Everything Email Deliverability
Highlights and key takeaways from the European Marketo User Group session with Lauren Meyer, hosted in March, 2021.
Email deliverability. Just reading those two words may not get your heart racing, but if you’ve ever had a campaign mysteriously underperform, land in spam, or trigger complaints, you know just how mission-critical it is.
Deliverability expert Lauren Meyer joined Warren Stokes and me for a packed, practical conversation about how to improve deliverability and why it deserves more attention. Whether you’re new to marketing ops or a seasoned MOPs pro, this session was a goldmine of insight.
Here’s a detailed recap of the highlights, quotes, and tactical advice.
Defining Deliverability vs. Delivery
Lauren kicked things off by clearing up a common misconception: deliverability isn’t just about whether your email was technically delivered (that’s delivery), it’s about where it landed and whether your recipient actually engaged with it.
“Delivery is: did the email get accepted by the server. Deliverability is: did it land in the inbox, spam, or just disappear.”
Because inbox providers don’t send back feedback about inbox vs. spam placement, marketers need to infer this from engagement metrics and proactive monitoring.
The Biggest Myths in Email Deliverability
Myth: Using words like “free” automatically sends your email to spam
→ Truth: Context matters. You can use “free” if it’s honest and expectations are clear.
Myth: Deliverability is only a concern when something breaks
→ Truth: Proactive monitoring is critical. If you wait until there’s a problem, it’s often much harder to recover.
There Is No Silver Bullet
“Deliverability is like flying a plane: there isn’t just one lever. It’s a deck of dials and switches.”
Lauren emphasized there’s no single fix, but rather an ecosystem of practices and metrics that contribute to healthy inbox placement.
Metrics to Monitor
Lauren shared a practical deliverability health checklist with targets to aim for:
- Bounce Rate: Keep it below 2-3%
- Open Rate: Aim for 20%+ for marketing emails, 70%+ for transactional
- Click-Through Rate: Focus less on raw number, more on post-click behavior
- Spam Complaint Rate: Ideally below 0.02%
- Unsubscribes: Not a bad thing! They are better than a spam complaint.
“Unsubscribes are healthy. Let people off the ride rather than risk a spam complaint.”
Shared vs. Dedicated IPs
When I asked whether teams should stick with shared IPs or switch to dedicated, Lauren broke it down clearly:
- Shared IP: Good for low-volume senders or those who send infrequently.
- Dedicated IP: Better for high-volume, frequent senders who want control over reputation.
Data Hygiene: The Real Deliverability Driver
Bad list hygiene was a major theme:
“Most deliverability issues stem from poor data quality. If people didn’t opt in, or your list is outdated, you’re asking for trouble.”
Lauren warned especially about:
- Purchased lists
- Imported event lists without explicit opt-in
- Lack of frequency (not sending often enough = decay)
Final Tips & Takeaways
- Monitor domain-level engagement (e.g. Gmail vs. Yahoo)
- Avoid clickbait subject lines that disappoint
- Responsive design does impact deliverability via engagement
- Consider audience intent and expectations at every stage
- A/B test strategically and incrementally
Bottom line: Email deliverability isn’t a single fix — it’s an ecosystem. But with the right data, habits, and business framing, you can make inbox placement a strategic advantage.
🔗 Watch the full recording here: Everything Email Deliverability on YouTube
