We're excited to announce that we have successfully achieved **SOC 2 Type II compliance**, demonstrating our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security and data protection for our customers.

## What is SOC 2?

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls 2) is a compliance framework developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) that evaluates an organization's information systems relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.

A SOC 2 Type II report specifically assesses the effectiveness of these controls over a defined period, providing assurance that our security practices are not just designed well, but are operating effectively.

## Our SOC 2 Journey with OneLeet

We partnered with [OneLeet](https://oneleet.com) to streamline our SOC 2 compliance journey. Their platform helped us implement robust security controls and prepare for the audit process efficiently.

Our SOC 2 Type II audit was successfully completed with **zero exceptions**, covering our systems and controls over a 12-month observation period.

## What This Means for You

This certification reinforces our commitment to:

- **Data Security**: Your data is protected by enterprise-grade security controls
- **Reliability**: Our systems are monitored and maintained to ensure consistent availability
- **Privacy**: We handle your information with the utmost care and in compliance with best practices
- **Transparency**: Our security practices are independently verified and documented

## Obtaining Our SOC 2 Report

Current and prospective customers can request a copy of our SOC 2 Type II report by contacting our security team. We're also happy to complete any security questionnaires you may have.

## Looking Forward

Achieving SOC 2 Type II compliance is not a destination but a continuous journey. We remain committed to maintaining and improving our security posture to earn and keep your trust.

As we continue to grow and serve more customers, security will remain at the core of everything we do. This certification is just one of many steps we're taking to ensure we can be your trusted partner for years to come.

---

**Have questions about our SOC 2 compliance or need to request our report?** Contact our security team at support@bentonow.com.

We're excited to announce that Bento has successfully completed a SOC 2 Type II audit to further demonstrate our commitment to security.

SOC-2

Bento is now SOC 2 Type II Compliant

Data breach? Product recall? Legal notice required? Sometimes you have no choice but to email everyone—including people who unsubscribed years ago.

Here's how to send those high-stakes, legally mandated emails without tanking your sender reputation, based on [M3AAWG's industry best practices](https://www.m3aawg.org/SendingMandatedEmailsBP).

## Quick Summary: What You Need to Know

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ⚖️  MANDATED EMAIL ESSENTIALS         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  First:        Coordinate with your ESP     │
│  Setup:        Separate infrastructure  │
│  Auth:         SPF + DKIM + DMARC + TLS │
│  Content:      Minimal, no marketing    │
│  Critical:     Don't use new domains    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

Mandated emails are the exception to every email marketing rule. You're required by law to send them, even to people who hate getting emails from you. Do this wrong, and you'll damage your reputation for months. Do it right, and you'll get through the crisis with minimal impact.

**The golden rule:** Treat mandated emails as emergency communications, not marketing opportunities.

## What Are Mandated Emails?

Mandated emails are messages you're legally required or compelled to send, despite knowing they'll likely perform poorly. Think of them as the email equivalent of emergency broadcasts.

### Common Types of Mandated Emails

```
⚠️  BREACH NOTIFICATIONS        📧  "Your data may have been compromised"
🚨  PRODUCT RECALLS             📧  "Stop using this product immediately"  
⚖️  PRIVACY POLICY CHANGES     📧  "New legal requirements affect you"
🏥  HEALTH & SAFETY NOTICES    📧  "Important safety information"
💳  ACCOUNT SECURITY ALERTS    📧  "Suspicious activity detected"
```

### When You Must Send to Everyone

**These situations override normal email preferences:**
- Data breaches requiring notification by law
- Product recalls affecting consumer safety  
- Court-ordered communications
- Regulatory compliance notifications
- Emergency safety alerts

**Real example:** When Equifax was breached in 2017, they were legally required to notify all affected customers—including those who had opted out of marketing emails years earlier.

## Why Mandated Emails Are Risky

```
    ⚠️  THE MANDATED EMAIL DILEMMA  ⚠️
   ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
   │  📧 ➜ 📮  Must send to everyone     │
   │  📈 ➜ 📉  High bounce/complaint rates│  
   │  🚫 ➜ ❌  Damages sender reputation │
   │  ⚖️ ➜ 💸  Legal requirement anyway  │
   └─────────────────────────────────────┘
```

**Why these emails perform poorly:**
- Recipients don't recognize the sender
- Content often sounds urgent/spammy
- Sent to old, inactive addresses
- People panic and hit spam button
- Legal language confuses recipients

**The reputation risk:**
- ISPs, such as Gmail and Outlook, see sudden volume spike
- ISPs see you emailing users who reported you as spam or 1-click unsubscribed previously
- High bounce rates signal poor list hygiene
- Spam complaints hurt future deliverability
- Your regular marketing emails suffer

## Before You Send: Critical Preparation

### Step 1: Notify Mailbox Providers First

**Contact ISPs before sending:**

Look at your email list and determine which ISPs are most likely to be affected by the email you are sending. Contact each one and let them know you are sending a mandated email and ask them to whitelist your domain/IP for the duration of the email campaign.

- Gmail: `postmaster@gmail.com`
- Yahoo: `postmaster@yahoo.com`  
- Outlook: `postmaster@outlook.com`
- Major ESPs: Check their postmaster pages

**What to include in your notification:**
```
Subject: Advance Notice: Mandated Email Communication - [Your Company]

Dear Postmaster Team,

[Your Company] is required to send a mandated email notification regarding [breach/recall/legal notice] to our entire user base on [date].

Details:
• Sending volume: [X emails over Y days]
• Sending infrastructure: [IP ranges/domains]
• Reason: [Legal requirement/safety notice]
• Content: [Brief description, sample attached]

We understand this may result in elevated complaints and bounces. We are following M3AAWG best practices for mandated communications.

Please let us know if you can confirm that you will whitelist our domain/IP for the duration of the email campaign.

Contact: [Your email and phone]
```

### Step 2: Set Up Dedicated Infrastructure

**Don't use your regular marketing setup:**
- Create new subdomain: `legal.yourcompany.com` or `security.yourcompany.com`
- Use separate IP pool if possible (talk to your ESP about this)
- Set up dedicated authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS)
- Prepare for higher bounce rates 
- SEND AS SLOW AS YOU CAN

**Why separate infrastructure matters:**
- Isolates reputation damage
- Makes tracking easier  
- Prevents cross-contamination
- Shows ISPs this isn't regular marketing

### Step 3: Configure Authentication (Essential)

**Required authentication setup:**
- **SPF:** Include your sending IPs
- **DKIM:** Sign all messages
- **DMARC:** Set strict policy
- **TLS:** Enable for security

**Authentication example:**
```
notices.yourcompany.com:
SPF: "v=spf1 include:_spf.yourcompany.com ~all"
DKIM: Selector: mandated._domainkey
DMARC: "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourcompany.com"
```

## Content Guidelines: Less Is More

### Subject Line Best Practices

**✅ Clear and honest:**
- `Important Security Notice from [Company Name]`
- `[Company Name]: Required Safety Information`
- `Action Required: [Company Name] Account Security`

**❌ Avoid these red flags:**
- `URGENT: IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!!!`
- `You've Been Breached - Click Here Now`
- `Final Notice` (when it's the first notice)

### Email Body Guidelines

**Keep it minimal:**
```
📧 MANDATED EMAIL TEMPLATE STRUCTURE

From: Company Name Security Team <notices@company.com>
Subject: Important Security Notice from Company Name

Dear [Name/Customer],

We are required to notify you that [clear explanation of situation].

What happened: [Brief, factual description]
What we're doing: [Steps being taken]  
What you should do: [Clear instructions]

For more information, log into your account at company.com 
or call us at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.

Sincerely,
Company Name Security Team

This is a required notification. You are receiving this regardless
of your email preferences due to [legal requirement/safety concern].
```

**Content rules:**
- No marketing content whatsoever
- Minimal tracking pixels
- Limit links to essential only
- Use plain text or simple HTML
- Include clear reason for sending

## Sending Strategy: Slow and Steady

### Volume Management

**Spread sends over time:**
```
📊 MANDATED EMAIL TIMELINE

Day 1:    ████                    (Most engaged users)
Day 2:    ████████                (Active subscribers)  
Day 3:    ████████████            (All valid addresses)
Day 4+:   ████████████████████    (Previously bounced*)

*Only if legally required
```

We recommend spreading out the send over the course of a month if possible. This will ensure you don't spike volume with any ISP. If you have to send quick, then do it for the engaged lists and for the inactive lists just spread those out over the course of a month.

**Why slow sending works:**
- Reduces ISP alarm bells
- Allows monitoring and adjustment
- Gives you time to respond to issues
- Spreads reputation impact

### Audience Segmentation

**Priority sending order:**
1. **Current customers** (most likely to expect emails)
2. **Active subscribers** (recently engaged)
3. **Inactive subscribers** (no recent engagement)
4. **Unsubscribed users** (opted out but still required)
5. **Previously bounced** (only if legally mandated)

## Managing the Aftermath

### Monitor Everything

**Key metrics to watch:**
- Bounce rates (expect 10-30% higher)
- Complaint rates (expect 2-5x normal)
- Delivery rates by ISP
- Support ticket volume

**Set up alerts for:**
- Complaint rate >1%
- Bounce rate >15%  
- Delivery failures to major ISPs
- Blacklist additions

### Damage Control

**If things go wrong:**
```
🚨 MANDATED EMAIL CRISIS RESPONSE

Hour 1: Stop additional sends if possible
Hour 2: Contact affected ISPs directly  
Day 1:  Assess reputation damage
Week 1: Adjust future sending practices
Month 1: Resume normal sending gradually
```

**Common issues and fixes:**
- **High bounce rate:** Clean list for future sends
- **Spam complaints:** Add clearer explanation in future emails  
- **Blocklist issues:** Contact blocklist operators with explanation (most are reasonable in regards to delisting, such as Spamhaus — be professional and polite)
- **Delivery blocks:** Work with ISP postmaster teams

## Real-World Examples

### ✅ Good: Financial Institution Breach Notice

```
From: "SecureBank Security Team" <security@securebank.com>
Subject: Important Security Update from SecureBank

Dear Account Holder,

We are required by law to notify you of a security incident 
that may have affected your account information.

What happened: On [date], we discovered unauthorized access 
to our customer database.

What was accessed: Names, email addresses, phone numbers. 
NO financial information or account numbers were accessed.

What we're doing: We've secured the vulnerability, contacted 
law enforcement, and are providing free credit monitoring.

What you should do: 
1. Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity
2. Consider changing your online banking password
3. Call us at 1-800-XXX-XXXX with questions

Visit securebank.com/security-update for detailed information.

This notification is required by state and federal law. You are 
receiving this regardless of your communication preferences.
```

**Why this works:**
- Clear sender identification
- Factual, non-alarmist tone
- Specific information
- Clear next steps
- Explains why everyone got it

### ❌ Bad: Tech Company "Emergency" Update

```
From: "TechCorp URGENT" <emergency@newdomain-tech.com>
Subject: CRITICAL: Your Account is at RISK!!!

ATTENTION ALL USERS!!!

YOUR ACCOUNT MAY BE COMPROMISED! CLICK HERE IMMEDIATELY 
to secure your information before it's too late!

We've discovered a MASSIVE security breach and need you 
to ACT NOW! Don't wait - CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

>>> SECURE MY ACCOUNT NOW <<<
(Goes to suspicious-looking domain)

This is an EMERGENCY communication! Forward to friends!
```

**Why this fails:**
- Looks like phishing/spam
- New domain raises suspicion  
- All caps creates panic
- Suspicious links
- No clear company identification

## Advanced Strategies for Large Organizations

### Multiple Communication Channels

**Don't rely on email alone:**
- Website banners
- SMS notifications  
- Postal mail for serious breaches
- Social media announcements
- Traditional media for major recalls

### Risk-Based Segmentation

**Tailor approach by user risk level:**
```
🔴 HIGH RISK: Recently active users
   ➜ Email immediately, minimal content

🟡 MEDIUM RISK: Inactive but valid users  
   ➜ Email with more context/explanation

🟢 LOW RISK: Long-inactive/bounced users
   ➜ Consider alternative communication methods
```

### Legal Coordination

**Work with your legal team on:**
- Required language and disclaimers
- Timing requirements by jurisdiction
- Documentation for compliance
- Alternative communication methods

## Tools and Resources

### Email Authentication Checkers
- [AboutMyEmail](https://aboutmy.email/): Complete email testing
- [MXToolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/): DNS and blacklist checking
- [DMARC Analyzer](https://www.dmarcanalyzer.com/): Authentication monitoring

### M3AAWG Resources
- [M3AAWG Best Practices for Sending Mandated Emails](https://www.m3aawg.org/SendingMandatedEmailsBP)
- [M3AAWG Sender Best Common Practices](https://www.m3aawg.org/documents/en/m3aawg-sender-best-common-practices-version-30)
- [M3AAWG Email Authentication Best Practices](https://www.m3aawg.org/sites/default/files/m3aawg-email-authentication-recommended-best-practices-09-2020.pdf)

## Implementation Checklist

### ✅ Pre-Send Checklist

**Technical Setup:**
- [ ] Dedicated subdomain configured
- [ ] SPF, DKIM, DMARC set up
- [ ] TLS enabled on sending servers
- [ ] Separate IP pool (if available)

**Coordination:**
- [ ] Legal team consulted
- [ ] ISPs notified 48+ hours ahead
- [ ] Support team prepared for inquiries
- [ ] Alternative communication channels ready

**Content:**
- [ ] Clear, factual subject line
- [ ] Minimal, essential content only
- [ ] No marketing/promotional content
- [ ] Clear explanation for sending
- [ ] Contact information included

### ✅ During Send Checklist

**Monitoring:**
- [ ] Real-time delivery monitoring
- [ ] Bounce/complaint rate alerts set
- [ ] Support ticket volume tracked
- [ ] ISP delivery status checked

**Volume Management:**
- [ ] Sending spread over multiple days
- [ ] Priority audiences sent first
- [ ] Pausing capability ready
- [ ] Throttling adjusted as needed

### ✅ Post-Send Checklist

**Damage Assessment:**
- [ ] Final delivery/bounce rates analyzed
- [ ] Reputation impact measured
- [ ] Blacklist status checked
- [ ] ISP relationships maintained

**Recovery Planning:**
- [ ] Regular sending schedule adjusted
- [ ] List cleaning completed
- [ ] Lessons learned documented
- [ ] Future process improvements planned

## The Bottom Line

Mandated emails are a necessary evil. You can't avoid sending them, but you can minimize the damage by:

1. **Treating them as emergency communications**, not marketing
2. **Coordinating with ISPs** before sending
3. **Using separate infrastructure** to isolate impact
4. **Keeping content minimal** and factual
5. **Monitoring everything** and responding quickly

**Remember:** The goal isn't perfect deliverability—it's getting legally required information to people while minimizing long-term reputation damage.

When in doubt, err on the side of transparency and simplicity. Your recipients' safety is more important than your open rates.

---

*Based on M3AAWG Best Practices for Sending Mandated Emails to Large Audiences. For the latest guidance, visit [www.m3aawg.org](https://www.m3aawg.org/SendingMandatedEmailsBP).* 

Data breach? Product recall? Legal notice required? Sometimes you have no choice but to email everyone—including people who unsubscribed years ago. Here's how to send those high-stakes, legally mandated emails without tanking your sender reputation.

How to Send Mandated Emails Without Destroying Your Reputation

Google just updated their email guidelines with specific rules about display names. Get this wrong, and your emails may struggle to reach Gmail inboxes—even if everything else is perfect.

Here's what you need to know, explained simply.

## Quick Summary: What's Happening?

Google now enforces strict rules about email display names (the "From" name recipients see). Break these rules, and your deliverability suffers—especially for commercial and bulk emails.

**The key rule:** Your display name must identify WHO you are, not WHAT you're saying.

**The good news:** These changes are easy to implement—just update your email settings, especiall if you're a Bento customer.

## Why Should You Care?

Your display name is the first thing recipients see. Google's cracking down on senders who abuse this space to trick people into opening emails.

**What happens if you ignore this:**
- Lower deliverability to Gmail accounts
- Emails land in spam instead of inbox
- Damaged sender reputation
- Lost revenue from failed campaigns

## The Rules: What's Allowed vs. What's Not

### ✅ GOOD Display Names
These clearly identify the sender:
- `Acme Corporation`
- `Sarah from Acme`
- `Acme Support Team`
- `Acme Newsletter`

### ❌ BAD Display Names
These try to trick or mislead:
- `Important Update ---------- From Acme`
- `TIME IS RUNNING OUT (SALE)`
- `[Product/News] Alert`
- `URGENT REQUEST`
- `Last Chance`

## The Three Cardinal Sins

### 1. Don't Put Subject Lines in Display Names
**Why people do it:** To grab attention in crowded inboxes.
**Why it's bad:** It's deceptive and breaks Gmail's guidelines.

**Examples to avoid:**
- `FINAL NOTICE - Company Name`
- `50% OFF TODAY ONLY`
- `Action Required: Your Account`

**Do this instead:**
- Use your actual company/sender name
- Put urgent info in the subject line where it belongs

### 2. Don't Pretend It's a Personal Message
**Why people do it:** To increase open rates by faking familiarity.
**Why it's bad:** It's misleading and erodes trust.

**Examples to avoid:**
- `[recipient's first name] <info@company.com>`
- `User (2)` (implying multiple messages)
- `Re: Your Question` (when it's not a reply)

**Do this instead:**
- Use consistent sender names
- Build real relationships, not fake ones

### 3. Don't Use Weird Characters or Emojis
**Why people do it:** To stand out visually.
**Why it's bad:** It looks spammy and unprofessional.

**Examples to avoid:**
- `🔴 LATEST UPDATE`
- `★★★ Special Offer ★★★`
- `M̲A̲I̲L̲ M̲E̲` (underlined characters)
- `[1] New Message` (fake notification badges)

**Do this instead:**
- Use clean, professional display names
- Let your content quality drive engagement

## Real-World Examples: Before & After

### E-commerce Store
❌ **Before:** `🛍️ SALE ENDS TODAY - ShopName`
✅ **After:** `ShopName`

### SaaS Company
❌ **Before:** `[Action Required] BillingAlert`
✅ **After:** `Acme Billing Team`

### Newsletter
❌ **Before:** `📰 Daily News You Need`
✅ **After:** `TechNews Daily`

### Customer Support
❌ **Before:** `URGENT: Ticket #12345`
✅ **After:** `Acme Support`

## Implementation Checklist

### ✅ Step 1: Audit Your Current Display Names
Check all your email streams:
- Marketing campaigns
- Transactional emails
- Support messages
- Automated notifications

### ✅ Step 2: Update Non-Compliant Names
In your email service provider:
1. Go to sender settings
2. Update "From Name" field
3. Remove any subject-like content
4. Keep it simple and honest

### ✅ Step 3: Create Naming Standards
Document your approach:
- `[Company Name]` for general emails
- `[Name] from [Company]` for personal outreach
- `[Company] [Department]` for specific teams

### ✅ Step 4: Test Your Changes
Send test emails to:
- Your own Gmail account
- Team members
- Email testing tools

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

### ❌ "But my open rates will drop!"
Good display names build long-term trust. Tricks might boost short-term opens but damage your reputation.

### ❌ "Everyone else does it"
Google's actively enforcing these rules. What worked yesterday might fail tomorrow.

### ❌ "It's just marketing emails"
These rules apply to ALL emails—transactional, marketing, and support.

## Quick Wins: Fix These Today

1. **Remove ALL CAPS** from display names
2. **Delete emojis** and special characters
3. **Remove action words** like "URGENT" or "IMPORTANT"
4. **Standardize names** across all email types

## The Psychology Behind Good Display Names

**Build Trust:** `Acme Corporation` feels legitimate
**Set Expectations:** `Acme Newsletter` tells them what it is
**Create Recognition:** Consistent names build brand awareness

## Tools to Test Your Display Names

- Send test emails to Gmail and check how they appear
- Use AboutMy.email to check rendering of your email
- Monitor your sender reputation dashboards

## The Bottom Line

Google's display name guidelines aren't about limiting creativity—they're about honesty in email. By using clear, accurate display names, you're not just following rules; you're respecting your recipients and building a sustainable email program.

**Remember:** Your display name is your digital handshake. Make it firm, professional, and honest.

---

*Pro tip: When in doubt, ask yourself: "Does this display name honestly identify who I am?" If the answer is no, change it.* 

Google just updated their email guidelines with specific rules about display names. Get this wrong, and your emails may struggle to reach Gmail inboxes—even if everything else is perfect.

Google's New Email Display Name Rules: Don't Let Your Name Tank Your Deliverability

Google has new email display name rules

If you send bulk emails to Outlook, Hotmail, or Live.com addresses, Microsoft has new rules starting May 5, 2025. Miss these requirements, and your emails will struggle to reach your customers' inboxes (some may be rejected entirely).

Here's everything you need to know, explained in plain English.

## Quick Summary: What's Happening?

Starting **May 5, 2025**, Microsoft will reject emails from bulk senders (5,000+ emails/day) that don't meet their authentication requirements. This affects anyone sending to:
- @outlook.com
- @hotmail.com  
- @live.com

**The good news:** If you already comply with Gmail and Yahoo's requirements from 2024, you're mostly set. Just a few Microsoft-specific tweaks needed.

**The great news (if you're a Bento customer):** We've already implemented these requirements for you. You don't need to do anything other than visit the DNS dashboard and check you've added everything.

## Why Should You Care?

Think of email authentication like showing your ID at a secure building. Without proper ID (authentication), you can't get in. Starting May 5th, Microsoft is becoming that strict security guard who won't let you pass without proper credentials.

**What happens if you ignore this:**
- Your emails get rejected with error: `550; 5.7.515 Access denied`
- Your customers don't receive important emails like password resets, order confirmations, or marketing emails
- Your email reputation suffers
- You lose revenue from failed email campaigns

## Who This Affects

You're a "bulk sender" if you send **5,000+ emails per day** to Microsoft consumer domains. This includes:

- **All emails from your domain count together.** If marketing@company.com sends 3,000 and support@company.com sends 2,500, that's 5,500 total.
- **Bounced emails count too.** Even failed deliveries add to your total.
- **Business emails (like company@microsoft365.com) are NOT affected** (yet).

### Real Example:
An e-commerce company with multiple departments:
- Marketing team: 2,000 emails/day
- Order confirmations: 1,500 emails/day  
- Customer support: 1,000 emails/day
- Abandoned cart reminders: 800 emails/day
**Total: 5,300 emails/day = Bulk sender**

## The Requirements: Explained Simply

### 1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
**What it is:** A list of servers/IPs allowed to send email for your domain.

**Think of it like:** A guest list at an exclusive party. If the bouncer (Microsoft) doesn't see your server on the list, you can't get in.

**What you need to do:** Update your SPF record to include every provider that sends email for you.

**What you need to do (if you're a Bento customer):** If you've added your DNS records, we've already handled this automatically for you. It is done elegantly so won't clash with your existing SPF records.

### 2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)  
**What it is:** A digital signature proving your email hasn't been tampered with.

**Think of it like:** A wax seal on an old letter. If the seal is broken, you know someone messed with it.

**What you need to do:** Set up signing keys in your DNS and configure your email system to sign messages.

**What you need to do (if you're a Bento customer):** If you've added your DNS records, we've already handled this automatically for you. 

### 3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication)
**What it is:** Instructions telling Microsoft what to do if your email fails SPF or DKIM checks.

**Think of it like:** Instructions to the bouncer: "If someone claims to be from my company but isn't on the list, don't let them in."

**What you need to do:** Create a DMARC policy (minimum p=quarantine) that aligns with SPF or DKIM.

## Timeline: Mark Your Calendar

```
📅 May 5, 2025
├─ Authentication requirements enforced
├─ Non-compliant emails REJECTED (not just filtered)
└─ Error: 550; 5.7.515 Access denied

⏰ NOW
└─ Start preparing immediately
```

## Step-by-Step Compliance Checklist

### ✅ Step 1: Check Your Current Status
Use free tools to verify your authentication:
- [AboutMyEmail](https://aboutmy.email/)
- [DMARC Analyzer](https://www.dmarcanalyzer.com/)
- [MXToolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/emailhealth.aspx)

### ✅ Step 2: Set Up SPF (not required for Bento customers)
1. List all services that send email for you (ESP, CRM, etc.)
2. Create SPF record: `v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all`
3. Add to your DNS as a TXT record
4. Test using: `nslookup -type=txt yourdomain.com`

### ✅ Step 3: Configure DKIM (not required for Bento customers)
1. Generate DKIM keys (your email provider usually helps)
2. Add public key to DNS
3. Enable DKIM signing in your email system
4. Verify signatures are working

### ✅ Step 4: Implement DMARC
1. Start with: `v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com`
2. Add as TXT record to `_dmarc.yourdomain.com`
3. Monitor reports to ensure alignment
4. Gradually increase to p=quarantine or p=reject

### ✅ Step 5: Additional Best Practices
- **Valid From/Reply-To addresses:** No more "noreply@" - use real, monitored addresses — if your address bounces you'll run into issues (IMPORTANT).
- **Easy unsubscribe:** Clear, visible unsubscribe links in every marketing email
- **List hygiene:** Remove bounced and inactive addresses regularly
- **Honest subject lines:** No clickbait or misleading headers

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

### ❌ "I'll just use noreply@ addresses"
Microsoft wants real addresses that can receive replies. Consider using:
- `hello@company.com`
- `support@company.com`
- `feedback@company.com`

### ❌ "My ESP handles everything"
Even if you use Mailchimp, SendGrid, etc., YOU must set up DMARC in your DNS.

### ❌ "I'll wait until May to start"
Authentication setup can take weeks to properly configure and test. Start now.

## What Happens If You're Not Ready?

Starting May 5, 2025, non-compliant emails will see:
```
550; 5.7.515 Access denied, sending domain [YourDomain.com] 
does not meet the required authentication level.
```

Your emails won't reach recipients. Period.

## Tools & Resources

### Testing Tools:
- **SPF Check:** [SPF Record Checker](https://mxtoolbox.com/spf.aspx)
- **DKIM Validator:** [DKIM Record Checker](https://mxtoolbox.com/dkim.aspx)
- **DMARC Tester:** [DMARC Record Checker](https://mxtoolbox.com/dmarc.aspx)

### Email Service Provider Guides:
- [SendGrid Authentication Guide](https://docs.sendgrid.com/ui/account-and-settings/how-to-set-up-domain-authentication)
- [Mailchimp Authentication Guide](https://mailchimp.com/help/set-up-custom-domain-authentication-dkim-and-spf/)
- [Amazon SES Authentication Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ses/latest/dg/send-email-authentication.html)

Or, if you're a Bento customer, pop into your dashboard and click "Sender Authentication" to go through our tailored guide.

## FAQs

### Q: Do these rules apply to transactional emails?
**A:** Yes, if you send 5,000+ emails/day total. However, one-click unsubscribe is only required for marketing emails. We still recommend setting it up for all emails just to be safe.

### Q: What if I send less than 5,000 emails/day?
**A:** You're not required to comply, but following these practices improves deliverability anyway.

### Q: Can I get an extension past May 5?
**A:** No. Microsoft has been clear about the deadline.

### Q: Do subdomains count separately?
**A:** No. Email from news.company.com and support.company.com count together toward the 5,000 limit.

## Quick Wins: Start Here

If you're overwhelmed, start with these three actions today:

1. **Check your current authentication across any provider that sends email for you** using Aboutmy.email.
2. **Contact your email service provider** about their Microsoft compliance
3. **Set up DMARC monitoring** (even at p=none) to see who's sending as you. If you use something like Cloudflare this could be as simple as 1-click.

## The Bottom Line

Microsoft's new requirements aren't just bureaucracy—they're about making email safer for everyone. By implementing proper authentication, you're not just avoiding rejection; you're building trust with your recipients and protecting your brand.

**Remember:** May 5, 2025 isn't a suggestion—it's a deadline. Start preparing now.

---

*Need help? Most email service providers offer authentication setup assistance. Don't wait until the last minute to ask for help. If you're a Bento customer, you can book a call anytime to step through it.* 

If you send bulk emails to Outlook, Hotmail, or Live.com addresses, Microsoft has new rules starting May 5, 2025. Miss these requirements, and your emails will struggle to reach your customers' inboxes (some may be rejected entirely).

Microsoft's New Email Rules for 2025: What You Need to Know (And Do)

Microsoft has new email rules starting May 5th

Starting with a new domain for email? Finally got the new .com? Planning to ramp up your email volume significantly? Then domain warming isn't optional—it's essential.


Domain Warming: The Complete Guide to Building Email Reputation (2025)

How to warm up a new domain

```
📧 DOMAIN CHOICE FLOWCHART
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│   Your Brand: Example.com   │
├─────────────────────────────┤
│ ✅ Marketing emails:        │
│    offers.example.com       │
│                             │
│ ✅ Transactional emails:    │
│    info.example.com         │
│                             │
│ ❌ Cousin domains:          │
│    example-deals.com        │
└─────────────────────────────┘
```

Choosing the right domain for your email campaigns isn't just a technical decision—it's the foundation of your email deliverability. Get it wrong, and even your best content lands in spam. Get it right, and you build lasting trust with both recipients and email providers.

This guide breaks down the industry's best practices for choosing and setting up email domains, based on the M³AAWG guidelines that major email providers follow.

## Quick Summary: The Golden Rule

**Use subdomains of your main domain. Period.**

If your company is `example.com`, send from:
- `news.example.com`
- `offers.example.com`
- `support.example.com`

Never create "cousin domains" like `example-deals.com` or `get-example-offers.com`. They look like phishing attempts and hurt your deliverability.

## Why Your Domain Choice Matters

Think of email domains like storefronts. Would you trust a Louis Vuitton store in a strip mall called "Luis Vutton Deals"? Neither do spam filters.

```
🏪 DOMAIN TRUST COMPARISON

Main Domain Family         vs.    Cousin Domains
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✅ example.com                   ❌ example-deals.com
✅ offers.example.com            ❌ best-example-offers.com  
✅ news.example.com              ❌ example-newsletter.net

Trust Level: HIGH 📈             Trust Level: LOW 📉
Looks: LEGITIMATE               Looks: SUSPICIOUS
Result: INBOX                   Result: SPAM
```

## The Problem with Cousin Domains

"Cousin domains" are separate domains that look related to your brand but aren't actually connected. They're tempting because they seem clever, but they're email deliverability poison.

### Why People Use Them (And Why They Shouldn't)

**❌ "We need a catchy campaign domain!"**
- `summer-deals-at-example.com`
- `shop-example-now.com`
- `example-exclusive-offers.net`

**Why it fails:** Recipients and spam filters can't verify these domains belong to you. They look exactly like phishing attempts. Often, too, people don't actually redirect the domains to their main domain, so they just go to a dead page.

**✅ Do this instead:**
- `summer.example.com`
- `shop.example.com`
- `offers.example.com`

## The Subdomain Strategy: Your Path to Success

Using subdomains keeps everything under your main domain umbrella while allowing perfect segmentation. Here's how to structure them:

### Email Type → Subdomain Mapping

```
📮 SUBDOMAIN ARCHITECTURE

Your Main Domain: example.com
│
├─📰 Marketing Emails
│  └─ offers.example.com
│  └─ news.example.com
│  └─ updates.example.com
│
├─🛍️ Transactional Emails
│  └─ info.example.com
│  └─ orders.example.com
│  └─ account.example.com
│
├─🌍 Regional Emails
│  └─ uk.example.com
│  └─ eu.example.com
│  └─ asia.example.com
│
└─🏢 Department Emails
   └─ support.example.com
   └─ sales.example.com
   └─ hr.example.com
```

### Why Subdomains Win

1. **Instant Recognition**: Recipients see "example.com" and know it's you
2. **Reputation Inheritance**: Benefits from your main domain's trust
3. **Easy Management**: All under one domain registration
4. **Clear Segmentation**: Different reputation tracking for each type
5. **Professional Appearance**: Looks legitimate to everyone

## Setting Up Your Subdomain Strategy

### Step 1: Map Your Email Streams

First, identify every type of email you send:

```
📊 EMAIL AUDIT WORKSHEET

□ Marketing campaigns (weekly newsletter, promotions)
□ Transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping)
□ Account emails (password resets, welcome emails)
□ Support emails (ticket updates, help responses)
□ Internal emails (employee communications)
```

### Step 2: Assign Logical Subdomains

Match each email type to a clear, descriptive subdomain:

| Email Type | Good Subdomain | Bad Subdomain |
|------------|----------------|---------------|
| Newsletter | news.example.com | x7news.example.com |
| Promotions | offers.example.com | DEALS.example.com |
| Orders | orders.example.com | trans_01.example.com |
| Support | help.example.com | noreply.example.com (though, Outlook don't like no reply addresses now) |

**Pro tip:** Keep subdomain names short, clear, and professional. No weird abbreviations or numbers.

### Step 3: Maintain Consistency Across Headers

Your email headers should align like a perfectly organized closet:

```
📧 ALIGNED EMAIL HEADERS

Return-Path:    bounce@news.example.com
From:           hello@news.example.com
DKIM Signature: d=news.example.com
Reply-To:       feedback@news.example.com

✅ All using news.example.com = ALIGNED
```

Or if using your main domain in the From:

```
📧 ORGANIZATIONALLY ALIGNED

Return-Path:    bounce@bounce.example.com
From:           hello@example.com
DKIM Signature: d=example.com
Reply-To:       support@example.com

✅ All under example.com umbrella = ALIGNED
```

## DNS Setup: Three Ways to Configure

### Option 1: Direct Setup (Full Control)

Best when you manage your own DNS:

```
example.com DNS Records:
├─ news.example.com    TXT  "v=spf1 include:esp.com -all"
├─ news.example.com    MX   10 bounce.esp.com
├─ news.example.com    A    192.0.2.1
└─ selector._domainkey.news.example.com  TXT  "k=rsa; p=..."
```

**Pros:** Complete control, instant updates
**Cons:** More technical knowledge required

### Option 2: CNAME Delegation (Flexible)

Let your ESP manage some records (like is the case with Bento, we manage the DNS for you):

```
example.com DNS Records:
├─ news.example.com    CNAME  sending.your-esp.com
├─ link.news.example.com  CNAME  tracking.your-esp.com
└─ dkim._domainkey.news.example.com  CNAME  dkim.your-esp.com
```

**Pros:** ESP can update without your involvement
**Cons:** Less visibility into changes

### Option 3: NS Delegation (Hands-Off)

Delegate entire subdomain to ESP (rare that you'd do this, but some ESPs handle it this way):

```
example.com DNS Records:
└─ news.example.com    NS    ns1.your-esp.com
                       NS    ns2.your-esp.com
```

**Pros:** Zero maintenance required
**Cons:** Complete loss of control

## Volume Considerations: How Much Can Each Subdomain Handle?

```
📈 SUBDOMAIN VOLUME GUIDELINES

Low Volume (< 10K/month):
└─ Can use one subdomain for all emails

Medium Volume (10K-100K/month):
├─ Separate marketing from transactional
└─ Consider geographic separation

High Volume (100K+/month):
├─ Dedicated subdomain per email type
├─ Geographic subdomains (us.example.com)
├─ Department subdomains
└─ Consider multiple DKIM selectors
```

### The Volume Balancing Act

Each subdomain needs enough volume to build reputation, but not so much it becomes a single point of failure:

```
⚖️ SUBDOMAIN VOLUME BALANCE

Too Few Emails                Too Many Emails
────────────────────────────────────────────
📉 No reputation built        📈 Reputation risk concentrated
🔄 Sporadic sending          🚫 One problem affects all
❓ Unpredictable delivery    💥 Harder to troubleshoot
```

**Sweet spot:** 10,000-500,000 emails/month per subdomain

## Migration Strategy: Moving to Subdomain Structure

Already sending from your main domain or a cousin domain? Here's how to migrate safely:

### Week 1-2: Foundation
```
📅 MIGRATION PHASE 1
1. Set up new subdomain infrastructure
2. Configure authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
3. Test with internal team emails
4. Send to small engaged segment (5%) or go live with a few automations that send low volume
```

### Week 3-4: Transition
```
📅 MIGRATION PHASE 2
1. Move transactional emails first (higher engagement)
2. Gradually increase volume (5% → 25% → 50%)
3. Monitor metrics closely
4. Keep old domain as backup
```

### Week 5+: Completion
```
📅 MIGRATION PHASE 3
1. Move remaining volume to subdomains
2. Set up forwarding from old addresses
3. Update all email templates and systems
4. Celebrate improved deliverability! 🎉
```

## Common Subdomain Mistakes to Avoid

### ❌ The "Kitchen Sink" Subdomain
**Mistake:** Using mail.example.com for EVERYTHING
**Problem:** No segmentation benefits, reputation risk
**Fix:** Separate by email type

### ❌ The "Cryptic Code" Subdomain
**Mistake:** Using esp47.example.com or x3n.example.com
**Problem:** Looks suspicious to recipients
**Fix:** Use clear, descriptive names

### ❌ The "Set and Forget" Subdomain
**Mistake:** Never reviewing subdomain performance
**Problem:** Issues go unnoticed until major problems
**Fix:** Monthly subdomain health checks

## Subdomain Security Best Practices

Protect your subdomains like you protect your main domain:

```
🔒 SECURITY CHECKLIST

□ Set up DMARC for each subdomain
□ Monitor for unauthorized use
□ Use strong DKIM keys (2048-bit)
□ Implement subdomain takeover protection
□ Regular security audits
□ Document all active subdomains
```

## Quick Implementation Guide

### Today (30 minutes):
1. Audit your current sending domains
2. List all email types you send
3. Map email types to proposed subdomains

### This Week (2-3 hours):
1. Check subdomain availability
2. Plan DNS configuration approach
3. Coordinate with your ESP

### Next Two Weeks:
1. Implement DNS changes
2. Test authentication thoroughly
3. Begin gradual migration

## Tools for Success

### Domain Planning:
- **Subdomain mapper:** Plan your structure visually
- **DNS checker:** Verify configurations
- **Authentication validators:** Test SPF/DKIM/DMARC

### Monitoring:
- **Postmaster tools:** Track reputation by subdomain
- **DMARC reports:** Monitor authentication success
- **Engagement metrics:** Compare subdomain performance

## The Psychology of Domain Trust

Recipients make split-second decisions about email legitimacy. Your domain choice influences that decision:

```
🧠 RECIPIENT THOUGHT PROCESS

Sees: offers.nike.com
Thinks: "That's really Nike" ✅

Sees: nike-super-deals.com  
Thinks: "Is this fake?" ❌

Sees: amaz0n.com
Thinks: "Definitely fake!" 🚨
```

## Scaling Your Subdomain Strategy

As your email program grows, your subdomain strategy should evolve:

### Startup Phase (0-50K subscribers):
- 1-2 subdomains maximum
- Focus on authentication basics

### Growth Phase (50K-500K subscribers):
- 3-5 subdomains by email type
- Consider geographic separation

### Enterprise Phase (500K+ subscribers):
- Full subdomain architecture
- Department and regional subdomains
- Multiple DKIM selectors
- Dedicated IP considerations

## The Bottom Line

Your sending domain is your email program's foundation. Cousin domains are like building on quicksand—they might seem stable at first, but they'll eventually sink your deliverability.

By using subdomains of your main domain, you're building on bedrock. It's the strategy that ISPs expect, recipients trust, and successful email programs are built on.

**Remember:** Every major brand uses subdomains for a reason. They work.

---

*Need help planning your subdomain strategy? Start with these three subdomains: news.yourdomain.com for marketing, account.yourdomain.com for transactional, and support.yourdomain.com for customer service. You can always expand or switch to a different subdomain later.*

Choosing the right domain for your email campaigns isn't just a technical decision—it's the foundation of your email deliverability. Get it wrong, and even your best content lands in spam. Get it right, and you build lasting trust with both recipients and email providers.

The Complete Guide to Email Sending Domains: Why Your Choice Matters More Than You Think

How to organize your email sending domains (basic guide)

Getting hit with Microsoft's S3150 or S3140 errors? Your emails are being rejected, customers aren't getting important messages, and you're probably starting to panic.

Don't worry—we've been through this process dozens of times. Here's exactly how to get your IP delisted from Microsoft's blocklist, explained in plain English.

## Quick Summary: What's Happening?

When you see S3150 or S3140 errors, Microsoft has blocked your sending IP address due to suspicious activity or poor sending practices.

It'll look something like this in your bounce logs: 550 5.7.1 Unfortunately, messages from [X.XXX.XX.XXX] weren't sent. Please contact your Internet service provider since part of their network is on our block list (S3150). You can also refer your provider to http://mail.live.com/mail/troubleshooting.aspx#errors. [Name=Protocol Filter Agent]. 

Microsoft isn't super transparent about the reason they issue both of these errors, but it's often for the following reasons: 

```
⚠️  THE SITUATION:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Error S3150: IP blocked because it's some limit (i.e sending abnormal volumes of emails)  │
│ Error S3140: Reputation-based blocking (i.e too many complaints or bounces)     │
│ Result: Emails REJECTED to Outlook/Hotmail │
│ Impact: Lost revenue + frustrated customers │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

**The good news:** Microsoft's delisting process works, but you need to approach it correctly.

**The great news (if you're a Bento customer):** We handle IP reputation management for you and can often resolve these issues fast given our experience dealing with this often.

## Understanding S3150 vs S3140 Errors

### S3150: Policy-Based Blocking
**What it means:** Your IP violated Microsoft's sending policies. This doesn't necessarily mean you're doing something wrong, but it's a sign that Microsfot does want you to reach out to tell them what exactly you're doing. 

**Common causes:**
- Sudden volume spikes without proper warming
- Scaling up volume too quickly
- Sending a lot of different domains on that IP address

### S3140: Reputation-Based Blocking  
**What it means:** Your IP's is sending low quality email (aka spam).

**Common causes:**
- Consistent low engagement rates
- High bounce rates over time
- Sending patterns that look suspicious
- Association with other poor-reputation IPs

```
📊 ERROR BREAKDOWN:
┌─────────┬────────────────────────────────────┐
│ S3150   │ 🚫 Policy violation (more serious) │
│         │ Usually requires human review      │
├─────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ S3140   │ 📉 Reputation issue (recoverable)  │
│         │ Often auto-resolved with good data │
└─────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## The Microsoft Delisting Process: Step-by-Step

### ✅ Step 1: Stop the Bleeding (Do This First)
Before contacting Microsoft, fix the underlying issues:

**Immediate actions:**
- Pause (or throttle) all email traffic from the affected IP
- Clean your email list (remove bounces, unengaged contacts)
- Review recent sending patterns for anomalies
- Check spam complaint rates
- Lock down all your sign up forms.
- Implement double opt in. 

Basically, you just want to make sure people getting your email actually want to get your email. You don't want to be sending to bots or have your forms abused by spammers. The latter is often a reason for an S3140.

**Bonus:**
- Read our [deliverability guide](https://bentonow.com/deliverability) and check as many boxes as possible. 

### ✅ Step 2: Gather Your Data
Microsoft wants specifics. Collect this information:

```
📋 REQUIRED INFORMATION:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ✓ Blocked IP address                        │
│ ✓ Date/time of first error                  │
│ ✓ Sample of rejected emails (headers)       │
│ ✓ Your sending volume history               │
│ ✓ Steps taken to fix the issue              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

You may need to work with your ESP to get this information.

### ✅ Step 3: Submit Your Delisting Request
Use Microsoft's official sender support form:

**Where to go:** [https://sender.office.com/](https://sender.office.com/) if you are seeing bounces on Outlook (365 - paid) accounts and [https://olcsupport.office.com/](https://olcsupport.office.com/) if you are seeing bounces on Outlook (free - hotmail.com, outlook.com) accounts.

**What to include in your request:**
- Professional, concise explanation
- Acknowledgment of the issue
- Specific steps you've taken to fix it
- Commitment to better practices going forward

### ✅ Step 3.5: Reply to the automated email

You may get an automated email back saying nothing is wrong. Their systems don't seem to automatically check for S3150 errors, so you have to reply to them and get someone manually to review your case. 

### ✅ Step 4: Write an Effective Delisting Request

Here's a template that works:

```
Subject: IP Delisting Request - [Your IP Address] - S3140

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I am requesting delisting for IP address [X.X.X.X] which is currently 
receiving S3140 errors when sending to Microsoft domains.

Issue Details:
- First noticed: [Date/Time]
- Error type: S3140
- Affected domains: outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com
- Sending domains: example.com, example.net, example.org

Root Cause Analysis:
[Brief explanation of what caused the issue - be honest]
i.e "During the month of May, someone spammed our form with thousands of emails, which we've cleaned up and are now implementing double opt in ..." 

Corrective Actions Taken:
1. Paused all email campaigns from this IP
2. Cleaned email list (removed X unengaged contacts)
3. Implemented stricter list hygiene practices
4. [Other specific actions]

Preventive Measures:
1. Enhanced monitoring of engagement metrics
2. Improved list cleaning procedures
3. Volume ramping protocols for future campaigns
4. [Other ongoing improvements]

We take email deliverability seriously and are committed to maintaining 
best practices. Please let me know if you need additional information.

Best regards,
[Your name and company]
```

Or, if it's a S3150 and you're asking for mitigation, you can use this template: 

```
Subject: IP Mitigation Request - [Your IP Address] - S3150

Dear Microsoft Support Team,

I am requesting mitigation for IP address [X.X.X.X] which is currently 
receiving S3150 errors when sending to Microsoft domains.

Issue Details:
- First noticed: [Date/Time]
- Error type: S3150
- Affected domains: outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com
- Sending domains: example.com, example.net, example.org

Root Cause Analysis:
[Brief explanation of what caused the issue - be honest]
i.e "During the month of May, we increased our sending volume on this list from 500 per day to 5,000 per day ... we believe this may have caused the block and are requesting mitigation to allow us to increase our email volume to your servers. Our expected volume for the next 30 days is 5,000 per day and will increase to 10,000 per day in June."

We are following best practices in regards to: 
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC

We take email deliverability seriously and are committed to maintaining 
best practices. Please let me know if you need additional information.

Best regards,
[Your name and company]
```

Additionally, include your phone number and email address in the request. More information is always better for the support agent to see you are a legitimate business and not a spammer.

### ✅ Step 5: Follow Up Appropriately
**Timeline expectations:**
- Initial response: 4-8 hours
- Resolution: 12-24 hours.
- Complex cases: Up to 2 weeks

**Follow-up rules:**
- Be professional and patient
- Provide additional information if requested
- Don't spam their support system

## Common Mistakes That Delay Delisting

### ❌ "It wasn't our fault"
Taking responsibility speeds up the process. Even if the issue wasn't entirely your fault, acknowledge your role and focus on solutions. Even in the case of listbombing, where a spammer is putting emails into your list, you still need to take responsibility as it's a security issue and fix it.

### ❌ Submitting multiple requests
One well-crafted request is better than five rushed ones. Multiple submissions can actually delay your case.

### ❌ Not fixing the underlying issue
Microsoft may check your sending practices before delisting. If the same problems persist, you'll get blocked again quickly.

## Alternative Approaches

There aren't any, you must go through official channels. 

## Prevention: Avoid Future Blocks

### Monitor These Key Metrics
```
🎯 HEALTH METRICS TO WATCH:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Bounce rate:        < 0.5%                    │
│ Complaint rate:     < 0.1%                  │  
│ Engagement rate:    > 20%                   │
│ List growth:        Steady, not sudden      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Best Practices Going Forward
- **Regular list cleaning** (ideally, instantly removing bounces which is something Bento does for you)
- **Double opt-in** for new subscribers
- **Gradual volume increases** when scaling
- **Monitor feedback loops** from major ISPs
- **Maintain proper authentication** (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

## Tools & Resources

### Monitoring Tools:
- **Microsoft SNDS** (Smart Network Data Services)
- **250ok or Validity** for reputation monitoring  

### Microsoft Resources:
- [Sender Support Portal](https://sender.office.com/)
- [Sender Support Portal for Hotmail, Outlook, etc](https://olcsupport.office.com/)
- [Microsoft's Deliverability Guidelines](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/office-365-security/anti-spam-message-headers)

## FAQs

### Q: How long does Microsoft delisting usually take?
**A:** Most requests are resolved within 12-24 hours, though complex cases can take up to 2 weeks.

### Q: Can I still send during the delisting process?
**A:** Your IP will remain blocked until Microsoft removes it. However, you can send from other IPs if available. Be careful that you fix the issue first before rotating IPs as you don't want the issue to spread.

### Q: What if Microsoft denies my delisting request?
**A:** Review their feedback, make additional improvements, and resubmit after addressing their concerns. Sometimes it takes 2-3 attempts.

### Q: Will this happen again?
**A:** Not if you maintain good sending practices. However, reputation requires ongoing maintenance—it's not a "set it and forget it" situation.

## The Bottom Line

Getting blocked by Microsoft is stressful, but it's fixable. The key is taking responsibility, making real improvements, and communicating professionally.

**Remember:** The delisting is just the first step. Long-term success requires ongoing attention to your email practices and reputation management.

**Most importantly:** If you're seeing these errors frequently, it might be time to evaluate your overall email strategy and consider working with specialists who can help prevent future issues.

---

*Need help with Microsoft delisting or want to prevent future blocks? Most email service providers offer deliverability support, and some specialize in Microsoft relationship management.*


Getting hit with Microsoft's S3150 or S3140 errors? Your emails are being rejected, customers aren't getting important messages, and you're probably starting to panic.

Don't worry—we've been through this process dozens of times. Here's exactly how to get your IP delisted from Microsoft's blocklist, explained in plain English.

How to get your IP delisted after a S3150 & S3140 bounce

Every year, around the start of November, we get inundated with emails from people telling us that their emails are landing in the promotions tab instead of the inbox, implying that it's either our fault this is happening or that they can do something to get their emails back into the inbox.

They see the promotions tab as some sort of punishment.

Purgatory for their email sins.

But this couldn't be further from the truth.

Around this time of year, inbox providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, and others tweak their algorithms to help improve the inbox experience for their users. 

You have to think about it from their perspective; almost every brand is coming online to send emails to their subscribers up until Christmas. Those subscribers are getting bombarded non-stop with emails from companies they haven't heard from in months, maybe years!

For the hardcore shopper, this could be up to +500 brands sending daily emails! 

By tweaking the algorithm to push more emails into the promotions tab, they're ensuring that their users see emails that are most important to them and later, when those users are relaxed in a recliner holding a jug of eggnog in one hand and their phone in the other, they can go into the promotions tab and catch up on all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals coming up, helping to contribute to the global e-commerce economy.

Afterall, the majority of emails sent in bulk (i.e., broadcast/campaign emails) are promotional by nature, even if they are not explicitly selling something. On our platform, it is very rare for someone to send an email to tens of thousands of people that is not selling or marketing something.

"Ok, ok, but I still want to get my emails into the inbox! That was happening last month! This period is important to me!"

OK; so what can you do? What do you control here?

From our internal research, we've seen that a lot of the classification of emails has to do with the type of content being sent from specific FROM addresses. We believe that during the holiday period, they change their algorithm to more aggressively classify FROM addresses as promotional, which leads to more emails being put in that tab.

For example, if you send a lot of marketing email from hello@domain.com, then we would expect that the majority of those emails would end up in the promotions tab, even if you were sending transactional emails like password resets from the same address.

That's why it's important to split your different types of emails into different FROM addresses to ensure your customers and users don't miss out on important emails.

newsletter@domain.com for your newsletter emails, billing@domain.com for your billing emails, etc.

When we look into the accounts of customers who have raised tickets with us about being moved to the promotions tab for everything, we often see they're using the same email username (hello@, support@, newsletter@, etc.) across all emails they are sending. Split it up! 

But, importantly, don't try to create new senders in hopes that that will land you in the inbox. You cannot game the algorithm. If you switch up the sender, maybe for a short moment you'll land in the inbox, but when the algorithm detects that you're mass emailing, it'll likely classify that email username as promotional and push all future emails from that sender into the promotions tab.

Worse, if they detect you're trying to game the system (i.e unique FROM address for every email — YES we have seen people attempt this!!!), they'll likely block your domain entirely. 

Additionally, in combination with the above, you can also try updating your content to follow these guidelines: avoid using phrases that imply a purchase or sale, ensure your domain is authenticated with DKIM and SPF records, address recipients by their name, limit the email to one link inside, turn off link tracking, exclude images (especially ones from external sources not aligned with your sending domain), refrain from using RSS campaigns, keep the email concise, and avoid using complex HTML (i.e., use the Bento Shoji editor).

... but even if you do all that, it's not guaranteed that you'll land in the inbox, so it's best not to spend time optimizing for something out of your control and instead focus on sending emails that your users want, expect, and love.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, Gmail has significantly tightened its threshold for what is considered spam recently. In a lot of the private sending communities I'm in, there is chatter from brands who are finding themselves landing in spam more frequently than before and, as a result, witnessing declines in open rates. 

We think they tweak this algorithm to be more aggressive, being OK with potential false positives, mostly to reduce bandwidth consumption caused by such a large influx of emails during the holidays (emails that hit the spam folder do not get scanned or have their links or images proxied/cached). This also explains possibly why open rates decline around this period; yes it could be less people reading emails because they have so many but also we think there's less bot activity requesting links/pixels.

This algorithm change seems to be mostly temporary and reverts back to normal after the holiday season. So, if you are getting spam-foldered, don't worry until January or February (but up until then, maybe clean up your list and follow our deliverability guide? https://bentonow.com/deliverability).

In summary, this season, don't spend time trying to outsmart Google. 

Instead, embrace the promo tab and send great emails to your users.

Discover why emails land in the promotions tab during the holiday season and learn best practices for improving deliverability. Embrace the promo tab and focus on sending valuable emails to your subscribers.

Landing in the Promotions Tab? It's Not Just You, It's the Season!

During the holiday season expect emails to land more in the Promotion tab

It's easy in the chaos of marketing to forget the basics.

One of those basics is just writing a solid email signature. 

We are often lost on what to include in there, so we don't add anything other than our name and an opt-out link.

```
Kind Regards, 
Your Name
Click here to unsubscribe
```

Not very compelling, is it? 

In addition to not being compelling, if your email is ever reviewed by a blocklist provider it's likely you'll get penalized for spam because it looks no different to a cold email which they dislike. It's also missing an address and clear links to our website's privacy policy which you must include in sends.

So, what should our footer look like? 

Here is one that covers all the bases. It's trustworthy, detailed, and is clear to users ... but it's  also devoid of personality so jazz it up a little. 

```
Kind regards,
Your Name

--- 

This is a marketing email from {{ brand }}. You received it because you {{ insert_reason_here }}. Our head office is located at {{ address }}. If you do not want any more marketing emails, {{ visitor.unsubscribe_url | hyperlink: 'click here to unsubscribe' }}, or send an unsubscribe request to the address above. We process all unsubscribes instantly or within a few days getting the mail.

Your privacy is important to us. Please review {{ 'https://example.com' | hyperlink: 'Our Privacy Policy' }}.

To obtain information on how to contact {{ brand }}, visit the web at {{ 'https://example.com/contact' | hyperlink: 'https://example.com/contact' }}. If you have a privacy-related complaint, use our contact page above.

This email has been sent to {{ visitor.email }} and is being sent from {{ author.email }}.

{{ browser_url | hyperlink: 'Read Online' }}
```

The above one can be jazzed up and made fun, but if you want to go completely creative you can take a look at this one included by one of my favourite marketers Daniel Throssell: 

```
🎮 POST-EMAIL GAME MENU
😵 QUIT GAME (UNSUBSCRIBE) ▶️ Sick of these emails? Hate my personality? Can't stand my sense of humour? Honestly, me neither! Hit unsubscribe to stop receiving these emails. (Tip: If you're really angry at me, hit it hard. It probably won't make a difference, but it might help you calm down.)

🧢 NEW GAME ▶️ Did someone forward you this email? Thank them profusely, then start your own adventure at: https://example.com

🏪 COPYMART ▶️ Unlock new and exciting items! Check out the full range of Persuasive Page copywriting training at: https://example.com

🎒 INVENTORY ▶️ Check your currently stocked items & courses in the free Persuasive Page app: https://example.com

🧥 COSTUME ▶️ Gear up for adventure! Customise your character’s outfit with official Persuasive Page merch: https://example.com (AiC subscribers get exclusive pricing on all items! Check your app for details)

❓ HELP! ▶️ App not working? Can't access something you bought? For technical, access or billing issues, contact https://example.com with as much detail as you can, and we will help you out.

🙋‍♂️ #ASKDANIEL ▶️ Got a copywriting question for Daniel? Stuck in a sticky sitch with a client? Hit reply and #AskDaniel! I answer the best Qs in an email each Sunday.

📄 POST-GAME CREDITS & LEGAL ▶️ This email was sent by Daniel Throssell as director of Persuasive Page Pty Ltd. Copyright © 2024 Persuasive Page Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this email may be “swiped”/added to a swipe file, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Persuasive Page Pty Ltd.

💌 SEND MAIL ▶️ Fan mail, death threats and gifts of expensive whisky can be dispatched via messenger kangaroo to:
```

Now that's more like it! Way more fun! 

Your footer doesn't have to be boring, but at the very least it should be compliant and clear. 

Take 30 minutes today and spice up all the authors in your account for better inboxing and less spam reports.

Stuck on a nice, compliant plain text email signature? We got you covered! 

writing a signature on paper dark room ghibli p fc8a48ce-37c9-40a2-b96a-d2ad5f33ac43

Quick Email Signature Examples

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: We have released a [checklist/guide on deliverability](https://bentonow.com/deliverability) which includes our current perspective that our users should implement a Double Opt-In strategy in 2024. It is the best way to ensure that your users are receiving email that is both wanted and expected. This guide is a work in progress and will have more updates to come, please check back later!**

This year, we are prioritizing deliverability as the most important principle at Bento and are aiming to work with all customers to be ahead of the pack.

One area that all users can work on is ensuring that when you send out email it is going to subscribers who both **want and expect** to see your email in their inbox. 

**Sending email that is both wanted and expected is critical when running any email marketing program, more so now than ever before.**

### The Gold Standard

Whilst there are various methods used to build and maintain an email list, one of the best is to implement a Confirmed Opt-In strategy (or more commonly known as Double Opt-In strategy).

It's the one way to ensure that you are building a marketing list of high quality contacts who want to hear from you. 

It is _the_ gold standard when it comes to list building and strongly encouraged by blocklist provides such as [Spamhaus (recommended reading)](https://www.spamhaus.org/faqs/marketing-email/). It is also encouraged by all inbox providers too.

### How does COI/DOI work? 

Once a contact submits an email on your website, whether automatic or manual, you send them an initial email that requests they confirm/consent to further emails. 

Once they click that link or engage, they can then be sent marketing emails. 

If they do not engage, then you can unsubscribe them.

Simple! 

### Why does this work so well?

The internet is filled with bad actors, and those bad actors may submit emails without the permissions of their owners. If you begin to send emails to those users, constantly, you will most likely see an increase in spam complaints and/or a blocklist listing.

This is expensive and time consuming to resolve. 

It will also have an impact on your revenue whilst the issue or blocklist listing persists. In addition to this, a lack of action in 2024 will also see stronger block enforcement from the likes of Google and Yahoo.

### Can't you help fight this spam? 

Over the years, we've tried harder than you could possibly imagine to stop spam sign-ups whether that be the implementation of the Bento Spam API, aggressive rate limiting, and protection of our forms, automatic detection of listbombing attempts, or other strategies. 

There's been a lot of sleepless nights fighting and learning how to block these bad actors, but we will always persist!  

Unfortunately, whilst all those tactics help none of it has been as effective as implementing a Confirmed Opt-In process. There's a reason it's so strongly recommended.

It's truly the only way to ensure that your users are getting the emails they both want and expect.

### Benefits of Confirmed Opt-In and Double Opt-In

Other than being able to sleep well at night, there are many! 

1) By verifying each subscriber, your list becomes cleaner, eliminating inaccuracies such as typo errors in email addresses, which could otherwise inflate your list with non-deliverable contacts.

2) Subscribers who actively confirm their interest are more engaged, leading to higher email open rates over time and, consequently, better deliverability scores. Oh and more revenue! 

3) Implementing this process safeguards your list from fraudulent subscribers, spammers, and automated bots aimed at compromising your email deliverability. A clean list devoid of invalid email addresses ensures genuine subscribers receive your emails and can access your products with ease, maintaining the integrity of your deliverability.

### How to get started with COI and DOI

In Bento, you are able to toggle your account to set all new subscribers to unsubscribed first. You can then set up an automation to send an email based on an event or form submission which requests the users consent. Using a link trigger in the same automation, you can then subscriber (or tag) the user.

Other users prefer to create Confirmed Opt-In flows specific to certain opt-ins or lead magnets. Bento gives you this flexibility, but we encourage you to spend a day or so sitting down to map out every way a user is opted in and ensure that, for your marketing email, those users expect, want, and have consented to those emails.

### Need help? 

As mentioned in the newly created deliverability checklist our team is here and dedicated for every single customer to help them set up an effective double opt-in strategy for their business. Please schedule a call or reach out to support@bentonow.com to talk about ideas to implement today.

In this article, we'll talk about the benefits of Confirmed Opt-In aka Double Opt-In.

backdrop-teaching

Confirmed Opt-In aka Double Opt-In Benefits

Hey, you! Yes you! 

Were you poking around some email headers and noticed one called 'Precedence: Bulk'?

Of course you did, that's why you're here!

Well, let me explain exactly what this header is so you can go about your day.

A few years back, the ISPs (Gmail, Yahoo, etc) began asking email marketers to identify themselves and classify the type of email they were sending upfront (in the email headers).

This was done to help the ISPs process the email quicker and make sure they were landing in the right places.

One of the headers they introduced was called `Precedence`. 

It was a simple header that allowed you to classify the type of email you were sending. 

The most common values were `bulk` and `first-class`. 

The `bulk` value was used for bulk emails, like newsletters or marketing emails. The `first-class` value was used for emails that were more important or time-sensitive, like urgent support, important announcements, or transactional emails (password resets, account confirmations, etc).

You could also include the value `normal`, `urgent`, or `non-urgent` to indicate the urgency of the email. For example, if you were sending an email to a customer service team, you might use the `urgent` value to indicate that the email is time-sensitive and needs to be delivered quickly.

In practice, having sent over a billion emails, we've only seen a difference using `Precedence: Bulk`. ISPs process email so quickly these days that the other options aren't really used anymore and machine learning is mostly doing the heavy lifting for classification.

So, what happens if I include the header?

If you send out a bulk email, with `Precedence: Bulk`, the ISPs will process the email slightly differently and start suppressing all automatic replies. 

This means your inbox won't be flooded with "out of office" messages, and your support email won't accidentally go into an infinite loop. 

As a general rule of thumb, any templated email should include the `Precedence: Bulk` header. Whereas, anything that is sent 1-to-1 like a support ticket or sales message via your CRM should include `Precedence: First-Class` or nothing at all (again, we haven't noticed a difference with inboxing when using this option).

And that's it! That's basically all that header does! 

Whilst there are some theories that it helps with staying out of the spam inbox, in practice we haven't found that to be true. We have some theories that it may help with warming up new IPs but don't have hard data on that being the case.

We hope this helps you understand the `Precedence` header and how it can help you optimize your email marketing efforts. If your email provider is not including this header in their emails, you should raise a ticket with them to see if they can add it for you.

Thanks for reading, and happy emailing!

A few years back, the ISPs (Gmail, Yahoo, etc) began asking email marketers to identify themselves and classify the type of email they were sending upfront (in the email headers). This was done to help the ISPs process the email quicker and make sure they were landing in the right places. Continue reading ... 

stop sign in the middle of an empty road ghibli pas 162bf72e-d563-4a81-97bd-93d756edb13c

What is the Precedence: Bulk header?

Every now and then, we get a support ticket that basically asks, "... my emails keep ending up in the promotions tab! Can you help get them in the inbox?"

"しょうがない! (translated: it can't be helped)", we reply! 

... but that's not entirely true. 

In this post, we'll walk you through how to think of inbox placement and leave you with some steps to take action on.

### Predictability

When it comes to inbox placement, the number one thing to focus on is becoming a predictable brand to inbox providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc).

You want to: 

Send via predictable addresses (and domains).

Send predictable volume through those addresses.

Send predictable content in that volume.

Afterall, inbox providers need to place your email within seconds of it hitting their servers, and they need your help to train them on where to place it. 

Predictability is key.

### Predictable Senders

The MOST significant signal we've noticed influencing inbox placement is the FROM address. 

alerts@example.com

sales@example.com

notifications@example.com

no-reply@example.com

receipt@sales.example.com

Just by glancing at the above emails, I bet you can quickly predict where each of those emails would end up. 

As you send volume through each of these different addresses, you're essentially training the classifiers to place your emails in specific tabs. 

For example, if they see you send 1,000 transactional reciept emails every single day to users from notifications@example.com they'll reliably place you in the updates tab every single time.

Whereas if they see you sending your newsletter every Thursday from newsletter@example.com then they know they can put those in the promotions tab.

But, what happens if you send all your emails from one address (i.e yourname@example.com)?

... then that's when the classifier gets confused. 

Usually, it gets confused and starts to put all your emails in the promotions tab because, by volume, you a probably mostly sending  marketing emails from that address thanks to your newsletter.

This is also why if you use your personal email for all your marketing newsletters, you'll often have people you work with tell you they didn't get your email because it got lost in the wrong tab. 

This used to happen to me a lot until I started sending different types of emails via different FROM addresses.

Recommendation: ensure you're sending each email from a dedicated inbox for each activity. Keep your personal usernames (name@example.com) for your most important emails, and use them sparingly for your newsletter or marketing mail. 

### Predictable Volume

Once you've set up your email inboxes for each specific type of email, you'll want to maintain consistency with your sending volumes. 

This means sticking with the same address for your newsletter each week, and not switching it up with a different address. 

If you need to send from a different user for a specific announcement (like a "Message from the Founder"), we suggest sticking with the same FROM address as always but just tweaking the name ("Jesse Hanley < newsletter@example.com >). Bento allows you to have as many FROM addresses (called Authors in our platform) as you want. 

### Predictable Content

Last, but certainly not least, you'll want to make sure you're sending the same type of content as always from these addresses. 

This will train the classifiers in such a way that they'll reliably put it in the right every single time.

While you can adjust the content to influence where your email will be placed, we believe it often gets overruled by how the FROM address has been classified.

For example, if you've trained the inbox classifier that emails from jesse@bentonow.com are personal and belong in the inbox, avoid sending content that includes words like "sales", "promotion", or "deal". 

This sudden shift in content may change how future emails are classified and could actually land you in spam. 

### Takeaways

Jump into your Bento account today, create separate FROM addresses (we call these "Authors" in Bento) for every type of email you are sending, and update them all. 

We recommend using different usernames as well as different subdomains for each.

Any questions, please ask in our Discord!

Ever wondered how to land in the primary inbox? We've got you covered in this post!

sorting machine

Can You Predict Inbox Placement?

Predicting Inbox Placement

"Hi! Our users are reporting that our emails are going to spam recently and it seems like the IP has been blacklisted, do you mind having a look?"

That's a message we received on our Discord channel last week from a customer. I thought it would be interesting to share how we tackled this issue and found the root cause. Who knows, it might help you improve your own email deliverability!

The customer shared a screenshot showing that our IP address had been blacklisted by Barracuda: 

![CleanShot 2024-03-08 at 15.40.03@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6w6Kat1ZQgYdXTGAEbEcX2/869432fa75a2e65c4d66ebd80c47f6c4/CleanShot_2024-03-08_at_15.40.03_2x.png)

Ouch! 

Now, Barracuda is a big player in the blacklist world, but landing on it isn't necessarily a catastrophe as not everyone uses it. It would particularly impact our customers who had lots of Microsoft Exchange users.

Given I knew this user had a lot of Gmail users, and that's where the complaints were coming from, my first stop in this investigation was Google Postmaster.

Google Postmaster has a handy feature where you can check the reputation of IP addresses; at Bento all of our IP addresses are listed here to monitor. 

The reputation of the questioned IP was marked as "high", which usually means it should be able to deliver emails to Gmail inboxes without a hitch. Google doesn't use Barracuda's blacklist, but usually if I get a listing on Barracuda or another backlist, I'd expect to see a lower reputation score in Postmaster as they are somewhat correlated — but not the case here.

![CleanShot 2024-03-08 at 15.42.31@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3iC5xx5dhIg8GHciPa9Db5/18ecb2c8c3f964b5dec988c13a9ccd08/CleanShot_2024-03-08_at_15.42.31_2x.png)

Next, I sent a few test emails from the customer's email address to myself. I noticed that SPF and DKIM weren't set up correctly, as evidenced by a glaring yellow "BE CAREFUL WITH THIS MESSAGE" banner at the top of the email. Our sending domain was also visible there (via ....) 

![CleanShot 2024-03-08 at 15.46.08@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/Xt3YGYRZwX17Zqpw43MNM/6ce8e0647af3a8a74dd4a6932647baa2/CleanShot_2024-03-08_at_15.46.08_2x.png)

I asked the customer to add the necessary records, thinking that would solve their problem. Afterall, Google and Yahoo were rolling out their new restrictions on email sending and I thought maybe the lack of SPF and DKIM records was the culprit.

They then sent out a resend of their last newsletter. 

A few days later, they reported back that the open rate was still as low as before. 

To my surprise, my test emails were also landing in spam. 

Could it actually be the IP? 

I checked the email performance of a handful of other customers who shared the same IP pool and had sent emails in the past 48 hours. They all had decent open rates, despite the Barracuda listing. 

So, the IP didn't seem to be the culprit. 

Then, I went to this users authors page (a list of addresses they were sending from in their account) and found they were sending from different subdomains and domains.

The customer was sending their newsletter from a subdomain (mail.domain.com). For all their other emails, they were sending from their primary domain (domain.com).

In the world of email marketing, each domain/subdomain combo has its own reputation. It's usually a good idea to send marketing emails from a subdomain to safeguard your primary domain. If you mess up the primary domain, you're in for a world of hurt.

I sent a few test emails from their primary domain and, voila, each one landed in the inbox using the same IP address. Great!

So, the issue seems to be isolated to this subdomain. 

To quadruple-check, I switched this customer to another IP address and sent a few test emails from their subdomain to myself. Same result: all emails still landed in spam. This confirmed that the subdomain was the problem.

I asked the customer to add this subdomain to Google Postmaster. Unfortunately, Google doesn't aggregate subdomains in their reports, so each one you send from needs to be added separately.

And there it was: 

![CleanShot 2024-03-08 at 15.49.48@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6vKqjHM9kbS1eVzoxSRvss/0e0872510a0f922883d0c83f35473813/CleanShot_2024-03-08_at_15.49.48_2x.png)

The subdomain was marked as "bad". 

That was the root cause of the deliverability issues with Gmail. 

So, why did this happen?

My theory is that given Google has been implementing more stringent measures, the customer's email list might have contained a bunch of bad emails (spam traps, dead inboxes, etc) so when they sent out their newsletter, they crossed the daily threshold for negative signals. This dropped the reputation of the subdomain leading to the "bad" marking in Postmaster and thus the emails were all flagged as spam.

The solution? I've asked them to segment out their active users (i.e., users who logged in the last 30 days), and send their future newsletters at a slower pace (maybe over a few days instead of within a few hours). Once Google sees you're a good actor, your reputation will gradually improve from bad to medium to high within 90 days.

This customer could also try spinning up a new subdomain and sending from there but be warned, if you mess up with that one, you risk having your entire domain flagged which is far from ideal. 

At the end of the day, debugging deliverability issues is a process of trial and error. It's also fairly black and white, so you'll need to test thoroughly to figure out the real cause to not landing in the inbox.

If you find you're having deliverability issues, regardless if you're a Bento customer or not, please reach out to support!

A fun story diving into debugging a customer's issue landing in the inbox.

a closed door. ghibli. myster. pastel --ar 32 a1eb1589-af62-4920-9bcf-344127ffe62a

Debugging Deliverability: A Real Life Example

During the onboarding process for our customers, regardless of their size, we strive to ensure that each one receives the best deliverability advice possible.

One key piece of advice we offer is to encourage our users to send emails via a subdomain rather than their root or apex domain. In other words, use @mail.example.com instead of @example.com.

Why is this important? 

Since the beginning of 2024, we've observed a significant increase in a phenomenon known as "list bombing". This is an attack where users upload a large list of emails through unsecured forms with the intent to spam them. The usual objective is to overwhelm an inbox to conceal password resets or to exploit vulnerabilities to get a scam offer into a user's inbox for free, like this one:

![CleanShot 2024-03-13 at 15.09.39@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2KNP4W9RDDbK0fK4dkCUJv/d7abe60b9de9cdeea52564e8e02bb2c9/CleanShot_2024-03-13_at_15.09.39_2x.png) 

If you fall victim to such an attack, you could find your emails landing in spam, or worse, your domain could be blacklisted and take ages to get delisted.

By sending different types of emails via different subdomains, we can mitigate many of these risks.

For instance, just last week, one of our customers had a form spammed with over a million emails. Our platform automatically detected this and stopped sending, but unfortunately, their other email provider that they used for transactional emails did not, and they found themselves on a blacklist for their primary domain, causing significant issues. 

Had that user separated their different email streams across different subdomains, such as @transactional.example.com for their transactional emails on the other provider and @marketing.example.com for their newsletter and automations on Bento, they could have potentially isolated their issue to just one email stream.

In such a scenario, the customer could simply halt the attack, switch to a different subdomain/provider, and continue doing business as usual.

An important note: only rotate the domain/subdomain once you have confirmed the attack has stopped. Incorrectly doing this could blacklist the entire domain. Additionally, you may need to gradually warm up this new subdomain as it'll have a fresh reputation with inbox providers.

Need ideas for the types of subdomains you should use? Here are some suggestions!

**Transactional Emails**
notifications.example.com
orders.example.com
auth.example.com

**Marketing Emails**
updates.example.com
newsletter.example.com
changelog.example.com

Finally, once you have the above setup and all your SPF/DKIM records added, we recommend setting up a global catch-all for email replies. This ensures that when customers reply to these emails, their responses find their way to a support inbox for your team to respond to. Most hosting providers haave an easy way to set this up, so you can do it in a few minutes.

We hope this advice helps safeguard your email deliverability in the future! 

As always, if you have any questions, please ask in our Discord.

During the onboarding process for our customers, regardless of their size, we strive to ensure that each one receives the best deliverability advice possible.

One key piece of advice we offer is to encourage our users to send emails via a subdomain rather than their root or apex domain. In other words, use @mail.example.com instead of @example.com.

emails flying into a computer ghibli pastel colours c867b561-a4ee-44de-abe3-4f07bc773b11

Should I Use Subdomains For Sending Email?

Standing out in a crowded inbox has become more of a creative challenge than a straightforward task. 

As consumers grow savvier and inboxes get more crowded, the need for innovative, sales-oriented email campaigns has never been greater. 

Let's dive into three unique campaign ideas that go beyond the conventional newsletter or flash sale, offering fresh concepts, strategies, and actionable steps for implementation. 

These creative endeavors aim not just to capture attention but to convert curiosity into sales, fostering a deeper connection with your audience along the way.

### **1. "Behind the Scenes" Access Campaign**

**Concept:** Everyone loves feeling like an insider, privy to information that's not available to the general public. This campaign pulls back the curtain on your products or services, offering subscribers an exclusive look at the making, the effort, and the love that goes into them. Whether it's a sneak peek into your manufacturing process, a day in the life of your product development team, or the story behind your latest collection, this approach adds depth and personality to your brand.

**Strategy:** The goal here is to build a narrative around your products that resonate on a personal level with your subscribers. Use vivid storytelling, engaging visuals, and direct quotes from team members to bring your "behind the scenes" to life. This campaign not only humanizes your brand but also showcases the value and craftsmanship of your offerings, making them more desirable.

**Implementation:** Start by identifying a product or collection that has an interesting story or process behind it. Create a multi-part email series that gradually unveils this story, building anticipation with each installment. Include high-quality images, videos, or even GIFs to visually engage your readers. Consider offering an exclusive pre-order or a special discount for subscribers at the end of the series to turn their newfound interest into a purchase.

### **2. "Choose Your Adventure" Email**

**Concept:** Inspired by the choose-your-own-adventure books, this campaign turns the shopping experience into an interactive journey. Subscribers make choices within the email that lead them down different paths, each tailored to their interests and preferences. This approach not only engages customers in a novel way but also provides valuable insights into their preferences based on the choices they make.

**Strategy:** Map out a simple decision tree that starts with a broad question or choice and branches out into more specific paths. Each decision point should offer insights into subscriber preferences, guiding them toward products they're likely to be interested in. The adventure could end with a personalized product recommendation or a curated selection based on their choices.

**Implementation:** Use email marketing software that supports conditional logic or interactive elements. The initial email could ask subscribers to choose between two styles, product categories, or themes. Based on their choice, subsequent emails guide them further down the path, culminating in a highly personalized product recommendation. Make sure each "adventure" ends with a clear call to action, encouraging subscribers to explore the recommended products on your site.

### **3. "Mystery Box" Sale Campaign**

**Concept:** Everyone loves a good mystery, especially when it promises value and excitement. This campaign tantalizes subscribers with the prospect of purchasing a mystery box filled with products at a significant discount. The catch? The contents remain a secret until the box arrives. This concept plays on the thrill of the unknown and the allure of getting more bang for their buck.

**Strategy:** The aim is to create buzz and anticipation around the mystery box sale. Highlight the potential value of the box compared to the purchase price, and tease the quality and variety of products that could be inside. You can segment your audience and tailor the mystery box themes to different customer interests, increasing the campaign's relevance and appeal.

**Implementation:** Launch the campaign with a teaser email that introduces the mystery box concept and hints at the potential contents and value. Follow up with a few reminder emails that ramp up the excitement, perhaps sharing testimonials from customers who loved their mystery boxes in the past. Limit the availability of the boxes to enhance the sense of urgency and exclusivity. After the sale, encourage buyers to share their unboxing experiences on social media, creating user-generated content that can fuel future campaigns.

---

Creative sales-oriented email campaigns like these can invigorate your marketing strategy, turning routine promotions into engaging experiences that delight and convert. 

By tapping into the power of storytelling, interactivity, and a bit of mystery, you can capture your audience's imagination and drive meaningful engagement that translates into sales. 

Remember, the key to success lies in knowing your audience well and crafting campaigns that resonate with their desires, preferences, and behaviors. So, let your creativity flow, and watch your email marketing transform into a compelling journey that your subscribers look forward to joining.

One of the biggest challenges of email marketing is trying to make a creative and unique campaign that will stand out in the inboxes of your subscribers. To help you with this, we offer you ideas for three different campaigns you have not tried yet, but that will stand out. 

warehouse packing orders ghibli and studio ghibli o 660258e6-d42e-4cf3-8227-ece298e89a5c

Beyond the Inbox:  Three Fun and Engaging Promotional Email Campaigns You Haven't Tried Yet

Beyond the Inbox: 3 Promotional Email Campaigns You Haven't Tried Yet

Email marketing isn't just about sending messages; it's about forging a journey with your customers that feels personal, engaging, and rewarding at every step. 

From the first spark of discovery to the warm embrace of loyalty, each phase of the customer lifecycle offers a unique opportunity to deepen the relationship between your brand and its audience. Let’s walk through this journey, applying a blend of insightful strategies and practical examples to ensure each customer feels valued and understood.

### Awareness: Crafting the Perfect Welcome

Imagine meeting someone for the first time. You'd want to make a great impression, right? That's what the awareness stage is all about in email marketing. It's your chance to introduce your brand in a way that resonates personally with new acquaintances.

**Strategic Welcome Series:** Kick things off with a welcome email that not only thanks new subscribers for joining but also differentiates between those who have already made a purchase and those who haven't. For first-time buyers, acknowledge their purchase and offer additional insights or benefits related to their buy. For new subscribers, introduce your brand’s story, mission, and what sets you apart, perhaps enticing them with a special offer to encourage that first purchase. This personalized approach ensures every subscriber feels immediately recognized and valued.

### Consideration: Nurturing With Precision

Now, your guests are contemplating the menu, deciding what to try. This is where you get personal, using automated emails to guide their choices based on their interests and behaviors.

**Behavior-Triggered Automations:** Employ automation to send detailed information on products they've shown interest in, alongside how-to guides or videos that spotlight the unique benefits of your offerings. Tailoring this content based on their interactions with your site ensures each message hits home, making them feel seen and understood.

### Acquisition: Encouraging the Leap

Acquisition isn't just the result of effective messaging in the earlier stages; it's also a direct outcome of targeted email strategies that understand and leverage the customer's readiness to commit.

**Conversion-Centric Flows:** Analyze which aspects of your awareness and consideration emails most frequently precede a purchase. Use this insight to craft targeted messages that highlight these key conversion drivers, whether they're limited-time offers, product benefits, or customer testimonials. It's about giving that gentle, yet persuasive, push towards making a purchase.

### Retention: Cultivating Continued Engagement

Retention is the art of keeping the party lively and engaging, ensuring your guests have every reason to stay.

**Engagement-Driven Emails:** Beyond regular updates, focus on emails that celebrate their milestones with your brand, offer personalized product recommendations, or provide exclusive access to new releases. Recognizing their loyalty with special offers or insights into your brand's journey fosters a deeper connection, making each customer feel like a cherished part of your community.

### Advocacy: Turning Customers into Ambassadors

The final flourish in this journey is transforming satisfied customers into enthusiastic advocates for your brand, a process that extends beyond simple referral programs.

**Creative Advocacy Initiatives:** Consider establishing a VIP club for your most loyal customers or spotlighting customer stories in your newsletters. Encourage user-generated content and share these testimonials, making advocacy a shared and celebrated part of the customer experience. It’s about creating a sense of belonging and appreciation that customers are eager to share with others.

### Bringing It All Together

Mastering email marketing through the customer lifecycle isn’t just about guiding customers from one stage to the next; it’s about crafting a journey that feels personal, engaging, and endlessly rewarding. By tailoring your approach to meet the unique needs and behaviors of your customers at each stage, you not only drive business growth but also forge lasting relationships that turn casual browsers into lifelong brand advocates.

Remember, the key to successful email marketing lies in not just communicating but connecting, ensuring every touchpoint with your customers is an opportunity to deepen that bond. Let’s embrace this journey, making every email a step towards building a vibrant, engaged community around your brand.

The art of marketing is not just composing a good message - it is also how you deliver the message and keep the engagement. This is why it is of crucial importance to start building up a relationship with your subscribers and customers. Here are a few ways to start and maintain engagement in order to keep the cycle of marketing going. 

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Connecting, Not Just Communicating: Mastering the Customer Lifecycle and Relationships with Email Marketing

Mastering the Customer Lifecycle with Email Marketing

Ever found yourself marveling at how a simple email nudged you into buying something you didn't even know you wanted? It's not magic; it's psychology at play. Welcome to the intriguing world of cognitive biases, the brain's little shortcuts that influence our decisions, especially in the digital marketplace of email marketing. If you're navigating the e-commerce or email marketing universe, you're about to discover how these biases can be your best friends.

### Anchoring Bias: First Impressions Stick

Remember the last time a headline caught your eye, and suddenly, you found everything else in the article more compelling? That's anchoring bias for you—the tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information we encounter.

**In Email Marketing:** Make a splash with your opening act. Highlight a premium product or an unbeatable offer right at the start. This sets the tone, making all subsequent offerings appear even more attractive. It's like telling a story where the opening line ensures the reader can't help but read on. For instance, starting an email with "Our most luxurious skincare line yet..." primes readers to view the following products as especially desirable.

### Bandwagon Effect: Everyone's Invited to the Party

The allure of belonging can't be underestimated. The bandwagon effect leverages our desire to be part of the majority, to follow the crowd.

**In Email Marketing:** Use social proof to your advantage. Customer reviews, testimonials, or even a simple "best-seller" badge next to products can significantly sway decision-making. It's akin to saying, "See how many are already enjoying this? You're missing out!" This method doesn't just validate the product's worth; it creates a sense of community and belonging. Picture an email filled with happy faces and rave reviews, subtly inviting the reader to join the happy customer club.

### Scarcity Bias: The Now-or-Never Approach

Why do limited editions excite us so much? Scarcity bias is at work, making us yearn for things that seem rare or fleeting.

**In Email Marketing:** Craft messages that highlight exclusivity and urgency. Phrases like "Limited offer" or "Only a few left!" can trigger an immediate response. This tactic transforms an ordinary product into a coveted treasure, much like a limited-time invitation to an exclusive event. Imagine an email that reads, "Exclusive preview for our VIP subscribers only," and watch the click-through rates soar.

### Loss Aversion: Dodging the Miss-Out Misery

The fear of losing out can often outweigh the joy of gaining. That's loss aversion—our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid missing out.

**In Email Marketing:** Frame your campaigns to spotlight what's at stake. Instead of just highlighting the benefits, emphasize what your customers stand to lose if they don't act. An email that says, "Last chance to enjoy 20% off!" plays on the natural instinct to avoid loss, making the offer hard to ignore.

### Confirmation Bias: The "I Knew It!" Feeling

We love it when new information confirms our existing beliefs. Confirmation bias is all about seeking and prioritizing information that aligns with our previous choices or beliefs.

**In Email Marketing:** Send personalized content that resonates with the recipient's past interactions or purchases. This could mean recommending products similar to those they've bought before or content that aligns with their interests. It's like saying, "Since you loved X, you're going to adore Y!" This not only makes the email more relevant but also reinforces the customer's belief that they're making the right choices.

### Choice-Supportive Bias: Post-Purchase Bliss

Ever rationalized a purchase by focusing only on its positives? That's choice-supportive bias in action, where we justify our decisions by overlooking any flaws.

**In Email Marketing:** Follow up after a purchase with messages that validate and celebrate the customer's choice. Share tips on how to get the most out of the product, related items, or simply a note that says, "You've made a fantastic choice!" This enhances satisfaction and loyalty, making the customer feel confident and happy about their decision.

---

By diving into the psychology of cognitive biases, email marketers can craft strategies that not only captivate and convert but also create a richer, more engaging customer experience. It’s about understanding the subtle forces that guide our decisions and using them to build meaningful, lasting relationships with your audience. So, the next time you're drafting an email campaign, remember these insights. You're not just selling a product; you're engaging with the human psyche, making every email an opportunity to connect, persuade, and delight.

Marketing emailing is, first and foremost, about customers. Therefore, if we wish to know more about marketing, we need to know more about how customers act in general, what they wish for, and what works best with them. This is where psychology can come in helpful, to explain to us some of the behavioral factors in the process. 

flowers

The Secret Psychology Behind Your Shopping Cart: Using Cognitive Biases to Boost Email Engagement 

The Secret Psychology Behind Your Shopping Cart: Cognitive Biases Unveiled

In Email Marketing, ensuring your emails hit the inbox stage without a hitch is crucial. This is where the trio of DMARC, SPF, and DKIM takes the spotlight, acting as the guardians of your email's integrity and deliverability. 

But don't let the acronyms intimidate you; think of them as the trusty tools that keep your emails safe and sound, ensuring they reach your audience just as you intended.

**DMARC: The Bouncer**

Imagine DMARC as a bouncer **you** hire at the club (a club called Gmail and Yahoo), deciding the fate of your emails based on the rules **you** set. DMARC checks if your email has passed the SPF and DKIM checks (more on these soon) and then follows your instructions on what to do if the checks fail. It's like telling the bouncer to give a warning, send the guest away, or let them in but keep an eye on them.

**Actionable Steps:**

1. **Understand Your Policy Options:**
    - **`None`**: The bouncer observes and reports but takes no action.
    - **`Quarantine`**: The bouncer puts the questionable emails in a corner to review (aka the spam folder).
    - **`Reject`**: The bouncer turns away the emails that fail checks. The recipient will never see them. Good option for enterprises. 
2. **Set Up DMARC:**
    - Publish a DMARC record in your domain's DNS settings.
    - Start with a **`None`** policy to monitor your emails without impacting delivery.
    - Gradually adopt a stricter policy based on the insights you gather.

We recommend using [this generator by DMARCIAN](https://dmarcian.com/dmarc-record-wizard/) to create your DMARC policy. It's got a nice questionnaire.

**SPF: VIP List**

SPF is like your club's exclusive guest list. It's a way to tell email servers which 'guests' (email servers) are allowed to send emails on your behalf. When an email arrives at its destination, the receiving server checks this list. 

If the sender isn't on your list, the email could be turned away or marked as suspicious (per the instructions you gave the bounder). 

**Actionable Steps:**

1. **Create Your Guest List:**
    - Set up an SPF record in your DNS that lists all the servers and services allowed to send emails for your domain.
2. **Keep It Updated:**
    - Regularly review and update your SPF record to include any new email services you use.

If you use Bento, we handle this automatically based on the records you generate in your account.

**DKIM: The Verified ID**

DKIM is your way of attaching a verified ID to your emails, proving they're genuinely from you and haven't been tampered with along the way. It's like giving your emails a seal of authenticity that the recipient's email server can check.

Or, using our bouncer analogy, it's like a drivers license. 

**Actionable Steps:**

1. **Set Up Your ID System:**
    - Generate a DKIM key pair and add the public key to your domain's DNS records.
    - Ensure your email service is attaching the DKIM signature to your outgoing emails.

Again, if you use Bento we'll generate these for you.

Once you've set the stage with DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, the next crucial step is to keep a vigilant eye on the performance and security of your emails. This is not a set-it-and-forget-it scenario; it's about continuously adapting and enhancing your defenses based on real feedback.

1. **Review DMARC Reports:**
DMARC reports are like detailed feedback from your audience. They tell you how your emails are being perceived and treated by different email servers.

    **What to Look For:**

    - **Delivery Issues:** Are a significant number of your emails not reaching inboxes or landing in spam? This might indicate issues with your SPF or DKIM setup.
    - **Sources of Failure:** Are emails failing SPF or DKIM checks? Determine if these failures are from your legitimate email sources or unauthorized sources.
    - **Geographical Anomalies:** Are your emails being sent from unexpected locations? This could be a sign of email spoofing or compromise.

2. **Adjust Based on Insights:**
The insights from your DMARC reports are actionable. They guide you on where to tweak your settings to enhance the security and deliverability of your emails.

    **Actionable Steps:**

    - **Refine Your SPF Record:** If legitimate emails are failing SPF checks, ensure that your SPF record includes all authorized sending IPs and services.
    - **Review DKIM Signatures:** If emails are failing DKIM checks, ensure that your DKIM signatures are correctly configured and that your email service is signing emails properly.
    - **Strengthen DMARC Policy:** If you notice unauthorized use of your domain, consider moving from a **`p=none`** policy to a more protective **`p=quarantine`** or **`p=reject`** policy, based on your comfort level and the maturity of your SPF and DKIM setups.

3. **Stay Proactive with User Feedback:**
Beyond automated reports, direct feedback from your recipients can provide invaluable insights. Tools like SurveyMonkey integrated into your emails can help gather user experiences and perceptions, offering a direct line to understand how your audience interacts with your emails.

Regularly monitoring these protocols and adapting based on real-world insights ensures your emails not only reach your audience but also uphold the integrity and trust of your brand.

In Email Marketing, ensuring your emails hit the inbox stage without a hitch is crucial. This is where the trio of DMARC, SPF, and DKIM takes the spotlight, acting as the guardians of your email's integrity and deliverability. 

CleanShot 2024-02-06 at 13.02.22@2x

What Are DMARC, SPF and DKIM records?

DMARC, SPF and DKIM Simplified

"Help! My email keeps landing in spam!"

Every so often, I notice a friend on Twitter or within a community I'm part of, struggling with email deliverability issues. Each time, I make it a point to reach out and assist them in debugging the problem.

I find these problems fun! 

And sometimes it's nice to have someone whose job it is to solve these problems, help you out.

For many, email deliverability seems like a mysterious black box, filled with secrets only known to the experts. However, the truth is, it's a relatively straightforward science that you can understand the 80/20 of by just reading this post.

### **It's Probably Not Your Fault**

If your emails have been delivering fine for a while, and suddenly your open rates plummet from 40% to 1%, then there's obviously a problem that needs addressing. In such cases, the issue often lies with the IP (i.e., server) address from which you are sending emails.

So, what is an IP address?

Emails are dispatched from servers, each having an IP address. Think of it as a home address. When email inbox providers receive an email, they can identify the server it originated from. If the inbox providers recognize that the server has a history of sending inappropriate content like hardcore pornography or crypto scams, they will likely reject any subsequent emails as a precaution.

When you register for an email service, like Bento, we assign you to an IP pool along with other customers. Some email services put THOUSANDS of customers in a single pool (insane).

Example: If you're sending from Bento, you're likely in one of our shared IP pools such as `marketing-1`, `new-customers-2` or even `high-risk-10` (reserved for customers we're unsure about).

Each email service has a unique strategy and level of transparency regarding IP pool delegation. 

At Bento, we prioritize extreme transparency. Within your Bento dashboard, you can view which pool you belong to, and whether it's healthy or not. This feature primarily aids our support team in debugging. We also just like the public accountability of it.

If you're not using Bento (we're sorry to hear that 🙈), you can determine which IP pool your provider has placed you in by sending a few emails to yourself, checking the headers, and entering your IP into a tool like MXToolbox.

Grab your IP address from your email: 
![CleanShot 2024-02-05 at 16.13.07@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3xgkP8MHFeqmnj1FfCbUqf/933cfd1564cebcf90ccb56280618d9ac/CleanShot_2024-02-05_at_16.13.07_2x.png)

Then add it to MXToolbox and you'll receive a result similar to this (this is an IP from one of our competitors):
![CleanShot 2024-02-05 at 16.14.21@2x](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5QG5PvhQOxkQCc0xLRgvjr/01b15408cb1698107bfc2e8643adc102/CleanShot_2024-02-05_at_16.14.21_2x.png)

It's typical for most IP addresses to appear on one or maybe two blacklists. 

Some are a bit more sensitive than others.

However, if you find your IP on numerous blacklists, it generally indicates a poor overall reputation. 

While Gmail and Yahoo offer tools such as Google Postmaster, from our experience, they often inaccurately estimate reputation or lag so much there's no data to gather. 

TLDR: multiple listings, like the above screenshot, you have an issue.

**And most importantly, the above may not even be your fault.**

As we mentioned earlier, email service providers group your emails with those of other customers. One of those customers could be sending out spam, and you're inadvertently suffering collateral damage because of it.

If the above is true, and you're not the one tarnishing the reputation of the IP pool, then the simplest solution is to contact support and request a move to another IP address. 

Most providers will be happy to oblige. If they gaslight you then leave.

### **If It's Not Their Fault, It Could Be Yours**

If the IP addresses you're sending from appear clean, then you need to investigate your own domain reputation.

Similar to the above, enter your domain into a blacklist checker to see if you spot any obvious listings.

Each listing isn't a catastrophe as you can apply to get delisted relatively easily. 

If you're a responsible actor, most of the DBL (domain blocklist) providers will unblock you within 24 hours, provided you've rectified the issue. Some will even automatically delist without your action within a few days if you've stopped sending spam.

In reality, only a handful of DBLs cause widespread deliverability issues due to their adoption; these are Spamhaus, Barracuda, and Sorbs. 

All three of these providers strive to maintain a clean and safe web meaning they really only list when there's an actual problem.

They aren't the bad guys, they're trying to stop the bad guys. Fun fact: we use Spamhaus in our product to block bad emails being sent from our platform. 

In addition to checking DBLs, log into your Google Postmaster account and examine your domain reputation. 

If your reputation is "Low" or "Bad", you have a problem.

"Oh no! My reputation is low :((( and I'm listed in Spamhaus. Should I just create a new domain???"

**No! Do not start a new domain under any circumstances!**

This is a common solution that many people resort to. 

However, the truth is that building up the reputation on a new domain is often much more challenging than repairing the reputation of an aged domain with history.

You need to perceive these email providers more like humans with memory. If you behave well for a sufficient period, they'll forget your past misdemeanors and start letting you back in.

Fix your issue, be good + keep emailing, and you'll be back in the good books in no time.

Which brings me to a crucial point...

### **Figure Out Why Your Reputation Tanked**

If you discover that yes, you are the one to blame, you need to determine why.

If this happened unexpectedly, then it's likely that a specific event triggered this.

A few common reasons include:

**Your system was compromised, and bad emails were sent:** We all try our best, but spammers try harder. Often, an old system or even something like sign-up emails can be exploited for spam. Check your Google Postmaster account for the day your reputation dropped and click the "Spam Rate" tab to see if there were any spikes. If there are spikes, investigate if any of your systems were dispatching these emails.

**You were list bombed:** This one is a bit more subtle, but malicious actors often discover that your app can, and will, send emails easily, so they exploit it to overwhelm an inbox. Why? They may want to fill up an inbox so the user can't see password reset emails coming in.

**You haven't mailed the list in a long time:** If you haven't emailed your list in a long time, then there's a chance that when you tried to revive your list, there was an above-average number of dead emails in there. Closed accounts, full inboxes, etc. If this is the case, you should prune the list and clean it up before sending again.

### **It's All Temporary**

Whether you find yourself in a naughty IP pool or your domain is blacklisted by the Google gods, it's all going to be OK if you're a good faith actor.

Rectify your issues, move into a clean IP pool, and ensure you're with an email marketing provider who is willing to work with you on these issues — like we are at Bento!

If you have any questions, please join our Discord and ask away.


For many, email deliverability seems like a mysterious black box, filled with secrets only known to the experts. However, the truth is, it's a relatively straightforward science that you can understand the 80/20 of by just reading this post.

CleanShot 2024-02-05 at 16.09.30 2@2x

Domains & IPs: What the ESPs Aren’t Telling You

The duo of subject lines and preheaders is your first impression. It’s crucial to get this pairing right as its a make or break for whether your subscriber opens the email or not.

## **The Art of the Subject Line:**
*Capture attention.* Craft subject lines that are concise, intriguing, and relevant. Utilize personalization to make each message feel tailored, and A/B test to find the most effective approach.

## **Preheaders as Partners:**
*Support and enhance.* Ensure your preheader complements your subject line, adding context or intrigue without repeating the same information. This duo should work together to pique interest and encourage the reader to dive into the content of your email.

## **A/B Testing for Perfection:**
*Refine relentlessly.* Continuously test different combinations of subject lines and preheaders. Monitor open rates and adjust your approach based on what resonates most, ensuring each email is an opportunity seized.

It’s stupid simple but incredibly easy to miss for the impact it has on your emails. Don’t let this small thing ruin your chances of putting a great email in front of your subscribers.

If you’re out of inspiration, look at your own swipe file of brands or companies that you’ve subscribed to. What are the subject lines and preheaders of the ones that you open? Knowing who you are as a consumer as well as the emails that you opened, will give you a better understanding on how to do it for your own emails.

The subject line and preheader are the first things your subscribers will see when your email lands in their inbox. Because of this, it is of key importance to perfect the art of composing them well - they have the responsibility but also the power to boost your engagement or bury your email in the "unread" pile.

a floating email ghibli Hayao Miyazaki and studio g 99ca1682-27fe-42d0-b227-ec46371ee53d

Subject Line and Preheader Text Strategies: How to Capture Attention and Boost Email Engagement

Subject Lines & Preheader Text - The Power Couple That Can Make or Break Your Email

Discounts can be effective, but they're not the only tool in your arsenal to drive engagement and sales. Over-reliance on discounts can lead to reduced profit margins and the risk of diminishing your brand's perceived value. Let's explore a variety of creative incentives that can add depth to your campaigns and delight your customers.

**Why Expand Beyond Discounts:**
Constant discounts can train customers to wait for sales, undermining the perceived value of your products. Diverse incentives not only preserve your brand's prestige but can also foster a deeper connection with your audience, encouraging loyalty and repeat business.

## **Types of Diverse Incentives**

- **Exclusive Access:** Make your subscribers feel special by offering early access to new products, sales, or events.
- **Loyalty Programs:** Develop a points system where actions like purchases, reviews, or referrals are rewarded. Consider tiered levels with increasingly valuable rewards to encourage continued engagement.
- **Valuable Content:** Provide exclusive content such as in-depth guides, e-books, or access to webinars. This not only adds value but also positions your brand as a knowledgeable leader in your field.
- **Personalized Recommendations:** Use data from past purchases or browsing behavior to make personalized product suggestions, making each communication feel tailored and thoughtful.
- **Giveaways:** Engage your audience with contests or giveaways. This can increase engagement and provide a fun, interactive element to your emails.
- **Social Media Features:** Offer customers the chance to be featured on your website or social media platforms. This not only provides them with a moment in the spotlight but also leverages user-generated content for your brand.
- **Bundled Offers:** Create bundled deals that offer complementary products at a combined price. This can increase the perceived value and encourage larger purchases.
- **Buy X, Get Y Free:** Instead of a straight discount, offer an additional product free with purchase. This can increase the perceived value and encourage customers to try new products.

By integrating these varied incentives into your email marketing strategy, you can diversify your approach, maintain your brand's value, and build a more engaged, loyal customer base.

We all love a good discount, but as email marketers, we love effective discount practices even more! We have determined a few innovative discount strategies that will help you reach your full brand potential, as well as help you find the most successful marketing strategy.

close up of money changing hands Hayao Miyazaki and 78eebde6-4c6d-4232-8088-69adf4bead44

Improve Your Strategy and Moving Beyond Discounts for the Best Brand Value

Beyond Basic Discounts

Let's cut to the chase – in email, it's easy to obsess over a new subscriber. But here's a reality check: What about those who've been swiping their cards on your site for ages? 

That's where RFM Segmentation comes in – it's like the relationship guru of ecommerce, offering insights into who's really into your brand and who's just not that into you.

Imagine your customer base as a series of relationships:

1. **Recency (R)**: When did they last buy from you? If it's recent, they're like that date who just texted you back. Ages ago? More like the one who ghosted you after the first coffee.
2. **Frequency (F)**: How often do they come back for more? Regular buyers are like those who want to hang out every weekend. Rare buyers? They're like acquaintances you bump into once in a blue moon.
3. **Monetary Value (M)**: How much do they spend? Big spenders are like those who go all out on Valentine's Day, while the small spenders are more like the "let's split the bill" types.

Now, Let's Talk Relationships – Ecommerce Style

- **The 'Soulmates' (High RFM)**: These customers are your dream dates. They're into you, they show it often, and they aren't shy about splurging on your products.
- **The 'Flings' (Mixed RFM)**: They've shown some interest, maybe a lot of interest at times, but it's not consistent. They're like that summer romance that flares up then cools down.
- **The 'Ghosters' (Low RFM)**: Remember them? No? They barely remember you either. They popped in once and then vanished into thin air.

Each type of relationship needs a different strategy. 

You wouldn't propose on a first date, right? 

Likewise, you wouldn't send a VIP loyalty program invite to someone who bought a single sock two years ago.

- For your 'Soulmates,' roll out the red carpet. Loyalty programs, exclusive offers – make them feel special.
- For the 'Flings,' keep the spark alive. Tempt them with personalized deals or new product teasers.
- For the 'Ghosters,' it’s about rekindling that lost flame. Entice them back with a "We've missed you" deal.

RFM Segmentation isn't just about data and numbers. It's about understanding the depth of your customers' love for your brand. It's time to stop chasing after every potential match and start focusing on those who really value what you've got to offer. Trust me, your bottom line will thank you for it.

heart

Unlocking Insights: Exploring Customer Segments through the Lens of Romantic Relationships

Customer Segments, but as Romantic Relationships

Have you ever considered that a high unsubscribe rate in your email campaigns could be a sign of success, not failure? 

Unsubscribe Rates are probably the most misunderstood metric in email marketing. 

Let’s reframe this because unsubscribes are more indicative than negative.

## **Unsubscribe Rates: More Than Meets the Eye**

At first glance, unsubscribe rates can be disheartening. No one likes to see subscribers leave. But let's look deeper. These rates aren't just about losing contacts; they're about retaining quality over quantity. A high unsubscribe rate can often mean that your list is self-cleansing, leaving behind a group of highly engaged and valuable subscribers.

## **Quality Subscribers: The Core of Your Strategy**

The difference between a low-quality and a high-quality subscriber is substantial. The former might sign up for a quick discount and then vanish, contributing little to your brand in the long run. In contrast, high-quality subscribers are those who interact with your content regularly and are more likely to make repeat purchases. These are the subscribers who drive your business forward.

## **When Unsubscribes Signal a Strategy Shift**

However, it's crucial to distinguish between healthy list refinement and signs of an ineffective strategy. An uptick in unsubscribes could indicate problems like aggressive sales tactics, lack of personalization, or irregular email frequencies. Although unsubscribes are a sign that you’re qualifying subscribers, the quality of your emails can inaccurately qualify them.

For example, if you send only sales emails, you may get a spike in sales but more likely, your unsubscribe rate will increase and your retention rate will suffer. Why? Your email marketing strategy did not resonate with the type of subscriber and customer you want to have.

## **Leveraging Unsubscribe Rates for Success**

Understanding the reasons behind each unsubscribe is key to refining your strategy. Each unsubscribe can give you insights into your audience's preferences and behaviors, allowing you to create your content more effectively. This makes your email marketing campaigns more resonant and impactful, ultimately driving better engagement and conversions.

## **Conclusion**

It's time to reframe how we view unsubscribe rates in email marketing. By recognizing their role in creating a high-quality, engaged audience and adjusting strategies accordingly, we can turn this metric into a powerful tool for success. So next time you see your unsubscribe rate climb, remember it might just be paving the way for a more effective and impactful email marketing strategy.

Unsubscribe Rates are probably the most misunderstood metric in email marketing. Here's why.

unsubscribe

Unsubscribe rates aren’t evil, they’re indicative

In light of the recent updates in email marketing, we've received a significant number of support tickets. 

A common point of confusion among our customers pertains to the new "1-click unsubscribe" requirements.

Traditionally, Bento has employed a two-step opt-out process for unsubscribing. 

Users would click the "Unsubscribe" link in an email, which would redirect them to a page hosted by us. Here, they could fill out a form to unsubscribe. This page also provided options to report spam, view previous emails, and even activate the 'snooze' feature, which allows users to pause marketing communications for a few months.

We chose the two-step process over the 1-click option primarily to prevent non-human unsubscribes. 

These occur when third-party tools, such as Microsoft Safe-Links and various anti-virus software, automatically click links.

In the B2B sector, where companies frequently use enterprise anti-virus software, and in the broader B2C market, where users have personal anti-virus software (like Norton), we often observe 5-10% of clicks from broadcasts being automated or fake. We've even noticed that Apple's new Privacy Relay offering clicks every link in an email before the user opens it.

Is this two-step process compliant with the new requirements?

Simply: it is compliant! 

The new requirements from Gmail and Yahoo do not affect our process at Bento.

What they require is for us to provide a private, hidden URL that they can use to implement their own unsubscribe button in their products.

Their goal is to allow users to unsubscribe without leaving their inbox.

You may have noticed a small "Unsubscribe" button next to the sender information box in Gmail. This feature is what enables that. When you click this button, Gmail sends a POST request to your email marketing provider's app (in this case, Bento), and the user is unsubscribed. 

![unsubscribe](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7EAQbf4XiGOHKvwJiDyGGn/205cfe6f5048bc29e6e88280d45306ac/GEehTTOWQAE7Fqu.png)

In my view, this feature should significantly reduce spam reports and support tickets, albeit at the cost of Gmail and Yahoo exerting more control over senders. 

Senders can still link to two-step unsubscribe pages within the body of their emails. The requirements did not mention any changes to this, other than making the links clear and including them in all emails.

For Bento users, we will be adding the following headers to all emails starting next week:

`List-Unsubscribe: <https://app.bentonow.com/one_click_unsubscribe/:id>`
`List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click`

This will activate the new feature without requiring any action on your part. 

If you have any questions, feel free to drop by our Discord and say hello! 


An overview of the more confusing aspects of the Gmail and Yahoo changes.

0 0 2048 N

List-Unsubscribe Simply Explained

A simple explanation of the new List-Unsubscribe header changes

In the world of ecommerce, there’s this infectious notion that ‘new’ is always better. Brands get caught up in the allure of new subscribers, pouring time, money and resources into wooing them to get that first sale.

But, what’s the point if you can’t keep them?

Like in any type of relationship, if you put in a lot of effort in starting it, chances are that other person is going to reciprocate your feelings. Give your new subscriber a sale, they’re going to buy something from you.

However, if you stop there and reduce your effort to nil, guess what their response will inevitably be? Nothing.

No brand wants a one hit wonder but so many still reward their new subscribers more than their current customers. Let’s break the cycle shall we? After all, getting a new subscriber can cost 5x more than retaining an existing customer.

If you want to keep subscribers and turn them into repeat customers, treat them like any relationship you value and want to grow with long-term. That means, sending the right emails at the right time to the right people.

Just like you would send someone who just purchased a thank you email, you’d say thank you if your friend bought you a coffee.

If they bought you a whole espresso machine, you might want to return the favor by giving them the shoes they’ve been eyeing for the last year but never purchased.

That thoughtfulness in picking out something that friend really wants is the type of approach we want to take with email marketing. The equivalent is sending a discount to the person that purchased that low ticket item to buy the high ticket item that they’ve been browsing but never purchased.

With email marketing, brands have the opportunity to build long term relationships with their customers using this type of personalization. The benefit of doing this is increase conversion rate short-term and customer lifecycle value long-term.

In the world of ecommerce, there’s this infectious notion that ‘new’ is always better. Brands get caught up in the allure of new subscribers, pouring time, money and resources into wooing them to get that first sale.

jessehanley ghibli scene mountains and rivers no humans anime p 3ce7555e-70e4-49d3-b7f6-7215027d575f

Reward long-term customer relationships, engage short-term

In this episode of the podcast, I talk about an experience I had dealing with SOFTFAIL errors — it cost me thousands! — and how to debug them. I also talk about SPF, DMARC, DKIM and other terms in a simple to understand way.

We All SOFTFAIL A Little Sometimes: SPF SOFTFAIL Explained (AUDIO)

Bento on Air: We All SOFTFAIL A Little Sometimes

Earlier this week, we had a customer cancel their account because **“they were not receiving the same performance vs. their previous tool”** … this sounded strange to me.

They were on one of our cleanest IPs, had good sending habits, domain had DKIM/SPF/DMARC all setup, and they had a somewhat healthy mailing list. 

After I confirmed that it wasn’t a platform issue I turned to their content. 

The first thing I noticed when viewing their emails was that they were LONG.

And I mean super long.

Why does this matter? 

Email marketing tools, like Bento, add a 1px by 1px image in emails to track them. 

Bento, like the majority of providers, adds this to the footer of the email. 

**An issue with adding it in the footer vs. the header is that when email content is too long the pixel is cut off and never receives a request.**

This leads to drastically lower open rates for subscribers that use Gmail (+80% of emails we see in Bento) and perceived performance even though the email might have crushed it. 

Here’s an example of our pixel being cut off entirely:

![clipped-media](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7ihzw3argprcqchGjPsKwW/64e7e39b7d2ba38cbcc07cf7efad3c45/clipped-image.png)

This explained why these recent emails had poor performance but it didn’t explain why their previous provider had better performance than us so I began to dug in. 

I signed up with the competitor and sent myself the same email the client had been sending with us.

Once I got it, I clicked “Show original” aka View Source in the email world.

![show-original](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5Mgrk8uCHSwqedmsYKULYs/2aadd487cd91afe83f1ffa3047881757/show-original.png)

After scanning the HTML I noticed that this competitor was **placing the pixel in the header of the email** and not in the footer like we were doing with Bento. 

This makes comparing the data impossible.

Why does the placement matter? 

Emails load top to bottom. 

If the open pixel placed before any other content it’ll load instantly. Even for emails that are cut-off like above, they’ll still trigger a request to the pixel.

There’s also another major problem with this. 

In our testing, a lot of email clients will prematurely trigger a request to the pixel when they show a notification on iOS or Android — without the user ever opening the email!

This leads to drastically inflated open rates which obviously benefits the email marketing provider as all their customers think they are crushing it when most of them may not have even read the email.

We’ve seen some providers try to game their open metrics by littering their emails with 3x pixels (top, middle, bottom) to juice their metrics and appear as though they are crushing it for their customers.

Whilst most Bento customers know I'm not a fan of the open metric in general it does have some utility in identifying issues and placing it at the top almost nullifies all of those.

In conclusion, tracking pixels are a powerful tool for email marketers, but their implementation can have a significant impact on the accuracy of open rate data. 

As we've seen, some providers use dishonest tactics to game their metrics, such as placing pixels in the email header or using multiple pixels to inflate open rates.

At Bento, we believe in transparency and honesty with our customers. Our tracking pixel is placed in the footer of emails, and we do not engage in any tactics to artificially inflate open rates. 

We believe that by providing accurate data, we can help our customers make informed decisions and improve their email marketing performance.

If you have any questions about our tracking pixel or email marketing in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team. 

We're always here to help!

(PS: The above has a few clues in it for the reason plain text emails always look to perform better than drag and drop/heavily designed emails ... when in fact there may be no difference).

In this episode, we discuss the topic of tracking pixels and their implementation in email marketing. The host shares a recent experience where a customer canceled their account because they were not receiving the same performance as their previous tool. Upon investigation, it was found that the customer's emails were too long, causing the tracking pixel to be cut off and never receiving a request. This led to lower open rates for subscribers that use Gmail and perceived poor performance, even though the email might have actually performed well.
The host also discovered that some email marketing providers place the pixel in the header of the email, leading to inflated open rates and making comparing data impossible. Some providers also use multiple pixels to juice their metrics and appear as though they are crushing it for their customers.

Open Tracking Explained

Bento on Air: Tracking Pixels Trickery

Affiliate marketing has emerged as a lucrative online business model, allowing individuals to earn income by promoting products or services and earning commissions on successful referrals. However, simply joining an affiliate program is not enough to guarantee success. To maximize your earnings, you need to implement effective strategies to promote your affiliate links. In this text, we will explore ten proven methods to boost your affiliate marketing efforts and generate more conversions.

10 Proven Techniques for Maximizing Affiliate Link Exposure and Skyrocketing Your Profits

10 Effective Strategies to Promote Your Affiliate Links and Boost Your Earnings

![gmail-blue-checkmark](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3giYoW84sY24KIevAwegxl/ee438caae5bb13e39d7d4733f58bf5fc/gmail-blue-checkmark.webp)

Gmail is introducing a new feature by adding a blue checkmark to emails, building upon the existing support for verified brand logos that was introduced in 2021. 

Previously, you could use BIMI to override the generic logo that Google would put as your avatar in the inbox. With this new system it will slap a blue checkmark next to the sender name too, potentially leading to more engagement via trust.

It's a nice idea but in practice, it's pretty expensive to get going. 

For BIMI to work, you need a particular TLS cert (basically an Extended Validation cert) in addition to the record. To acquire this certificate, you need to handover a lot of documents to prove your legitimacy and fork out hard cash. 

Not fun or free.

If you're a bank, financial company, or you just have a lot of time + cash laying around then go for it. As always, Bento is here to support you get it all setup in your Bento account (we even have a free BIMI record generator!). 

We encourage this initiative from Google but do wish they would make it simpler for the little guys to prove who they are.


Gmail's new feature of adding a blue checkmark to emails with verified brand logos is aimed at providing a more secure email ecosystem.

gmail-blue-checkmark

Gmail Adds Blue Checkmark to Emails with Verified Brand Logos ... Kinda

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup for Weeks 2 & 3 of October.

I was out last week so unfortunately I didn't get to put out a roundup. So today you are getting two roundups for the price of one. Luck you right?

Let's dive right in and see what Jesse has been up to down on Update Lane.

10/11/2022

__[New Feature] User Goal tracking added to Bento User Profiles__
We're now showing, on profiles, how quickly it takes someone to convert for each specific goal. Just set the Complete Goal node in your workflow to get started tracking.
![Complete Goal](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1g86aX6sK3pufpjNely6Hc/c9d62a6decb40150e1abc687440330fa/completegoal.png)
![Goal Tracking](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/425CMjGpuIU5stfH5D3Hkg/bd7ea26fc6ebc6acb792cbf9979c31b2/goaltracking.png)

__[Liquid] Embed audio in your emails using the audio_tag filter.__
The tag also contains a fallback for email clients who do not support it. *cough*outlook*cough*
![Audio Tag](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7ne3PTA6zha9BpbXowVa0O/36a426d48b19ef8721030a81c74fea6e/audiotag.png)

10/12/2022

__[BETA] We're looking for early testers for our new batch/emails API__
Are you looking to ditch your transactional email provider and just send everything through Bento? We are setting up a new API that gives users the ability to send emails in a priority queue (think password resets, magic links, etc). Post in our Discord channel #deliverability_help if you want access to the BETA.

10/13/2022

__[Spam API] Updated disposable email check__
Now includes a few new sites that have been popping up more frequently. We've noticed a large increase in automated abuse so handy to block these at sign-up if you're a developer (using our public API endpoint to check)!

10/17/2022

__[Spam Reports] Now logging, on users profile pages, those that hit the "Report Spam" button on the unsubscribe page.__
No action is needed on these as it's something we monitor internally, but if you are sending out a somewhat controversial email (price increase, political content, etc) I would monitor it (and send your email super slowly). These correlate closely to people hitting the spam button in their ISP (Gmail, Yahoo, etc).
![Spam Report](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5TAo1Xc0hdzfV5jj0AkZTT/525a1b00805ae809a1b0b664013622f3/spamreport.png)

__[Dev] Developers now able to target bento:forms:submitted and bento:survey:submitted events to add their own functionality. Docs coming soon.__

__[Performance] Users who have sent many hundreds (or thousands) of 
emails should notice faster load times in People.__
Working on more tiny performance improvements this week throughout the app. Should notice things are even snappier.

10/18/2022

__[QoL] Everyone can rejoice, I've reworded the sequence delay (FINALLY).__
Thanks @weisbart for the push to get this done.
![Wait to Send](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5qktb33m5xlkhLu8Oh4T1M/0e8a0d80d998654cb0b7d3062b69f34a/waittosend.png)

__[Bug] Fixed bug where anonymous names (i.e warm-breeze-9999) were changing.__ 

__[QoL] Improvement to onboarding and script installation flow.__

10/19/2022

__[Bug] Fixed bug where logs in Workflows were not changing despite switching between different nodes.__

__[QoL] Improved speed in Workflows substantially and fixed issue where incomplete triggers could halt flow processing under specific conditions.__

10/20/2022

__[QoL/Bug] Refactored how "products" are calculated so that they only are counted once per unique event.__
Thanks @nathanbraun for suggesting in tiny-bugs. This stops double counts of "products" if an event is sent to our platform a few times accidentally (just like how we handle increasing/decreasing lifetime values of customers). Search data will slowly be updated to reflect this over the coming days.

And that is it for the past two weeks. See you next week, when you can once again ask the question, "What Got Updated!"


Weekly Roundup for Weeks 2 & 3 of October.

Weekly Roundup [Oct Week 2-3, 2022]: Two for the Price of One

Hey everyone! 

It's Scott from the Bento community team here.

Welcome to our new Weekly Roundup post. Starting today, I will pull together all the updates we've pushed to production during the week and will compile them into a nice, convenient post that will go up on Friday. We'll announce this in the Discord when they go live.

So every Friday you will get a nice overview of how much more amazing Bento got over the last week

And as a bonus, I will be retroactively adding in the weeks prior so we have them all on the blog. This will have the added effect of them now being searchable inside Bento. 

Hooray!

A lot of great stuff went out this week, but the highlight has to be the addition of versions in Worfklows. Nothing like having the peace of mind of knowing what you write won't be entirely lost if something accidentally happens by you or a team member.

Okay, grab your trail mix and let's go for a stroll down update lane.

10/02/2022
__[Usability] You can now give webhook actions friendly names!__
Have you ever wanted to name all your workflow webhooks after Spider-Man villians? Well now you can! Or you know, you could just name them with wherever the data is coming from if you want to be all professional. Your choice. If you need a refresher on webhooks check out our guide [here](https://bentonow.com/docs/webhooks-guide).
![Webhook Naming](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2KlrtOrJYxbSznmiY7B42m/d29a82803ac1ebf5afc64bc1f4ebcf5a/webhook.png)

10/04/2022
__[Removal of Annoyance] Improved in-app notifications substantially so they no longer become overwhelming.__
Ever get an internet burp and Bento needed to let you know until it was all you could see? That has been reworked so you get informed and not overwhelmed when it happens next time.

__[Performance] Tiny improvements to Workflows for people running slow machines.__
Always on the lookout to streamline everyone's experience, these updates should help people who were experiencing some slowdown on older devices.

__[VERSIONS] Recover and restore a Workflow or email back to a previous state in just a click.__
You ever get the stress of having just written what could be the next great internet email but knowing one wrong click could make it disappear into the void? Throw that stress like a hot potato as Bento workflows and emails now come with version history, so all your work will not be lost from a tiny mishap.
![Version Button](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/59lZNVRHDVEuNoONVKRB5y/ab1eccdb095865e4f2363982f6854b2f/versionbutton.png)![Versions](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/52Z2EefvQhs9N5qaZDkz4p/99a7e6bde96da1735ce3b80a73c5ce58/versions.png)

10/05/2022
__[Stability] Added some Bulk Operations changes that ensure all targeted visitors are reindexed after all changes are made.__
There were instances of people performing lots of updates to their data and a few visitors fell out of sync. Now you can update away without worry.

And that is it for this week. 

I will see you next week with a host of new updates.

Any questions, pop into Discord.

The weekly update roundup for Week 1 of Oct.

versions-time-back

Weekly Roundup [Oct Week 1, 2022]: We got your Versions here!

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup for Week 4 of Sept.

This week's best update, I think, has to go to the audience count and batch recommendations when sending emails—no more crunching numbers to find the optimal batch size to keep your stats up. Again, we got you covered!

Take a quick stroll down update lane for everything else that went up this week.

09/24/2022
__[Usability] On the visitor profile screen you can now copy elements in just a click.__
Thanks @ivanfarias for the recommendation. Ever want to grab a users email, name, or other profile data but hate having to highlight it to copy the text. Now you can click the element and it is copied to your clipboard and your ready to go.
![Copy Elements](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6N9J2jZORwfpKWorzbF1pd/c02c03fd100f52daacb62bf12413fcdb/copyelements.png)

09/26/2022
__[Upgrade] Click tracking was moved off Bento's primary servers.__
With this change, if a database or our primary Redis instance goes down, your subscribers and users will not notice any impact or degradation in link clicks.

09/26/2022
__[JS Feature] We added a new bento.spamCheck(email) function to the JS library.__
This leverages Bento's Spam API and allows you to check if an email is valid or not. The primary use case is if you're putting a piece of content behind an email opt-in and you don't want people to type in fake addresses to get it.
![Spam Check](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6FkzViNtdlJaY0GcsITJUD/3fed7d83d2d8cc9c7096989151c86286/spamcheck.png)

09/29/2022
__[Upgrade] Moved pageview/JS tracking off Bento's primary servers.__
On the off chance a DB or our primary Redis instance goes down, you will not lose any precious event data with this migration

__[Usability] We're now showing audience count and recommended batch size when sending an email.__
Tired of needing to bring out a calculator every time you send an email in Bento? Throw that Casio FX-350MS out the window! You can now see the audience size and what we recommend for the batch size when setting up for sending.
![Batching Counts](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2MWmpRnuQ0YAHuBfuFj7xs/f3c90fdf1c690ae4aa0b5c9b216556c8/batching.png)

__[Usability] The query builder in People and Broadcasts now shows a counter as you update your rules.__
Got a large audience and want to get a quick look at how big a certain segment of it would be? We got your back. When setting up rules in the query finder a quick estimate of how many users fall into that bucket will show up to let you know.

https://videos.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1YcgtRVpveppY0mzhp8Bct/ab962fd0a03e996227b5afaf3971a22c/real-time-count.mp4

That's it for this week. Thanks for tuning in and see you next time.

Weekly update roundup for Week 4 of Sept.

Weekly Roundup [Sept Week 4, 2022]: We got your stinkin' Batches right here!

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup for Week 3 of September.

Just a few QOL updates and then a fantastic new integration with Webflow this week. Check below for everything that happened on Update Lane.

09/20/2022
__[Bug] Fixed sign-up and team-related "unauthorised" bugs.__

__[Integration] Added more support for Webflow. __
All you need to do is add the Bento.js script into your tracking script area of Webflow and then rename your forms to bento-newsletter. This will fire off an event called WebflowSubmit which you can automate on. To get started, hit the gear icon on your site and select "Get your site script here". After that, just hit Webflow and follow the guide.
![Webflow](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/55D1nd1tKlMOspJi09uaMR/8aef017b6f9e61faf469511694b35b64/webflow.png)
![Form Name](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1a1iEuOzYBa4LKshobir5m/65fcab725a1876af21d1e3d350a1d23e/bentonewsletter.png)

__[Upgrade] Improved load times for the People graph and table.__

__[Upgrade] You can now query events and graph them over time.__

See you next week.

Weekly Roundup [Sept Week 3, 2022]: Just go with the Webflow

When discussing email marketing and crafting the best email campaign, we often forget about a very important element: the email file size. While we’re in over our heads about the subject line, the email copy, the CTA button, and email personalization, we don’t usually stop to think about the email file size, the HTML file that we’ve sent, email load times, and the fully loaded email size. 

Sure, this might not be the most interesting of email marketing topics, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Your email’s size can determine how much bandwidth your subscribers need to download and read the email. So, you probably see why this can be a problem - if your users or subscribers can’t load the email, or it takes ages for that to happen (especially on a mobile device), it’s less likely that they will engage or let alone convert. 

So, I encourage you to read further and let me take you through the basics of email file size. I’ll also share some tips on reducing the size of your emails and the images inside them, so let’s get into it. 

__TLDR:__ *Email file size is an often neglected email marketing issue, yet it’s so important. Email file size is measured through code weight (the weight of the HTML code) and through the fully loaded email weight, which is a combination of the HTML code and external assets like images. The HTML file size is the HTML code and it doesn’t include any images - the maximum recommended size is 100KB.* 

*You can lower the size of your emails if it exceeds this number by cleaning up the email code, minifying the code, creating a simpler email design, or moving some of the CSS from Inline to Embedded. The most common external asset are the images included in the email, which can be reduced through image compression. The fully loaded email size combines the HTML email size and the external assets (the images). Here it’s essential to monitor the email loading times - you have to consider users with slower network connections as well, which means your emails need to be light and easy to render with almost every recipient.* 

## How Can We Measure Email File Size? 
Email file size is measured in two ways:

- Through the code weight.

- Through the loaded email weight. 

### Code Weight
When we say email code weight, we mean the bytes in the HTML code of the email (each character weighs 1-2 bytes), which can include text, links, HTML tables, etc. This doesn’t include the size of any accompanying images or media because these are linked from the .html file and are only downloaded when the user opens them. 
### Loaded Email Weight
The loaded email weight includes the elements that the user needs to render your email fully, such as assets like images, videos, and fonts. 
## HTML File Size
The maximum recommended size of the .html file should be 100KB - if it’s larger, you risk deliverability issues and issues with displaying your email. And if you don’t reduce the size, Gmail certainly will - they clip the .html file at 102KB. This is definitely not good for business because it practically ruins the end of your email and can wreak havoc on your layout. 
## How to Reduce Email File Size
Even though most of the emails you send should easily be under 50KB, there are still some instances where the email ends up larger than desirable. But, there’s no room for despair when this happens, as there are several ways you can reduce the email file size and have your email be downloaded whole. 

Let’s take a look at what you can do to keep your email fit.
### Make Sure You Clean the Email Code 
The email world is in constant flux, so it’s not uncommon to see email templates with outdated code, taking up a bunch of unnecessary space. Make sure you regularly maintain your email templates and code, and you can easily save a couple of KBs right there. 
### Keep It Simple With the Code
You don’t have to get carried away with the code. Some email templates can do away with the extra code and additional table elements. In fact, most layouts are perfectly fine with 5-10 tables; yet, out there, you may encounter code with 30-40 tables. Besides, the fewer tables you have, the easier your code is to read. 
### Move Some of the Code From Inline CSS to Embedded
It’s still not time to move all the code, aka all the styles into CSS, but if you do it well, you can move some of the inline styles to embedded styles and reduce the code. 
### Make Your Email Design Simpler
Did you know that single-column email templates use significantly less code? Go back to the design and do some tweaks. It’s pretty straightforward; the simpler the design, the lighter the email. 
### Minify or Minimize Your Code
Minification or minimization of your code is an activity through which you remove the unnecessary comments and spaces in code, which can greatly affect the email size. However, you have to be careful when you do this because many email service providers (ESPs) demand a maximum line length which could break your code by forcing a new line. 
## External Assets Size
This is the size of your images and external CSS style sheets, but because external stylesheets are kinda rare, I’ll focus on the images here. 

The maximum size for the majority of images out there is 100KB. However, there are some images, like high-res ones or animated gifs, that go up to 500KB. The good news is that there are ways you can compress images. You can use these tools to do just that:

- [Caesium](https://saerasoft.com/caesium/) - good for Windows users;

- [ImageOptim](https://imageoptim.com/mac) - good for Mac users, you can also use it as a web service;

- Use a CDN - Many CDN services also have built-in image optimization. Some of them also adjust the image compression depending on the bandwidth available. 

Be sure to use the appropriate format for the images, .jpg for photos, .png for alpha channels, and .gif for graphics. And don’t forget to simplify the design, something I mentioned earlier. This means including fewer images, and smaller and simpler images that can be easily compressed into smaller sizes. 
## Fully Loaded Email Size
This size refers to the combination of the email size when it’s opened and when the user downloads everything. This fully loaded email size can vary depending on where the email is being opened. 

The key issue in the fully loaded email size is the time it takes for it to load. Sure, you may be testing your email loading time in a place with a very fast internet connection, but your recipients might not be so lucky opening the email from public wi-fi or a 3G mobile network. 

See it this way: with a good connection, the fully loaded email size of 1MB will load instantly. But on a 3G connection, it can take from 2-14 seconds for this to happen. See how big the difference is and why it’s so important to monitor your email size? 
## Conclusion
The issue with email file size is pretty straightforward - keep it simple and light, and you’ll do just fine. And yes, if this means that you’ll have to make a compromise and change and simplify your email design, then so be it. Whatever improves your email loading size also improves how quickly customers see your email. 

So, make sure to look at the advice and recommendations I provided here on HTML email size and image optimization. Also, experiment a little with the code and see what has to stay and what you can leave out and lighten the load. 

Experiment with the images as well, and try out various ways to compress them. And, don’t forget to make your email look good and functional even without the images because sometimes it will take a bit more for them to load. Your email needs to be readable without them. 

Let us take you through the basics of email file size by sharing some tips on how to reduce the size of your emails and the images inside them.

The Importance of Email File Size

If you want to know the basics of email popups, you’ve come to the right place. 

In this guide, you’ll find out what email popups are, why they are effective, and how to make one, alongside examples from famous brands. 

So stick around!

__TLDR:__ *Email popups are small windows that open on a particular website and can be used for a variety of marketing purposes. You can collect email addresses, offer discounts and giveaways, promote sales, remind customers of abandoned carts, and also as social proof — there’s no end to their versatility. Email popups consist of a headline, a body (copy), and a CTA button. All of these elements should be concise and straightforward, reflecting the core of your offer. When crafting an email popup, you should consider the type of template you’re using, the copy you’re providing, and the timing of the popup. You’ll also need to have in mind who gets to see the popup.* 

## What Are Email Popups?
Email popups are small windows that appear when a visitor lands on a particular website. They usually ask for email registration and offer newsletters in return, as well as gifts, vouchers, giveaways, and discounts, among other things. 

You may think of popups as something from the earlier days of the internet, but that’s not the case, especially when it comes to email popups. 
## Are Email Popups Effective?
Email popups are definitely an effective marketing strategy. 

They’re effective for several reasons:

- They can be pretty helpful when it comes to developing your inbound strategy, aka the way you attract new customers and subscribers in the first place;

- They can help you get new leads fairly simply;

- They can help guide your visitors and make them do the desired action;

- A simple way to spread your newsletter to your users;

- A simple way to get customer feedback.

You must know that not all email popups are created equal. In order for them to be effective, you should keep a couple of things in mind. 

The way a popup is constructed can make a world of difference. The headline, the CTA button, the body, and the design of the popup are all very important elements you should never take for granted. 
## Types of Email Popups
There are different email popups for different sales opportunities. These are some popular general types (aka forms) of email popups:
- Lightbox (standard) email popups
- Fullscreen popups
- Side messages
- Sticky/floating bars 
- On-click popups

And these are popups that are usually categorized by a marketing goal:
- Product recommendations
- Cart abandonment 
- Countdown timer
- Newsletter
- Giveaway

These are just a selection of what you can do with email popups. The options are endless! Let’s take a look at the ones noted here in a bit more detail.

### Lightbox (Standard) Email Popup
You’ve most likely seen this everywhere. It’s the classic email popup that - pops up! - on almost every page of the internet. 

It’s a small window that opens within the website (usually the landing page) that you’re browsing at the moment. To catch viewers’ attention and make them focus on the small window before them, when the lightbox popup emerges from the rest of the website, the background looks darker than before. 

Lightbox popups are standard for a reason - they can be used for basically any purpose. Most of the time, however, they’re used as a means to grow your email list, but you can also use them to offer discounts, free shipping, current holiday offers, etc. 
### Fullscreen Popups
As their name says, these popups take up the entire screen and overshadow the page visitors are currently on. They’re designed to get their full attention, as they’re basically popups in the form of landing pages. 

These popup types can be used for a variety of reasons. However, since they make a pretty big impact, it’s wise to use them for an offer you really want to stand out with your visitors, like a limited-time offer, a really big discount, or an important sales promotion. 
### Side Messages
The side message is a less intrusive way to introduce your popup to your website visitors. As you might’ve guessed from the name, these popups show up on the side of the screen, instead of the center or taking the whole screen. 

The side message popups are a good way to grow your mailing list, get people to sign up for your newsletter, or join a loyalty club. They’re not recommended for more standout offers, however. 
### Sticky/Floating Bars
The sticky or floating bars are less common types of email popups. You’ve probably seen them more on the top or bottom parts of websites as campaigns, advertising a limited-time offer, a discount sale, a Black Friday sale, a holiday sale, or a giveaway. 

But since you can tailor them as you please, you can also use them as email popups. Like the side message, they’re great at being unintrusive for the visitor and can stay on top or bottom of the page without interrupting the browsing experience. 

Also, if you don’t want them to be there all the time, you can make them show up at certain intervals while the visitor is browsing your page. 

You can use them for everything - from newsletters to free shipping, or sales that are time-sensitive. 
### On-click Popups
These popups show up only to people who are interested in something you offer on your site. It means that the popups appear to warm leads and consequently, you may expect more conversions than with regular popups. 

How do they work? Well, you need to embed a popup campaign trigger within an anchored text of your choosing. You can do this through an email marketing platform, so that the on-click popup will emerge whenever a user clicks on an offer, service, or product you have on your site. 
## Email Popups by Goals
Now let’s look at the way email popups can be used to achieve a certain goal. 
### User Login
You may not think of this often, but the process of logging in takes several steps and redirection that are usually not necessary. 

A user login email popup can make the process of logging in much simpler and less time-consuming for your users and subscribers. That way your subscribers can log in (or visitors can sign up, alternatively) with just one simple step through the popup, and without any redirections. 
### Product Recommendations
Product recommendations drive conversions. A good idea to use the magic of these popups is to have them recommend different products your visitors and customers will most likely be interested in, depending on the product or service they’re currently looking at. 

For example, if you’re selling clothes, and the customer is considering a particular hat, you can have a scarf or a shawl as a product recommendation to go alongside it. To incentivize the shopper, it’s a good idea to include some kind of a deal or promotion if the two items are bought at the same time. 
### Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment is something that every online business is trying to tackle in all possible ways, email popups being one. 

Cart abandonment popups can do wonders when it comes to this issue and they’re so easy to implement. Whenever you notice a customer has left their shopping cart full, just have a popup emerge telling them how the cart awaits them with all the wonders inside and how you can give them a nice deal (10, 15, 20% off) by using a coupon to have them come back. 
### Countdown Timer
Countdown timers are used as a FOMO (fear of missing out) strategy. They’re great at making your visitors and customers feel like the offer is urgent and they simply cannot miss this fantastic limited opportunity. 

These popups are particularly good for buyers who are more hesitant and less inclined to make fast purchasing decisions. 

Countdown popups usually come in the form of floating (sticky) bars. 
### Newsletter 
This is the most classic popup goal there is - making visitors sign up for your newsletter. Basically, for this, you can use any type of email popup, whichever fits your campaign best. The most common ones used are the lightbox and the side message popup forms. 
### Giveaway 
A giveaway popup is a great way to lure in new customers or remind existing customers why they like your brand. 

All you need to do is make a lightbox or fullscreen popup and have the visitor enter their email address to get a free item. If they’re new, it’s a great way to encourage them to subscribe.
## Elements of Email Popups
Email popups usually have three parts — the title or the headline, the body, and the CTA button. I’ll give you a couple of examples and walk you through why all of these parts are so important. 
### The Popup Headline
The headline is your “way in,” so it must be short, catchy, and fun. Take a look at this example from the [London Review of Books](https://www.lrb.co.uk/). 

Their title is “Fresh Thinking” — it’s a straightforward and clever way to connect a subscription offer for a literary magazine with a beloved season. The title works perfectly with the body of the text alongside the visual design. The art and copy tie together a feeling of summer and blue skies where you can sit down and enjoy a good book. 
![London Review of Books Popup](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7JCifvkBGvQ3U9noGZhe9J/5bf96f6732cdf63b568f30358a21ed22/lrb.png)
### The Popup Body
The body of your email popup should also be short and cut straight to the point. 
Take a look at this popup from [Electric Literature](https://electricliterature.com/), an independent publisher and online magazine. 
![Electric Literature Popup](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1wXV9qw1ENoqQM6tBsDued/69d0fe182eb12a4d2f286f3b7e5fc2be/electricliterature.png)
I just love how they immediately draw you in with their body - what kind of bookworm doesn’t want to become the person who everybody asks for book recommendations? 

This popup body is catchy, concise, and cuts straight to the chase. 

Another example is [Adidas](https://www.adidas.com/us), with its popup body/title, which is also pretty short and simple and tells you that you’re going to get a discount if you join their club. Who wouldn’t want to belong to such a club? 

Also, the design is nice and sleek, it corresponds with the Adidas logo, making it instantly relatable for Adidas fans, but it also stands out for those new to the brand. 
![Adidas Popup](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2ZISNdsLqqAXxnRkmXAJjh/4db7fd668c29ddae361757e823758c9f/adidas.png)
### The Popup CTA Button
The CTA button (call to action button) in your email popup is something that must be there. Otherwise, the whole popup is just there to block the user from seeing your website. 

The CTA copy should be only a few words and must use a verb to tell people what action they should take. It all depends on what your popup is about. You can use “Join now,” “Subscribe,” “Sign up,” “Shop now,” “Get in touch,” “Save _,” etc.

## Things to Have in Mind When Creating an Email Popup
As I mentioned earlier, email popups are not created equal. Their effectiveness depends on the target audience, the design, the well-crafted message, and some other factors.

Next, I’ll tell you a little about what to consider when crafting the perfect email popup.  
### Choose the Right Template 
The template you choose for your popups should be based on the goal you’re chasing. It could be about collecting new users’ email addresses or attempting to increase your sales. Whatever it is, choose a template that will fit your goal. 

Ask yourself what you can offer them in the email popup to get them excited and ready to enter their email address. A 10% or 15% discount might do the trick if you’re doing a sale. 
### Pay Attention to the Copy
I’ve mentioned this earlier, but yes, the copy is critical, even though it’s pretty short. The copy should concisely and straightforwardly reflect what you’re offering to your users. 

So, if your title is “30% off all Swimwear,” you can write something like this in the copy:

“Spend the rest of the summer looking chic and fresh with our summer collection, now on sale — 30% off all designs!

We’ll promptly send you the discount code once you sign up.” 
### Choose Who Can See the Offer and When
Not everyone needs to see the offer. If, for example, you’re going after new email addresses and new subscribers, existing subscribers are not the ones you’re chasing after, so they don’t need to see this particular popup. You can easily adjust this by turning off the popup for newsletter subscribers. 

Also, it’s a good idea to think about when you want the popup to show up. Generally speaking, it’s recommended you do this after 6-8 seconds once the person opens the website. 
## Conclusion
Email popups are an easy, fun, and pretty straightforward way to attract new subscribers and guide your visitors towards taking a particular action. 

Email popups are so versatile that you can use them for whatever incentive you want. As an indelible part of any marketing campaign, don’t hesitate to start crafting them as soon as possible!

Learn what email popups are, why they are effective, and how to make one, alongside examples from famous brands.

A Guide on Email Popups

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup for the 2nd week of September. 

A lot of updates this week so let's just dive in and see what happened down on Update Lane.

09/10/2022
__[Upgrade] A new raw HTML editor experience is now available.__
Do you ever feel like you want to dive into the guts of an email and edit away without all the bells and whistles of a nice GUI? Now you can! No-frills HTML editing is now available when crafting your next email.
![Code Editor](//videos.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/oHhGqFPfpUstcspaGQngO/bc024835b4e65a9468c83ba60e095ad0/codeEditor.mp4)

09/12/2022
__[Upgrade] No Subject Line? No Problem!__
Can't think of a great subject line for your next broadcast? Just hit the button in the subject box while editing your email and let our fancy computer brains come up with one for you.
![AI Subject Line](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6LW1DXMd6idsti7vUQ6o7D/11ec173f98e1e6d29c3b0f1f5c4d954d/ai_subject_line.png)

__[Enhancement] You can now clone Survey Forms with one click.__
Shoutout to @ivanfarias who requested this feature.

__[Bug] Pushing up a fix where plain text previews sent or viewed in the preview window didn't always render Liquid in the signature.__

09/13/2022
__[Bug] The People page was erroring for a handful of users. Just pushed a patch.__

__[Upgrade] Batches now build and send faster (10x improvement).

[Upgrade] Broadcast results now appear faster after completion due to the above refactor.__

__[Improvement] You can now customize your unsubscribe page.__
Now you can change the logo image, update the brand colors, and provide a way to redirect people to a specific URL (e.g., to show a sad puppy face and wish them well). Even people who want to leave deserve to be treated to a good experience. Hey, if it's nice enough, they might decide to stay.
![Unsubscribe Page](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2zHXEZO5nlzQqI7Hq7M9er/38ecbdaebf164eb5225a6513b616ef29/unsubscribeoptions.png)

09/14/2022
__[New Feature] Imports can now trigger Workflows via tags.__
Simply change your tags column to tag_as_event, and each tag will be created as an event that will trigger automations.

09/16/2022
__[Shoji Improvement] Improving hyperlinking text to make it easier for users.__

Busy week of updates and improvements. Love it when Jesse gets out a bunch of updates that make our customers' lives easier.

See you next week.


Weekly Roundup for the 2nd week of September.

Weekly Roundup [Sept Week 2, 2022]: Gimme that Raw HTML

Copywriting should be short, simple, and precise. Piece of cake, you may think. Only, it’s one of the hardest things to get right in email marketing and marketing in general. 

How come?

First, you need to sound original.
Second, you mustn’t bore your readers.
Third, you need to have a story. A story gives character to your brand. Whether it’s big or small, it doesn’t matter; you need to have one. 

In this article, you’ll find examples from 7 different e-commerce and email marketing campaigns that will hopefully help you develop an attractive copy all your own. 

*__TLDR:__ Copywriting helps you build a story for your brand and develop your brand’s character. Take a look at ASOS, a successful clothing brand that has managed to build its brand as an edgy, adventurous, and open-minded clothing company through the use of excellent copy. Or Substack, a writing platform that helps you earn money from followers. Their email copy is great for businesses that want to learn how to introduce new clients to their services without overwhelming them. Copywriting is only one side of the coin when it comes to a good ad campaign - the other is the visuals. In that regard, in my third example IKEA, you’ll find that some ad copy just needs some great visuals. The fourth is about a chocholate company who really knows how to tell an engaging company story with striking design. The fifth example is from Asics, a renowned sports company that tells their almost 80-years old existence on the market by providing info on all their years of work. The sixth and seventh examples concern Illy and Bialleti, two Italian companies that make moka pots and coffee products, respectively. They utilize the power of the visual with a straightforward origin approach.*

## 1. ASOS
![ASOS Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/oIqOJyFe5udzUCzV3xYaa/a755b48b620f1ff9542f360e881948e2/ASOS.png)
Source: [asos.com](https://www.asos.com/about/who-we-are/?ctaref=aboutus|whoweare)

Stories are integral to the human experience - they are how we add meaning and depth to our lives. A good story to build your brand on can make all the difference when people are looking for someone to buy from. It also creates a strong base from which your business can continue to grow.

ASOS is a fantastic example of using a story to build a brand.  

Take a look at their “Who we are” page. You can see that the team at ASOS starts with a general statement on what they stand for and how they want to be perceived by their customers:

“We believe in a world where you have total freedom to be you, without judgment. To experiment. To express yourself. To be brave and grab life as the extraordinary adventure it is. So we make sure everyone has an equal chance to discover all the amazing things they’re capable of – no matter who they are, where they’re from, or what looks they like to boss. We exist to give you the confidence to be whoever you want to be.”

As you can see, they use words and phrases like “total freedom”, “without judgment”, “experiment”, “expressing oneself’, “being brave”, “life as an adventure”, and “confidence”, which builds up their edgy and youthful brand image. 

After this, there are several sections like “Fashion democracy”, “Choice for all”, and “Body positivity”, which serve to awaken the sense of uniqueness in all of their customers, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, or body type. This copy’s goal is to make you see them as a clothing brand that allows you to express yourself as the unique individual you are. 
## 2. Substack
Okay, let’s cross over to email marketing territory now. The following example is from Substack, an online platform that allows writers and podcasters to publish content on their site and earn money through subscriptions. 
![Substack Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5lQ3gFg47z8wlsIV0Jj6zm/c563cc7fecd1e5ebe2743161bc3fe115/Substack.png)
This is an email you get once you sign up and create your own Substack URL. 

This is an excellent example of what a welcome email from a service-providing online tool should be. It’s short, informative, and friendly. 

When you sign up for a new service, especially one you don’t know how to use, you don’t want to get flooded with so much information that you quit. 

Substack knows this, so they only use a nice CTA button and a couple of links on how to get started. At the end of the email, they also provide you with a couple of Substacks that they think might interest you and can serve as inspiration. 
![Substack Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/72jq6nWza3wvNP8v992x6O/20114126276eaf0ae3a42a41924e99b7/Substack_2.png)
Their follow-up email after your first post contains a couple of straightforward but practical growth tips so you don’t get overwhelmed with the huge and sometimes painstaking task of acquiring followers. You’re just reminded that applying a few simple tips can make a big difference. 

In the end, they once again provide you with a successful example, a writer uses one simple act to acquire subscribers. And last but not least is a link to a longer guide on how to grow your mailing list. 

Again - simple copy, but informative. It’s not unnecessarily flashy, and it’s not overwhelming. It’s just right for beginners. 
## 3. IKEA
![IKEA Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4m6gYgegBWNFzmb1KSGQt7/73720a21baaaf3bd3c583725f731bd28/IKEA_1.jpg)
![IKEA Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2BfA13uol26TM0IhkOL8qn/fbd4219ed38566fafeb1bf6077a35738/IKEA_2.jpg)
![IKEA Copywriting Example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4mOfdDSaDKGuRck4Y0qs2b/a46bba6eefcc8b071ed7a0ed00dcbd14/IKEA_3.jpg)
Source: [adsoftheworld.com](https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/the-fearniture-collection)

This is an IKEA campaign made for Halloween 2020 by an Italian ad agency. 

Have you ever heard of the phrase less is more? This ad campaign is a perfect example of it. 

You may wonder, at first glance, why I have included this here in copywriting examples. But hear me out. 

Sometimes the best way to advertise is to combine short and sweet copy with striking visuals. This IKEA ad campaign is a perfect example of how you can make that happen.

What do I love the most about this campaign? It is creative, spooky, and perfectly captures the spirit of Halloween all while reminding you that your favorite products from IKEA are available at an affordable price.

By tapping into your inner child and letting your imagination take hold you can create a stirring campaign with pretty much no copy at all. The key to a great ad isn’t always about more unless you are counting the “thousand words” the photos are worth.

By invoking a fun holiday, for both kids and adults, that you don’t usually connect with companies like IKEA, you create a strong memory in the viewer and keep your brand fresh.
## 4. Tony’s Chocolonely
Tony’s Chocolonely is a Dutch company that produces chocolate. The whole idea behind the brand is that they’re fighting modern slavery which is very prevalent in the cocoa industry. 

They’re very serious about what they’re doing that they even imprinted their cause in the very form of the chocolate bar, which is divided into uneven chunks to symbolize the uneven treatment and exploitation of cocoa workers. They even share their story and cause on the inside of the chocolate wrapper (you can see that below). A genius stroke of marketing, advocacy, and activism, if you ask me.
![tonyschocolonely](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3yhTF4LR7Mq52WTCCvZHV1/562d78f678ee369e4fc24a6862360617/tonyschocolonely.png)
Here, I’m focusing on how this company shares its story on its website. First of all, notice the bold colors. Red is the signature color of Tony’s Chocolonely brand and they’re not afraid to use it in their Our Mission section. 

Notice how the narrative flows from top to bottom. Here is an image of the whole page:
![tonyschocolonely 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2S0sw9PnUZZTaAhqinNyIE/b3997d0c7e99106c8984edb8b6081e2c/tonyschocolonely_2.png)
Everything works so well that I could even put it as a poster in my office. The text, combined with the bold color, is evenly positioned left and right in a zig-zag manner, which makes it more enticing and fun to read for a very serious topic. The illustrations and overall visuals are also doing a great job complimenting the text, adding gravity, and calling attention to Tony’s Chocolonely’s mission.
## 5. Asics
Asics is a legendary Japanese sports shoes and clothing company that’s been active in producing elite-level sporting shoes and clothes for nearly 80 years now. A combination of superb technology, quality, and marketing genius has made them last that long on the market, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their competitors, such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and others. 

Now, when you have a company with such a history, naturally, you’d want to utilize that in the present as well. 

Let’s take a look at Asics’ Our Story section. It’s a brilliant copywriting example of how to tell your company and innovations history in one take.
![Asics](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7hnc0S84RSDsxpZGscwytl/6e435dace59122836e65edece31ef050/Asics.png)
As you can see, on the right side, there is a bar that states all the decades Asics has existed on the market, starting from 1949, when it was founded. In this screenshot, you can see the origin story alongside images of the founder. When you press on each decade on the right sidebar, you’ll get a sub-bar that states all the years within that decade in which Asics was active in producing something new and groundbreaking, accompanied by a short text on the matter. 
![Asics 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1UZAMMCWiOqRqHGqhmara4/0a211591624108a5ef1aa0db76d4d866/Asics_2.png)
And all of this continues to the present year, 2022, and, presumably, they’ll keep updating it as the years go by. 

I love this copywriting example because it’s in a way an encyclopedia of the development of a very important brand in the sports equipment world. It’s a very serious, informative, and fun approach to the history behind a beloved and hugely successful company.
![Asics 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/25IgvP8Zju0zqzLZvMOhod/8f32d0a654a36b81750258bde3d85240/Asics_3.png)
## 6. Illy
Since I really loved the Asics’ kind of origin story copywriting, I’ll give you another example of a very famous and successful brand, this time in the coffee industry - Illy. 

Illy was founded in 1933, so you can imagine how much there is to say in terms of the development of the brand.
![illy 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2p9CKCPJUflLRZjUX2OVUs/3ab0b78c387c1876592f0802cec318d8/illy_3.png)
This is a classic, pretty straightforward copywriting noting the history of the company. It’s like reading a Wikipedia text, which is nice because it gives you all the basic data you need to know about it. 

And after that comes a mosaic-like part that perfectly combines visuals - images, with text, and overall page design and text/image placement.
![illy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2YnAuG0g0B2uYfkl3TwKmq/df363122aaa17411fdf4412749019c1b/illy.png)
So, you have the history of the brand and its achievements, but in a much more playful way combined with historical photographs. The information is short, concise, and easy to remember - you get the gist of the historical facts, the real important data. The color of the titles corresponds with the overall brand color, which is red, but also in combination with metallic-grey shades, which is its other dominant color. 
![illy 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3ZIkn8mlrpNGoYSX0QE58G/bb58dac9c6c4145521b92a19a500adc2/illy_2.png)
Basically, what Illy does perfectly is combine visual design with textual placement and content. There’s a lot to learn from here. 
## 7. Bialetti
Bialetti is a world-famous brand for coffee machines and accessories. Its most popular product is the Moka pot, a simple espresso cooker that has been around for almost a century now. 

Much like Asics, Bialetti has a long history and lots to brag about. On their Moka express site, they trace the invention of the cooker, but the page holds much more than that.
![bialetti 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4df0bgFRwQlRA9Y2ofSATp/19049090768f25fa4c6fe5e539bb36fe/bialetti_3.png)
This page has everything, in fact. From the history of the pot, customer testimonials, and quotes, to a how-to image + words guide and a video that explains how best to use the Moca pot. 
![bialetti](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2LR29A3mW8JXOU34ctbyvc/b4deba9e021558c748f98d66a5b8b069/bialetti.png)
The whole charm of Bialetti’s Moka pot is that it’s easy to use and that it instantly connects you to the beauties and taste of Italy. So, why not use that in copywriting as well? 

Besides telling you how easy it is to use this in a couple of steps - alongside images that further spur your desire to make some coffee right now - there are also the comments of real Italians.
![bialetti - Copy (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3Vl6hOTrlc1OAH7OHWUwoi/9ca67b77320583c7bec6a5d1e2ca6ddd/bialetti_-_Copy__2_.png)
Bialetti is a great example that, if you want to have it all in your copywriting product history section - then you definitely can, if you do it right!
## Conclusion
There are plenty of good examples of successful copy out there, but sometimes it’s good to zoom in on only a couple of them and analyze them in more detail. After all, getting lost amid the sea of online advertising and email marketing campaigns is easy. 

I really hope these 3 selected ad campaigns and copy helped you out in your process of crafting the perfect copy for your business. Look at them as aces up your sleeve - anytime you’re short on inspiration; you can turn to them as sources of creativity. 

Get inspired by these remarkable copywriting examples from both e-commerce and email marketing that will hopefully help you come up with an attractive copy.

7 Remarkable Copywriting Examples

Email marketing remains one of the most important components of a complete and successful marketing campaign. It’s estimated that by 2025 there will be [4.6 billion email users worldwide!](https://www.statista.com/statistics/255080/number-of-e-mail-users-worldwide/) How can you forsake or diminish the power of emails when the number of users has kept growing since its inception? 

Besides, email marketing offers you unprecedented control over the whole sales journey, as it creates a more intimate and personalized relationship with your customers. 

So yeah, you better start thinking about crafting that email campaign of yours. 

To make it easier, I’ve gathered four examples to inspire you for your next email marketing campaign. 

Let’s take a look at what the world of email marketing has to offer! 

*__TLDR:__ Investing in email marketing is essential. Here, you can find campaign examples to help you craft the best campaign for your business. You can find examples of how to create the right mood — like FlixBus does — in an email and transport your customers immediately where you want them to be. Next is an example from BookDepository; Learn how to use your creativity for niche products and how to hit a specific type of audience by crafting a fun and simple email. In the third example, I remind you why it’s good to capitalize on limited-time offers and show you an example from the well-known publisher NYRB. Ultimately, it’s all about motivation — see how the fitness app FitOn does its best by including its exercises in emails. *

## 1. Get Your Clients In the Right Mood
A good marketing campaign should be able to transport you to whatever or wherever they’re offering instantly. That’s exactly what happens in this FlixBus campaign. 

FlixBus is a very successful transportation company that offers low-budget long-distance and short-distance bus and train services. 

So how do they do it? 

Well, first, take a look at the subject line below.
![Flexibus subject](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7n0H3NQCDcZerF0GnpWsN5/c162f676e65b35d0827acb1ccd1043d9/flixbus_subject.png)
FlixBus doesn’t ask you whether you’re ready for your next trip or not. It immediately (but politely) invites you to choose the best seat possible for you. 

Once you open the email, you will see this: 
![Flixbus email marketing](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6O4lepBArlK13bgG9ILKw7/23b8f04cec27c3c9d22dcabdb51943aa/flixbus.png)
Traveling can be stressful. To help alleviate this, FlixBus gives you four simple reasons why you should reserve your seat. Each is worded carefully to help you to make decisions and not create more stress. They do this by including many questions to get you to think about how you want to spend your travel time and why booking can help you get the most from your trip. 

It also includes a CTA (call to action) button that immediately takes you to the page where you can book your trip. 

At the end of the email copy, they include a list of attractive destinations nearest to your location, and the photos double as links to book a trip to each one. Those are some pretty eye-catching CTA buttons. 

And that’s it. Pretty simple but very effective for getting you in the mood for traveling! 
## 2. Be Extra Creative for Your Niche Products
If you think this subject line is creepy, think again. Context is everything. 
![BookDepository subject](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1PK4QdtTN7iGaf9PvsVE1q/0670a19a1c6e621e2b4eab0e7c5810f3/bookdepository_subject.png)
At a second glance, this sounds so much like a riddle, right? Well, that’s because it is. 

This is a subject line for an email from [BookDepository](https://www.bookdepository.com/), an online bookseller’s site. The email copy contains book offers for a specific book niche: jokes and riddles books. 

The email copy is not very long, just like the subject matter it advertises, but it has everything it needs to have. 
![BookDepository](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4hygW4YH0PJtCcFtkLFxUW/c06260ecc6e3fb2bca10e8569dde4561/bookdepository.png)
First, there’s a colorful, fun picture with a very eye-catching dominant purple color and laughing books.

The copy below helps tie everything together with a few well-placed word puns like “bound to make you smile” and “Treat your-shelf”. This keeps up the fun atmosphere and reinforces that they are qualified to pick out great jokes & riddles books for you to buy.

Just below the text, there is the CTA button that brings you right to the book category on BookDepository’s website. 

Simple copy that does a great job of marketing a niche subject. Sometimes less is more, and all you need are a couple of good sentences and a cute picture to complement them. 
## 3. Capitalize on Limited Time Offers
[Limited-time offers](https://bentonow.com/posts/limited-time-offer-email-campaigns) are marketing tactics to make your customers feel a real sense of FOMO. If they don’t act fast, the offer will disappear, and they will regret missing out. 

### NYRB’s Visual Delight
[NYRB](https://www.nybooks.com/) (New York Review of Books) has a great weekend limited-time offer that also puts an accent on the visual. 

The subject line is just as it should be — precise and simple. It tells you when the limited-time offer ends and the discount you get. 
![NYRB Subject](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1ux2P7ZubtLrS451pPcLDK/f5a9a26bbf5e739c7f91108ef0671091/nyrb_subject.png)
The email copy is also pretty concise and says just what the buyers need to hear. But, first, you get to see all the pretty book covers, which are minimalistic but all in different colors. You can also click on them, and you’ll be immediately taken to NYRB’s website. 

After the crisp visuals, you have information about the type of discount NYRB offers. It says when it ends and that free shipping is available on orders above 50$. Also, the discount tiers depend on whether you buy two, three, or four books; you can get 20%, 30%, and 40% off, respectively. 

I doubt any book lovers will stay indifferent after reading that. 
![NYRB email marketing](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2rzpGENIctKXmvrsbNUnPG/364a1e3d54c68331d86885c68c2ac063/nyrb.png)
However, what’s also interesting, is that just below that, you’re also able to see the titles and the poets that are part of the offer, so you don’t immediately have to go to the website — you have them in the email copy itself. One great detail is that you’re immediately redirected to the book on NYRB’s website by pressing any of the names. 
![NYRB ](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4sSdOrVQrESVJnbTvo211o/20bfedfcf227ae6b498638968d628c99/nyrb_2.png)
### Codeacademy’s Classic Limited-Time Offer
Sometimes less is more. That is the case with Codeacademy’s limited-time discount on annual membership. 
![Codeacademy - Copy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6rVUjQ0IxpNQe8me26zsj9/6f6a22cbf9771c264eab4734f463c793/Codeacademy_-_Copy.png)
The subject line is pretty simple and straightforward - it tells you there’s not much time to make up your mind about a 50% discount. Now, 50% is quite a lot, and paired with the “last chance” phrase, naturally, you’d probably want to open it. 
![Codeacademy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/7GkC7cwVIxPvf26K0yE5rU/073562c5875714affd693a63e4d9feee/Codeacademy.png)
As you can see, when it comes to a limited-time offer like this, there’s no need for too much content. All you need is: 
- Striking visuals - and here that is achieved with the vibrant blue color, which is nicely complimented with the relaxed workspace image;
- Information on when the offer starts and ends - or just when it ends; 
- Information on what the offer is about and, again, how big the discount is;
- If there is a promo code, then info about the promo code that subscribers can use; 
- And, of course, in the end, there must be a CTA button - in this case, it’s Join Pro, and there’s another one, smaller and less visually accentuated (because it’s secondary to the email’s main purpose) that says Join Pro Student. 

And that’s it, folks, all you need for a limited-time offer are just several elements in order to make it work like a charm.
## 4. Motivate Your Customers
Motivation is the driving force behind everything that we do. When you’re in the sports business, that’s even more true. But motivation wanes from time to time, which is all the more reason to remind your customers why they’ve started in the first place. 
### FitOn’s Call to Excercise
Here’s an excellent example from [FitOn](https://fitonapp.com/), a digital fitness platform offering countless free exercises on its app and site. 

Their latest subject line reads: 
![FitOn Subject](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2g8UvPWf6208aBG2Egum8E/2f0048f956db08e2bc06076d853bd97e/fiton_subject.png)
Simple, motivating, personal. It’s a nice idea to capitalize on the end of the summer holiday season in order to motivate people to get back to the healthy habits they may have abandoned. 

And their email copy, phew! It’s a mini catalog of exercises to get back in shape. Because, hey, just telling you about it won’t cut it. People won’t just say to themselves, “oh yeah, I do need to exercise again and feel better about myself,” and then go do that. They’re more likely to see the email, nod their heads, and go on with their day. 

Simply put, FitOn doesn’t just remind you. 

They give you exercise links inside the email with clever descriptions to ease you back into healthy habits. These are followed by the strong CTA, START NOW.

![FitOn email marketing](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/169JR8ETLwRifebaRB2T3J/6fc8ed1da140505f6c3b320df002f991/fiton_2.png)
And that’s it! I mean, who can resist these beautiful, happy, smiling, exercising people? 
### Adidas Runtastic’s Meal Planners
While we’re still at the sports stuff, another great example when it comes to motivation is Adidas’ Runtastic program, specifically made for people who run. 
![Adidas runtastic](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5aPZC6bu30hFRRNspoW5Mu/bf02fcdce4909958bb5a05883791f4ae/Adidas_runtastic.png)
This is their subject line, focusing on one of the most important parts of being fit - diet and meal planning, which, truth be told, can often be a bore. The subject line is simple, easy to understand, and most importantly, makes you read further because who doesn’t want meal plans made easy?!
![Adidas runtastic 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5txsYntOwMsuoUSCuOLgew/914ef32fe111a2d536e673d17e5c18a3/Adidas_runtastic_2.png)
Inside the email content, you can find information on how to find out more about this subject. The tone is helpful, kind, and pleasant, while the text points you to the CTA button LEARN MORE HERE. 
![Adidas runtastic 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/LrPdx9nnfGX9fQyI9rLHI/220ceffeda963b4947168c82046dfb56/Adidas_runtastic_3.png)
But, this is not where the email ends. Just below, you can find two other CTA buttons leading you to a list of healthy food, so they can show you just a glimpse of what you can find on their website. 

The email ends with a SHOP ADIDAS CTA button which leads you to Adidas’ store. A brilliant move when you realize you need new sporting equipment in combination with that healthy meal-planning lifestyle!
## 5. Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience means sending them curated content that they’ll actually find useful. This is done through email personalization and can be applied to all kinds of businesses. Take a look at these two examples from streaming services. 
### Netflix
Netflix, a giant among streaming services, certainly knows its audience. One of their email marketing strategies is that they send curated emails to their subscribers informing them about a new show or film that might be of interest to them. This is usually how the subject line goes:
![Netflix](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5ZkiXtaeOOOSaCavm2WmhK/7c82838e3ee1a1372ac8b72eb460c842/Netflix.png)
Inside the email, you can find short info about the show, alongside still images. 
![Netflix - Copy - Copy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2Js3wSzecZkOm8l5nzTVzM/884a45d3f6efc0341c3e36e40405c79f/Netflix_-_Copy_-_Copy.png)
But what is especially smart about it is that just below, you can find the CTA button Play, as well as My list, so you can either play the show right away or add it to your personalized list and check it out afterward. What’s more, if you want to find out more about it, you can watch the trailer provided in the same email. 

This is a very good move if you’re in the video and streaming services. When sending movie or show recommendations to clients, make sure to send a video of it inside the email, preferably a trailer, so that interested customers can engage right away with your content should they want to find out more.
![Netflix - Copy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3qDCB38TEGGXN68LXAQmDJ/55301296a6ba82865c09ed68c3ba3faa/Netflix_-_Copy.png)
And, of course, in the end, there are other Recently Added show recommendations and another CTA button which will bring you to Netflix’s main browsing page. If your subscribers end up not being interested in your suggestion, then they might want to find something else on your site, right? 
### MUBI
Another, a more pared-down and minimalistic example of sending curated content is MUBI’s email movie recommendations.
![MUBI](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1R7ru2949kjV7krTZvbv1M/2db104d1aa1da5bf180370b7bd938f2b/MUBI.png)
MUBI is an arthouse-film-oriented streaming site, and production and distribution company. 

They usually promote a Film of the Day and send their subscribers emails about it. Their email subject line contains the director’s name alongside the title.
![MUBI - Copy](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6rEXv7BqU1webS9vLiIk2F/d5e1530fe8183e97278d6400e93e4a19/MUBI_-_Copy.png)
The email content is visually pleasing and minimalistic. It contains a short description of the film, and, similarly to Netflix’s CTA buttons, has Watch Now and Watchlist options. You can also just press on the video that’s embedded within the email and it’ll lead you straight to the film. 

As you can see, this is a more minimalistic version of Netflix’s email marketing, but it still works wonders, especially because of its Film of the Day tactic. With a few words, they manage to paint a picture of the atmosphere of the film and spark your interest. And if it’s done well, sometimes that’s all you need in email marketing.
## Conclusion
As you can see, there are so many ways you can craft your email marketing campaign. These four examples are just a fraction of what’s out there, so if you are struggling to craft your next campaign, some more inspiration is just a short search away.

In any case, I hope these were useful to you and that you can turn to them during your next efforts to build the best email marketing campaign for your business. 

Cheers to that! 

Take a look at some of the best email marketing examples that’ll inspire you for your next email marketing journey.

4 Unique Email Marketing Examples for Your Next Campaign

There are tons of services and businesses online. So, why should customers choose you exactly? 

That's an easy question to answer — you might think: "Because we're the best, the cheapest, the most efficient," etc. But how can your customers know that if they've never used your product or services? 

Well, there's this thing in marketing called "social proof," and it makes things a helluva lot easier when grabbing new customers' attention. 

Social proof is a term from the 80s that describes the sociological and psychological phenomenon of how people copy the actions of other people in order to belong to a social group, be accepted, liked, or achieve some social gain. 

Influencers marketing products that they use are a perfect example of social proof. Customer testimonials are another significant example of social proof, which is what we'll talk about next in more detail. I'll also include three superb examples from different online businesses!

*__TLDR:__ From boosting sales to turning customers into brand ambassadors, social proof is super important for online businesses. Customer testimonials are a great and crucial example of social proof. They're usually featured in varying lengths on companies' websites and can even be videos of satisfied customers. The aim of customer testimonials is to strengthen the company's credibility and imbue trust in the company's product quality or service. Through the example of Scrivener, a software for writers, you'll see the classic way you can feature customer testimonials. In the Freeletics example, I will show you how you can do this through video testimonials and how you can utilize the existence of brand ambassadors. And finally, the Codeacademy example will show you how you can use both videos and customer stories in the form of interviews to make compelling examples of the worth and usefulness of your services.*

## What are Customer Testimonials?
Customer testimonials are recommendations for a specific product or service from satisfied customers/buyers. The aim of the testimonials is to affirm the value of a particular product or service. Usually, customer testimonials come from satisfied users, but they can also be done upon request from the company or in the form of paid endorsements (which is basically influencer marketing). 

When done right (which is crucial, to say the least), honestly, authentically, and concisely, they can help boost company sales, convert leads, extinguish any doubts about the product, and turn customers into brand ambassadors. 

Let's take a look at three amazing examples of customer testimonials that can teach you a lot. 
### 1. Classic Testimonials from Scrivener Users
Scrivener is software that helps writers of any kind to develop their stories and writings in a simple and organized manner. 

Their example of customer testimonials is a great, classic example that I absolutely love. 

First, you can see quotes from the testimonials [on the landing page](https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview).
![Scrivener customer testimonial](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3cE8ONkY7SGQ2MSs47Padg/ef78c6f038f9a6c1fb4f7504ef2fea5b/scrivener_2_1_.png)
And as you can see, you can click on the SEE ALL TESTIMONIALS link, which will bring you to [the main testimonials site](https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/testimonials): 
![Scrivener customer testimonials](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/16IG4Hr2peZR3RUwGojK1a/16ea6b67f4dcb75fa89dca391a01bec9/scrivener_1_1_.png)
Here, you have plenty of testimonials from different types of authors. If you're interested in a particular type, you can choose between Graphic Novelists, Biographers, Lawyers, Screenwriters, and many, many others. 

Some testimonials are shorter, some longer, but they all contain the name and surname of the author in question, their line of work, their books or project, and images of themselves or their book covers. 

That way, you can be damn sure that these are indeed real people; I mean, you can easily google them and see what they're up to. In any event, Scrivener has some of the best and most straightforward customer testimonials I've ever seen on the internet. 
## 2. Freeletics' Video Testimonials and Brand Ambassadors
Freeletics is a fitness app aimed at providing people with a digital personal trainer so they can exercise anywhere, anytime they want.  

And when it comes to health, fitness, and body toning, you can't mess around much, can you? The Freeletics team knows this, which is why they've opted for the [video testimonials](https://www.freeletics.com/en/training/coach/get/) type of social proof. 

They call them Success Stories — video testimonials of people worldwide who've committed to an exercise plan, lost weight, and gained muscle. The compelling thing about these videos is that they come from real people — not some faraway unreachable fitness freaks, but people like you and me, talking in different languages and showing their before-and-after selves. 
![Freeletics' video testimonials](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3fhmr8lfJW9p7WSM5BlMKp/ee076be0b40271c39fb72c167e108ba8/freeletics.png)
So you've seen the success stories, and you're probably all fired up for a new, healthy regimen in your life, so why waste time and search for the signup link somewhere on the page when you can have it right here, right now? That is why the CTA is right below the videos.

A strike of genius, I say. 

Another great program of social proof they've developed is the [Freeletics Ambassadors campaign](https://www.freeletics.com/en/ambassadors/). Each ambassador was once a Freeletics beginner and through hardwork, met their fitness goals. The program's goal is for new members in the area to reach out to these ambassadors for support and maybe even train together! What better way to convince you of the quality of their coaches then to meet people who have used them to succeed.
![Freeletics Ambassadors campaign](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6ksLPZJXBnYSqqnTiE2aRu/3633159852d3f6811cf226beb273f3e1/freeletics_ambassadors.png)
### 3. Codecademy's Video Stories and Written Interviews
Codeacademy is a well-known online platform that offers a variety of programming courses. Now, a business like this is basically nothing without social proof and successful customer testimonials. 

This teaser is what you can find on their [landing page](https://www.codecademy.com/): 
![Codeacademy social proof](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/0jUEq5TTrMXed3Xew9fi4/72445c1e68f632a1489b57baa5589c50/codeacademy_1.png)
When you click the [Explore more stories](https://www.codecademy.com/learner-stories) link, you'll end up with a real gem of a testimonial site! 

What I especially love about it is that you can find both videos and written stories from actual Codeacademy learners, so you can choose whether you want to read the stories or watch videos. 
![Codeacademy learner stories](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3r6iGJ0wqskOM0UWzlMo9f/4b441c3bfff944b9bbe49b58cbd3d0ec/codeacademy_2.png)
What's more, I also love the titles of the testimonials — "What happens when a Pianist learns to code" or "Lessons from a Chef turned Deputy CTO." They do a great job at giving you a quick picture of the personality of the Codeacademy's learner and also make it known that coding is for everyone.

The learners' stories are written like short interviews, making them very easy to read and adding a conversational tone and human dimension to the whole thing. 
![Codeacademy  learners’ stories](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/3pn7CZSya00U3teoEGHU7c/20fc3fbc34f1cc8428de34768f57ba2d/codeacademy_3_1_.png)
At the end of the interview/story, you also have links to the courses the learner has taken and a link to the whole of Codeacademy's course catalog. This helps a new learner get right to a course they want without spending time searching.
![Codeacademy  learners’ stories](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4BiPxyhbiatNnkDCihOjfy/d74bb7c74dc0f2895110c55002e1b554/codeacademy_4_1_.png)

### 4. Express VPN Testimonials Combo
ExpressVPN is a company that provides VPN services, one of the best in the market. Besides virtually chasing your favorite show halfway across the globe, VPNs are usually serious business. People use them for protection and privacy, so it’s only natural that users want the best and they want it written down.

ExpressVPN tells their clients they’re doing a pretty good job protecting their online activity through reviews, tweets, and media quotes and testimonials that they provide on their [landing page.](https://www.expressvpn.com/) 
![Express vpn](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4DP7aV2Wnxvz3NZIWTdExO/4e0ebbfac0417e0944a5e870ba086af7/Express_vpn.png)
The screenshot above shows the first type of testimonials they use - the review. Here, they provide their Trustpilot score and their App Store score, both of which are pretty high. And next to them you can see a review featured on Trustpilot from one customer named Sean, as well as a review featured in the Apple App Store from another customer who says they’ve been using the product for years. 
![express_vpn_2](//assets.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6EsNuOKC6Jgw83iCV0m94z/c6d54b6d0478d77c0af93f6384e9b951/view)
The second type of testimonial is one using tweets as social proof. Here, you can see three clients who’ve posted on Twitter about their experience with ExpressVPN. 
![Express vpn 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6QKihmMnERGNcyrhdaK8YI/e47516e90d67c7dec605a60494eb9f99/Express_vpn_3.png)
And the third type is media quotes. These are clippings from online reviews about ExpressVPN. In this case, you can see three reviews from relevant and well-known tech, entertainment, and news sites, all of which have good words for the VPN service. 

Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? The moral of the story here is - why have one when you can have all three? 

### 5. Canva’s Engaging Case Studies

Many of you reading this have probably already heard of Canva - the beloved graphic design platform that makes the internet a more beautiful place. Now, Canva came up with a really in-depth way of showing just what it can do for your business or project. They chose the power of [case studies.](https://www.canva.com/for-teams/case-studies/) A case study is done when a particular client has successfully implemented or used a service for their aims. 

Canva has plenty of case studies on its hands and they’re not afraid to show them to you. 
![Canva 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/68Ea4o7Kjzgr1TTd5zydLF/d802eeaba3182f3a24b56d4808697ff0/Canva_2.png)
They even provide you with filters through which you can choose the region of the company that used their services alongside their branch. 
![Canva 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4WqKluJkbILZ18dapwY9UI/4a829d24771197934c213fff232742af/Canva_3.png)
Here is a case study from a New York magazine that recounts the story of how they started and how Canva helped them develop their visual identity. 

Case studies are a great way to show real, successful projects to your potential clients, not to mention they’re super trustworthy. Your clients can just google the entrepreneurs and websites and see just how much this particular service has helped them in their business. 

### 6. Fiverr’s Vide + Quote Testimonials
Fiverr is a global market platform that offers freelance services. Naturally, they have loads of clients, and yet they’ve opted for a very simple and yet super effective customer testimonials strategy - the video+quote combination. 

Their testimonials can be found on [the landing page.](https://www.fiverr.com/)
![Fiverr](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/6sRSCwQ1ccuEHRd8WisJPS/608d2adc91c7ffb6f7b63491fbabcf07/Fiverr.png)
Here, you can see one of several such combinations. On the left side, there is a short video that features a client talking about the benefits of using Fiverr, and on the right side, you can see a catchy quote from that video. 

This is a great strategy when you want to combine both video and text but don’t want to overwhelm your client with too much video or too much text.

### 7. Toptal's Video Case Studies and Testimonials

Toptal is another freelancing platform that gathers the best worldwide freelance talent in one place. They have freelancers with huge portfolios and credibilities, and the same goes for their clients. Yes, they have a lot to brag about.

When it comes to their testimonials, their dominant choice is video case studies featured on their [landing page](https://www.toptal.com/); a bit lower down the page you can also find short testimonials and a Trustpilot score. 
![Toptotal](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1VkxCeTe6iPAyVGXUHbQnB/1bc65b84cc3c3b90f975478ab172464c/Toptotal.png)
These are the video testimonials. When you press on any of these squares, you get a window within your page opening that features the video in question. 
![Toptotal 3](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/12ixYk3Xy2V3lco8hnJpTH/9a3ff74429149df3321c80b77ba5455d/Toptotal_3.png)
And here you can see a selection of client testimonials that have used Toptal’s services. This one is a pretty standard way to feature customer satisfaction; however, it’s very much reinforced by the fine selection of professionally done video case studies above. 

## Conclusion
Whether it's choosing the best writing app or getting your own online personal trainer, customers want to make sure they get the best of what's offered out there. 

Naturally, in order to get the best info on a certain product or service, they turn to other customers and buyers like them. Customer testimonials can work magic if they're used the right way as social proof. 

By showing the satisfaction of your existing customers, you make it much more likely to convert leads and persuade potential customers to use and buy your expertise, products, or services.

Take a look at three amazing examples of customer testimonials that can teach you a lot about social proof and why it's crucial for boosting sales and retaining customers.

3 Amazing Customer Testimonials You Can Learn Tons From

7 Amazing Customer Testimonials You Can Learn Tons From

The customers you already have are just as important as the customers you’re chasing after. That’s why you should try different ways to keep them and build customer loyalty so they always keep coming back to you. 

Did you know that existing customers are “[nine times more likely to make a purchase](https://about.gosite.com/blog/21-customer-loyalty-and-retention-statistics-to-know-in-2021)” than new customers? Or that “the likelihood of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%”, as opposed to only 5-20% for prospective customers? 

Sounds good, right? Well, you’ll be happy to hear that there’s an effective way to do this, and it’s called a customer loyalty program. In this article, I’ll tell you all the basics about it and give you some smashing examples that’ll help you create your own customer loyalty program. 

So stay tuned!

__TLDR:__ *A customer loyalty program is a marketing strategy based on a rewards system for customers aimed to make them come back to your business and remain loyal to it. Customer loyalty programs are super important if you want to encourage existing customers to keep coming back. * 

*There are different ways you can design a loyalty program. One example is The Body Shop, which has a points system - for every dollar you spend, you get a point, and 100 points get you a $5 voucher. You also get access to exclusive offers, free perks, birthday vouchers, friend-referral discounts, and more. Penguin Random House, offers a very simple points-based loyalty program. Every book purchase brings you 10 points, and with 120 points, you get a free book, alongside personalized book recommendations. Sephora’s elaborate point system - from 0$ to 1000$, you can get different benefits depending on how much you spend per year. Also, you get specific discounts and cashback by using Sephora’s credit card.* 
## What is a Customer Loyalty Program? 
A customer loyalty program is a marketing strategy that’s aimed toward established customers to encourage them to make repeat purchases and build brand loyalty. This kind of strategy is based on a rewards system. It includes different types of rewards, discounts, giveaways, vouchers, points, cashback, free perks, and so on, all to incentivize customers to keep returning. 

In fact, there is no one way you can design a customer loyalty program, but many, depending on customer expectations and the type of business you have. That’s why in this article, I’ll show you examples of brands that utilize different types of loyalty programs. That way, you can try them out and see which will suit your brand best. 
## Customer Loyalty Program Examples
Okay, time to see the best loyalty programs out there!
### 1. The Body Shop Loyalty Program
You’ve probably heard of The Body Shop, the beloved skin and body care brand that has stores all over the world. Well, as it turns out, they have [one hell of a loyalty program](https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-au/love-your-body-club/club-members/e/e00080) as well. 

The Body Shop loyalty program includes points you earn and exclusive offers and rewards. 

What’s more, they offer 10% off for every new member who signs up for the loyalty club. This is a good start for a program that offers a lot more when you sign up, as you will see in a moment. 

Okay, so how does the program work? 

- Body Shop Points Loyalty Program

With its points program, The Body Shop gives its members 1 point for every dollar they spend on any of its products. Once a member amasses 100 points, they’re automatically awarded a $5 voucher.

- Body Shop Exclusive Offer Program

Members of the loyalty club also get access to exclusive membership offers. They change all the time, but you can always find the latest exclusive offers on their website.  

- Body Shop Free Perks Loyalty Program

The free perks program includes getting a 10$ voucher for a customer’s birthday, early access to special editions, and some other (unspecified) exclusive gifts and prizes. 
### Other Loyalty Program Offers From The Body Shop
The Body Shop allows you to spend your vouchers on any of their products, regardless of whether you shop online or in a brick-and-mortar store. 

You also have the option to donate your vouchers to any of the charities that are chosen as charity partners of The Body Shop. 

A personal favorite of mine is the friend referral, in which your friend gets $10 off when they shop online, while you get $10 off the next order you make. 
### 2. Penguin Random House Rewards Program
If you want something simpler to start with on your loyalty program journey, take a look at [Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/rewards). 

Their loyalty rewards program is pretty straightforward. Once customers sign up online (for free, of course), they’re able to earn points - with every book they buy that’s published by Penguin Random House, they earn 10 points. The books can be purchased anywhere there’s a Penguin Random House store. Once 120 points are accumulated, members of the program are rewarded with a free book. They can earn a maximum of 720 points per year, and the points are valid for two years from the date of issue. 

By signing up for their loyalty program, members also become eligible to get personalized book recommendations from Penguin Random House. 

And that’s it; pretty straightforward and a very simple and easy way to start if you’re new to the whole customer loyalty program. 
### 3. Sephora Loyalty Program
It seems that no internet list on customer loyalty programs can be complete without Sephora’s program because of its genius marketing. 

The story begins with all members of their Beauty Insider loyalty program being able to earn 1 point per $1 spent on Sephora products. By making purchases customers can rise from an Insider to a VIB, up to a Rouge status. But what do these names even mean?

- Insider

As you might know, Sephora’s products are a bit pricey, so coming up with a detailed but well-structured loyalty program is a great way to retain customers and keep them coming. The Insider type of member is usually a new member or one who spends less than $350 a year on Sephora products.

These members get to redeem 500 points for $10 off, access exclusive discounts and savings, and free standard shipping for purchases above $50. They also get a free birthday gift, exclusive perks, and access to the rewards bazaar where they can redeem points for events and samples, among other things. 

Insiders can also access Sephora’s app, attend exclusive events, and access exclusive product launches. 

- VIB

VIB members are customers who make purchases that amount to more than $350 per year (up to $1000). They get the same benefits as the Insider customers, the difference being that their free shipping threshold is above $35. 

- Rouge

Rouge members are customers who make purchases that exceed $1000 per year. They get free shipping on all products, regardless of how much they buy per purchase. They get all the perks Insider and VIB members get, but they’re also eligible for the Rouge Reward consisting of 2,500 points acquired for $100 off. 

Moreover, they get to enjoy first access to exclusive discounts and savings and exclusive product launches. 

Sephora’s loyalty program is an elaborate piece of work that allows customers to tailor it according to their buying habits and personal budgets. 

Sephora also has the option to get your own [Sephora credit card](https://www.sephora.com/creditcard?icid2=bi_bottom_banner_non_creditcard_holder_us_desktop_image_052722), which gives you 25% off for your entire first purchase, and plenty of other perks, discounts, and cashback options. 
### 4. Starbucks
Starbucks has one of [the simplest and best loyalty programs](https://www.starbucks.com/rewards) I’ve seen, which is no wonder for a brand of that stature. 

The process for joining their loyalty club is really simple. Customers just need to create an account, which they can either do on their website or their mobile app. 

And that’s it. Next time they buy something from Starbucks, they get a star, which is the basis of their rewards system. 
### Starbucks’ Stars
Starbucks’ star system is really simple. Basically, for every dollar that customers spend on their products, they get one star. If they choose to use their Starbucks Card and pre-load it with a certain sum of money, they get two stars per dollar. 

Collected stars are divided into five categories, all of which allow customers to choose Starbucks’ products for free: 
- 25 stars - this is the first stars option that new customers will run into and with it, they get to customize their drink for free; 
- 50 stars - customers can choose between a free drink (coffee or tea) or some kind of pastry;
- 150 stars - customer can choose between a hot breakfast, parfait, or a handcrafted drink; 
- 200 stars - with this many stars, customers are entitled to a whole meal like a salad, sandwich, or a protein box;
- 400 stars - the highest stars category gives customers the option to choose Starbucks merchandise, a bag of coffee, or coffee accessories.

So as you can see, depending on how many stars are accumulated, Starbucks customers will get to choose different free products like drinks, food, Starbucks merchandise, and coffee accessories. 
### Starbucks’ Extras
Starbucks’ loyalty club doesn’t only include stars and free products. It also offers other perks, like easy complimentary birthday food or drinks gifts, as well as in-store refills of tea and coffee. 

Another great thing about Starbucks’ extra program is the option to save time when ordering. So, if one orders through the app and selects the store location, they can have their order ready just in time when they arrive. Also, customers can customize their orders, save their favorites, and track the estimated pickup time. 

Customers can also do challenges and games to get bonus stars and get faster to the free perks. For example, Starbucks has special days where one can earn twice as many stars as on regular days. 
### 5. Lacoste
Lacoste is a big name in the clothes and fashion industry. They have a [three-tier loyalty program](https://www.lacoste.com/us/leclublacoste.html) that offers early access to sales, exclusive gifts, new collection previews and access, birthday discounts, exclusive gifts, shipping offers, and VIP events invitations. 

It’s a simple, but very attractive loyalty program. Let’s see how it works!

Lacoste’s Three-Tier Loyalty Program
The tier system is based on points. With every Lacoste purchase, customers earn a particular number of points, depending on how much they spend (one dollar equals ten points). 

The first tier is called L. 1 and it’s the one automatically awarded to each new member once they join. In this tier, members get a birthday offer and a loyal shopper bonus. 

The second tier is the L. 2 one. This one starts when members accumulate 1000 points, and it includes a celebration offer, exclusive style access, and more. 

The third tier, L. 3, starts from accumulated 5000 points. It includes free 2-day shipping for an online order, a free gift, and invitations to special events. 

The points are accumulated both in-store and on the Lacoste website, and they’re valid for 12 months, starting from the date customers entered the loyalty level.

And that’s it! All one needs is to register, either at their stores, online, or through their customer service.
### Adidas
I just love, love, love [Adidas’s rewards program called Adiclub](https://www.adidas.com/us/adiclubrewards). It’s so rich with perks and benefits, and it doesn’t stop only at Adidas’ products, it also motivates you to exercise more! 
### Adiclub’s Rewards Program
Okay, so Adidas’ loyalty program has four levels, each with a particular set of points. There are several ways members can earn points. 

They can earn 10 points for every dollar they spend online or in-store, but also through Adida’s daily training sessions for every 5k, which they track on their running app. 

Members can earn 50 points for creating an account, completing the profile, and reviewing a purchase they’ve made recently. 

Members can earn 100 points for participating in an Adida’s runners event. 
### Adidas Four Reward Levels
Level 1 is from 0 to 999 points and it includes:
- Members-only releases, meaning access to limited-edition apparel;
- Access to their Confirmed mobile application that allows for easier previews of new editions;
- Early sales access, which means members are first to know when a sale is happening; 
- Free shipping on all Adidas purchases. 

Level 2 is from 1000 to 3999 points and it includes: 
- Next-level access to special offers. Basically, the higher the level, the more of these offers members are able to unlock; 
- 3 months' worth of premium Adidas running and training apps - members get a voucher allowing them to use 3 months of premium access to Adidas’ sports apps, which include custom workouts, personalized training programs, meal planning, etc.; 
- Birthday gift - members are eligible for a gift for their birthday;
- Bonus surprise rewards.

Level 3 starts from 4,000 to 11,999 points and it includes:
- Early priority access to new Adidas products;
- Free personalization - members can add numbers, names, flags, and other stuff to selected shoes; 
- Priority customer service - members have priority support when they use the Adidas app for whatever they need; 
- Bonus rewards - the higher the level, the better the rewards. 

Level 4 is 12000+ points and it includes: 
- This is top-level membership which means members get to be invited to free concerts, games, and also meet and greets with top Adidas athletes in their city; 
- Priority access to the newest limited edition Adidas apparel; 
- 12 months of premium access to Adidas’ running and training apps; 
- Bonus surprise rewards. 

As you can see, Adidas’ loyalty program is super stacked with perks and access. It also involves Adidas’ commitment to a healthy and athletic lifestyle by including its training apps. There’s much to learn here, especially from the fourth level, which includes free gigs, games, and meetups with athletes. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a club like that? 

## Conclusion
As you can see, all of these examples have different elements to their customer loyalty programs. Of course, you don’t have to use all of them, just the ones you find will best suit your business. The key is to make your customers feel appreciated and make them feel like they’re entering a wider community of aficionados they just can’t wait to be a part of!

Learn all the basics about customer loyalty programs and how to create your own by exploring some great examples from established brands.

3 Great Customer Loyalty Programs You Can Learn From

The order confirmation email is probably the most anticipated email your customers want to see in their inboxes after a purchase.

After all, who doesn’t expect confirmation for their purchase after buying something online? And the stats confirm this - email confirmation emails have [the highest open and click-through rate](https://www.omnisend.com/resources/reports/omnichannel-marketing-automation-statistics-2020/) of all email campaigns, which opens room for cross-selling and upselling! 

In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know to craft the perfect order confirmation email alongside some examples. 

But before we cross over to the important stuff, let’s briefly look at what order confirmation emails are. 

*__TLDR__: Order confirmation emails are emails you send to your customers after they’ve made a purchase. They’re important because they make you look professional, enhance a sense of security in your buyers, and help you cross-sell or upsell other products and services to them as well. Here you can find a template for how to write a proper order confirmation email with all the necessary information. You can also find examples for engaging subject lines, as well as info on when is the best time to send order confirmation emails (spoiler alert: right after the order!). I also talk a little bit about how it’s a good idea to promote other products in the email and suggest similar items or ones that your customer might like.* 
## What Are Order Confirmation Emails?
Order confirmation emails are types of transactional emails that a customer/subscriber receives after they’ve made a purchase (a transaction) through an online store. They contain information about the order, including the total price, date of order, the purchased item, and the delivery date and address, among other things. 

Order confirmation emails are an essential part of any e-commerce email campaign as they keep customers in the loop; sending this kind of email to every one of your customers instills trust in them and makes you look more professional as an online business. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a confirmation of their purchase when they’ve paid money for something online? It’s the least a business can do. 

Moreover, this type of email helps you build brand awareness and helps you turn one-time customers into repeat customers, who can then turn into brand advocates. 
### Why Are Order Confirmation Emails Important? 
Everyone who shops online wants to be sure that they haven’t sent their money into thin air while hoping their order arrives. Order confirmation emails help online shoppers feel more secure about their purchase as they contain all the necessary information about the purchase and delivery. It tells them the order is the one they’ve actually made (that it’s the correct one), the sum they’ve paid, the address it’s being delivered to, the estimated delivery date, etc. 

As I mentioned in the introduction, order confirmation emails are also a good opportunity to capitalize on the buyer’s excitement about their purchase to upsell or cross-sell, drive referrals, and of course, build customer loyalty. 

Now that we’re clear about what order confirmation emails are and why they matter, it’s time to cross over to the part you’ve been waiting for. Next, I’ll tell you about the best order confirmation practices and show you how to make the best order confirmation email there is!
## Best Practices for Order Confirmation Emails
A well-crafted confirmation email will give all the essential information a customer needs regarding the item they’ve just bought. 

Let’s take a look at this template of what an order confirmation email must contain, and then we’ll go into more detail about its essential elements.

### Order Confirmation Email Template

Order confirmation number

Company name/logo

Hello __, 

Thank you for your order at [company name and link to the website]!

Your order has just been placed and we’ll let you know when your items are shipped. In the meantime, you can find the details of your order below. 

__Order summary/Order information*__

Order number: 

Date of order: 

Item bought: 
Weight: [if applicable]
Quantity: 

Total price: [price of item + price of shipment] 

__Billing information:__

Payment method:

Billing address: [optional]

__Shipping information__

Shipping address: 

Shipping type:

Estimated delivery: 

__Contact information:__

[Here you include the contact information provided by your customer. This is usually their email address alongside their phone number and sometimes their home address] 

__CTA button:__ View order

Depending on your company policy, you can also include information about the cancellation of the order or any changes the customer may want to make before shipment. 
## Tips for Well-Crafted Order Confirmation Emails
Let’s take a closer look at some of the elements of an order confirmation email. 
### Subject Lines
You must know by now that subject lines are super important for any kind of email you send. They’re the first thing a customer sees, so it needs to be notable and concise. 

So, don’t let the subject line slip through your fingers just because you know your customers are going to open the email. 

Your subject lines can look something like this: 

- You have placed an order at --!

- Thank you for placing an order at --!

- Your order confirmation is here!

- Your [company name] order confirmation [number]

- We’ve received your __ [order name or number]!

- Great news, we have your order [number or item]!

### Best Time to Send the Order Confirmation Email
There isn’t much debate about the best time to send order confirmation emails. They should be sent as soon as the order has been made. Your customers are expecting this from you - any delays in these emails can make them worried about whether they’ve made a mistake or they’ve been the victims of fraud. 

So, it’s usually not a good idea to do it hours or even days later, especially if you want to do some upselling or cross-selling. 

Nowadays, it’s really easy to make order confirmation emails automatic. That way you’ll be sure they’ll arrive immediately after the purchase, no matter the time of day or night. 
### Promote Other Products in the Order Confirmation Email
I mentioned earlier that order confirmation emails have the highest open and click-through rates of all emails. Of course, you need to capitalize on this. That’s why it’s a good idea to include promotions of other products in the order confirmation email. 

You can feature products you think this particular customer will like, tailored according to their preferences and past purchases. In fact, it might be best to feature products similar to what your customer has already ordered. 

By adding these items to the order confirmation email, you’ll make sure that buyers who are already willing to spend can see products that matter to them. However, make sure not to include too many products because otherwise you risk alienating or overwhelming your buyers. 

You can also, for example, enable customers to change their order or add more products if the item hasn’t been shipped yet. But this, of course, depends on your company’s order and shipment policy. 
## Conclusion 
Order confirmation emails are a super important final step in the customers’ journey. These emails give the customer a sense of security that everything’s okay with their order and the money they spent on it. It also helps you pitch other products to your customers that they might like. 

These order confirmation emails can be followed by shipping confirmation emails, emails that tell customers when their order has been shipped and again include the estimated delivery date. You can also combine the shipping confirmation email with a thank you for your order email, which is a great way to build brand loyalty with your customers. 

Learn why order confirmation emails are important and how to create an effective one so you can also upsell and cross sell to your customers.

Order Confirmation Email: Best Practices With Examples

When you’re crafting an email marketing campaign, you always need to capitalize on the urgency of the moment. A lot of the time, this translates into triggering your (potential) buyers’ FOMO - short for “fear of missing out”. It’s an effective tactic that drives conversions and sales because the longer someone thinks about purchasing a product, the less likely they’ll purchase it. 

However, you cannot sustain this sense of urgency for too long, so adding a tangible limit or a deadline is what will drive the consumer to take action. 

And that’s what limited-time offers are all about - making an offer even more enticing when its availability is somehow limited by time. 

To make effective limited-time offers, they need to be crafted the right way. That’s why I’ll give you some tips on how to do this, paired with examples from successful brands. But first, let’s briefly talk about what limited-time offers actually are. 

__TLDR:__ *Urgency is a currency in the marketing world. Use the tactics of limited-time offers, such as free shipping, free gifts, holiday season discounts and giveaways, and one-day deals for your email campaigns to encourage prospective buyers to act and get shoppers back from abandoned carts.* 

## What are Limited-Time Offers?
Limited-time offers are a marketing tactic, similar to promotional deals, that focus on the sense of urgency. The emails that include these deals are called limited-time offer email campaigns.

These offers include promotional deals, like giveaways, discount codes, free shipping offers, and free gifts - but they always need to be available for a limited amount of time. 

As I mentioned in the introduction, the effectiveness of these campaigns lies in the awakening of the sense of urgency and offering limited availability of products and services to customers and prospects. The goal is to make profits but also to convert one-time buyers into loyal customers. 
## Types of Limited-Time Offer Email Campaigns
Okay, now that we have a handle on what a limited-time offer is we can continue on to the limited-time offer campaigns themselves. Let’s take a look at all the ways you can use these campaigns to your advantage. 
### 1. How to Promote Free Shipping for a Limited Time
Oftentimes, shipping isn’t calculated in the product's price and buyers are upset that they have an uncalculated expense. But when there’s free shipping, everything changes.

Did you know that, according to a [Walker Sands report](https://www.claruscommerce.com/blog/another-study-confirms-the-power-of-free-shipping-and-free-return-shipping/), the chance for online customers to buy something when there’s free shipping has a likelihood of 88%? As you can see, free shipping, especially when offered for a limited time, can serve as a very efficient sales incentive for prospective buyers. 

You can decide for yourself how long you want this offer to last. But keep in mind that the longer the time, the less urgency your buyers will feel. So it’s best to stick to a period of 1-4 weeks. If it’s longer than two weeks, make sure to remind them in a new message.

Your email can look something like this:

__Subject line:__ Free shipping for the next 14 days! 

__Email copy:__ 

Don’t miss out on our free shipping offer! Save some cash and get your favorite products [write your products here] in a few days. 

__Company signature__
### 2. How to Promote a Free Gift as a Limited-Time Offer
Another way to attract customers is to promote a free gift. This can include free samples of a new product you’re planning to launch, your customer’s favorite products, or a simple giveaway. In any event, people like it when you give them free stuff - they get to try the product out and see for themselves if they like it or not. Loyal customers value free gifts even more, especially if the gifts are customized to their needs and shopping habits. 

There are two ways to use the free gift limited-time offers - you can either offer them for a limited time only, or you can offer them while the supplies last. 

Your email can sound something like:

__Subject line:__ Get your free __ while supplies last!/ Get your favorite __ for free in the next __ days! 

__Email copy:__ 

Dear __,

You are one of our most loyal customers and we wanted to reward your loyalty with your favorite products/with our new line of products that we’re launching next month. Order now and we’ll ship them in the next few days. 

Get a selected range of products [list them here] while supplies last! 

__Company signature__

### 3. How to Use the Limited-Time Offers to Bring Abandoned Cart Shoppers Back
People can dissuade themselves from buying something, even after they have started to checkout. After all, it’s easier to do that online than on an actual checkout line. And that’s why abandoned cart emails exist. Combine them with limited-time offers, and you’ve got a winner!

It’s best to send the limited-time offer abandoned cart email within the first hour of the abandonment. If you do it later, it’s not going to have that big of an effect, but also if you do it too soon, it might alienate the buyer even more - you might end up being too pushy. But what if you give them an offer they can’t refuse? 

By combining these two email campaigns, you can use the “15% off today only” or “free shipping if you buy in the next 20 minutes” offers and help your customers make up their minds fast. 

How should the email sound? Try this:

__Email subject:__ Don't leave [product name] behind… get 20% off/free shipping if you buy it today/within the next hour/15, 20, 30 minutes!

__Email copy:__ 

Hi __, 

You left something/__ behind in your cart. Are you still thinking about it? Why not use our 20% discount/free shipping and get your __ delivered in a few days? 

Don’t miss out.

__CTA button:__ Return to cart/Buy now

__Company signature__
### 4. How to Use the Magic of Limited-Time Offers for Different Holidays
Holidays are perfect for all kinds of sales offers, and limited-time ones work wonders here because, naturally, holidays last only for a limited amount of time as well!

You can, for example, come up with a Christmas giveaway that ends, of course, on the 24th. Or you can offer various discounts till the 24th to incite buyers to get all the gifts they need before the actual holiday. 

This is how the email can sound:

__Email subject:__ Christmas giveaway! Don’t miss out on a range of products! / Get 15% off all orders before the 25th!

__Email copy:__ 

Christmas is the time of year when you can show you care by giving your loved ones something they will cherish. And to make it a bit easier on your wallet how about 15% off all orders until the 24th.

Get your sibling/partner/parent a gift from the heart. 

__CTA button:__ Enter their email address  

The giveaway ends on 12/24/2022

__Company signature__
### 5. How to Promote One-Day Limited-Time Offers
Sale offers that are limited to a single day, also sometimes called flash sales, can have a limit of just a couple of hours to a full 24-hour round. For popups, a couple of hours works great, whereas, for emails, you might want to consider the 24 hours because not all people might see the email in time to take advantage of the sale.

You can even make a series of daily deals, which will make customers check on you frequently to inquire about the new deal. 

__Email subject:__ Only today! Selected products for just $_!/20% off!

__Email copy:__

The deal of the day you never thought would come. 

Get a whole basket of your favorite things for just $_!/and get a 20% off each item! 

__CTA button:__ Shop now

The deal lasts till _.

__Company signature__
## Conclusion
Limited-time offers are super effective when it comes to leading prospective customers all the way to the end of the conversion funnel. 

Just remember, don’t keep your offers for too long, otherwise your customers will feel like the limited-time offers last forever and that they can always buy the thing later. 

You can combine limited-time offer email campaigns with popups, which make for another great type of limited-time offer for persuading your customers.

Learn how to use the tactics of limited-time offers to encourage prospective buyers to act and get shoppers back from abandoned carts. 


Limited Time Offer Email Campaigns

Did you know that almost [70% of prospective buyers](https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate) abandon their carts when shopping online? Sure, the ubiquitousness and simplicity of online shopping have made e-business easier than ever, but it’s also easier than ever to stop the purchase midway. 

So, how do you bring back your customers and make them actually buy the products in their carts? The answer is __abandoned cart emails__. 

__TLDR:__ *Abandoned cart emails are a very effective email marketing tool for recovering lost sales. They are emails you send when a customer hasn’t followed through with their purchase. In abandoned cart emails, you must look for catchy and concise subject lines, respectful and friendly email copy, the standout CTA button, and the email graphics corresponding to your brand.* 

## What are Abandoned Cart Emails?
An abandoned cart email is a follow-up email sent to someone who leaves a website without purchasing the items they’ve put in their shopping cart.

Every abandoned cart is a loss of sales, which is why it’s so important to try and recover as many customers as possible with these kinds of emails. The average percentage for email open rates is around 15%, but with abandoned cart emails that percentage [rises to 45%](https://moosend.com/blog/cart-abandonment-stats/). On top of that, half of the people who haven’t gone through with the purchase will actually [complete it when they’re reminded](http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/half-of-frequent-cart-abandoners-will-purchase-when-remarketed-20492/), making these emails super effective at recovering lost sales. 
## Best Abandoned Cart Practices in Email Marketing
So, next, I’m going to tell you more about these email practices and give you examples so you can write effective abandoned cart emails that will incentivize your customers to follow through with their purchases.
### 1. Think of a Catchy Subject Line
Subject lines are the first thing that a customer sees in their inbox. A good subject line is, at the same time, catchy, simple, concise, and on-point. 

The customer should be able to understand it immediately. The tone should be friendly and conversational, like talking to a friend, but also respectful. Infuse it with a dose of urgency so the customer is even more compelled to open the email, and you’ve got a catchy subject line. 

Here are some excellent examples of abandoned cart subject lines:

- Left something [product name] behind? No worries, we saved it for you! 

- Don’t forget to complete your order!

- Your cart is waiting for you.

And if you want a bit more daring subject lines, try these: 

- Is everything fine? You forgot __

- What’s that thing in your cart? 

- Don’t wait until __ it’s gone!

You can also include the limited-time offer trick:

- Still shopping? Get 20% off your cart items!

- Last chance to get 15% off! 

- [product name] is waiting in your cart and so is the 20$ off/free shipping!

### 2. Don’t Forget About the Email Copy
Your email copy should also deliver and follow the same criteria of simplicity, conciseness, clarity, and friendliness. Avoid being too imposing or demanding because otherwise, you risk alienating your customer. 

It’s not mandatory, but it’s an excellent idea to include an image of the product in the email copy, so you can also make a visual impact on your customer.  

You might want to consider including related items in the email, but they need to correspond with the cart item(s). You can also include some positive reviews from other customers that might incentivize your customer to actually go through with the purchase. 

Finally, don’t forget to include customer support info - a phone number, chat, or email, in case your customers have encountered a problem with the purchase and need additional assistance. 

To sum up, keep the copy short, precise, and respectful, and you’ll be good to go. 

Here’s an example to inspire you:

*Hi/Hello __ [name of customer], 

We noticed that you left a couple of items/an item in the cart but didn’t complete your order. It’s no fuss at all, when you’re ready you can always continue with the purchase./ No worries, we have everything saved up for you, so when you’re ready you can always continue with the purchase. 

Please let us know if you have any issues with the checkout process!*

__CTA button:__ Go to basket/View basket/Return to cart 
### 3. Never Forget the CTA Button
Make sure to include a CTA (call to action) button that’ll lead directly to their abandoned cart; otherwise, the whole email would kinda be in vain. A CTA button or call to action button is a key part of many different email campaigns. They are there to give the customer a clear action to take.

A CTA button, like the subject line and the email copy, should also be clear and unimposing but also direct and incentivizing. 

So, for example, a “Return to cart” would work better than “Buy now/Pay now” because it gives people room to reconsider without pushing them to do something they might not be ready for.  

The CTA button can come in different designs, fonts, and colors, but all of this needs to align with your brand aesthetic. Generally speaking, the CTA button should stand out from the rest of the email, but not in a tacky way. 

CTA button examples:

- Return to cart

- Return to your cart 

- Go to basket/cart

- View (your/my) basket/cart

- Treat yourself

- Let’s shop 

- Shop now

- Complete/Finish checkout

### 4. Pay Attention to the Email Graphics
Because your customers probably receive dozens, if not hundreds, of emails daily, you definitely want your abandoned cart email to stand out. You also need some catchy graphics besides a great subject line, a clear email copy, and a standout CTA button. Of course, this also means they should correspond with your overall brand aesthetic. 

Here are some tips on how you can make consistent and catchy email graphics:

- Replicate your website theme in your email designs. This will help with brand recognition. 

- Include your brand colors into your overall email campaign, and of course, that includes the abandoned cart emails as well. 

- When you use photographs, use your products or models, if possible. Limit your use of stock photographs if you can because they often look artificial and too generic. 

- Don’t shy away from using a more dynamic email design, like incorporating GIF images or including a slideshow of products.
### 5. When Should I Send and How Many?

There are a few different strategies to employ here, but at Bento we have seen the best return with a maximum of three abandon cart emails sent, with the first being sent within the first hour or two after the customer fails to purchase.

After that, you should stagger them out so if the first email doesn’t clinch it, another goes out after a couple of days, and the third goes out after about a week. If you make it all the way to the third email and your margins allow a small discount or free shipping usually helps push it over the line.

One great thing about Bento is that we track all these events, and you can set up custom workflows, so every customer who abandons their cart gets sent the series of emails without you having to do a thing.
## Conclusion 
Abandoned cart emails can be a powerful email marketing tool to bring potential sales back from oblivion. I mean, you saw the statistics in the introduction - these kinds of emails are a crucial element in any online business’ email marketing strategy. 

So, you don’t have to worry the next time you notice a customer hasn’t gone through with their purchase. You always have abandoned cart emails to get them back to shopping. 


Learn how to use abandoned cart emails to encourage your customers to follow through with their purchases and recover lost sales.

Abandoned Cart Emails: Best Practices With Examples

Promotional emails are a key link in every successful retailer’s email marketing campaign. Did you know that in 2022 there are approximately [4.26 billion email users](https://99firms.com/blog/how-many-email-users-are-there/)?! That’s basically half the population on Earth! 

This tells us that emails are still one of the best ways to reach customers. Of course, sending emails per se won’t guarantee that you’ll make a sale or that your emails will even be read. That requires a bit more effort.

This is where promotional emails come in, as a way to spread the word about your products that doesn’t sound too salesy. In this article, I’ll tell you all the basics of promotional emails, why they work in the first place, and how to do them right. 

Let’s begin!

__TLDR*__ *Promotional emails are the backbone of every retailer’s email marketing campaign. There are several different types of these emails: sales promotion emails that tell of an ongoing sale, limited-time offers that bring a sense of urgency to the purchase, giveaway emails that focus on giving out free stuff, and product launch emails in which you introduce your customers with something new, the special offer for subscribers, the new arrival emails, and the seasonal campaigns in which you focus on a particular holiday or festival.* 

## What are Promotional Emails?
Promotional emails are just what their name says - emails companies use to promote their products or services. Promotional emails aim at conversion - their goal is to turn leads or potential customers into actual buyers and brand advocates. 

These kinds of emails can take many forms. They can be newsletters, customer retention emails, sales emails, limited-time offers, giveaways, etc. 

Promotional emails have a steady success rate according to a [SalesCycle](https://www.salecycle.com/blog/stats/18-essential-email-marketing-statistics/) statistic in which respondents say that they buy items from promotional (marketing) emails at least once per month. 

But it’s no surprise that well-written promotional emails will attract more customers and increase conversions. That’s why I want to show you how you can do this with these 7 types of promotional emails. 
### 1. Sales Promotion Emails
You’re having a sale and you’re super excited about it! Get this email to your subscribers ASAP! But wait, how should it look?

You can go about it in several different ways. You can make it a bit flashy and over the top or keep it simple. For example, you can start with a GIF to accompany your email copy in which you write that you offer a discount or sale of up to 20/30/40%. Also, make sure this is clearly stated in your subject line, like: “Summer sale - 40% off!” or “30% off happening right now!”

After the GIF, include recommended products that are discounted or part of the sale. 

And don’t forget to include a CTA button!
### 2. Limited-Time Offers 
Limited-time offers capitalize on the sense of urgency. After all, no one really wants to miss out on a good deal, right? 

So, when you tell your subscribers that a deal is expiring soon, it serves as an incentive to make a quick decision whether to buy the product or not. 

Website popups and email marketing are the best ways to promote limited-time offers. 

Start with a subject line like: “__ deal ends soon!”, “Today only/Ends today on __ (your company)!”, or “Clock is ticking on __ offer!”. 

Here you can also start with a GIF and make it more dynamic to further convey the sense of urgency (like linking a CTA button or different products showing up one by one). 

Your limited-time offers shouldn’t last too long - keep them within a 6-12 hour limit at most during the weekend. Otherwise, you risk losing the sense of urgency and your customers may lose interest in the sale. 
### 3. Giveaway Emails
Giveaways are a great way to promote products, collect new leads, increase brand awareness, and drive more engagement. 

Giveaways are sort of like the lottery - you incite leads and customers to enter a competition in which they can win a free product or service. 

A typical giveaway subject line sounds something like: “Enter to win ___!”, “Don’t miss out on a chance to win __!”, “This is your chance to win __!”, or “Biggest giveaway yet!”. 

The rest of the copy should be pretty straightforward. In a sentence or two tell your subscribers about the giveaway(the prizes) and, of course, include the CTA button. 
### 4. Product Launch Emails
As their name says, these promotional emails are a great way to introduce a new product to your subscribers and customers. They aim to incite curiosity and desire to try out the latest product and enhance brand awareness. 

With product launch emails, your customers will always have your brand in mind, and they’ll know that you’re always up to date with the latest fashion and technological trends. 

Depending on what you’re launching, a subject line could begin with: “Who says we can’t do it?”, or “Take a look at our new __!”. 

You can start your email copy with some brief info about the product and explain why you made it in the first place. It’s always a good idea to have a story behind the new product, just don’t overdo it with too much text. 

And don’t forget to include a CTA at the end, something like “Meet the new __”. 
### 5. New Arrival Emails
New arrivals are different from product launches - after all, you can’t do product launches every couple of months. They require technical innovation and a lot of work behind the curtains. But new arrivals are a great way to also keep your subscribers up to date with the latest trends and keep your customers engaged. 

You can begin your subject line with “Fresh off the rack/press/shelves and into your home!” and then include a list of images with the newest products in the email copy, alongside a CTA button, such as “Shop now”. 
### 6. Special Offers for Subscribers
Loyal subscribers should be rewarded for their support. That’s how you continue to build brand loyalty and let your customers know you appreciate their time and the money spent on your company. 

You can start the subject line with “Special offer just for you! 15% off __!”, “For our most loyal customers 30% off on __!”, or “You’re in! Free shipping and 40% off for our loyal customers”. 

In the email copy, inform your customers that they’re part of a select group that’s getting a special discount, offer, or giveaway due to their long-term loyalty to your brand. You can also include a discount code and, of course, a CTA button at the end. 
### 7. Seasonal Campaigns
You can send promotional emails on so many holidays - Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Black Friday, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day… You can design special offers according to the holiday theme and pitch them to your customers via email.

You can offer holiday gift guides when it’s the top of the holiday season to attract new customers and offer special discounts, sales, or limited-time offers before the holidays come. 

Start the subject line with “Order [product name] before [date] and get it by [holiday/date]”, “Black Friday sale, everything is 50% off!”, or “Get the best Halloween costume before everyone else! Limited offer!”. 

Include details about the deals in the email copy and the CTA button. 
## Conclusion
Using the correct type of promotional email at the right time can make a huge difference. I hope these 7 types of promotional emails inspire your next email marketing campaign. Cheers to many new customers! 

Promotional emails are the backbone of every retailer’s email marketing campaign. Learn all the basics of promotional emails, why they work in the first place, and how to do them right.

7 Promotional Email Examples and Why They Work

Not a single marketer, even the most successful out there, hasn’t experienced email deliverability issues. In fact, it’s not unusual for your email to end up anywhere but the desired inbox. 

There are a lot of factors that contribute to email deliverability, which sometimes makes it a tricky business. Even if you think you’ve got (almost) everything right - proper authentication, excellent email copy, and so on, your email may still end up in the spam folder. 

But don’t worry. I’m here to tell you about the possible reasons why this might happen and what you can do to prevent it. 

So stick around and let’s begin!

__*TLDR:__ Email deliverability is more complex than you think. Your emails might end up as spam because you’ve purchased email lists online or provided inaccurate sender information, or there are too many spam triggers in the email, weak subject lines, or grammar errors in your email copy. You can ensure this doesn’t happen by building your own email lists, using double-opt, cleaning your email lists regularly, ensuring your emails have proper authentication protocols, and ensuring your email copy is well-written and relevant for your clients. *

## Why Are My Emails Going to Spam?
Let’s go over why your emails might end up in the wrong place. 
### 1. You’ve Obtained Email Addresses Without Permission
Rule number one regarding email marketing is you never get an email address without asking for permission first. 

This means that you should never buy email addresses online. It’s unethical, and they’re also loaded with spam traps, which is super bad for business. 

The email addresses you add to your list should only be there if the person behind them consented, usually through an opt-in registration. 
### 2. Inaccurate Sender Information
All of your sender’s information, like the “From” and “To” elements, as well as “Reply-To” and the routing information (info about the destination address), have to be correct and properly identify the business/company and the people behind them. 

That means that if you don’t clearly say who you are and if you include inaccurate, misleading information, your email is likely to end up in the spam folder. 
### 3. You’re Using Spam Trigger Terms In Your Emails
Email spam filters are very diligent about the content of your email and the subject line and use them to decide whether the message ends up in the spam folder or the subscriber’s inbox. 

Subject lines like: “Congratulations, you’ve won __!”, or “Win a free __”, “Double your earnings!” can definitely become a cause of concern for these spam filters. 

Trigger words like “Earn extra money/cash/income”, “Congratulations __”, “No fees”, “Bonus”, “This is not a scam/spam”, as well as too many punctuation signs (especially exclamation marks) and emojis, can all be considered spam red flags by filters. 
### 4. You Have Weak Subject Lines
Email subject lines are super important for your email open rates. It’s the first thing your subscriber/client sees in their inbox that makes them decide whether they will open the email or not. 

In fact, do you know that [69% of recipients](http://www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert/15-email-statistics-that-are-shaping-the-future/) report that emails are spam based on their subject lines? 

That’s why the trigger words I mentioned earlier should be avoided. 

If your emails keep ending up in the spam folder, you may be doing this with your subject lines:

- They sound like you’re giving false promises;

- You’re using too many capital letters;

- You sound too pushy;

- Your subject lines don’t match the email content;

- Your subject lines aren’t precise. 
### 5. The Spelling and Grammar of Your Email Aren’t Exemplary
Errors in spelling and grammar are one of the first tell-tale signs of a spam or phishing email. That’s why you have to pay extra attention to them as well. Not to mention that spelling and grammar errors look very unprofessional in your subscribers’ eyes. 

Now, I know that sometimes stubborn grammar errors can escape even the most diligent human checks, which is why it’s a good idea to put your text through a spell-checking tool, like Grammarly, for example. 
### 6. Your Sending IP Has a Bad Reputation
The sending IP address is very important when it comes to deliverability. Much like real-life reputation, ESP (email service providers) keep track of your IP address history. The bigger the history of low spam complaints and low bounce rates, the more your sending IP becomes trustworthy for the ESPs. And vice versa - the higher the number of spam complaints and bounce rates, the less credible your sending IP is. 

One of the reasons why your sending IP might have a bad reputation is if you’re using shared hosting (a shared email server). Its other users, who also use the same IP address as you, might be to blame because of their sending activity. I’m not trying to say that using a shared server and a shared IP is necessarily a bad thing - just that if you’re dealing with this issue, it can sometimes be due to bad co-sharers. 

Another reason might be your new email IP address that hasn’t been properly warmed. When an email IP address is new, you have to start by sending a low amount of emails and then gradually increase the volume. If you send lots of emails from the very beginning, the ESPs might think you’re a spammer, and you risk being blacklisted or receiving spam complaints, all of which lower your IP reputation. 
### 7. The Email Recipient Marked Your Email as Spam
When a recipient marks an email as spam, it can be due to several factors. 

For example, your content might not be relevant to them because you haven’t done the proper list segmentation homework, or maybe the user is just not interested anymore. Another reason might be spam-like content or words within your email, clickbait subject lines like “Free…” or “You’ve just won…” or lots of exclamation marks and emojis. Maybe your email isn’t responsive to that particular recipient, so you may want to work on that. Or it might just be that the recipient's inbox is full, in which case, if you notice a pattern with a recipient doing this, it’s time to remove them from your list. 
### 8. You’re Using Link Shorteners
While link shorteners (also called URL shorteners) might seem like a neat idea, oftentimes they can do more harm than good. 

The problem is that shortened URLs are known to be used by cybercriminals in phishing scams. What they do is they use a shortened link that sounds more familiar and legitimate, and yet its aim is to collect information that might compromise you somehow (stealing your credit card number, for example).  

That’s why some providers tend to blacklist URLs that have been shortened and that have generic, common-sounding domains. 
### 9. Your Emails Don’t Have a Plain-Text Version
Plain-text emails are emails that don’t contain anything else besides text, like fancy visuals or hyperlinks. Including a plain-text version of your emails is important because spam filters, which prefer this stripped-down email message, use it to confirm that the email is indeed legitimate and not spam. 

Plain-text is also good when your initial email design is having responsiveness issues. The simple version will allow it to load to every device and internet connection. What’s more, if your recipient is using an ESP that disables the loading of images, the plain text email will save your email from being discarded or unreadable. 

Email providers usually have tools that help you edit and preview this format for your emails. It’s certainly a good idea to go over it before you click send to that email campaign that’s been long in the making.

## How Can I Prevent My Emails From Ending Up as Spam
Next, I’ll tell you about some of the best practices you can follow to make sure your emails won’t end up in the spam folder. 
### 1. Build Email Lists on Your Own
As I mentioned above, purchasing email lists online is one of the worst things you can do. Building and expanding email lists on your own is the way to go. 

When you control your own lists, you know that people consented to be there and that you’re not including any unwanted spam traps. Also, with additional help from segmentation and curated lists, you can always send relevant information to your subscribers and clients, which also helps engagement big time. 
### 2. Use the Double Opt-In Option for Email Signup 
This one dovetails on the previous tip. The double opt-in option is important when you want to ensure that your subscribers want to be on your email list. 

It usually means that once they put basic data in the signup box of your website, they’ll receive a welcome email or confirmation email containing a link which they will have to press to (doubly) confirm their signup process - hence the double opt-in term. This will then put them on your email list.  
### 3. Regularly Clean Up Your Email Lists
Okay, so you’ve created your online list. But that also means you need to maintain it regularly. Customers and subscribers come and go, it’s a natural process and perfectly normal for business. But to keep delivery rates high, you need to clean these lists every couple of months (at least every three to every six months). The quality of your list is what matters most. 

This means you’ll have to check the engagement rates with every subscriber on the list and remove the subscribers who’ve been dormant or unresponsive for too long, even after several attempts to reach them. Also, look at bounced emails and dead or false email addresses. 

Bento uses a pretty robust system that regularly cleans your lists to make sure there are no spam addresses. Pair that with our filter targeting active subscribers and your open rates will see a considerable boost.
### 4. Make Sure Your Emails are Properly Authenticated 
Email authentication is important so that email servers know you’re indeed you and that the emails you send aren’t spam. 

These are some of the most common methods used for email authentication:

- The SPF protocol (Sender Policy Framework) - this one is used to confirm your identity as a sender. It compares your (the sender’s) IP, which can be found in the DNS record of your domain, with a list of IPs that have the authorization to send from that same domain. 

- The DKIM protocol (Domain Keys Identified Mail) - this one makes sure that your email isn’t used for malicious purposes during the sending process. 

- The DMARC protocol (Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) - this one uses the two previous protocols (SPF and DKIM) to make sure sent and delivered emails are safe.

- The BIMI protocol (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) - a recent practice in which your logo goes through several authorization procedures to make sure that it is indeed your company standing behind it. It helps for brand recognition, better email security, and better deliverability. 

### 5. Make Sure Your Email Copy is Well Written
As I mentioned, grammar and spelling errors can also spell doom for your email (pun intended). And that’s why it’s so important to double, even triple-check your grammar in the emails you send. 

Also, ensure that your emails aren’t too long and that they are concise and relevant to the interests and desires of the clients who receive them.
### 6. Batch Send out Your Emails
If you try and send out to your whole list at once, this triggers a lot of email clients to think it’s spam and block the email. If this happens a lot, it gets your sending IP blocked as well and all future emails are guaranteed to be sent to spam. This is a common mistake many people make and Bento is set up to prevent it. 

In Bento whenever you set up an email send you need to select a batch size of emails to send at once. A default number is supplied based on the data we have for how many emails can be safely sent at once. 
### 7. Ask Your Subscribers to Whitelist Your Email Address
You can do this by kindly asking subscribers to add your “From” name and your email address to their address book. For example, you can send them a nice prompt like this one:

“To continue receiving emails from us, we kindly ask you to add us to your address book.”

Now, there will be some people who will not know how to do this, so it’s a good idea to send a walkthrough guide for whitelisting. You can send them a short written guide, or a short video guide taking them through the necessary steps. 
### 8. Don’t Use Deceptive Subject Lines and Spam Triggers
As we already discussed, be careful when you choose the words for your email subject line and email copy. There are certain trigger words that are famous for being troublemakers, which means they make it more likely for your email to end up in the spam folder. 

What are these trigger words? Well, phrases and words like “Cash bonus”, “Earn money”, “Extra bucks/cash”, “Billions”, “Free investment”, “No risk”, “Urgent”, and so on, are some of the ones that can get you in trouble. 

Of course, sometimes you can’t help but include some spam trigger words in your subject line, but here the context is key. You’ll probably be ok if you send them to personalized email lists and you already have a good sender reputation. The recipients should always be people who want to hear from you. 
### 9. Use a Spam Checking Tool
MailTester has a really nice spam-checking tool that you can use. Spam testers are a good way to help you test how well your email address functions, and whether there are any bounced emails or emails from your address that have gone to the spam folder. 
### 10. Proofread Your Emails
I cannot stress this enough - always proofread your emails! Proofreading means going carefully through the email text and seeing if there are any grammatical, stylistic, or spelling errors that you need to fix. 

Grammar and spelling errors can also spell doom for your email (pun intended). And that’s why it’s so important to double, even triple-check your grammar in the emails you send. 

Of course, there are other ways to do this apart from literally reading every email you send. That would take a lot of time and effort. Grammarly, for example, is a tool that helps you out in crafting emails with perfect punctuation and grammar. There’s even a free version you can use that’ll provide you with all the basics you need. If, however, you want to be extra careful about phrasing and word use, then I suggest you get the paid version. 

If you’re crafting a particularly important email, make sure to read it out loud to yourself or to a colleague. This will help you to notice immediately if something is wrong or awkward with the structure and the tone. 

Also, make sure that your emails aren’t too long, that they are concise and precise, and relevant to the interests and desires of the clients that receive them.
### 11. Offer Your Subscribers the “Unsubscribe” Option
There is actually a law for this, so like it or not, you have to oblige and offer your subscribers the option to unsubscribe if they want. You must offer a way for your recipients to opt out of receiving your emails should they no longer want to receive them. 

Most of the time companies provide an unsubscribe option at the end of the email. Alternatively, you can offer your subscribers to go to their preference center and change their subscription choices.

## Conclusion
Email deliverability is a huge topic that can’t be tackled in one article. But, I do hope I managed to make some basic things clear so you can prevent your emails from ending up in the spam folder too often. 

Discover the most common reasons why your emails go to spam, and multiple ways in which you can prevent this from happening again.

Why Emails Go to Spam and How to Prevent It

Onboarding emails are the first step toward onboarding new customers and converting subscribers on a trial period to paid subscribers. They aim to remind users about the benefits of the product they’re using and some features they might have missed and give them guidelines if they get stuck somewhere. 

These emails are perfect for driving long-term customer engagement and building customer loyalty. And since there are a variety of onboarding emails, I’ll give you the templates for the most important ones below. 

__*TLDR:__ Onboarding emails give more insight into the benefits of using your product to subscribers and customers. Implement them in your email campaign to drive long-term engagement using the templates listed here. *

## 1. The Welcome Email Template
Welcome emails are your opportunity to make a great first impression and inform your subscribers what to expect from using your product/service and, more importantly, how to get started. 

This email should be able to hook them immediately and prompt them to make the first steps towards using your product or service. 

__Template:__

Subject lines:  Warm welcome from [company name]!  
                Let’s get you started with [company/product name]!
[company name] welcomes you!
                Welcome [name of subscriber/customer]!

Hey/Hello there [name of subscriber/customer],

Welcome to our community and thank you for joining/using [optional company/product name]! 

We’re very excited that you’re using our product/service and can’t wait to see what you can do with it [tool, app, service]. 

To get started, you’re more than welcome to check out this quick guide that will help you understand all the product basics you need. We also recommend checking out our short introduction video to make things even clearer. 

Log in below to start creating!

[Call to action (CTA) button]

Cheers!*

[company signature]
*Goodbye greetings can be used but are not mandatory. It depends on the tone of your message, as well as the length, and the placement of the CTA button. 

## 2. The Tip-Giving Email
People often make accounts and are super excited about a product but get overwhelmed by the complexity they sometimes didn’t expect. And this is where the tip-giving email comes into play.

Use this template to advise your customer on how to use your product better. Emphasize some of its basic features and point towards steps that’ll explain your product’s capabilities in simple terms. 

__Template:__ 

Subject lines:  How to [drive traffic, earn more money, save money, etc.] with [your product]
                Don’t let your trial go to waste! Use these tips to [do whatever it is that your product does]
                7 tips that will make you a pro in using [product name]!

Hey [customer name],

Stuck in a rut with our app? No worries, we’ll give you some tips and pointers on how to use the product/service better:

Tip #1 - you can also provide a link here to a resource that will go into more detail;
TIp #2 - same here;
Tip #3 - same here. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any problems or questions! [name the contact email for customer service if it’s different from the sender’s email]

Cheers!

[company signature]
## 3. The Social Proof Email
Case studies, success stories, and testimonials are types of social proof that aim to convince your customers of the benefits of using your product and make them feel like they’re part of a larger thriving community. They also help make your product/service more actionable. 

__Template:__

Subject line: How [client name and company] saved/acquired [% of money/leads/etc.] 

Hi [client name],

We love a good success story just as much as anybody, especially from our clients!

Do you need a little bit of inspiration? Check out [client’s name] success story and see how they saved/acquired/drove hours/clients/revenue/traffic by using our services. 

[CTA button for the success story]

We hope that we can feature your success story soon!

Cheers!

[company signature]
## 4. The Important Product Feature Email
This is especially important for complex platforms that offer plenty of services and tools. Honing in on one will keep your client’s focus on your product and make them even more excited about it. 

__Template:__

Subject lines: One feature that every business needs!
               The #1 tool that everyone swears by!

Hello there, [name of client]

We’re just checking in to make sure you know all about the benefits of [this particular tool/service/feature]. 

[Describe here in a couple of sentences what’s notable and beneficial about this important feature or service.] 

Don’t get intimidated by all the options available. You can quickly start using it by going through our tutorial/guide/video. 

[CTA button]

Cheers!

[company signature]
## 5. The Expiration Reminder Email
Onboarding emails that act as expiration reminders are all about urgency. Their goal is to make clients subscribe before their free trial ends. 

__Template:__

Subject:  Uh-oh, time is running out! 
          Your free trial is about to expire 
          Don’t say goodbye just yet!

Hey [client’s name],

We just wanted to remind you that your trial is almost ending. 

But we definitely don’t want to see you go!

We just wanted to thank you for signing up and showing interest in our product. And if there’s anything you’d like us to address about your user experience, please let us know. 

If you’re still unsure whether our product is right for you, we’d be happy to extend your trial or upgrade your account. We’d love for you to stick around. 

[If it’s financially viable for your company, you can also offer your client a subscriber’s discount for the first year or first month, as an incentive to join.]

[CTA button]

Thanks,

[company signature]
## 6. The Upselling Email
The add-on onboarding email is a great asset when you’ve already won a subscriber over and want to keep the momentum going as much as possible. 

Consider sending this email when your client has gone through your product’s basics and found a good use for it. This is where you pitch in your add-on, an upgrade, or an extension. 

It’s important that you’re on point about the benefits of the upgrade or add-on. Stick to being precise and concise. 

__Template:__

Subject lines: It’s level-up time! 
	             Get to know all that our app can do!

Hey there [client name],

We love that you’re enjoying our product! Ever wondered what else it can do?

Let us tell you a little more about this add-on/these features/extension plan.

[#1 feature and benefit (ex: more efficiency)]

{#2 feature and benefit (ex: better data organization)}. 

{#3 feature and benefit (ex: let your team have more options to play with)}.

Want to see what other premium users are doing with these extensions? Check out the screenshots/gifs below. 

[CTA button for the upgrade]

Let us know if you have any questions!

Cheers!

[company signature]
## 7. The Checking In/Lending a Helping Hand Email
A little personal touch, friendliness, and just plain checking in are sometimes all your subscribers, or free trial users need to jump on the wagon. 

You can send this email to people who’ve already subscribed, dormant trial users, and non-responders at the end of their trial period. 

__Template:__

Subject: Need a hand? 
         Need any help with [product]? 

Hey [client name],

We just wanted to check in on you and see how it’s going with your trial. 

If you have a little time, we’d love you to tell us your favorite product features. We’d also love to know if you need help with anything or if you want us to improve something. 

You can always get in touch by sending us an email or using the [community forum]. [Link] 

Just in case, this quick guide/video can give you immediate answers to any pressing questions you might have. 

Thanks,

[company signature]

## Conclusion
Whether you need a welcome email template, an onboarding follow-up, a lending hand email, or something else on the list, I hope you can find a good use for these templates in your email campaign.

Don’t forget that all these templates can be saved in Bento and loaded into any sequence you want. Paired with our robust workflows, you can ensure all your customers get the right email at the right time without lifting a finger.

Check out our onboarding email templates that you can use to retain new customers and drive long-term engagement.

7 Most Excellent Onboarding Email Templates and Why They Rock

Email marketing is a creative field, but it does have its rules for success. More seasoned email marketers know this and have learned how to practice good email etiquette and implement effective strategies in their email marketing campaigns based on trial and error.  

To avoid repeating the same mistakes, in this article, we’ll share the best email marketing tips you can use in your email campaign, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate in the field. 

__TLDR:__ *To boost your email marketing campaign efforts, you should avoid buying email lists. The first email you send to new subscribers should be sent within the first 24 hours of subscribing. Emails should be sent by a real person instead of email software, and you should always mind your subject lines. Write shorter emails that get straight to the point, and always use a CTA button accompanied by its alt-text alternative. And last but not least, always personalize your emails and make sure they’re relevant to your subscribers.* 

## Don’t Buy Email Lists
Many people new to email marketing think buying email lists online is a good idea. You get tons of potential customers in one place, so it seems like an efficient and easy way to get started and reach new leads! 

Well, it’s anything but. First, buying lists is highly unethical - you should only send emails to people who have willingly subscribed to your services. Hounding them online through some dubiously obtained email lists is just not a good way to start your business. 

What’s more, these lists are perfect places to encounter spam traps - fake or abandoned email addresses that spam-fighting services use to hunt bots and spammers. Sending emails to spam traps can seriously harm your bounce rates and the sender’s reputation, so avoid doing this at all costs. 
## Send an Email to New Contacts in the First 24 Hours
Timing is super important in email marketing. That’s why you must use the momentum when your brand or business is fresh in your prospects’ or customers’ minds and capitalize on that. 

Sending the first email is a great way to build brand awareness and the first step to building brand loyalty by telling your customer what they can expect from you and how it will benefit them. 

This can easily be done by setting up automated email workflows. [Bento](https://bentonow.com/posts/triggers-and-actions) gives you lots of ways in which automated workflows can get triggered, like a contact being added to a list, an existing user landing on a specific page, a user opening an email or clicking a link, and so on.

Workflows help you engage new and existing customers and give you plenty of opportunities to nurture leads.  
## Emails Should Be Sent From a Real Person
The math is simple here: open rates greatly increase if the sender is a real person’s name. One case study from MindBerry, an Austrian company specializing in user experience, shopper psychology, and conversion optimization, discovered that changing a sender’s name could prompt a [57% increase in email open rates](https://www.mindberry.com/en/post/case-study-57-percent-increase-in-newsletter-open-rate-with-a-tiny-change-to-the-sender-name)! 

The reason for this is simple - people usually trust a human name that sounds familiar to them more than a generic company one. The latter often reminds them of spam email, so they’re more likely to open a human-sounding email. 

So, this form:

__Sender name: Kathy Rutgers 
Sender’s email address: krutgers@companyname.com__

… is better than this one: 

__Sender name: Company name/Marketing team
Sender’s email address: marketing@companyname.com__
## Pay Attention to the Subject Lines
Consumers’ inboxes are flooded with messages every day, so your subject lines should be able to compete with all of them. They should stand out from the crowd and catch your subscribers’ attention, so they cannot resist clicking them. 

This isn’t as hard as it might seem; you just have to put some more thought into it. Follow these simple rules for better subject lines:

- Make sure they have 50 or fewer characters so that they can be read in their entirety on mobile devices; 

- Use clear and concise language, something that your clientele is already familiar with;

- Create excitement and urgency with action-oriented words (like “Claim unlimited access to +1500 free photos”, “Get a 10% discount - offer expires today”, or “Increase your open rates with these tricks”);

- Include the sale, special offer, or discount in the subject line (“30% off your favorite books”, “Use XYZ code and get 25% off”);

- Don’t rely on spam triggers, such as “Save” and “Cash”; 

- Include your subscribers’ first names or geographic location (although you should do this with more important and specific offers because overdoing it might have a countereffect of being too repetitive). 

## Make Sure Your Emails Are Concise and On-Point
In today’s fast-paced world when consumers’ attention span is shrinking by the day, long and poorly structured emails are just not read anymore. Moreover, they can catch the always wakeful eye of spam filters, and that’s certainly not a good thing. 

And why send an unnecessarily long email when a short one can do the job just as well, if not better? 

Short and concise emails drive curiosity and inform subscribers of the main point in a manner of seconds. They’re more effective, and readers are more likely to take action and engage.

So how long should emails be, ideally? According to [Constant Contact data](https://blogs.constantcontact.com/email-images/), it’s advisable to keep them somewhere between 50 and 200 words. The same research discovered that emails with around 20 lines of text faired best when it came to high click-through rates. 

That said, sometimes we can’t escape it and an email just has to be longer than advisable. In that case, make sure to structure it well and divide the email into smaller paragraphs. Use headings, bullet lists, visuals, and a TLDR section to make it easier to read and skim.
## Don’t Forget About the Call to Action Button 
A call to action or a CTA button is another effective element you can include in your emails. It works to quickly incentivize the subscriber to do something (make a purchase, check out your product/service, read a blog article, get a coupon, and so on). That’s why the CTA button has to be easily visible and more visually distinguishable from the rest of the email. 

CTA buttons should be relevant to your email body. For example, let’s say you’re an online marketer promoting their free ebook - you can put a CTA button for the free ebook in a message that tells your client about novelties in your marketing strategies and how they can implement them in their own enterprises. 
## Don’t Forget to Add Alt Text to the CTA Button Image
This is also super important because oftentimes a lot of clients’ email services actually block the images within the emails (as a means to improve security and fight spam). This also includes the images of the CTA buttons. And even though it’s a pity that a lot of your subscribers won’t be able to see your nicely crafted CTA button image, you can still prevent them from seeing a blank square by adding alt text to the image. 

This enables the subscribers who can’t see the CTA button image to at least see the CTA alt text that explains what the CTA is about and to click on it if they’re interested. 

You can do this in two ways. Either right-click on the CTA image in the rich text editor of your email marketing platform and edit it from there. Or you can also manually enter the alt text in the HTML editor of your email toolkit. It should look something like this: 

__<a href="HTTP://CTABUTTONLINK.COM"><img class="alignCenter shadow" src="CTA BUTTON IMAGE SOURCE.JPG" alt-text="ALT-TEXT SOURCE"/></a>__
## Personalize Your Emails
Email personalization is a must and one of the most important parts of a successful email campaign. Email personalization doesn’t only mean addressing your client or subscriber by their first name. Sure, that’s one part of it, but it also means:

- Including relevant information for your clients; 

- Sending timely emails - like celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, subscription expiration dates or milestone reminders, etc.; 

- Knowing your subscribers’ needs and interests and being able to anticipate them.

To do all this, you have to develop a strategy to gather customer data that’s precise and relevant, like their preferences, birthdays, geographic locations, age group, as well as their clicking habits, and purchase history. 
## Conclusion
These email marketing tips are aimed at helping you out in creating a better email marketing campaign. Following the best practices in the industry is the best way to expand your business and be fair to your clients and subscribers.

Learn from the best in the industry and see what the email marketing pros do so you can implement effective strategies in your email marketing campaign. 

Turning Pro: What the Email Marketing Pros Do, and the Amateurs Don't 

Email authentication methods were designed to make email deliverability easier and verify senders, preventing phishing attacks, spam attacks, and other fraudulent email behavior. However, authentication methods aren’t foolproof and there’s always a need for an extra way to check emails.  

Since email sending methods differ from one service provider to another, DMARC, the authentication protocol that protects email domains, can sometimes give false information about perfectly safe and legitimate emails. ARC was introduced to prevent this from happening and is now commonly used by ESPs (email service providers) worldwide. 

In this article, I’ll tell you more about this protocol/authentication method and why it’s so important. 

__TLDR:__ *ARC is an email authentication protocol that significantly improves email deliverability by allowing your server to see previous authentication protocols. It makes it easier and safer to send emails to mailing lists and forward emails whose usual authentication protocols often break.* 
## What is ARC Email?
ARC, short for Authenticated Received Chain, is an email authentication system that allows mail servers to receive authentication results from other mail servers that have previously handled the email message. 

This process enables ARC to keep the previous authentications and help the email get approved by the final server, even if the receiving server negatively judges one or some of these checks. ARC is also not foolproof, but it’s pretty efficient in serving as extra protection for the delivery of legitimate emails. 
### What is ARC Composed Of?
ARC has three components:

__ARC Authentication Results Header__ - this is the central part of ARC; it contains all the preceding authentications, including DKIM, DMARC, and SPF. 

__ARC Signature__ - this signature resembles the DKIM signature and incorporates the body of the message and the headers. 

__ARC Seal__ - it has both of the components listed above in the style of a DKIM-type of signature. 

## Why is ARC Email So Important?
ARC works in combination with other authentication methods, the most common and widely used being SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. So, in order to tell you why ARC is so important, let’s quickly explain what the other methods entail. 
### SPF 
The SPF method or protocol is focused on email domains, and its role is to stop scammers from obtaining your domain and sending messages on your behalf. Therefore, SPF allows you to specify which IPs have the authorization to send emails from your account and on your behalf. When an SPF check is conducted, the sender’s IP has to match the authorized list of IPs; otherwise, the SPF fails. 
### DKIM 
DKIM is similar to SPF in terms of the role it performs. Its job is to make sure that nobody uses your email domain to send emails from your name without authorization. DKIM authentication is sent with the email itself, and it contains the body of the email message as well as hashed headers. These elements are decrypted when the message arrives and they are verified in accordance with the originaly received message. DKIM fails when the two messages don’t match. 
### DMARC
DMARC is a type of authentication protocol that requires either SPF or DKIM, or sometimes both, in order to let the message pass through the email server. Alongside this, it also requires an alignment test which allows the email user to determine how to handle failed emails. 
### The Role of ARC Email
The thing is, though, that even though these three authentication methods are pretty common in the email world, not every email domain owner and email server will authorize the address for all of them. Sometimes people use forwarding services that scan the emails for harmful elements, so the other authentications aren’t activated. 

So what ARC does is prevent the email from being discarded by the final server. It tells the receiving server that the email looked perfectly fine in the last couple of checks (done by the forwarding services, let’s say), so it can let the email arrive at the recipient. Servers usually listen to this and approve the email landing in the inbox. 
## How Does ARC Work Exactly?
ARC works by following the three-part structure that I explained earlier. 

1. The server that receives the email adds the AAR field (ARC’s authentication results) to a new field and then adds this to the email. 

3. After this, the server formulates the AMS for the email (ARC’s message signature). In this process, it also features the AAR from before and adds all of this to the email. 

5. The last step happens when the server builds the AS seal - the ARC seal that corresponds to the previously made ARC seal headers, and then adds this to the email as well. 

Every time the server adds a new ARC, a new sequence is created and is added alongside each element included in the process mentioned above. These sequences start with “i=1”, and then continue on with  “i=2”, and “i=3”, depending on how many servers the email goes through. 
### The Process of ARC Validation
ARC finally gets validated in the last step of the email’s journey to the inbox. 

In the first part of the validation process, the server has to verify the ARC seal headers chain. It checks whether certain entries are missing and if all the seals say that the previous entries are indeed valid. 
In the second part, the server is responsible for validating the latest message signature, the latest AMS, which is the one that has the highest number sequence. The email will arrive in the desired inbox if everything is in place and the authentication results are positive. 
## Why is ARC Important for You?
There are two main reasons why ARC is important for you as an owner and user of an email domain. 
### Mailing Lists
As a member or a creator of a mailing list, you can send emails to all the members on the list with one click. But if you do this, the DMARC authentication will not be able to validate these kinds of messages even though the email’s source is perfectly legitimate. 

Why does this happen? It’s mostly because of the SPF protocol, which actually breaks once a message is being forwarded. 

And because the mailing list often also includes additional information in the body of the email, the DKIM signature can also fail because of the changes in the message’s content. 
### Forwarded Messages 
When you receive forwarded messages, they come from an intermediate server, which means they are not being directly sent through the original sender’s server. Also, some people who have forwarded the email have also altered its content, making the DKIM signatures invalid as well. In these events, as I mentioned above, SPF breaks as does DMARC. 
## Conclusion
As you can see, ARC can help you enhance the email deliverability of your mailing list and deliver and receive forwarded messages. Of course, ARC is not a 100% guarantee that your emails will get delivered, but it’s an important authentication protocol that’s very recommended.

Discover what ARC email is exactly and what this protocol/authentication method is so important.

What is ARC Email and What Does It Mean for Me

Growing your email lists and chasing after new customers is super important in email marketing, but so is keeping the subscribers who are already on your list. 

A statistic from Marketing Chart says that about [half of your subscribers will churn](https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/email-online-and-mobile-106603) after a year of being on your subscription list. And that’s a lot of subscribers, folks! 

Now, one type of churn, called “transparent churn”, is pretty easy to track because it involves tracking the people who are unsubscribing from your lists. “Opaque churn”, on the other hand, is much harder to track since it involves tracking those who stop engaging with your emails while still being subscribed to your service. 

The good news is that re-engagement emails can help with the latter by incentivizing your subscribers to start engaging with your emails once again. Re-engagement emails can also help you clean your email lists more effectively and remove subscribers who refuse to engage, even after continuous efforts. 

Now that you know how valuable re-engagement emails are let’s give you the 101 on re-engagement emails and show you how to use them to your advantage.

__TLDR:__ *Gaining and retaining customers doesn’t end once they subscribe. That is just the beginning. Prevent the increase of churn rates with these re-engagement tips and templates.* 
## What Are Re-Engagement Emails?
Just like the name suggests, re-engagement emails are designed to nudge subscribers into engaging with your emails again, which entails opening them, reading the content, maybe clicking on a CTA button, or taking other actions. 

To create an effective re-engagement email campaign, however, you first have to know some of the reasons why your subscribers have zoned out in the first place. Let’s go over some of the most common reasons why this could be.

- You send too many emails;

- Your subscribers are not interested in the email’s content;

- You send emails with clickbait subject lines;

- The design of your emails is too confusing;

- The inboxes of your subscribers are full;

- Your emails aren’t responsive (not optimized for mobile devices or tablets);

- You subscribers only signed up for a limited-time offer;

- Your subscribers are too busy even though they are interested in your brand.

Pinpointing what is causing the lack of engagement can help determine what you can do to get them back in the fold.
## Questions Concerning the Timing of Re-Engagement Emails
Before I cross over to the more practical part of this article - namely, to give you some tips on how to craft the best re-engagement emails and review some examples - I want to answer two fundamental questions concerning the timing of re-engagement emails. 
### How Long Should You Wait Before You Send Subscribers a Re-Engament Email?
Generally speaking, an ideal waiting period would be anywhere between 30-60 days of subscription, but you could also go up to 90 days. 
### How Many Emails Should You Send Before Cleaning Your List From Unengaged Contacts?
A re-engagement campaign usually involves several re-engagement emails. Several emails allow you to show your customers why it’s worth it for them to come back. Typically, you’d want to send 3, 4, or more (but not too many!) emails before you cross subscribers off your list. 

What you need to remember about each email sequence is that it should contain one specific message that will try to win them back, whether it’s just a nudge or an incentive. Don’t overburden each email with too many ideas, or you risk confusing your subscribers. For example, don’t offer a subscription discount, flash sales, or free content in the same email because the subscriber won’t know what to do first. That’s where the email sequence comes into play. It gives you space to try your options without overwhelming your subscribers. 
## Email Re-Engagement Tips: How to Easily Make the Best Re-Engagement Emails
Crafting a good re-engagement email is a matter of skill, and I’m sure these five tips will help you ensure your next campaign is up to snuff. 
### 1. Personalize the Emails You Send
Personalization has come a long way in email marketing, so it’s not enough to use the first name of your subscribers in the subject line and in the body of the email anymore. You also need to find out their interests and other personal data (like location and age, gender, purchase history, and what specifically interests them in your products) and use that information to craft the perfect message. 

When it comes to email personalization, It’s important to define your goals. Because, in this case, you have the re-engagement goal in mind, you need to ask the right questions. You can, for example, ask your subscribers to update their preferences. 

Moreover, don’t forget to use the righ language and adjust the tone, copy, and visuals based on the target group you’re addressing. For example, you can’t send a formal email to a target group of teenagers, just as you can’t send an email akin to an SMS to highbrow clients. Make the copy clear, focused, and catered to the specific interests of your clients.  
### 2. Practice List Segmentation
This is important for different parts of your marketing campaign, and the same goes for email re-engagement. Create different lists for different types of inactive subscribers to create more effective re-engagement emails and adjust the copy accordingly. 

Here are some examples:
- Subscribers who open the emails but don’t engage with the content
- Inactive subscribers who used to engage with the emails but do not anymore
- Inactive subscribers who made a purchase a while ago
- New subscribers
### 3. Use the “Emotions” Card
Using emotional triggers is nothing new in email marketing, given that most consumers have emotion-based responses. So, using emotions like excitement, curiosity, anticipation, fear of missing out (FOMO), and others is a great way to connect with your subscribers and pique their interest in what you offer or have to say. When done right and combined with the right images, CTA buttons, and other elements, it can have a great impact and encourage your subscribers to take action. 

This, again, means speaking your customers’ language. Give them the freshness of today’s looks and slang if they’re life-hungry teenagers looking to impress their peers, or the excitement and adventure of sports and outdoors if they’re athletes or sporty people.
### 4. Offer an Incentive
Depending on the types of products or services you offer, this can be a free upgrade, a discount on an item or a subscription, or a chance to participate in a giveaway. People like to be lured in by free stuff and discounts. You can even throw a limited-time offer if you want, which brings us to the next point.### 5. Remind Them of the Reason(s) They Signed Up for Your Services in the First Place
You can remind your subscribers of the reasons they signed up for your service in the first place by emphasizing how you can help them solve a particular issue or develop their skills. Be precise and offer a concrete solution.

### 5. Use FOMO to Your Advantage
FOMO, or fear of missing out, is an effective strategy to convince subscribers and customers that yes, now is indeed the time to buy this product or use this service or take advantage of this offer. 

You can use FOMO in any number of ways. Limited-time offers are one way you could go about it - an email campaign where you offer free shipping for a certain time (let’s say two weeks), a 24-hour or 48-hour offer, limited supply offers, holiday offers, etc. You can also give your customers back-in-stock notices, offer flash sales, provide user reviews and testimonials, and use influencer marketing.
### 6. Remind Them of the Reason(s) They Signed Up for Your Services in the First Place
You can remind your subscribers of the reasons they signed up for your service in the first place by emphasizing how you can help them solve a particular issue or develop their skills.

Send them an email that asks how they’re doing with the service they’re using and if they need any expert help. Then provide them with appropriate tools and guides for that particular issue. Don’t make the email too long. Be precise and offer a concrete solution. 

Also, don’t shy away from reminding them why they got the product or signed up for the service in the first place. Show them all the ways it can help them build their project or get to where they want to be. 
### 7. Keep It Simple and Short
Brevity is the soul of wit - you might remember this from English class as one of Shakespeare’s genius lines. It applies equally well from literary theory to email marketing. With more than 300 billion emails being sent per day, brevity is certainly something to cling onto when you want to re-engage your customers. Nobody wants to see a huge block of text waiting for them in their inbox, even if it gives them free stuff. How can they get to that part if you surround it with unnecessary fluff? 

So, stick to short, simple sentences that are super relevant to what you’re trying to say to your subscribers. Cut straight to the chase. Be informative and concise. Use headings, bullet lists, and the power of links if there’s a lot of info you want to convey. 
### 8. Give Your Readers Options
Sometimes it’s okay to let subscribers go. The important thing is for them to feel like they have options. Of course, this doesn’t mean only the unsubscribe button, which, by the way, you should always provide. It also means something different from what you’re currently offering. A different service or product, fewer emails, less or more text/information, etc. 

Customers and subscribers often change their interests and needs. Sometimes whatever you’re offering just doesn’t fit their budget or their lifestyle anymore. Some examples of this would be single women who became mothers and wives, students who got employed, workers who got retired, and so on. Find out what the matter is and answer accordingly. 
### 9. Run an A/B test
A/B tests can help you try out which versions of your email work best for re-engaging customers. Because you’re most likely going to segment your audience, these tests will tell you which emails work best with which audiences. 

A/B tests also allow you to see how effective other components of your email are, such as the copy, the subject line, the word order, and any kind of visuals you may use (like images, gifs, or videos). You can also test out the best design for your emails, the tone of your emails, and what kind of CTA button works best. 
## A Simple Template To Start Your Re-Engagement Emails
The inventor of this simple re-engagement template (which he calls [the Starbucks Test](https://podcasts.apple.com/kg/podcast/amazing-9-word-email-that-revives-dead-leads-dean-jackson/id412684163?i=1000431508362)) is Dean Jackson, an online marketer and a very successful entrepreneur in the field of real estate. 

The subject line should only have their first name. So, for example:

Subject line: John

Email body: 

“Hi John, 

Are you still looking for __ (insert here whatever you do or offer)?”

And this is where the template ends. It’s pretty simple. You can write: 

- “Are you still looking for ways to increase your open rates?”

- “Are you still looking for a good deal on sunglasses for the summer?”

- “Are you still interested in improving your online security?” 

It can be anything! This is just an idea to start the re-engagement email, so follow our tips above to craft the rest of the message. To inspire you, let’s see some examples.
## Re-Engagement Email Examples
I’m subscribed to some services, and naturally, I receive re-engagement emails. Let’s go over three re-engagement email examples from different service industries and companies I received in the past few months. 
### ExpressVPN
![ExpressVPN](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4snI0VdxaOxQv4WcR46aMy/9dbe722a0525e4e1896e57c98f3470b0/ExpressVPN.png)
This is a good re-engagement email because it’s informative for first-time users of the service, but it’s not overwhelming. It gives you specific things you can do with your VPN subscription and reminds you why you subscribed in the first place. 
### Book Depository
![Book Depository](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4dz7PqGnq2oFVdWNupogZJ/b1bade2c0a9548c1e20db341d818060c/BookDepository.png)
This online book-selling company cuts straight to the chase and offers you some bait - a nice 10% discount on bestsellers! 
### FitOn
![FitOn](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1VHCWnZI57ZviPvhsq4InF/9d0008f77a3d035cc8546f00031036b0/FitOn.png)
This is a personalized email body in which the company celebrates your birthday, gives you a free recipe for making a treat, and reminds you to “treat yourself” by using their services and earn their “Birthday Badge”. 
## Conclusion
In the world of email marketing, re-engagement campaigns are truly a valuable tool to have at your disposal. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your campaigns, as long as you keep them personalized, relevant, and in tune with your brand's image. 

Prevent the increase of churn rates with these re-engagement tips and templates, so you gain and retain your customers and subscribers.

How to Engage Your Customers with Re-Engagement Emails

How to Engage Your Customers with Re-engagement Emails

People often underestimate email avatars, yet it’s probably the first thing subscribers and customers see when receiving an email. So, naturally, you’d want to leave an excellent first impression, right? 

Another part of visual brand recognition is BIMI, an abbreviation of Brand Indicator for Message Identification, a way to make emails more secure by displaying brand logos. 

So first, let’s go over the steps of getting your avatar to show in Gmail, and then focus on BIMI and how to set it up in your email. 

__TLDR:__ *Email avatars and logos are essential for immediate brand recognition. Here you can learn how to easily add or change your avatar on Gmail and implement BIMI - the new email option for verifying and displaying trademarked brand logos. BIMI will help you increase your brand awareness and improve the security of your emails.*
## How to Add an Avatar to Gmail
The steps below explain how you can easily set up a Gmail avatar.

1. The first thing to do is, of course, to sign in to your Gmail account. 

2. Next, go to the window’s top right corner, where you’ll see the profile picture. If you still haven’t put one, you’ll see the first letter of your email user name. Click on it!

3. A rectangle window will open in which you’ll see the profile picture again, and on the lower right corner of it, you’ll see a symbol of a camera. Click on it!

4. Another small rectangle window will open in which you’ll see two options: __Change__ or __Remove__. Click the __Change__ option. 

5. When you click on __Change__, you’ll be able to choose between three tabs: __Illustrations__ (provided by Google), __Google Photos__ (images from your inbox), and __From a computer__, which allows you to drag and drop an image from your own computer or upload one. In the same tab, you can also find the option __Take a picture__ and Google will gladly take a picture of you right at that instant, through your own computer camera. 

6. In the upper right corner of the __Change profile picture__ window, you can find three vertical dots. When you press them, you get the options for __Past profile pictures__, __Help__, and __Send feedback__. If you want to bring an older avatar back from obscurity, then this is the place where you can do this in Gmail. 

And that’s it, folks!

Another way you can go about it - which is the longer route, I have to say - is like this: 

1. Sign in to your Gmail account. 

2. Click on your profile picture at the top right corner. 

3. In the small rectangle window that opens you’ll see the option __Manage Your Google Account__. 

4. A new window will open with several options on the left side. One of these options will be __Personal info__. Click on that. 

5. You’ll see a __Basic info__ section in which the first option is the __Photo__ option. Click on that. 

6. This will open a small rectangle window in which you’ll get the __Change__ and __Remove__ options that I mentioned above. 

7. Click __Change__ and then either use a Google illustration, a picture from your email or upload one from your computer. Google can also take a picture of you with your camera and crop it up if you’d like to. 

## What is BIMI and How Can You Set It Up? 

Okay, glad we got the avatar out of the way. Now it’s time for BIMI! 

As I mentioned earlier, it stands for Brand Indicator for Message Identification, and it’s a new and very exciting option that allows clients to display their authenticated and certified brand logos in the emails they send to their users. 
### Why Use BIMI?
This is important for companies because it allows customers and users to easily identify and recognize the brand and logo of the companies whose services they use. 

With BIMI, companies also have complete control over the type of logo displayed as their email avatar, which is an excellent prevention against email fraud. Moreover, this will help companies increase visibility, brand recognition, and brand awareness. 

Without BIMI, there will just be a generic logo with your company’s initials, so implementing BIMI is undoubtedly the better option. 
### What You Need to Have Before Implementing BIMI
To implement and participate in BIMI, you must first get full authentication as an email sender. 

Only authenticated messages can display brand logos, which means you’ll have to get DKIM, SPF, and DMARC before you do anything else. These are all email authentication methods designed to prevent phishing attacks (hackers trying to obtain sensitive personal data), to prevent spammers from spoofing (sending messages to clients in your name), and to add a digital signature to your emails so the receiving servers know you’re a source they can trust. 

Once you have these critical authentications, you can continue setting up BIMI and adding it to your email domain address. 
## How To Set Up BIMI for Your Email Domain
To implement BIMI, follow the steps below.
### Get Your Brand Logo Trademarked
The first step is registering your brand logo trademark. This means that your brand logo has to be registered as your intellectual property so that issuers of VMC can recognize it easily. This is usually done through a patent and trademark office or a website, but you’ll have to check the specific regulations, depending on where you are from. 

You can quickly check whether a logo has already been trademarked through the [Global Brand Database - WIPO.](https://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/) 
### Buy a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
Some email companies, like Google, require a verified mark certificate or VMC. So if you want your BIMI to show on Google, you’ll have to get a VMC, which is used to verify that your organization legally owns your brand logo.

You can buy a VMC from a certificate authority like [DigiCert](https://www.digicert.com/tls-ssl/verified-mark-certificates) or [Entrust](https://www.entrust.com/). Now that you have a registered brand logo, you need to give a scalable vector graphics file (an SVG file) of it and then get a PEM file that acts as a reference for the SVG file provided by the VMC service.

You can get the [SVG specifications here](https://bimigroup.org/creating-bimi-svg-logo-files/). 
### VMC Needs to Be Uploaded to Your Email Server
Once you’ve been issued the PEM file, it’ll have to be uploaded to the email server. That way, anyone can access it.  

Keep in mind that the webserver has to have the HTTPS security protocol. Also, the URL that leads to the PEM file needs to begin with __https://__ - so it can work properly. 

Once you do this, you should see a PEM file URL like this: 

__https://thenameofyourserver.com/vmc.pem__
### Next Up! Your Brand Logo Needs to Be Uploaded
Next, it’s time to upload your brand logo. Much like the process involving the PEM file, this also needs to be done in an SVG format, and uploaded to your email server. 

Your SVG logo URL should look like this:

__https:///thenameofyourserver.com/logo.svg__
### Create a BIMI Record
The next step is creating a BIMI record. This is a DNS TXT record; a string consisting of various tags set apart by semicolons. 

The two essential tags a BIMI record can’t do without are: __v__ and __l__. 

The __v__ tag is used to specify the BIMI version. The current standard is __BIMI1__. 

The __l__ tag is used to specify the logo’s URL. 

Another tag, the __a__ tag, is required by email providers like Gmail. This one has the VMC PEM file URL. 

Below is a BIMI record example specifying the uploaded SVG logo and PEM file: 

__v=BIMI1;
l=https://thenameofyourserver.com/logo.svg;
a=https://yourserver.com/vmc.pem__

Keep in mind that the SVG content you’re referencing in the BIMI record should be the same as the SVG file content you’re referencing in the PEM file. If you don’t do this, then BIMI won’t work. 
### Publish Your BIMI Record in the DNS System
The BIMI record is a type of DNS TXT record that’s written and published in the DNS as: 

__default._bimi.thenameofyourdomain.com__

And the full BIMI record within the DNS should look like this:

Type of Record: TXT

Name: default._bimi
Value: v=BIMI1; 
l=https://yourserver.com/logo.svg;
a=https://yourserver.com/vmc.pem

TTL: Default
### Test Your BIMI Record
Once you’re done with the setup and the BIMI is published, check your BIMI record.

You can check whether the BIMI record works through the [BIMI Inspector](https://bimigroup.org/bimi-generator/) online tool. 
## Conclusion
Keep in mind that it might take up to two days until your BIMI record starts displaying the logo of your brand in the emails you send. 

And that’s that, folks! Now you know how to add or change an avatar in Gmail, what BIMI is, why it’s important, and how to set it up. 

Learn how to get your avatar to show in Gmail so you can leave a good first impression, as well as how to set up BIMI in your email. 


Getting Your Avatar To Show in Gmail

Invalid email addresses are often one of the main reasons emails aren’t delivered, bounce, or aren’t accepted to a delivery list. If this happens to you, don’t sweat! It’s a pretty common problem in email marketing, and it can be fixed - today I will walk you through how to do it.

First, let’s understand what invalid email addresses *are* and why this issue occurs:

## __What Is an Invalid Email Address?__
Basically, an invalid email address is an incorrect email address - It’s an address that either never existed, or doesn’t exist anymore, and it can’t be used to send an email. 

Now, invalid email addresses are pretty common in email lists. Larger databases can [contain somewhere between 5% to 30% invalid email addresses](https://mailrefine.com/how-to-fix-an-invalid-email-address/). These are numbers that, even for a large-scale email list, can cause quite a bit of trouble, like damage to your sending reputation, so it’s important to do a little bit of maintenance work when this occurs.

## 4 Reasons For Invalid Email Addresses:

In order to fix an invalid email address, it helps first to understand how to recognize one and why it happens. Let’s take a look at why these addresses show up in your email lists in the first place:

- __#1 The Email Address Has Been Changed or Deleted__
The most common scenario is - People change or stop using their addresses all the time. Once an address has been abandoned for some time, the email service provider will either delete the address or deactivate it. After this, the address is invalid and no longer viable. 

- __#2 Change of Work (Company) Position__
When it comes to business connections, another common reason why email addresses become invalid is because of movement within a company. When a company employee gets a promotion or gets assigned to a different division, they may be assigned a new address and forget to update all of their registrations. It’s also possible that your contact has left, moved, or is no longer working for that company. When this happens, their old address is often deleted or deactivated. 

- __#3 The Email Domain is Dead__
Email addresses that are otherwise considered valid can sometimes be considered invalid when the server is temporarily down, or when the domain is dead and cannot send or receive emails. 

- __#4 There Are Typos in the Email Address__
Honestly, people misspell their own addresses all the time! Sometimes they’re fairly easy to spot - it’s usually a simple matter of adding extra letters or tapping adjacent letters on the keyboard. Scan your invalid email address list for misspelled domain names or possible typos in the address itself. 

## Tips To Fix Invalid Email Addresses:

Okay, so now that we’ve understood the reasons behind invalid email addresses, the good news is that some can be salvaged fairly easily! Here’s what you can do when investigating your contact list:

__Try Reaching the Person Behind the Email Through Other Means__

Mistakes happen! If you believe that you have been given an invalid email address in error, you can, for example, call them on the phone or at their workplace and ask them if they’ve changed their email. If they give you a new email, make sure to update your email list as soon as possible and remove the invalid email address. You can also try to locate the valid address on their LinkedIn account, social media, or employer’s website. 

__Get in Touch With the Company About A Replacement Contact__

Suppose you notice that an important representative with whom you’ve been doing business has suddenly gone AWOL. In that case, it’s not a bad idea to get in touch with their company and confirm whether or not they’re still the contact you should be using. Staff can get shuffled around within a company, or people can simply resign from their position and leave the company entirely. In these scenarios, just ask for the new email address or the email address of the person who’s replaced your former client.

__Don’t Give Up! Check The Status Of the Domain!__

These days, it’s pretty easy to determine whether the domain of your client’s email address has gone down or if it’s just a temporary server issue. Before giving up on an invalid email entirely, it’s worth running a check on the server. Sites like [Website Planet](https://www.websiteplanet.com/webtools/check-domain/), [Host Tracker](https://www.host-tracker.com/), and [Site24x7](https://www.site24x7.com/check-website-availability.html) are safe and effective ways to check whether the domain of the email address you need is dead or not. (If it is indeed dead, then there’s nothing much you can do. Just make sure to take it off your email list!)

__Check for any Typos or Problems With the Formatting__

Everybody makes mistakes -  checking for typos can help. This is one of the simplest solutions for invalid email addresses! Check the spelling of the address and make sure the formatting has all the elements of an email - the name, the @ sign, the dot, and the net/com/etc.

# __Need Help? Bento can do it for you!__ 

It can be tedious and time-consuming to run an audit of your email address list on your own - sometimes, it’s better to pass the baton to someone else who knows what they’re doing. [Luckily, you’re in the right place - Bento offers email validation services](https://bentonow.com/posts/free-email-validation), so if your hands are full, no worries - we can take it from here! Here are some of the basic checks we run at Bento:

- __MX checks__ - These checks are conducted against the MX records of a particular domain. If we find no such records, it means that the subscriber can’t receive emails and they’re going to be unsubscribed from the list. 

- __Syntax checks__ - We are able to check the overall format of the email address - including any potential typos and whether it could be received by big email providers like Gmail or Yahoo. 

- __Regex checks__ - This check looks for emails that match unique spam patterns present on rogue email lists. This is a very powerful tool that has been able to detect and remove a staggering 35 percent of bad / invalid emails from one of our client’s mailing lists. 

- __IP scanning__ - This scan checks for whether or not subscribers have submitted their address from a particular region - it also checks whether an IP block we’ve detected submits high spam rates.

- __User-Agent checks__ - These checks determine whether the subscriber submitting their email address is a human being, or a robot. 

- __AI__ - This powerful tool runs the subscriber’s address through our machine-learning API and determining whether or not it matches certain unwanted patterns we’ve located inside our exclusive Bento network (based on user and subscriber data). If there is a match, we inform our users and they get to decide whether they want to remove these addresses themselves.

## Minimize The Occurence of Invalid Email Addresses! 
Here are some tips to help combat the surge of invalid email addresses in your mailing list: 

__NEVER Rely on Email Lists Sold on the Internet!__

Email lists that are up for sale are a big no for several reasons. First, they’re highly unethical - nobody knows how they’ve been gathered, and it’s likely been done without their owners’ awareness or consent. Second, these lists are ridden with spam traps and invalid email addresses.

__Utilize the Double Opt-in!__

Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to make sure your email list is filled with people who *really* want to be on it and who won’t put fake or invalid addresses just to get something for free. The double opt-in or email confirmation option is a great way to make sure people are serious about your email campaign. They will receive an email in their inbox asking them to confirm their address. Another way to make sure people are giving the right address is to make them type it manually - twice.

__Remember - It’s always better to collect a highly engaged core audience, than to utilize a bloated and inflated one with invalid addresses. By cutting down on invalid email addresses, you can utilize mail tracking statistics and data to better understand what resonates best with your audience, and craft a better user experience for your customers.__

## Conclusion
Every email campaign will encounter a set of obstacles when trying to reach its goal. Invalid emails are considered to be one of these obstacles, but there are ways to minimize the damage from a bloated and invalid mailing list. If you try the solutions above, you’ll likely get your campaign back on track while your bounce rates go down and your email deliverability goes up! Good luck!

Learn why some emails addresses are invalid, and how to fix them!

How to Fix an Invalid Email Address

How To: Fix an Invalid Email Address

These days, consumers are signing up for more services than ever before. They receive a steady stream of offers for an overwhelming amount of online products and services. However, not every service a consumer signs up for will ever be utilized, nor will it necessarily guarantee a repeat purchase. Sometimes intentions are left on the back burner and no action is ever taken - This is where a solid reactivation email will make all the difference

In this article, we’ll give you a few examples of effective reactivation email templates (also known as re-engagement email templates) you can use to re-establish your relationship with subscribers and encourage them to be active users in your community. But before we jump in, let’s review what reactivation emails are and why they’re important:

## What Are Reactivation Emails, Anyway?

Marketers use reactivation emails to re-engage customers. The intention here is to nudge your customers/subscribers into re-engaging with your brand after a period of inactivity. 

## What Makes Reactivation Emails So Important?

Reactivation emails are essential because they can help remind or persuade your subscribers to use your product or service again. You can introduce the reactivation email templates at any stage of your subscribers’ trial journey; however, we recommend doing it __before the trial expires__ as a reminder to purchase the product or service if they’ve enjoyed using it during the trial period.

## Here Are Some Great Reactivation Email Templates to Adapt for Your Email Campaign

Reactivation emails are among the best ways to incentivize subscribers to continue using your services and products. I’ve made drafting them a tad easier for you by providing a few scenarios you can choose from. Adapt them as part of your outreach strategy! Let’s review some reactivation email templates you can use in your email marketing campaign. 

### Style #1: Create a Sense of Urgency

One of the __most effective__ ways to re-engage with your customers is by creating a sense of urgency. This is a popular marketing tactic that’s supported by human psychology - subscribers are more likely to act and make decisions more quickly if presented with an urgent situation (think: fear of missing out, or FOMO).

You can create this sense of urgency by offering products that are in limited quantity or providing a discount code that lasts for a limited time. Statistics show that customers are more likely to purchase a product that’s offered on a discount if the offer expires in the next few hours or days, especially if you use time-sensitive language and call-to-action prompts.

__EXAMPLE TEMPLATE #1__

*Hi [name], we’ve missed you!*

*Come and see what’s new and get 20% off on your next purchase! This offer expires tomorrow at 12 pm, so don’t miss out!*

*Use code 123 to claim your 20% discount TODAY!*

### Style #2: Unlock The Power of Social Proof

Utilizing social proof to convince new customers to join is a tried-and-true strategy for marketing. Referring to other people’s successes and experiences is a great way to nudge potential customers into using your product again. There are several ways to utilize social proof in your email campaign, depending on your goals, so adjust the template to match the narrative you prefer. 

In this example, we use the shameless method of good old-fashioned name-dropping. For example, suppose you’re a company specializing in website analytics. In that case, you can send a reactivation email informing customers about a key element/metric in website analytics (like nurturing leads, for example) and then tell them how other companies or individuals rely on your services to promote and grow their companies. 

__EXAMPLE TEMPLATE #2__

*Hi [name]! It’s been a while…*

*Come back to [company name] and see what you’ve been missing! After all, [company name], [company name], and [company name] have proven time and again that you won’t regret your decision to let us help you develop the best lead nurturing strategy for your company. *

*Want to learn more about what we can do for your company? Then, check out our special report [link here] for more details.* 

*[Personal name]*

*[Company name]*

### Style #3: Personalize Your Reactivation Emails (the Right Way!) 

Personalization is super important in different stages of your email campaign; the same goes for reactivation emails. It’s not enough to only use your customer’s name - personalization now goes way beyond that. Personalization is also about sending the reactivation email at just the right time. __The time when the risk of losing your customer is the biggest is when you should send your reactivation message to get them back!__

Say you’re a hosting company that also provides a website builder. Your customer has tinkered with the website builder and made a simple site, after which they’ve abandoned it. Now, your job here would be to recognize when this happens and send the user a tutorial; a video usually works best, and let them know how easy it is to publish their page from here onwards. You can also add a motivational call to action button to the email, like “Publish My Site” or “Get Your Site Online Now”. 

__EXAMPLE TEMPLATE #3__

*Hi [name], *

*Congratulations, you’ve created your first site with our website builder! Don’t give up now! Make sure your site sees the light of day. Check out our video tutorial [link here] on how to publish your first site. Trust us, it couldn’t be easier!* 

*[CTA button:] Get Your Site Online Now*

*If you have any additional questions or need help with your site, don’t hesitate to reply to this email.* 

*[Greetings]*

*[Personal customer service name]*

### Style #4: Checking In With Your Customers

This one sort of dovetails on the template before - just a different aspect of it. Everyone needs a bit of support now and then, especially people who are trying out new products. Don’t shy away from checking in on your customers and lending them a supporting hand so they know they’re not alone and that you haven’t forgotten them. It’s also an excellent way to keep your clients on track and nudge them into finishing their projects while using your product or service. 

This also means asking questions to get to the bottom of the problem to see why they’ve stalled. Emails asking for feedback are priceless, but the key is not making them too demanding and not asking too many questions.

So, what kind of questions can you ask? Well, you can start by first greeting your customer by their first name, thanking them for signing up with you, and telling them you want to check in on them. Try asking them if they have any trouble using your product or if they need some extra help from the support team. You can encourage them to browse some of your tutorials and guides if they need help. If you suspect they need more time to get into the product, you can even offer to extend their trial. 

__EXAMPLE TEMPLATE #4__

*Hi [name],*

*Thanks for signing up for our free trial! We’re just writing to check in on your work progress.*  

*I know sometimes things can get a tad overwhelming and it’s easy to abandon a project out of confusion. Do you need extra help with using our product? If so, our eager support team is standing by and ready to assist. Shoot us a message if you’ve hit a roadblock, and we will get in touch shortly to help get you back on track!* 

*Don’t love us yet? If you feel like you need a bit more time getting to know our product, please send us an email, and we will gladly extend the trial period!*

*If you have some other questions, don’t hesitate to send them to my address: [address here]. I’d be more than happy to answer them!*

*[Greetings]*

*[Name]*
*[Position]*
*[Company]*

### Style #5: Utilizing your Data
No matter what kind of business you’re running, you can always utilize data to your advantage. For example, suppose you have a website analytics firm. In that case, you can inform your users that 80% of your customers have increased revenue and gained new leads just by using your services (a good idea is to combine this with social proof for added effect.)

Another angle to try is price comparison - remind customers of how much money they can save by using your service against popular competitors. Find a way to use your company’s data to your advantage in sales. 

__EXAMPLE TEMPLATE #5__

*Hey [name],* 

*Have you heard the good news?*

*[Company name]* 

*[image]* 

*50% more sales-ready leads in a year!*

*[CTA button:] See How We’ve Helped Our Clients’ Businesses Thrive* 

## Conclusion
In this article, we have provided a simple run-down of reactivation emails to re-incentivize customers who need an extra nudge to engage with your product or service. Remember to be confident in your product and encouraging in your words so that users feel comfortable with giving your service another shot after a prolonged period of inactivity. 

The key is finding the right words to rekindle and motivate them to keep engaging with what you’re offering. A proper email marketing strategy and personally tailored emails can make all the difference in convincing your customers to give your business another shot!

Check out some great reactivation email templates (also known as re-engagement email templates) you can use to re-establish the relationship with your subscribers and encourage them to be active users again.

5 Awesome Reactivation Email Templates 

5 Reactivation Email Templates To Win Customers Back

Developing an email marketing monthly calendar is tricky for many people. I always had a certain level of resentment for marketers that seemed to have everything planned – while I understood that I could prepare some things, others were seemingly out of my control. 

It was a relief when I found out that other marketers felt the same way -  sure, there are a bunch of things that you can plan, but something else will always come up. The key to creating a practical and flexible email marketing calendar is to balance these two facts and to use the information you already know while leaving space on the calendar for things that might pop up later.

![Calendar](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/5PgyiBS8yiGnln1I32lLda/10e4daaad032b1b3dfc0953938f43195/Calendar.png)

## Content Planning -  Start With The Things You Know
The first thing you should do when you sit down to plan your emails for the month, is start with a list of available events for that month:

- __Holidays__
Holidays are a great starting point. You already know the day and month of all holidays for the entire year; if not, you can consult a calendar and check if there are any holidays in the month you plan to send your emails. *(If you are creating an email marketing calendar for May, you have three holidays – Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day.)*

- __Key Facts About Your Brand or Business__
If anyone should have excellent knowledge of your business, that person should be you! You can use that knowledge in your favor. What exciting things will happen this month that you think your customers will be thrilled to know about?

- __Sneak Peak A New Product Launch__ 
Announcing a new product is always exciting for the company. If it is something your customers have been waiting for with enthusiasm, it will undoubtedly have a spot on your calendar. 

- __Alert Customers of Re-Stocks__ 
Let's say you have a best-seller out of stock; if the product returns to supply in a specific month, create a slot for it in your email marketing calendar.

## Email Timing and Frequency
Mondays and Fridays are two days of the week that you should avoid sending emails. The logic behind it is simple: on __Mondays__ people are re-starting their week – they take the day to plan the rest of their week and tend to catch up with everything left over from last week. On __Fridays__, people are dealing with deadlines or are simply in weekend mode; __they might not be in the right frame of mind to stop and read your emails.__

There is a saying: *in God we trust, and all others must bring data*.

The best way to pinpoint your personally optimal frequency and schedule is to rely on data you already have – your ESP analytics/report. __(Hint: If you are just starting to send emails and don't possess enough data, you can look for your [industry benchmark](https://bentonow.com/posts/email-sending-times).)__ As for the frequency of delivery, some companies will send ten emails a week, others much less than that. Different customer bases have different needs, but we recommend starting with weekly updates and increasing frequency as you understand your clients' tolerance threshold.

## Now You Have a Schedule - What Do You Send?
This is the thing most people struggle with. For brand and business announcements, the message should be straightforward and easy to understand. – A simple structure could include an image of the product, a body copy announcing the novelty or the restock of a particular product and a call to action button for purchases.

The same thing with the holidays; if you are running a promotion, you will need an image of the product, don't forget to jazz up the imagery with some seasonal touches. Limited-time holiday discount codes work really well for these email campaigns and can boost sales. 

## Need More Inspiration? Do Some Research:

Below are a few places we recommend searching when looking for examples of successful and engaging email campaign templates. Use these as guidelines for the structure of your next sendout: 

__Really Good Emails:__

![Really Good Emails - Memorial Day](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4IUuXsdHesjHW86OwsLuEA/192e16e4e33c81d4cbb35d8897745668/Really_Good_Emails_-_Memorial_Day.png)

These are great resources for studying other brands and their campaign strategies for holidays in the previous years. Pay attention to the details - what subject line did they use? How about the types of images? Anything special about the copy, or the type of promotion? It doesn't hurt to take notes.

__Mailcharts:__

![Mailcharts - Memorial Day](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1sw4f9IHRQHxYWIf9lePgy/6a1e3de26d809a500c17f9ffe804d4a3/Mailcharts_-_Memorial_Day.png)

__Your own inbox:__

Everyone gets email newsletters, and what better way to gather inspiration than by digging through your own inbox? What was the difference between the newsletters you opened and the ones you deleted? Pay attention to the ones you personally gravitated towards.

![Email Inbox](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/72e3ak0VQ2pszZUBoFfCyF/83f36e4abb11c7ff5dbfe20e9535b873/Email_Inbox.png)

Studying our own behavior is a great way to understand the average subscriber's behavior as well. If you wouldn't read something - why would they? Use yourself as the test subject and be honest with your feedback, and you will head in the right direction. 

## Final Thoughts

Creating an email marketing calendar for your ecommerce business can seem daunting at first, but luckily, it is not rocket science! You can find your rhythm by starting with simple events that you can predict: announcements from your brand and holidays. You might want to leave a few days open for things that pop up during the month, so you can be flexible if needed.

If you get stuck, turn to resources online - whether it be your email inbox or templates on the web- for some extra inspiration for engaging emails. Preparation is key for successfully executing a long-haul strategy, but once you've got it all together - the rest is relatively easy. 

Don't be afraid to experiment with frequency, copy, and discounts, and see what works best for your audience; as you gather more data, your email marketing will only improve. Good luck! 

Developing an email marketing monthly calendar is tricky for many people. I always had a certain level of resentment for marketers that seemed to have everything planned – while I understood that I could prepare some things, others were seemingly out of my control. 


How to create an Ecommerce email marketing calendar

How To: Create an Ecommerce Email Marketing Calendar

Holidays are the time when companies usually take up the opportunity to run a promotion through their email list. The problem is that many of those businesses have no clue why and how they will launch that marketing campaign which results in something that, for lack of a better name, I call: *placeholder campaigns*.

Those campaigns are there just to fill a void because of a fear of missing out on something since everybody else is doing them.

So instead of rushing and doing things just to do them, let's talk about a better way to plan a holiday email marketing campaign. It may not be perfect, but it won't look like you just decided 30 minutes earlier to put an email together, slap a promo code on, and hope to sell something with it.

When we talk about holiday email marketing campaigns, I bet that you automatically thought about emails offering discounts. You can certainly offer discounts to your email list, but that is just one trick you have at your disposal. 

You can go one step further and create a whole experience for your customers if you start planning your holiday email marketing campaign earlier. And this is what we are going to discuss in this article.

## Strategy for your holiday email marketing campaign
Let's use an example of a training app that I love; Freeletics. They are an app, but they sell training clothes, equipment, nutrition guides, and some exercise guides. Too bad they don't ship to my country.

![Freeletics](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/48hLGD6LhyKi1xeqSOBxUo/0b8248257bcc698fadcebfb5d1e7e65c/Freeletics.png)

Let's see how they can use Christmas and New Year to create a full experience for the customer and create a great holiday email marketing campaign.

Without ruling out a discount for the app, we will first use some content and "behavior design" to ease the adoption of a more healthy lifestyle. We all know someone – ourselves included – who has a new year's resolution to eat healthily and get in shape but never follows through.

The reason? We try to do it all at once, and when things get complicated, we quit without enough time to form a habit. And HIIT, as the name suggests, is High Intensity from the start.

To help people to follow through with their resolutions, we could start sending emails in November until the end of December, when we will send an email asking them to commit to a one-year subscription. 

And what would be the content of those emails? Glad you asked.

__Email Content Examples:__

- Before we ask people to start exercising hard, we will suggest that they start walking around the block for 15 min every day – it is not a big commitment – putting together content with the benefits of 15 min walking and how they can fit those walks into their busy daily calendar.

- Since the exercise guides are inexpensive PDFs – $1 – we can offer them for free for the beginners and simple daily challenges (1 pull-up today, two pull-ups tomorrow etc).

![Freeletics Essentials](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4qME82eDWJeYMdqjN9MSZ7/49e63bce270c8567db319659b8671729/Freeletics_Essentials.png)

- Helpful content about comfortable exercising clothes and shoes, how to choose them, and introducing a few models from their online shop.

- Videos with stories about regular people that took on the challenge to improve themselves and succeeded – are great for social proof.

- Recipes of healthy food you can eat during that month, so you don't feel guilty about the inevitable Christmas and New Year's calorie over indulgence.

- Use the advantages of having an app to make people subscribe to a free program, where they will receive a notification that will remind them to go for a walk and keep their achievements so you can show their progress by the end of the campaign.

- For those that are already using the app and want a close friend or a family member to join them in their training, we could send them emails with a beginners bundle that includes some guides, a subscription, and some equipment in a bundle that they can offer as a Christmas gift. 

![Freeletics Essentials 2](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/39e26jyEs7uKQYmusrJ8oc/48e9d7fb3ba7f05c6b5647bb31625ebd/Freeletics_Essentials_2.png)

## When to start sending the emails?
As I said in the last section, we could start in November; it may seem too soon, but habits take time to form, and we need people to get comfortable with the new lifestyle they aspire to achieve. 

Sooner than November, let's October or September, will seem too early because people are not that great at estimating time; they will think: *oh, I have plenty of time for that, so no worries*.

Later than that, we might have the same situation as last year – a resolution without action. People may purchase from you with a discount and then shovel your brand into oblivion.

## How many emails should I send?
These emails aim to heat things up and let your subscribers know something special is coming. There is no point in sending only one or two emails and then hoping that they will remember that your brand might be doing a promotion on holidays.

Sending one email per week is a great starting point. After that, you can experiment with increasing the frequency, but don't overdo it. The last thing you want is to annoy people and lead them to unsubscribe from your list.

You can look for benchmarks online to see the frequency of emails from brands that operate in the same niche as yours. Tools like [Mailcharts](https://www.mailcharts.com/) – no affiliation – help you do exactly that; take a peek at what other brands have been doing on the email field, holiday email marketing campaigns included.

![Holiday Marketing Calender](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/Lnzek7kN76QKfXRtFibtm/fccc979dda23127173c3f82290e284bf/Holiday_Marketing_Calender.png)

## Should you give a discount?
Why not? Don't make it a habit because people will start waiting for discounts to buy from you. But if you do it once in a while, there is no harm in offering a deal for first-timers, especially on holidays.

Using the Freeletics App as an example, when you show people how much they have accomplished – even without realizing it – we create a sense of commitment; this will be the perfect time to present them with a discount coupon for six months or a year subscription.

Those who did the challenge now know that they can keep exercising; at the least, they are more receptive to it compared to someone who only receives a discount coupon and is asked to take action.

## Getting inspiration
Every time I ask marketers that are more experienced than me how they come up with content ideas for their emails, blog posts, and social media posts, the answer is always the same. So it must be the truth.

They tell me that you won't be able to have great ideas just sitting there and hoping that your brain will come up with them; you have to be exposed to a lot of ideas where you can draw some inspiration – mix them up, and let them spark something inside of your brain.

You can look at what competitors have done in the past, and what they are doing in the present, and take some inspiration there. You have the same audience, so you might pick up a few things that can work for you. 

The problem with looking inside your industry is that you will always stay inside the box. So another way to get inspiration for your email campaigns is to look outside your niche, outside your industry – you are in ecommerce? Look for inspiration in sectors like: movies, music, and real estate – it may seem crazy, but you will find something that works for you, and even better, it will be original on ecommerce.

You can go to places like [Really Good Emails](https://reallygoodemails.com/):

![Really Good Emails](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2Z0ujdagqhvzxzt4GLZdb/2df8d781f30e41fa61d280f17d0b5e80/Really_Good_Emails.png)

And Mailcharts:

![Mailcharts](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/4kqxZ710iZsZgZ3vyFqHVv/c506eabee03e87b67dc4cebf3fe6c90b/Mailcharts.png)

These websites will help you find the inspiration you need, and help you spark your originality when you need to create a holiday email marketing campaign.

Holidays are the time when companies usually take up the opportunity to run a promotion through their email list. The problem is that many of those businesses have no clue why and how they will launch that marketing campaign which results in something that, for lack of a better name, I call: placeholder campaigns.

How to plan holiday email marketing campaigns for Ecommerce

__Dynamic email content__ is a type of email message where the content changes based on the receiving user’s data (this can include age, marital status, occupation, geographic location, and other variables, as well as preferences and online behavior.) It’s an email with highly personalized elements, which can be reflected in the images and other visuals, text, and CTA (call to action) buttons. These elements work together to target different types of customers and subscribers effectively. 

## Why is Dynamic Email Content Important? 
Consumers these days receive an overwhelming amount of emails, from brands and products they like to ones they’ve barely ever engaged with before. This clutter can make it difficult for businesses to grab the attention of the user they’re targeting over the noise of all the other competitors.

By taking advantage of __dynamic email content__, you can reach out to your subscribers more effectively as they are more likely to open and read personalized emails. According to one statistic, email personalization contributes to an “[open rate of 29.95% and a click-through rate of 5.03%](https://blog.marketo.com/2018/07/what-amount-of-email-personalization-is-good-personalization.html)”. This is something seriously worth considering when implementing your next campaign.

Let’s briefly go over some of the benefits of including dynamic email content in your email marketing strategy:

- __It improves customer experience!__ - Sending personalized emails shows your subscribers and customers that you know them and care about their choices and interests. It helps make the campaign relative to them. 

- __It improves marketing efficiency!__ - Save time by creating dynamic email templates that can be easily customized. When an effective template exists, your team can effortlessly craft an effective email without sacrificing precious time that could be devoted to other elements of the campaign.  

- __It increases email engagement!__ - Personalizing the content you send to your subscribers increases their chances of engaging with it and taking action. 

## How Dynamic Email Content Works

It all comes down to smart utilization of *variables* and *data*. *Variables* are the dynamic parts of the email body, which are based on the *data* you have gathered on your users, such as [name] and [age].

Usually, you’ll be able to find the “variable” field in the mailing list options - for example, a variable can be the location of your customer, or any other data you’ve gathered that’s specific to them or their demographic. 

__Tip:__ To avoid overwhelming your customers, refrain from asking too many personal questions when creating a subscription form. Narrow in on what’s necessary for you to know, as too many questions can turn a customer off from subscribing to a mailing list.

## What are the Types of Variables in Dynamic Email Content? 

Here are three basic types of variables in dynamic content that you can use in your campaigns: 

- __Customer data variables__ - These include the *subscriber/customer’s email address*, *their name*, *their customer/subscriber ID,* as well as *age/date of birth,* *geographic location,* and *date of order*. You can find all this stuff out by implementing subscription forms and surveys.

- __Technical data variables__ - There are __two__ types of these variables: one is the web version of the email you’ve sent (which shows up when the email cannot be correctly displayed or when the images cannot be loaded), and the other is an unsubscribe link that’s usually in the email footer.

- __Sender data variables__ - As the name says, this refers to data coming from the sender of the emails, like the name of the company, its real address, and email address, along with the phone number. __These can usually be found in the footer of the email.__

__Note:__ When you’re adding variables and creating dynamic content, you should also have in mind the users who still haven’t shared much of their data with you. For example, say you usually add the “location” variable in the email; if your subscriber still hasn’t shared that info with you, they’ll see an empty field instead of a city or country. You can prevent this from happening by setting up the variable to automatically change into “your place”, “your city”, or “your country” when there is no available specific location info. This can be applied to other types of variables as well.

It is important to tailor your dynamic email content for variables, but it’s also essential to have a default for when that information is unavailable.

## Where Can You Implement Dynamic Email Content?

Every part of the email can be made dynamic! 

- The email subject line & body (text)

- Visuals (images, gifs, videos)

- CTAs (calls to action)

### The Email Subject Line and the Email Body

A subject line that’s been personalized can yield up to [50% higher open rates](https://www.marketingdive.com/news/study-personalized-email-subject-lines-increase-open-rates-by-50/504714/#targetText=Non%2Dpersonalized%20subject%20lines%20had,with%20another%20type%20of%20personalization.). Personalized subject lines usually include the personal name of the subscriber, but you can also include their location, birthday, or anniversary. This is all applicable to the email body (or email text) as well. 

The email text is easy to personalize - you can tailor it to different subscriber variables. 

__For example:__ 

*You are a company selling electronics and technology devices, and you have all kinds of products, from TVs, cameras, smartphones, video game consoles, earphones, DVDs, and so on. By analyzing your customers’ preferences, you can target emails for video games and consoles to the video game users and other new gadgets like earphones and new smartphones to gadget buffs.*

### Visuals

Visuals can be *images*, *animated gifs*, and *videos* that are part of the email body. The visuals you use should correspond with the interests and background of each of your subscribers using your data.

__For example:__

*You’re selling sports equipment and clothes. Say a percentage of your customers live in a predominately rainy area, while the rest live somwhere sunny. You want your customers to emotionally connect with the visuals you send them, which is why the image of people running outdoors in the rain should be included in the emails you send to people who live in rainy places, and vice versa - images of sunny landscapes and people doing sports in sunny weather should go to people living in such areas.*

### CTAs (Calls to Action)
CTAs play a __massive__ role in email campaigns, and using them as dynamic content can be a great way to incentivize your subscribers to take further action. 

Personalized CTAs are specifically tailored to suit your subscribers’ preferences. So, before making these CTAs, think about the purpose behind them. What do you want your subscribers to do? Buy something, leave a review, continue their subscription, learn about something, send a referral link to a friend, or something else? Whatever you want them to do, have a clear goal in mind. 

How to Make Your Emails More Dynamic
Now, let’s cross over to a couple of steps you can take to make your email content more dynamic. 
### 1. Gathering Data
This is the first step towards dynamic email content - gathering customer data. After all, you need to know who your customers are and what they want, so you can tailor your content accordingly. 

There are many ways you can do this. For instance, you can use your email marketing platform’s free analytics tools, Google Analytics, or another analytics tool. If you use Google Analytics, you will have to enable some options, such as the reporting and remarketing features, as well as the interests and demographics reports. You can find the guides on how to do this on [Google Analytics’ help site.](https://support.google.com/analytics/?hl=en#topic=10737980)

You can also gather data from social media, also called social media insights, like Facebook and Instagram’s Insights tabs that show your followers’ demographics.  

[Customer surveys](https://bentonow.com/tour/forms) are another way you can gather audience data. You can customize these surveys to fit your marketing purposes and get both qualitative and quantitative data. It’s best to mix different questions that tackle purchasing habits and interests, demographics, and product references. All of these together will form a more complete picture of the nuances and differences in your audience’s interests, as well as the things they have in common. 

When you collect this data, you can also create email lists that will help you organize your customer profiles by similarity. 
### 2. Gathering Engagement and Behavioral Data 
You should also gather your customers’ engagement and behavioral data, which serves to tell you how they interact with your company brand. 

You can collect this data set through several channels. 

The first one is through your website. You have to collect data on the particular pages your users visit, as well as the product categories they’re usually interested in, and which products they put in their shopping carts. 

A good way to track this is by installing tracking pixels and heat mapping tools on your site which usually come in the form of a visual overview of the way your site visitors behave. It tells you which buttons they usually click, and the pages and specific sections they read and visit most often. They can be used to track user behavior on the website, as well as web traffic and site conversions. The answers and data you get will be of great help when you create your email campaigns so you target specific users for specific products, and increase the conversion rates. 

Another way to gather this data set is to use data from past transactions, which will reliably tell you the products each of your customers have purchased. The majority of CRM tools can help you track not only the most bought products, but also the purchasing habits of individual customers, as well as their budget, and lots more. 

This data set will give more edge to your personalized email lists and help you personalize your dynamic email content further. 
### 3. Track Specific Metrics
A key thing when you’re doing email personalization and creating dynamic email content is to track KPI metrics. KPI stands for “key performance indicators”, which are metrics that tell you important data about how well your dynamic content performs with audiences. Naturally, this should come at the end of your campaign, aka once it’s launched.

There are different KPIs depending on what you need them for and what field of work you’re in, but in terms of email marketing, the most important ones are the following:

- __The email open rate__ tells you the percentage of your email recipients that actually open your emails. It’s a great way to find out the effectiveness of your personalized targeting campaign and your subject lines. 
- __The click-through rate__ tells you the percentage of people who’ve received your emails and clicked on at least one link included in them. This KPI gives you valuable information about your email content; if the click-through rate is low, you should work on your CTAs, your offers, and your targeting campaigns. 
- __The conversion rate__ tells you the percentage of conversions. A conversion can be defined according to your own criteria and it can be a product or service purchase, a subscription, filling out a form or downloading something from your site or email, and other actionable moves. High conversion rates that are consistent are a result of a successful email campaign, which means that your targeting process, your client communication, management of the website user experience, and othe rmetrics are on point. 

There are also other KPIs that you can track, such as the unsubscribe rate, the email growth rate, and the mobile open rate. 

Now that we’ve explained dynamic email content and how it works, let’s see some specific examples.

## Dynamic Email Content Examples

One of the best examples of dynamic email content usage can be found by examining the campaigns led by major streaming service, __Netflix__. They are masters at sending personalized emails which are based on your user data (*liked movies*, *movies you’ve watched or want to watch*). They send different kinds of dynamic emails, and one example is where they remind you of films and shows you’ve already watched and loved - and incentivize you to watch them again. 

__“Rewind. Replay. Rewatch.”__ This is how the email starts, after which it says __“Replay your favorite moments or watch these from the beginning.”__

Under these lines, you’ll be able to see __dynamic content images__, which are the images from your particular watch list, and below the brief caption explaining them, there are CTAs that say “Play” and “+ My List”. 

![netflix](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/1a73LCKJp5QuEBDqqvzqWC/fd21bfed3c97ab6b3471d6c400e49cb4/netflix.png)

Another example is __Ticketmaster__, an entertainment company that sells tickets for music venues. __Ticketmaster__ sends emails to promote events that are *near you* and that you might like. There is usually a poster image from the upcoming tour of the singer/band, and below it is a short, informative text. After that, you can find the tour date and time and a CTA that says “Tickets”. 

![Ticketmaster example](//images.ctfassets.net/7154jijfbyeo/2tJka5JxgodPmI4fJa69bl/6cd8311bd371a1dbea3177a98b6eacef/image1.png)
These are just two examples, but dynamic email content can come in various shapes and sizes. You can use it to make your customers and subscribers:

- Browse images or a catalog

- Fill out a form, a questionnaire, a survey, or take a quiz

- Reply to an invite

- RSVP to a particular event

- Leave a review

- Respond to comments

And so on.

## Conclusion 

As you can see, dynamic content is indispensable in the modern-day email marketing strategy. It’s the best way to send engaging, targeted emails, have your customers and subscribers interact with your product, and increase your company’s email open rates. Don’t be afraid to use personalization in your favor! You can do wonders with your email campaign with the right variables and user data. 

Learn more about dynamic email content, why it's important, and how it works. We'll also explore the different types of dynamic email content and see some examples.

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