4 tips for improving the effectiveness of email newsletters

The holiday season isn’t just the peak of sales — it’s also one of the most dynamic times for email marketing. During this period, users’ inboxes literally overflow with offers, discounts, and promotions — every brand is competing for attention. As a result, mail providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook operate at full capacity, activating the strictest spam filters. These algorithms don’t just analyze the content of the email — they evaluate your domain’s reputation, sending consistency, user reactions, and even how quickly your email volume increases. That’s why even a technically flawless campaign can fail if your messages don’t reach the inbox. The deliverability rate becomes not a secondary metric, but a key factor that determines the effectiveness of your entire email marketing channel. Why Your Emails Aren’t Reaching Subscribers Every year we see the same pattern: during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season, the volume of emails skyrockets. This overloads mail servers — and at that moment, providers like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook strengthen their security filters to protect users from spam. The problem is that these algorithms assess more than just content. They analyze the sender’s reputation, the stability of sending frequency, and even behavioral signals — whether recipients open your emails, complain about them, or delete them without reading. As a result, even completely legitimate campaigns may not appear in the primary inbox — instead, they end up in the Promotions tab or, worse, in Spam. This isn’t always a technical mistake — often, it’s a consequence of how your brand communicates with its audience throughout the year. Understand How Deliverability Works — and Learn to Manage It Deliverability is not just about “sending” emails. It’s a complex system that evaluates whether your brand deserves trust. How the Journey of an Email Works Most marketers perceive clicking “Send” as the final step of a campaign. In reality, it’s just the beginning of a complex technical process that determines whether your email will actually be seen by the recipient. Stage 1. Technical Delivery Once you hit send, your email is transmitted to the recipient’s mail server. This is where the first check occurs — whether the address exists, the mailbox is available, and the incoming mail limit hasn’t been exceeded.If something goes wrong, you’ll get one of two types of bounces: Hard bounce — a permanent failure. This means the address doesn’t exist, was deactivated, or contains a typo. Such contacts must be removed from your list immediately — otherwise, they harm your domain reputation. Soft bounce — a temporary failure. Usually, this happens due to a full inbox, a short-term technical issue, or provider limits. If soft bounces repeat multiple times, the address should also be verified. Stage 2. Inbox Placement Once technical checks are complete, the mail provider decides where your message will land. There are several options: Inbox — the ideal scenario, indicating strong trust in the sender. Promotions tab — acceptable for commercial content; many users still review this folder regularly. Spam (Junk) — a critical signal. If your messages end up here, the issue likely lies in your content or domain reputation. Mail algorithms make this decision based on thousands of factors — from subject line keywords to how users have previously interacted with your emails. What Determines Deliverability 1. Sender Authentication SPF, DKIM, and DMARC aren’t just technical records — they’re three layers of identity verification proving that your email truly comes from your domain, not from a spoofed source.Without these protocols, mail providers can’t trust your sender identity, so they may block or flag your messages as suspicious. 2. Domain Reputation This is your “trust rating,” built over time. If you send emails consistently, maintain low bounce and complaint rates, and engage your subscribers — your reputation improves.However, if you only become active during major sales and suddenly send thousands of messages after long silence, the system sees it as an anomaly — and your campaigns may start getting filtered. 3. User Engagement Deliverability is directly tied to behavioral signals:how often users open your emails, click links, reply, or delete without reading.Mail algorithms treat this as an indicator of content value. The higher the engagement, the greater the chance your future campaigns will land in the inbox. Sender Reputation: Your Most Valuable Asset Mail providers continuously build a trust rating for every sending domain. This reputation combines technical and behavioral signals to determine whether you’re a reliable source. What Shapes Your Reputation Audience Activity.If subscribers regularly open your emails, click links, or add you to contacts — those are positive signals. If they delete messages or mark them as spam — negative. List Quality.Contact lists collected without user consent or purchased from third parties quickly destroy sender reputation. The best approach is a double opt-in process, where users confirm their subscription via email. Timely Reactivation.Inactive subscribers should be re-engaged, but not kept indefinitely. If a user hasn’t opened an email for several months, it’s better to remove them. Prompt Unsubscribe Handling.Ignoring unsubscribe requests is one of the strongest negative signals mail systems can detect. Why This Matters Especially Before the Holidays In November and December, mail systems are under heavy load. Even slight deviations — like increased bounce rates, complaints, or volume spikes — can trigger filters.The reputation you build throughout the year becomes your primary shield during the holiday rush. Don’t Overload Your Email Program Before the Holidays Many companies make the same mistake — dramatically increasing their email volume right before the holidays. Mail providers monitor sending patterns closely, and sudden surges are interpreted as spam-like behavior. How to Act Safely Keep a steady cadence.Plan campaigns early and send gradually, maintaining your usual rhythm of communication. Test new segments.If you add new subscriber groups, test them on small samples first. Ensure transparency.Signup forms must be bot-protected and clearly state what content subscribers will receive. Offer an “opt-down” option.Allow users to receive fewer emails instead of unsubscribing completely — this helps retain loyal audiences. Monitor Key Metrics Daily Even stable metrics may fluctuate during the holiday season. The key is to track changes in real time and respond quickly. Bounce rate: If it exceeds 2%, review list quality and authentication settings. Complaint rate: Aim to keep it below 0.1%. Higher levels mean your content or frequency may irritate subscribers. Opt-out rate: A sudden increase indicates subscriber fatigue. Open rate by domain: If Gmail shows lower results than others, your domain might be partially restricted. Domain reputation: Use tools like Gmail Postmaster to monitor your sender trust signals. Today, mail providers actively apply AI to evaluate sender behavior and content. Algorithms even consider details such as template freshness or subject line consistency. How to Apply These Tips in Practice Deliverability isn’t a minor technical aspect — it’s the foundation of your entire email strategy. To ensure your campaigns consistently reach your audience, even during the busiest time of year: Ensure clear, explicit opt-in — subscriptions must be voluntary and transparent. Maintain a strong sender reputation — clean your lists, re-engage subscribers, and monitor engagement. Avoid sudden changes — in frequency, volume, or sending domains. Track metrics regularly and adjust campaigns in real time. Conclusion During the holiday season, when inboxes overflow with promotional content, reaching the inbox becomes the ultimate success factor. The stability of your domain reputation, the cleanliness of your contact list, and the relevance of your content determine whether your audience sees your offer at the right moment. When planning holiday campaigns, think strategically: test your segments in advance, maintain a consistent communication rhythm, and closely monitor key performance indicators like bounce rate, open rate, and complaint rate. This helps preserve the trust of both email providers and your customers. If your business needs comprehensive email marketing support — from strategy to campaign execution — we can help. Our team builds structured, data-driven campaigns that don’t just reach inboxes but deliver measurable results. Read this article in Ukrainian.