery infrastructure. It’s complex work that’s taken care of for you; if you don’t know it’s happening, it’s doing its job.

In this episode, we talk through what ESPs are, their purpose, what they can and can’t do, and what to look for when choosing the ESP that’s right for you.

Main Takeaways

There are many different ESPs, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. However, good deliverability is something you should always be looking for when choosing an ESP.
The right ESP can help your deliverability by doing the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting, and providing a healthy infrastructure to send from.
ESPs can only do so much. As a sender, you can still experience unique spam filters, open rates, click rates, and more that may require your attention. Deliverability is a team effort.

“When it comes to deliverability, it helps to have eyes on your issue from someone who only does deliverability work so that they know what to look for and what trends to spot.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

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List Validation 101 with Lauren Meyer from Kickbox

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Today we’re talking about list validation. And to help bring some additional insight to our conversation, we’re joined by Lauren Meyer, the VP of Industry Relations and Compliance at Kickbox, a list verification company.

With a background in communication and email deliverability, Lauren brings a lot of experience to the table.

We discuss spam traps, list validation, and some great ideas for keeping your list healthy (which is essential for deliverability). Lauren also talks about how she ended up in her current role at Kickbox.

Main Takeaways

Email validation is a way to identify invalid and non-deliverable email addresses and verify legitimate addresses. This gives marketers the ability to improve their delivery rates and engagement.
Follow your data and constantly ask yourself where the pain points are coming from. Don’t let a small problem become a big one.
Approach deliverability from a more personal perspective. Create user journeys and send emails that your audience actually wants to read.

“I do think email verification has a rightful place within the deliverability tech stack because it can help improve data quality. It can help you capture those leads that you may have missed on the way in the door. It can help you troubleshoot issues with list collection. It really is about following all of the signals that are important. ” ~ @lauren_kickbox

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Demystifying Blocklists

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Blocklist is a cryptic word that can cause panic for an email sender. No one wants to be “blocked” from sending an email. It can be complex, but it’s important to know how blocklists work to ensure that you remain in good standing as a sender. In this episode, we unravel blocklists and how to not end up on one.

Main Takeaways

A blocklist is an organization that compiles a list of IPs, (potentially domains as well) that they believe to be risky.
Anyone can create a blocklist — what matters is who your mailbox provider decides to use as their authority for blocking. You could be allowed on one and blocked on another.
IPs and domains are typically added to blocklists for hitting too many spam traps, and shared IP addresses may cause you to end up on a blocklist.
Do not attempt to delist yourself. Reach out to your ESP for help. They will be able to do more to get you delisted.
A bounce rate above 2% may indicate that you’re on a blocklist.
The URLs you include in your email have their own reputation and could end up on a blocklist, affecting your deliverability.

“The best way to know if your email is being impacted by a blocklist is first looking at your bounce rates. If you see that you're having a lot of bounces, (we would consider a bounce rate over 2% to be elevated) then there's a chance that it could be happening due to a blocklist. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Hey.com: The New Mailbox Provider that Blocks “Spy Tracker” Pixels

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

If you’re following the email marketing world, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Hey.com from creators of Basecamp. A lot of people have a lot of opinions on Hey, and because our podcast is all about email deliverability, we believe it’s a relevant discussion for us to have.

There’s not a ton of innovation in the email space, so having something like Hey to give us good conversation is a welcome change. If you need a quick catch-up, check out hey.com to see what it’s all about.

Whether you’re pro-Hey or anti-Hey, this episode is a deep dive into the pros, cons, and everything in between, along with our opinions and what it means for email at-large.

Main Takeaways

Hey’s unique value proposition is that they are showing you email that you want to see, and giving you more control over who can email you.
Hey encourages you to organize your email from the beginning — an important feature to anyone whose inbox has run wild. However, this can lead to lumping unimportant and important emails from the same sender into one box.
Hey does a good job of combing social media features with email features that result in a positive user experience.
Hey will automatically block “spy pixels” (open tracking pixels), which are tiny images that tell senders if emails have been opened or not. This is good for privacy hawks, but could be very bad for those trying to gather analytics on their email open rates.

“[Hey] realizes that there is definitely community frustration over social media and how algorithms work and not being able to see the posts that you want to see. Sometimes creators feel like their content is not being seen by the right people. And I think they want to make sure that the user has control instead of feeling like the algorithms have control, which I can totally understand.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

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Meaningful Metrics: Going Beyond Open Rates

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Open rates are an emotional, yet somewhat unreliable metric. When people see a drop in open rate, they tend to think it’s an indication that engagement is down. But email metrics go well beyond open rates. And in many cases, other metrics can tell you much more about the success of your email marketing than open rates alone.

In this episode, we talk about the meaningful metrics you should be tracking, hard and soft bounces, list hygiene, and what to do if you’re concerned with your metrics.

Main Takeaways

Hard bounces should be kept under 2% for all sends. Anything near 5% should be looked at more closely because there are likely greater issues in play.
Pay attention to the technical details, such as removing hard bounces from your list and ensuring your domain is set up correctly.
Sender complaints should be kept to a minimum. Less than 0.1% is a good threshold. We often see complaints spike when collecting email addresses through something like a giveaway.
Click rate is a critical metric for email marketing. This is particularly effective when you have a clear CTA because it allows you to see how many subscribers do what you want them to do. This speaks volumes about your content and if it’s really connecting with your audience.
Open rates are not always a reliable metric. The way pixels track email opens can be quirky, and there are many variables involved.

“Your subscribers are real people and the best way to have good deliverability is to have empathy for them. You should know that they're humans. You do know some information about them, so try and serve them and try and give them content that's going to be helpful to them. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Email authentication is probably something you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about. But it’s important that you understand what it is and why it's crucial for your email deliverability.

This episode gets a little technical, but if you’re sending emails to a list, you should become familiar with the jargon so you can leverage all of the options available to you when trying to improve your deliverability.

In this episode, we talk about why authentication exists, how to quickly determine authentication, and the three types of authentication you should become familiar with.

Main Takeaways

Authentication exists to verify that a specific message is coming from a specific sender. This prevents spam and phishing and makes email more secure.
Your email address has two from addresses: 1) the friendly-from that the receiver sees, and 2) the return-path, which is your Email Service Provider’s (ESP) domain.
The quick way of determining authentication is to send yourself an email and pull the message headers.
Three Types of Authentication:
- SPF — Essentially a list of IP addresses that are allowed to send mail on behalf of your domain.
- DKIM — Uses a public key and a private key to verify the sender.
- DMARC — Ties SPF and DMARC to the friendly-from domain that receivers actually see. It’s not for everyone, but highly secure. It’s also technical and requires upkeep.

“We want to make sure that you're passing authentication. This isn't something that you need to have a huge technical background for. You can do some testing from your account to make sure that you're passing what you need to pass and that you don't need to add or take away anything. ” ~ @alyssa_dulin

Links

Dmarcian.com

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Avoiding Spam Traps the Right Way

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Note: This podcast episode was pre-recorded and since then, we have changed our terminology at ConvertKit to blocklist instead of blacklist.

Spam traps can elicit a negative gut reaction. It’s probably a natural reaction, and we’re going to talk about how you can avoid spam traps without making things worse.

Spam traps are an email address that's created or maintained with the purpose of identifying centers with poor list health or collection methods. While it’s good for subscribers, sometimes as a sender you can get hit with penalties to your deliverability score without understanding why.

In this episode, we talk about the characteristics of spam traps and how to avoid them, list hygiene, and more. We also answer a listener question about emoji use in your subject line.

Main Takeaways

Having a double opt-in for your email list is a great way to make sure your list is “clean” and only includes people who want to be there.
Pay attention to misspelled email addresses. They can be genuine mistakes, but they can also be spam traps.
Manage your bounced addresses. They can become spam traps and hurt your list.
Spam traps are “invisible.” You’ll never know for sure which address is a spam trap, which is part of the reason they work.

“Don't purchase a list. I know it's tempting to just have a list of email addresses you can go ahead and try to sell to, but it's the easy way out. And in the long run, it's not going to give you the results that a naturally engaged list (that you grew the hard way—slow and steady) is going to give you.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Protecting Yourself from Listbombing

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Listbombing can be a touchy subject because most people think it’s personal. However, it doesn't really matter which email service provider you use or what your website is about—hackers will generally attack any list in any form on any provider that they can find.

That said, there are ways you can protect yourself from their malicious methods. Even though the sender isn’t the target of the attack, the sender will bear the brunt of the negative outcomes for the health of their list if not caught early enough and dealt with appropriately.

In this episode, we talk about what listbombing really is, why attackers use this method maliciously, how to spot when you’ve been listbombed, and more!

Main Takeaways

Listbombing is what happens when email addresses are added to a form on the internet maliciously. It is usually done in order for attackers to gain access to protected accounts without being noticed or to flood specific servers with requests in order to take it down. In either case, the sender is not the target of the attack but they are caught in the crossfire.
Having a confirmation email in place is a good first step to preventing listbombing. Forcing the subscriber to confirm before adding them to your list gives them the opportunity to simply not confirm if they didn’t subscribe knowingly.
Even if subscribers don’t mark your emails as spam or complain about being on your list, if they don’t engage with the emails you send, that will hurt deliverability and sender reputation, too.
Using reCAPTCHA on your forms and leveraging double opt-in are the best ways to protect yourself from listbombing. They’re also great best practices in general.

“Listbombing is one of the biggest generators of spam complaints we see and that any ESPs see. Because you're seeing a bunch of email addresses added to your list that don't actually want to be there, you end up with people marking your emails as spam.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Content: How Much Does It Impact Deliverability?

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Over the last few episodes, we’ve brought up the topic of content and have essentially talked around it. This show is about deliverability, but it’s surprising how much the content aspect of your emails and website can impact overall deliverability.

Creating personal and engaging content for your emails cannot be overstated. Since your sender reputation has a lot riding on subscriber engagement, it’s critical that the content you provide is enticing and meaningful enough that people engage with it.

In this episode, we talk about how your content should align from subject line to CTA, giving your subscribers what they want, testing, and more!

Main Takeaways

The subject line should set the scene for what’s inside the email, and the content of the email should deliver on that promise. Have a clear CTA and make sure it’s relevant to the content and the subject line.
What made your subscribers sign up in the first place? Try to understand what your subscribers want to learn from you, the value you can provide them, and lean on that in order to be less promotional.
Running A/B tests for your emails is a great way to test content, layout, CTAs, and more. Don’t be afraid to send content-rich tests to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your testing.
Don’t rely on images. Even if images don’t load, people should still be able to understand exactly what your email is about, what you're saying, and what they should do. It’s good practice so that your entire email isn't ruined if images don't load. Also, make sure that your emails do not exceed 100kb.
Make sure your sender name and email are easily recognizable by your subscribers.

“Your end goal shouldn't be having the highest open rates possible. It really should be having the highest conversion rates possible. And that happens through sending great content, building a relationship with your audience, and providing value to them.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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Sender Reputation: The Road to Inbox Placement

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 03:00:00 -0400

Getting into your audience’s inbox all starts with sender reputation. It’s the most important factor when it comes to deliverability, and the domain you're using to send your emails is what holds the majority of that reputation.

Just because you end up in a spam folder doesn’t always mean you’re doing something wrong. And if you are, there are methods and strategies you can use to fix those issues.

In this episode, we talk about sender reputation by mailbox provider, ways to test your deliverability, why your reputation is always being evaluated, and more!

Main Takeaways

Each mailbox provider (e.g. Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, etc.) has different ways of calculating sender reputation. Your sender reputation ends up being like a credit score except there's nowhere for you to find an exact number and exact reputation, and it isn't universally used by everyone in the same way.
One way to know if you're having a deliverability problem at a specific mailbox provider is to see if there's been an open-rate drop over time. If your open rate is dropping and you're still doing everything the same, then there's a good chance that they’re starting to send more of your messages to the spam folder.
Find ways to get your subscribers engaging with your emails. Ask them questions, get them involved in some way. The more they engage with your emails, the better your reputation will get. When subscribers aren’t engaging, scrub them from your main sending list.
Always strive to provide value for your subscribers. Think about the questions you’re regularly being asked, or the information people signed up to learn about. Use those as starting points for your content.

“At the end of the day, mailbox providers don't care that much about the people sending messages. They care about their subscribers (the recipients) because those are their customers. They want more people to use them as a mailbox provider and in order to do that they need to be good at filtering.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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How Email Marketing and Deliverability Help You Reach Your Audience

Alyssa Dulin & Melissa Lambert — Tue, 26 May 2020 16:30:00 -0400

Deliverability Defined is a new show from ConvertKit in which hosts Alyssa Dulin and Melissa Lambert help you navigate the complexities of email deliverability.

What exactly is email deliverability? And why is it important? Is email marketing still a good channel for communicating with your audience? If you rely on email for your business (or use it at all), these are important questions.

In today’s episode, we talk about how we found our way to email deliverability as a discipline, the complexities of modern email marketing, why it matters, and more!

Main Takeaways

Email marketing is a consistent channel that has staying power. Having a lot of followers on social channels is great, but in a few years that platform may not exist and you could lose access to those followers. Once you have them on your email list, you have them for as long as their email remains the same.
Email marketing provides flexibility that you can’t get elsewhere. You can be as simple and straightforward as you want, or create complex automated campaigns.
Email deliverability is like shipping a package in an office building - it might make it to the front desk, but that doesn’t mean it makes it all the way to you. What really matters is that the package actually makes it to your desk. If people aren't seeing your emails, then you're probably not engaging with your audience very well, nor getting the responses you want.

“Our job is making sure that people are getting the emails they want to get, and that people who are sending emails are sending more relevant, helpful, insightful emails, and that those emails make it to the inbox.” ~ @alyssa_dulin

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It's now free to use ConvertKit with an audience of 500 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: convertkit.com/pricing.

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