Tips for Bulk Email Sending Success

There’s a story that unfolded in my DMs after my last #coldoutbound post. Brave sales and growth teams, battling an unknown frontier of email deliverability, stuck with legacy platforms built for 2019, not 2023. And that’s largely why I joined rift: we work with teams to get them to a place of best-in-class email deliverability & strong engagement on cold outbound email. But I know that a lot of you aren’t decision makers. You’re trying to get to goal using whatever stack you’ve already got. So after countless DMs, I put together a quick guide tailored for individual contributors. Here’s what you can do to get more emails in inboxes WITHOUT spending a dime on new tools: 1. Go to learndmarc.com and check that the domain you’re sending from has DMARC, DKIM, and SPF set up correctly. Seeing some errors? Get in touch with IT. (Seriously — do not just bring it to your manager or RevOps or ask in #sales, just go straight to IT.) 2. Keep it as plain-text as possible. Adding images can slow down email loading times and attachments often trigger spam filters. A link back to your website should be fine, so long as you… 3. Turn off click tracking! Click tracking can hurt your deliverability because the embedded tracking links and pixels can be flagged by spam filters as suspicious, potentially causing your emails to be categorized as spam or blocked entirely. 4. Do not send to unverified email addresses. I know it’s tempting to guess emails when they all have similar structures, but a bounce is the biggest way to shout to email service providers from the top of your lungs that you’re sending to people you don’t know. (ZeroBounce is best for this but use whatever you already have, even Apollo/ZoomInfo is better than nothing) 5. Send consistent volumes, Monday to Friday. This is probably one of the hardest things to do, but suddenly going from 15 emails a day to 75 is also a super obvious red flag that you are doing cold outbound. Try to stay as “flat” as possible unless you’re scaling up or down volumes due to performance (more on that next) 6. Become an engineer of your email performance. If you send 30 emails a day and get good open rates, reply rates, and low bounce rates, you can slowly (over time!) ramp up to ~50 emails a day, all the way up to ~100 if your performance is stellar. If your open and reply rates are decreasing, you need to ramp your volume DOWN. Yes. You need to SEND LESS. Tracking closely is the only way to do this. Continuing the same volumes with decreasing performance can lead to you burning your sender reputation all together. (If you’re a decision maker, you may be thinking “I’m supposed to rely on every one of my AEs and BDRs to do this manually?” – well…yeah. Or come chat with us at rift.)

One of the most common pain points I hear from GTM leaders is that their outbound emails are going to spam. Good news. This is easily avoidable. At Unify, our customers send tens of thousands of emails per month with no deliverability issues. Here are the 7 best practices I’d recommend for ramping up outbound email and avoiding spam/deliverability issues: 1) Email prospects who actually want to hear from you. This should go without saying, but you need to email people who could benefit from your product. If you start just spamming people who have no use for your product, never will, et cetera, you're setting yourself up for email deliverability issues. Even if you technically “could” do it, spray and pray will not deliver results. 2) Use multiple mailboxes per sender. You’ll want to have multiple mailboxes per sender. How many? Best practice here is to have anywhere between 5-10. This inbox count is usually safe to keep sends per inbox at a reasonable level. 3) Send emails from non-core domains. It’s important to have several domains that you can deliver emails from. We send most of our volume through unifygtm.io and unifygtm.co. While we also send outbound emails from unifygtm.com, having alternative domains spreads out the volume and keeps our core domain safe. 4) Warm your inboxes Using a warm-up service will simulate healthy conversation between different mailboxes. You should warm your inboxes for 45-60 days before sending real emails through them. Pro-tip: If you run into deliverability issues as you ramp up your outbound email motion, turn warming back on to improve deliverability health. 5) Nail your IP address setup. You’ll want to send from Non-Gmail IPs. Moving sends to a platform like Sendgrid or Unify managed IPs keeps your deliverability in check. IP addresses are as important as the domain that you deliver from. 6) Keep Volume Reasonable In 2024 it’s important to keep send volume per mailbox reasonable. My current recommendation: Keep your volume of sends between 50-75 a day. If you do need more, then create additional mailboxes. 7) Personalize Emails 1:1 Please, make sure you’re not sending the same generic message over and over. This is an easy way to get picked up as spam by ISPs. Prospects expect a personalized experience, and your outbound will perform better if it is truly personalized (this can be fully automated btw—but that’s a topic for a different post). Question for anyone else deep in email deliverability: what else would you add to this list? Anything I’m missing here? Let me know in the comments.

Recent question from an email subscriber: I joined a company who is established but has no clear email marketing strategy. I cleaned the email list but the next newsletter we sent out had abhorrent open & click rates (most opens and clicks were aol, yahoo, etc.) I had even sent to a smaller and more targeted group based on who clicked and opened the previous email. The CRM provider is little help, as usual. Have you experienced this? How did you remedy this? How long did it take? ------ My answer: Step 1) Make sure you've got the tech side figured out. SPF records and DKIM. When it comes to email deliverability I haven't found SPF/DKIM really "helps" but it does hurt you if you don't have em set up. DMARC as well. (Mandatory from Google/Yahoo) Step 2) Set up Google Postmaster account. Helps you "see" how Google sees your domain and measures your reputation. Step 3) Using GlockApps do an inbox placement test. Track which mailbox providers are hitting the inbox and email those domains first. Step 4) Segment the list  --- Segment 1) Domain  Gmail  Yahoo  Outlook  Apple  Other --- Segment 2) Engagement  0-7 Days  8-30 Days  31-60 Days  61-90 Days  91-180 Days  181+ Days --- Segment 3) Randomized  Subsegments  - 50 contacts - Start Day 1  - 50 contacts - Start Day 2  - 50 contacts - Start Day 3  - 50 contacts - Start Day 4  - 100 - Start Day 5  - 100 - etc  - 100  - 100  - 200  - 200  - 200 - 200  - 300  - 300  - 300  - 300  - 400  - 400  - 500  - 500 Once you get to about 500 contacts you'll get a feel for how the email list is responding to those emails and create larger groups. But I don't typically go over about 1,000 contacts for a while. Yeah, it's a pain if you have a large list, but worth it. Step 5) Start rehabbing your list - I usually send 4 emails.  Email #1 - Try to get a reply  Email #2 - "Email Bump" of email #1  Email #3 - Try to get a click  Email #4 - Try to get a reply w/ a no-oriented question The only engagement I'm trying to measure are: - Opens  - Clicks  - Replies 3 day wait between each email. Step 6) Manage Bounces - You want to remove bounces out of the automation as quickly as possible. If it's a hard bounce - just get rid of those contacts. Step 7) By the end - you should have a solid domain rep and been able to re-engage with a good portion of your email list and you're ready to hit em hard through email. #emailmarketing #emailmarketingstrategy #emailmarketingtips Share if you found this helpful!

Yesterday I had a front-row seat and gained valuable insights during a discussion with a CEO about the daily barrage of sales emails he faces Here’s what he shared about what grabs his attention—and some tips to help you stand out 🔹 Immediate value is key The first few lines must deliver something valuable. He said "If someone sent me that email, I’d be like F*** off and [dismiss it]. There's no value created in that email. Make sure your opening offers a clear benefit or useful resource 🔹 Impactful subject lines Your subject line is your foot in the door. He mentioned the need for change if there's no initial response: "If they didn't respond to the first email, then you try a different header." Make it count by being specific, intriguing, and relevant to their interests 🔹 Brevity wins: Keep your email concise. As he noted, "First sentence, you've got like 2 seconds." Busy professionals appreciate brevity. Make your point clearly and quickly Now here are some actionable tips based on these insights Value prop front and center Start your email with a clear value prop Example: "Thought you might be interested in these industry benchmarks we just released—already helping companies like yours increase efficiency." Test your subject lines Don’t be afraid to A/B test different subject lines to see what resonates best with your audience. Sometimes a small tweak can make a big difference Personalize thoughtfully Use the information you have about their business challenges to tailor your message. This shows you’ve done your homework and aren’t just sending a blanket email Let’s make their experience with our emails as positive and relevant as possible Do you have any email strategies that have worked well for you lately?

I saw this question the other day: "Is there any good reason why brands should be emailing every day?" Come here. Come closer. First off, frequency matters. Out of s̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ inbox, out of mind. Second, I did try this across multiple brands. For a whole month.* I sent fewer emails to fewer people. Emails went out every other day. And 75% of the time I sent only to the engaged folks** or some other relevant segment.*** As opposed to daily emails to segments with much more lax criteria, i.e., Engaged L365. And they weren't basic emails either. They were (as usual) a good mix of edutainment and promotional emails. Only the good stuff. Guess what happened? 1. My metrics were all in the green. Glorious, glorious green open, click, revenue per recipient, placed order/conversion rate, etc. 2. The overall revenue was down. Way down. The incremental $$$ that more frequent and bigger sends bring in seriously adds up. Like 5-figures or more. The bigger the list, the truer it gets. So we won in metrics but lost in revenue. No one was happy except the guru who doesn't have to meet revenue targets. -- What this taught me: 1. Find Balance = Find the balance between bigger sends and more focused ones. In frequency, too. Each brand is different. Test, test, test. So long as your deliverability is great, there's no need to fear frequent sends. Decrease (or increase) frequency in increments. Watch all metrics, especially revenue, like a hawk — then pivot as needed. 2. Find What Works = I've been doing a lot of data digging and testing lately. Asking questions and finding answers for: — What offers work best, by segment — Do landing pages matter for different segments? In one test, I found that folks who have never purchased before *don't* buy when sent to a page where there are a lot of choices. 3. When testing, make sure your client knows what to expect. Annoying overcommunication >>> WTH happened? 😁 -- While you don't have to send every day per se, if your audience is OK with it, go for it. Send great emails. Bask in the inbox sunshine. Your readers will let you know when you've overstayed your welcome anyway. Happy Emailing 👋 -- *Tests were done for deliverability. Clients were forewarned. Data was incidental. **Hyper-Engaged, Engaged L14, L30, L60, etc. ***Clicked on Product XYZ L30

Cold email in 2024 is incredibly nuanced. Most experts would say that you shouldn't include links in your email campaigns. If you're sending mass emails from one domain (you shouldn't do this) I would completely agree. However if you're sending 30-40 cold emails per day per inbox, sending warmup emails with a strong reply ratio simultaneously, and spreading your sending volume across multiple domains, links can be included successfully. The reality is that including links can a super valuable way to put your product/service in front of potential leads. We've learned a ton through experimentation about what works and what doesn't. We usually don't use links in email campaigns if it doesn't make sense, but for certain clients it can be a game changer. Here's a little trick I've found. Links in the first email of a campaign cause increased bounce rates. I've tested this across multiple campaigns now. However, once the first email in a sequence has successfully landed in the recipients primary inbox, your sender credibility seems to go up. This means that including a relevant link in emails 2 or 3 can be done if you're following all of the other best practices. Sequences with more than 4 emails are typically a waste of sending volume, and we often use 3. To be safe, I'd recommend waiting until email 3, ensuring that the first 2 were successfully delivered. This can be really powerful for creative agencies that want to share their work, designers that want to promote their portfolio, or companies that want to demo their product in a short video, etc. Fortune favors the bold. Use the age old scientific method, and always be testing. 🔹 If you're curious about our how we work with our clients at Understory, shoot me a DM and I'll send over our process overview 🔹

Ever delete an email without reading it? We all have. It’s not just you; it’s the uninteresting subject line. That’s where the battle is won or lost in email marketing. Here’s a real kicker from an experiment we ran for a tech client whose email open rates were dismal. The subject lines? As dry as dust. We flipped the script. Here’s how: 1. Curiosity is Key: We started crafting subject lines that piqued curiosity without giving everything away. Something like, "What tech giants won't tell you about cybersecurity." Who wouldn’t want to know industry secrets? 2. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): We leveraged time-sensitive offers. "24 hours left to see what everyone’s talking about!" This urgency made the difference, tapping into a natural fear of missing out. 3. Personal Touch: Adding a personal touch can make the recipient feel singled out. We used data to personalize subject lines, making them relevant to the recipient's recent activities or preferences. The outcome was eye-opening. Our client saw a 70% increase in open rates, simply because we made the entry point—subject lines—irresistible. Bottom line: Your email’s first impression is the subject line. Make it count. It’s not just about informing; it’s about enticing. Thinking of revamping your email strategy? Start with the subject lines. They’re the gatekeepers to your content. #EmailMarketing #Copywriting #DigitalMarketing #OpenRates #MarketingTips

If you’re sending emails in bulk (>5000 emails/day), you need to know this. In a recent update, Google laid down a threshold of spam rate for bulk senders, which is less than 0.3%. This means two things: [1] You need to monitor the no. of spam complaints regularly - Spam complaints are NOT emails landing in your spam folder [2] You need to keep your spam complaints below 0.3% - Many of the companies I know have higher spam complaints First, start monitoring spam complaints by setting up Gmail Postmaster Tools for your domain. It’s a free tool by Google to check delivery errors, spam reports, domain reputation, and IP reputation. The more important question though is how to maintain spam complaint rates below 0.3%. The answer is simple - Be more relevant and valuable to users. For that, make sure to: [a] Segment your users (Use their activity, intent, and need to segment) [b] Understand what each of these segments want (Ask them questions) Send emails that are relevant to their needs. Don’t just sell but educate, entertain, and engage them [c] Bring novelty in each email. Don’t just keep sending the same sales-oriented email every day. If you don’t have any value to add, don’t send the email. There are other requirements for senders, too, like: [1] Authenticate outgoing emails by setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. DMARC may be set to p=none. [2] Enable one-click unsubscribe. And process unsubscription requests within two days. The deadline to set these up is February 1, 2024 - but they’re nudging senders to set them up already. In fact, setting these up earlier “may improve your email delivery”, the update said. For more details - read their email sender guidelines [link in comments]

I've read and revised 100+ cold emails. Here are 6 areas for improvement and how to fix them: 1. EMAIL LENGTH: The average email length was 100-130 words. If you can, make this 50-80. 2. FILLER WORDS: Too many filler words. Examples below: - just reaching out - I'm reaching out because - incredibly effective - a much better ROI 3. THE USE OF I: Almost every single email talks about the writer or their product. "I'm reaching out" "we do this" "we do that". 4. SUBJECT LINE LENGTH: The average from all emails was 5 words. Making this 2-3 words will increase open rate. 5. CALL TO ACTION LENGTH: Here's a real example of a CTA: "To talk about this in more detail, how about we set up a quick conference call?" 6. COMPANY JARGON: I've read emails where people state their product name like I'm supposed to know wtf it is. Talk to me like a human, not like the messaging marketing provides. → Here is how to fix this (in order): 1. EMAIL LENGTH: Most emails I read had 3+ sentences explaining what their company does. Some of them with paragraphs and several bullet points. You should be able to relay your company's impact in one sentence. 2. FILLER WORDS: Every email I read has many filler words. These include: - "just reaching out" - "significantly better" - "an incredible ROI" - "I noticed that" (take out I and that.. get right to the point) There is no need for adjectives before the impact. To fix this, read your email before sending it and take out most adjectives as well as words like "like, just, because, only," etc.. 3. THE USE OF I: Many emails were talking about themselves by using different versions of "I". The "cheat" way to fix this is: - "I'm reaching out" >> "Reaching out" - "I noticed that..." >> "Noticed your.." - "We solve for.." >> "Your [challenge from research].." 4. SUBJECT LINE LENGTH: Most emails included 5-7 words in their subject line AND the name of the person they're sending it to. Unfortunately, this looks like spam. Here are examples I'd use for subject lines: - cloud costs - pipeline - your research paper - yesterday's news - the recent breach 5. CALL TO ACTION LENGTH: Call to action length should not be a long run on sentence. Here are a few examples to steal: - "Worth exploring? - "Worth a chat?" - "Sound interesting?" - "Would it be a waste of time to chat?" - "Any interest?" 6. COMPANY JARGON: Please stop using your marketing team's messaging. Take out these words: - next generation - supercharging - all-in-one ..etc These are a few ways you can start writing more impactful emails today. ps - adding a ps at the bottom of the email to include personalization helps too :) Anything you would add?

The BDR job is harder than it's ever been, but it's not dead. Here's how you can redefine success in the ever-evolving landscape of B2B outreach: 1. Stop sending spam Only send emails people want to get. Send them "solution driven" rather than "feature driven". 2.Smart outreach is key Implement firm guidelines for contact frequency to strike the perfect balance between being persistent and respectful. 3. Guard your email's reputation Utilize an alternative domain for mass communications to protect your main domain's credibility, ensuring your outreach efforts land smoothly. 4. Warm up wisely For new domains, keep daily emails limited to 10-20. This strategic approach helps build a solid sender reputation from the ground up. 5. Accuracy is everything Regularly cleanse your email list to ensure you're engaging with real, active prospects, boosting your campaign's success rate. 6. The right audience matters Zero in on individuals who have already shown an interest in your domain. This targeted approach promises higher engagement and fewer spam complaints. 7. Personalization wins Move beyond generic templates. Crafting messages that resonate on a personal level will elevate your response rates. 8. Diversify your tactics Explore a multitude of channels to engage your audience. An omnichannel strategy meets your customers where they are, increasing your reach and impact. 9. Act on customer feedback Listen to what your customers have to say and adapt accordingly. Being nice, personal, and smart about how you reach out, your conversion rate will surprise you 📈 #sdr #b2bgrowth #b2bsales