Deliverability basics

Deliverability is the ability of outbound email to reach the recipient's inbox rather than spam. The basics are domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warmed mailboxes with gradual volume ramps, low bounce rates from verified lists, and send patterns that look human.

Why it matters

Deliverability is a threshold condition: below it, copy and targeting are irrelevant because nothing is being read. It degrades silently (campaigns 'stop working' weeks before anyone checks placement), so it needs monitoring, not assumptions. The practical checklist is stable: authenticate every sending domain, warm new mailboxes for several weeks before campaign volume, verify lists before sending, keep bounce rates under about 2%, and watch spam-rate feedback in Google Postmaster Tools. Deliverability recovers slowly once burned, so experienced senders spread volume across several warmed domains rather than risking a primary one.