When a major internet service provider (ISP) blocks your email campaign, the sole purpose of your marketing efforts is foiled. Even though contacting the postmaster at an ISP can temporarily release a block, it doesn’t necessarily prevent future blocks from occurring, nor does it provide you with a solid reason as to why the block occurred in the first place.  

Despite the fact that all ISPs have their own secret recipe to determine what email messages will or will not be delivered into the inbox, it isn’t completely out of your control to promote inbox delivery.

When your email marketing campaigns are blocked examine the following:

1. The age of your data. How old are the contacts on your email list? If your contacts are more than one year old, it is likely that many of them have stopped engaging with your email messages or have abandoned their email addresses altogether. Similar to going to the doctor for regular check-ups, evaluating the age of your data on a regular basis and cleaning your email list of old records is crucial to list health, and will result in better email deliverability. (Read: Aged Email Subscribers)

2. Your target audience. Are your messages going to the right people? Since email is very personal and data collected can be extensive, it’s imperative to ensure that email messages maintain relevancy and interest. Avoid sending to your entire list, unless you are certain that the content of your email message applies to the entire subscriber base. Instead, try segmenting your list based on their interests or behavior, and targeting people within those segments with personalized content.

3. Subscriber activity. Are your email subscribers actively showing interest in your email messages? Open and click-through rates are solid metrics to help you decide whether it's time to ask your inactive email subscribers if they want to continue receiving email from you. Many ISPs also determine sender reputation based on users' behavior such as moving messages from the junk folder to their inboxes.

4. Email authentication. Are your email marketing campaigns coming from you? Ensuring that your email messages are SPF, Domain Key and DKIM authenticated allows ISPs to verify your identity and brand. This also assists with promoting inbox delivery.

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