Blog Introduction: If you’re an avid email user, you may have come across the term “whitelisting” before. In a nutshell, getting on a subscriber’s whitelist is crucial for email deliverability because it essentially tells the subscriber’s email server that your emails are approved and not spam.
When an email server sees that you’re on a subscriber’s whitelist, it is more likely to prioritize your emails over others in the inbox. This is important because it means that your subscribers are more likely to see your emails, which is the whole point of sending them in the first place!
There are a few different ways to get on a subscriber’s whitelist. Marketing experts at Site Impact suggest that one way is to simply ask the subscriber to add you to their list of approved senders. Another way is to include an unsubscribe link in your emails so subscribers can easily opt-out if they so choose. Finally, you can try to avoid using spammy words and phrases in your subject lines and content so that your emails don’t get flagged as spam by the subscriber’s email server.
The Benefits Of Getting On A Subscriber’s Whitelist
Getting on a subscriber’s whitelist has several benefits that make it well worth the effort. For one, it increases the chances that your emails will be seen by the people you’re sending them to. This is because when an email server sees that you’re on a whitelist, it is more likely to prioritize your emails over others in the inbox.
Not Marked As Spam
In addition, being on a whitelist also means that your emails are less likely to be marked as spam by the subscriber’s email server. This is important because if too many of your emails get marked as spam, you could end up getting blacklisted entirely, which would be a disaster for your business!
Improved Reputation
Finally, getting on a whitelist can also help improve your sender reputation over time. This is because when you have a good sender reputation, email servers are more likely to prioritize your messages in general, regardless of whether or not you’re on a specific whitelist.
Now Let’s Get Technical
Most people are familiar with the term “spam.” Spam is unsolicited emails, typically sent in bulk. It’s the digital equivalent of junk mail. And just like most of us don’t want our physical mailbox cluttered with ads and coupons we’ll never use, nobody wants their inbox filled with spam emails. That’s where a subscriber’s whitelist comes in.
A subscriber’s whitelist is a list of approved senders whose emails are always allowed through to the inbox, no matter the email provider. Getting on a subscriber’s whitelist is crucial for any business that sends emails because it guarantees that your message will be seen by the people who have signed up to receive it.
How to Get On a Subscriber’s Whitelist
There are three primary ways to get on a subscriber’s whitelist: Unknown User Protection, Sender Policy Framework (SPF), and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).
Unknown User Protection
Unknown User Protection is an authentication method that checks to see if an email is coming from a real person or an automated bot. This verification process happens behind the scenes and doesn’t require any action on the part of the sender or recipient.
Sender Policy Framework
A Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email validation system that helps recipients determine whether or not an email purporting to come from a certain domain originated from that domain. For SPF to work, businesses need to publish a list of IP addresses authorized to send emails on their behalf.
DomainKeys Identified Mail
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is similar to SPF in that it helps recipients verify the origin of an email. DKIM uses digital signatures to do this. When an email is sent, DKIM adds a signature that can be used to verify that the email hasn’t been tampered with and that it came from the domain it claims to have come from.
Final Thoughts
All in all, getting on a subscriber’s whitelist is crucial for email deliverability. By taking steps to ensure that you’re on as many whitelists as possible, you can increase the chances that your messages will be seen by recipients and avoid being marked as spam. In addition, maintaining a good sender reputation will also help improve deliverability over time.