Best Practices for Sending Emails and Newsletters

Introduction

Sending a newsletter does not automatically mean it will be delivered to recipients' inboxes. Every email provider (such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo, etc.) uses filtering systems that analyze the sender, the message content, and recipient behavior to determine whether an email is trustworthy.

For this reason, even an email sent correctly might be classified as spam.

In this article, you'll find some best practices that will help you improve the deliverability of your communications and increase the likelihood that they will be delivered successfully.

What does it mean when an email ends up in the spam folder?

When an email is classified as spam, the recipient's email provider (such as Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo) considers it to be an unwanted or potentially untrustworthy message.

Instead of being delivered to the Inbox, the email is automatically moved to the Spam or Junk folder. In some cases, it may even be blocked before it reaches the recipient.

This classification does not depend solely on the content of the email: providers evaluate many factors, including the sender’s domain reputation, the domain’s technical configuration, and the behavior of users who receive the messages.

For this reason, it is important to follow certain best practices that help email providers recognize your messages as trustworthy.

First of all: Configure your DNS settings

Before focusing on the content of your emails, make sure you've set up your domain's DNS settings correctly.

The DNS configuration allows providers to verify that Artshell is authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain, and it is one of the factors that most significantly affect deliverability.

If you haven't done so yet, see the article Configure the domain's DNS settings.

Keep your address book organized

The quality of the database is one of the most important factors in building a good reputation as a sender.

We recommend that you:

✔ Send communications only to people who have actually chosen to receive them;

✔ Keep the address book up to date by removing addresses that are no longer valid;

✔ Periodically remove addresses marked as " Bounced";

✔ Whenever possible, collect personal email addresses rather than generic ones such as info@, amministrazione@, or office@, which are often protected by stricter spam filters designed to prevent newsletters from reaching employees’ inboxes.

A mailing list consisting of genuinely interested recipients results in more opens, more clicks, and fewer spam reports.

Write about a natural object

The email subject line is one of the elements analyzed by spam filters.

Therefore, avoid phrasing that is too aggressive or typical of commercial communications.

For example, it is best to avoid:

• WRITE EVERYTHING IN ALL CAPS;
• use multiple exclamation points;
• include promotions such as "Special Offer" or "Save 50%";
• create a sense of urgency with phrases such as "Limited time" or "Order now";
• Use currency symbols or monetary amounts in the subject line;
• use sensationalist phrases like "The secret no one knows" or "You won't believe your eyes. "

A simple, consistent, and descriptive object is generally perceived as more reliable.

Manage the content of emails

The content of the message also affects deliverability.

We recommend that you:

✔ Use a sender address that is easily recognizable and linked to a working, reliable email account;

✔ Alternate between text and images, avoiding emails that consist solely of images;

✔ Include working, verified links;

✔ Use full URLs and avoid shortened links, which may be flagged as suspicious by some providers.

The goal is to create communications that are clear to both the recipients and the automated systems that analyze emails.

Build a relationship with your audience

Email providers don't just evaluate the content of emails; they also monitor the behavior of recipients.

For example, they view it positively when people:

• they open their emails;
• click on the links;
• respond to messages;
• add the sender to their Contacts.

On the contrary, frequent spam reports or unsubscribes can damage the domain's reputation and negatively impact future mailings.

For this reason, it is important to:

✔ Share content that’s truly interesting to your audience;

✔ Maintain a consistent but not excessive posting frequency;

✔ Avoid repetitive or irrelevant communications.

A newsletter that recipients look forward to and appreciate is much more likely to reach their Inbox.

Keep in mind that each provider uses different criteria

There is no one-size-fits-all rule.

Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Apple Mail, and other email providers are constantly updating their anti-spam systems and do not disclose all the criteria they use. For this reason, no one can guarantee 100% delivery of emails.

However, following the best practices described in this article allows you to build a good reputation as a sender over time and significantly improve the deliverability of your communications.

Conclusions

Deliverability does not depend on a single factor, but rather on a combination of many factors: proper domain configuration, an up-to-date database, high-quality content, and relevant communications.

After each mailing, we also recommend that you review the Email and Newsletter Analytics to track opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes. Interpreting this data correctly will help you progressively improve the performance of your communications.