What if 20% of your emails never made it to anyone’s inbox?
According to Validity’s Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, 83% of marketing emails reach the inbox. That means 1 in 6 emails go undelivered or land in spam.
In a world where cold outreach and nurture campaigns drive revenue, poor email deliverability can silently kill your ROI. You write the perfect subject line. Your CTA is perfect. But if the email never gets seen? Game over.
This comprehensive 27-step email deliverability checklist gives you everything you need to optimize for inbox placement, protect your sender reputation, and run outbound email campaigns that actually get read.
Email deliverability is your ability to deliver email to the inbox — not just “successfully send” it.
Why It Matters:
If your email delivery service shows a 98% delivery rate, that’s great — but if only 70% reach the inbox, you’re leaving thousands of dollars on the table.
These numbers aren’t arbitrary — mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook use these metrics to determine if you're trustworthy.
We’ve grouped these into 5 high-impact categories:
Let’s dig in
Dirty data = dirty deliverability.
Clean your list before worrying about copy or strategy.
Confirm every subscriber’s email address to eliminate bots, typos, and low-intent contacts.
Remove:
Use services like:
Spam traps are email addresses that never opted in. If you're hitting them, ISPs will flag you fast. Never buy lists.
Assign points for opens, clicks, and replies. Set a threshold to sunset unengaged users before they hurt your sender score.
These leads are often fake or low-intent. Use them in a separate warming sequence — not your main list.
These email authentication records prove to ISPs that you are who you say you are.
Use MXToolbox to validate your setup.
Send emails from something like hello.emailyourdomain.com. This isolates your main domain’s reputation and gives you better control.
Gradually increase send volume over 2–3 weeks. Use:
Sign up for ISP-specific feedback loops to be notified when someone marks your email as spam.
Use tools like:
Ensure:
This builds trust and keeps you compliant across global regulations.
Let users select frequency or topics. Reduces unsubscribes and shows you value their inbox.
Avoid dark patterns. Make the opt-out one click.
Establish a schedule. Whether that’s weekly or monthly, avoid going silent for long periods.
Group users by:
Relevant emails = higher engagement = better inboxing.
Use names, company info, and contextual data. Personalized subject lines boost open rates by up to 26% (Experian).
Phrases like “100% Free,” “Act Now,” or “Risk-Free” scream spam. Run your copy through Mail-Tester.
Don’t send all-image emails. Maintain a healthy image-to-text ratio and always use alt text.
Especially PDFs and DOCs. These are red flags. Instead, link to a download page.
People are more likely to open from a person or brand they recognize. Examples:
This sharpens your copy and improves open rate — a key inbox placement factor.
Over 70% of emails are read on mobile (Litmus, 2023). Use responsive design and preview before sending.
Limit to 2–3 links per email max. Too many URLs = spam risk.
Emails that generate replies show ISPs you're legit. Ask questions or prompt action.
Use tools like:
These go beyond basic metrics to show actual inbox placement.
This protocol allows your company logo to appear next to your email in the inbox — but only if your domain is authenticated and your sender score is strong.
Why use BIMI?
To implement BIMI:
Don’t Let Your Emails Go Unseen
The best email in the world is useless if no one sees it.
This 27-point cold email marketing checklist ensures your campaigns land in the inbox, get opened, and drive real business results.