Deliverability Defined

Word-of-mouth has proven to be one of the most consistent business tactics of all time. If someone we admire and trust recommends something to us, we are much more likely to take their recommendation seriously and take action. The same holds true for creators. Successful creators who have already built their audiences know which newsletters are worth subscribing to and which creators are worth fol...

We’ve all been there: you press “send” on an email and immediately recognize there’s a mistake. Recalling an email requires quick reflexes, and unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that your request will be successful. The good news is that we are all human, and email mistakes such as typos, inaccessible links, and failed deliverability are much more common than you’d expect.  When sending emails,...

Creators are always looking for a way to earn income through their efforts, which traditionally evolves into sponsorship or brand deals. Of course, creators want to earn this extra income, but they struggle to keep their audiences happy; no one likes to feel like they’re being sold to when reading their favorite newsletter. Is there an option that balances the needs of creators, audiences, and spo...

You may be familiar with traditional newsletters, but an evergreen newsletter is a smart and automated approach to standard email newsletters. It allows established creators to step off the content hamster wheel, build a personalized journey for new subscribers, and make better versions of future email sequences based on audience feedback.   Nathan Barry, CEO of ConvertKit, has made $50K from “a s...

According to Finances Online , as of January 2020, Gmail had over 1.8 billion active users. When you’ve got a mailbox provider so prevalent on your email list, keeping yourself on good terms with that provider is essential for the survival of your subscriber count. But how do you know if your reputation with Gmail has tanked? And what’s the best way to respond?  While every mailbox provider cares...

From likes to follows to subscribers, when everything feels like a numbers game, the idea of actively deleting your subscribers can feel counterintuitive and downright terrifying. But there’s power in deleting people from your list who aren’t opening or engaging any longer. List cleaning saves you money and saves your reputation, a gift to yourself and the subscribers who matter. Well, at least th...

Many creators know the ins and outs of authentication, spam traps, BIMI, and listbombing. And if you’ve been creating for a while, you probably understand best practices for email strategy and creative tips for encouraging engagement. But what about the basics? Do you really understand what happens to your email after clicking “send”? Most creators don’t, and there’s a strong case for shifting tha...

Rejection is a terrible feeling. Especially when you’re pouring everything into a business and yearning for the approval of a new audience. But there are things to learn from every negative in life, and unsubscribes are no different. So if you’re feeling down about your unsubscribes, consider this: the unsubscribe button is an automated list-cleaner, allowing subscribers the option to opt-out them...

When change happens, many of us panic. The rules of yesterday no longer apply and our future feels uncertain. But not all changes are catastrophic. In fact, a few recent email updates may seem more dramatic than they actually are. Case and point: Apple’s new privacy changes.  Earlier in 2021, Apple announced an update that sent many senders stressing. Within Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature...

Are there tips and tricks to avoiding the promotions tab? Can simple keywords send you straight to the spam folder? Is email on the way out? Misinformation about best practices can send your email strategy spiraling. While it sounds cliche, avoid trusting everything you read on the internet.  Because despite living in the era of information, many email mythologies have survived. If you’re feeling...

The most common question deliverability experts hear is, “how do I get more subscribers?” As a brand new creator, finding followers is probably your top concern. And although there are many answers depending on who you ask, the best explanation may be something called the flywheel effect . In short, you have to put out content consistently and strategically, blending social media with email to rea...

Every once in a while, we stumble upon a promotional email from a brand we love or a service we recently subscribed to and think, “that’s a great email.” Today, Alyssa and Melissa break down some of their favorite examples.   Because when it comes to teachable moments, stellar examples of real-world emails are the best way to translate best practices and learn from the email experts all around us....

If you could peek into a crystal ball and see the next 10 or 15 years of email evolution, what would it look like? Are the strategies you’re implementing ready for the future? Many say that in a world of ever-changing algorithms, email stays the same. While it’s never an exact science, the predictability and control senders have over their content certainly makes email an attractive outlet. Howeve...

What happens when security and style combine? Enter BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, a text record that lives in your DNS records and helps verify your email address against phishers with malicious intent. This verification can be found in the brand’s logo, conveniently embedded in a sender’s email. While this high-tech security option may be a tough bet for small creators wor...

As creators and email marketers, we’ve got a lot of important things keeping us up at night. From our marketing strategy, the hassle of freelance taxes, and, of course, those subscribers who don’t confirm their double opt-ins. But of all our worries, is an unconfirmed subscriber really something to stress over? After all, what’s “normal” subscriber behavior?  It might be time to rethink how you ex...

As creators, trust is everything. The trust between you and the subscribers who stay tuned is the foundation of your business and the source of your creative freedom. And while it can take months or years to build up hard-earned trust, it only takes one spammer to derail it.  In the tech-driven twenty-first century, spamming is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, an email list and an ESP mean...

As we evolve as creators, it’s inevitable that our audiences evolve with us. If you find yourself serving multiple audiences, deciding which audience to speak to and when can feel like an impossible task that inevitably isolates one fan base or another. Unfortunately, with most mediums, creators must choose.  In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa answer the question, how do you create for multiple a...

Creators always ask, “how do I grow my audience?” While the answer is different for everyone, when you’re an emerging creator with a tight budget, referral programs are a great way to expand without burning revenue. And not only expand, but find subscribers more likely to engage. As we continue moving away from open rates as our main metric, referral programs are a great step toward increased enga...

If we learned anything last season, it was that open rates are no longer the magic email metric. Changes to Apple’s privacy settings dethroned an already shaky measurement tool, albeit one many marketers loved to tout. While staying laser-focused on one metric is a surefire way to derail your email strategy (and fill your subscribers’ inboxes with spam-friendly subject lines), is there a new golde...

With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s never too early to start planning. In fact, the longer you wait, the more likely you are to find yourself on the naughty list, aka, in the spam folder. When it comes to sales, deals, and purchasing potential, the holiday season is in a category of its own. Subscribers are slammed with more emails than ever, retailers slash prices, and inbox pro...

When it first landed in our inbox, many believed the promotions tab would ruin email marketing for good. Years after Gmail’s controversial update, it’s time to set the record straight for scared senders.  In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa break down their take on the promotions tab while unpacking insights from ConvertKit’s team of email pros.  When it comes to deliverability, there are plenty o...

While Season 02 of Deliverability Defined has come to an end, email never stops! Before we kick off Season 03, we’re doing a series called Ask Our Experts , where we pose important deliverability questions to our amazing team at ConvertKit. Today’s question: Other than open rates, what metrics should senders focus on? With Apple’s new privacy laws furthering the fall of open rates, it’s time for s...

Whether you’re a musician or an author, a blogger or an artist, email is the secret sauce to owning your audience and making a passion project your full-time hustle. While deliverability may sound like an algorithm with built-in metrics for success, there’s more than one way to reach the inbox and engage subscribers. Last season, we defined the ABCs of deliverability. In season 02, we went beyond...

As a new creator, you may feel like reaching as many eyeballs as possible is the most important end goal. Just remember, not all subscribers are created equal. Having an opt-in form helps weed out the unengaged and uninterested subscribers that aren’t worth paying for and can damage deliverability. However, like subscribers, not all opt-in forms are equally as effective. In this episode, Alyssa an...

You’ve probably heard about Apple’s latest privacy changes. Their new OS includes an update that marks all emails as opened, removing a metric many senders relied on to measure email success.  Privacy is incredibly important and there’s no universe where senders are entitled to a recipient’s data. However, as deliverability specialists, it’s our job to find workarounds that help senders reach the...