Hello again!
I’ve answered a few more questions below:
Q: I have some clients with decent open rates on their newsletters (35%+) but low click throughs - how does this affect sender reputation?
A: A high open rate shows that contacts are likely receiving this mail in a primary inbox - which is fantastic! A click is a more reliable metric (because of bot opens) and a stronger indication to ISPs that contacts want the mail that they’re receiving. Having a low click-through rate won’t immediately destroy a strong sending reputation, but it’s an opportunity for growth. I’d say that a low click-through rate uncovers opportunities for better CTAs and segmentation. Typically the senders that I work with that are experiencing low click-through rates are sending to lists that are too general.
Q: What is the best way to optimize your email strategy (through A/B testing etc.), without getting penalized for bounces?
A: Bounces can happen due to many different reasons, but the most avoidable are “unknown user” hard bounces and reputation related soft bounces.
The best ways to avoid being penalized is to avoid running into bounces - which is impossible altogether, as lists depreciate, but steps can be taken to alleviate the number of bounces:
- Abide by all email best practices and make sure that you’re also following the requirements of your ESP. HubSpot’s sending requirements can be found here: Determine if it’s OK to send marketing emails to a contact list. These requirements can seem stringent but they’re written with reputation in mind. An ESP’s requirements are written to protect both your sending reputation (because they want you to be a successful sender) as well as the reputation of their network (which other customers rely on).
- Utilize a validation tool. No validation tool will ever be able to identify all contacts that will hard bounce, but their data can help you identify contacts that are known to hard bounce. It’s important to note that a validated contact still needs to meet the sending requirements mentioned above to be eligible for marketing sends from your ESP.
- Lastly, review your soft bounces and hard bounces. The bounce messages that are included when the message bounces often (although not always) includes insight into why the message bounced. This can help you identify strategy, volume, reputation, source, or allowlisting roadblocks. It can also offer insight into whether or not an individual’s inbox is no longer active. These messages should offer some opportunities and next steps for investigation.
Thank you 