|
By Neil Anuskiewicz
Even better deliverability rates are possible by getting on the whitelists of the major ISP’s and even the corporate networks to which you send a lot of email. A whitelist is a list of IP addresses that have proven to be used only for permission-based email. Emails from those addresses are much less likely to be blocked by spam filters. ESPs get on an ISP’s whitelist by establishing a track record of sending legitimate email. After a couple of months, the ESP will apply to the ISP and likely will added to its whitelist. Since nobody shares your IP address, you are the only one who can cause your removal from the whitelist or lead the ISP to add your IP to their blacklist.
How To I Whitelist An IP Address
The good deeds that lead to whitelisting are CAN SPAM-compliant steps such as including a valid "From" address, sending messages only to confirmed opt-in email lists and providing recipients a clear opt-out link. Things that prevent whitelisting include writing deceptive subject lines or trying to hide the intent of your emails. I recommend reading a summary of CAN SPAM. The rules are simple.
To qualify for whitelisting status, you have to have a good--but not perfect--track record in terms of spam complaints. Sending email to an opt-in list still results in some spam complaints. People forget they opted in originally or grow irritated with the emails and file a quick spam complaint instead of finding the opt-out link at the bottom of the email. The ISPs recognize that there will always be spam complaints with permission-based email marketing. However, as long as the complaints fall below a certain level, you can still qualify for the whitelist. The ISP’s know that real spammers receive a higher level of complaints than legitimate permission-based email marketers.
Each major ISP maintains its own whitelist, so you will need to visit their websites and submit their forms. Your email ESP should be able to provide you links to the whitelist application forms for the major ISP’s and email address providers. They also should be able to provide assistance.
Deliverability is key to email marketing success, so watch it like a hawk. If your ESP is not performing, find out why and ask them to remedy the situation quickly. If low deliverability rates persist, it might be time for a change.
|
