Land in the inbox

What Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook expect from bulk senders, and simple habits that keep your mailings out of spam.

Mail providers decide where your mailing lands - the inbox, a promotions tab, or spam. They look at who you are, and at how people react to your mail. Here is what helps.

What Gmail and Yahoo ask of bulk senders

Gmail and Yahoo have clear rules for anyone who sends a lot of email. Outlook asks for much the same.

Prove the mail is yours. Set up SPF and DKIM for your domain, and add a DMARC record. See Sending and domains.
Send from your own domain. The domain in your From address should match the domain that SPF or DKIM checks. Don't send in bulk from a free address such as @gmail.com.
Make leaving easy. Mailings need an unsubscribe link that works in one click. Ellibo adds it to every mailing, and handles the unsubscribe straight away.
Keep spam complaints low. Keep them under 0.3% of the people you mail - ideally under 0.1%. That's fewer than 1 in 1,000.

Ellibo takes care of the unsubscribe link and the footer. The DNS records for your domain are the part only you can add.

Good habits

Mail only people who asked. Never buy or borrow lists. Use double opt-in for new sign-ups.
Say who you are. Use a From name people know, and a clear subject.
Keep your list clean. Ellibo stops mailing bounced addresses by itself. Mail people who haven't opened in months less often, or ask if they still want your mail.
Send steadily. A sudden big mailing from a new domain looks like spam. Ellibo Sending warms up new domains for you.
Make it worth opening. Short, useful mailings get fewer spam clicks.
Check before you send. Send yourself a test and click every link.

When sending pauses

If bounces or spam complaints suddenly rise, Ellibo pauses the mailing by itself. This protects your name with mail providers. Look at who you were mailing - often an old or imported list - fix it, and resume. See Sending and domains.

The law

In the EU and UK, GDPR means you generally need people's clear agreement before you send them marketing email. In the US, CAN-SPAM asks for an honest From and subject, your postal address, and an unsubscribe link that works. Other countries have their own rules.

Ellibo gives you the tools - consent records, double opt-in, the unsubscribe link and your address in the footer. Laws differ from place to place, so check with your adviser for your own business.