From likes to follows to subscribers, when everything feels like a numbers game, the idea of actively deleting your subscribers can feel counterintuitive and downright terrifying. But there’s power in deleting people from your list who aren’t opening or engaging any longer. List cleaning saves you money and saves your reputation, a gift to yourself and the subscribers who matter. Well, at least the subscribers opening your emails. But how exactly do you clean your list? Is the best list cleaning...
Mar 01, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Many creators know the ins and outs of authentication, spam traps, BIMI, and listbombing. And if you’ve been creating for a while, you probably understand best practices for email strategy and creative tips for encouraging engagement. But what about the basics? Do you really understand what happens to your email after clicking “send”? Most creators don’t, and there’s a strong case for shifting that statistic. When a tool helps you earn a living, it’s important to have a general understanding of ...
Feb 22, 2022•30 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Rejection is a terrible feeling. Especially when you’re pouring everything into a business and yearning for the approval of a new audience. But there are things to learn from every negative in life, and unsubscribes are no different. So if you’re feeling down about your unsubscribes, consider this: the unsubscribe button is an automated list-cleaner, allowing subscribers the option to opt-out themselves, saving you the hassle of removing them manually when your deliverability starts to wane. And...
Feb 15, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 12
When change happens, many of us panic. The rules of yesterday no longer apply and our future feels uncertain. But not all changes are catastrophic. In fact, a few recent email updates may seem more dramatic than they actually are. Case and point: Apple’s new privacy changes. Earlier in 2021, Apple announced an update that sent many senders stressing. Within Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature, pixels load automatically and recipients are unable to determine who’s actually opening their email...
Feb 08, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Are there tips and tricks to avoiding the promotions tab? Can simple keywords send you straight to the spam folder? Is email on the way out? Misinformation about best practices can send your email strategy spiraling. While it sounds cliche, avoid trusting everything you read on the internet. Because despite living in the era of information, many email mythologies have survived. If you’re feeling lost and confused about what’s true, what’s old news, and what never served anyone in the first place...
Feb 01, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 10
The most common question deliverability experts hear is, “how do I get more subscribers?” As a brand new creator, finding followers is probably your top concern. And although there are many answers depending on who you ask, the best explanation may be something called the flywheel effect . In short, you have to put out content consistently and strategically, blending social media with email to reach the most subscribers possible. While it’s hardly rocket science, sending out content when you’ve ...
Jan 25, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Every once in a while, we stumble upon a promotional email from a brand we love or a service we recently subscribed to and think, “that’s a great email.” Today, Alyssa and Melissa break down some of their favorite examples. Because when it comes to teachable moments, stellar examples of real-world emails are the best way to translate best practices and learn from the email experts all around us. And while we often spend time discussing the “don’ts” of email marketing, nothing lights a fire under...
Jan 18, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 8
If you could peek into a crystal ball and see the next 10 or 15 years of email evolution, what would it look like? Are the strategies you’re implementing ready for the future? Many say that in a world of ever-changing algorithms, email stays the same. While it’s never an exact science, the predictability and control senders have over their content certainly makes email an attractive outlet. However, nothing is ever stagnant, email included. For example, Apple’s recent privacy changes, the promot...
Jan 11, 2022•31 min•Season 3Ep. 7
What happens when security and style combine? Enter BIMI, or Brand Indicators for Message Identification, a text record that lives in your DNS records and helps verify your email address against phishers with malicious intent. This verification can be found in the brand’s logo, conveniently embedded in a sender’s email. While this high-tech security option may be a tough bet for small creators working alone, if you’ve got a large following and an equally large team, BIMI is a great way to increa...
Jan 04, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 6
As creators and email marketers, we’ve got a lot of important things keeping us up at night. From our marketing strategy, the hassle of freelance taxes, and, of course, those subscribers who don’t confirm their double opt-ins. But of all our worries, is an unconfirmed subscriber really something to stress over? After all, what’s “normal” subscriber behavior? It might be time to rethink how you expect subscribers to engage with your emails. Because subscribers don’t follow the same rules you do, ...
Dec 28, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 5
As creators, trust is everything. The trust between you and the subscribers who stay tuned is the foundation of your business and the source of your creative freedom. And while it can take months or years to build up hard-earned trust, it only takes one spammer to derail it. In the tech-driven twenty-first century, spamming is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, an email list and an ESP mean you’re a prime target for spammers seeking lists, data, and, above all else, subscribers who trust y...
Dec 21, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 4
As we evolve as creators, it’s inevitable that our audiences evolve with us. If you find yourself serving multiple audiences, deciding which audience to speak to and when can feel like an impossible task that inevitably isolates one fan base or another. Unfortunately, with most mediums, creators must choose. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa answer the question, how do you create for multiple audiences ? Because this is Deliverability Defined, email is always the answer. And while email has ma...
Dec 14, 2021•22 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Creators always ask, “how do I grow my audience?” While the answer is different for everyone, when you’re an emerging creator with a tight budget, referral programs are a great way to expand without burning revenue. And not only expand, but find subscribers more likely to engage. As we continue moving away from open rates as our main metric, referral programs are a great step toward increased engagement. Luckily, where there’s a will, there’s an app. Tools like SparkLoop smooth out the logistics...
Dec 07, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 2
If we learned anything last season, it was that open rates are no longer the magic email metric. Changes to Apple’s privacy settings dethroned an already shaky measurement tool, albeit one many marketers loved to tout. While staying laser-focused on one metric is a surefire way to derail your email strategy (and fill your subscribers’ inboxes with spam-friendly subject lines), is there a new golden standard for senders? Now that open rates are a thing of the past, how can we shift our focus? In ...
Nov 30, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 1
With the holiday season right around the corner, it’s never too early to start planning. In fact, the longer you wait, the more likely you are to find yourself on the naughty list, aka, in the spam folder. When it comes to sales, deals, and purchasing potential, the holiday season is in a category of its own. Subscribers are slammed with more emails than ever, retailers slash prices, and inbox providers are extra sensitive to spam. One rookie mistake can derail your most profitable time of year....
Oct 12, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 23
When it first landed in our inbox, many believed the promotions tab would ruin email marketing for good. Years after Gmail’s controversial update, it’s time to set the record straight for scared senders. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa break down their take on the promotions tab while unpacking insights from ConvertKit’s team of email pros. When it comes to deliverability, there are plenty of email mishaps to worry about. But is landing in the promotions tab one of them? While this secondary...
Sep 07, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 22
While Season 02 of Deliverability Defined has come to an end, email never stops! Before we kick off Season 03, we’re doing a series called Ask Our Experts , where we pose important deliverability questions to our amazing team at ConvertKit. Today’s question: Other than open rates, what metrics should senders focus on? With Apple’s new privacy laws furthering the fall of open rates, it’s time for senders to get creative and pivot to a measurement system that’s right for their business. In this ep...
Aug 03, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Whether you’re a musician or an author, a blogger or an artist, email is the secret sauce to owning your audience and making a passion project your full-time hustle. While deliverability may sound like an algorithm with built-in metrics for success, there’s more than one way to reach the inbox and engage subscribers. Last season, we defined the ABCs of deliverability. In season 02, we went beyond the basics, looking at the complexities of email and (hopefully) proving that inbox success has more...
Jul 20, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 20
As a new creator, you may feel like reaching as many eyeballs as possible is the most important end goal. Just remember, not all subscribers are created equal. Having an opt-in form helps weed out the unengaged and uninterested subscribers that aren’t worth paying for and can damage deliverability. However, like subscribers, not all opt-in forms are equally as effective. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa walk through their must-haves for top-performing signup pages while showcasing one creator...
Jul 13, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 19
You’ve probably heard about Apple’s latest privacy changes. Their new OS includes an update that marks all emails as opened, removing a metric many senders relied on to measure email success. Privacy is incredibly important and there’s no universe where senders are entitled to a recipient’s data. However, as deliverability specialists, it’s our job to find workarounds that help senders reach the inbox of their subscribers. And there’s no denying this update has impacted senders’ ability to reach...
Jul 06, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Everyone strives to reach the inbox of their subscribers. While many factors determine deliverability, it’s no secret that reputation is among the most important. So what can you do to fix a broken reputation? How can you know what your reputation is or if it needs improving? And what role does an ESP play in working email magic? Like most things with deliverability, the answers aren’t always straightforward, and often, there’s no easy fix. However, it’s important to focus on the things you can ...
Jun 29, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Every creator hopes for thousands of YouTube subscribers, Instagram followers, and Twitter likes. But if you’re approaching your email list with a similar “more is better” mentality, you may be missing the mark. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss why not all email subscribers are created equal and why smaller, high-value lists are healthier than a massive list filled with cold and unengaged subscribers. Let’s outline what makes a great subscriber, the common mistakes that attract “bad” ...
Jun 22, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 16
If you see a sudden and dramatic drop in your open rates, don’t panic. There could be an easily fixable solution behind those scary numbers. And even if it takes a bit more digging, your open rates aren’t the be-all and end-all metric for measuring success. Nevertheless, lower open rates could signify a larger issue, whether it’s your marketing strategy or something as simple as an HTML error. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa outline the questions every email marketer should ask themselves if...
Jun 15, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Are you intimidated by Twitter? Do you scroll and consume 24-7? Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Twitter can be invaluable for building an audience and boosting visibility. If you’re strategic and intentional, Twitter can help you reach massive creator milestones. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss actionable steps to growing a following on Twitter and expanding your email list. Don’t just look for a retweet. Engage with people who will become high-value subscribers and true ...
Jun 08, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Sending one-time emails to your entire list may feel like a familiar and reliable default. And automating anything related to email might sound intimidating. However, automation opens the doors for incredible results and makes your life as a sender much easier. It’s a cardinal rule of business that you should never treat every customer (or every subscriber) the same. The beauty of automation is that it allows you to differentiate your otherwise anonymous email list and send each subscriber the c...
Jun 01, 2021•28 min•Season 2Ep. 13
So often we view emails as a one-way conversation. In reality, there are plenty of complicated mechanics that go on behind-the-scenes between both sender and the receiving server. But what really goes on when an email bounces? Is it the fault of the ESP? Should we clean our lists of every email address that bounces? Like everything with deliverability, finding the why behind your email bounce rarely leads to a simple and clear-cut resolution. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa explain the techn...
May 25, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Even veteran senders get nervous before pressing send . There’s always that worry in the back of our minds: What if I send this to the wrong group of people? What if I send a test email by mistake? What if there’s a broken link or typos or lingering placeholder text? So, if and when the dreaded email fail happens to you, what can you do? We’ve all received an email fail and every pro sender has made a mistake or two. If you do mess up, don’t worry. You’re not alone and there are ways to recover....
May 18, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Do you really understand deliverability? Is a career in deliverability right for you? Deliverability is a niche topic and it’s sometimes hard for friends, family, and curious ears to understand. But aside from innate curiosity, if you’re a sender, learning what a deliverability expert does can provide incredible insight into how deliverability actually works. From educating to solving problems and balancing tech skills with empathy, Alyssa and Melissa walk through their daily lives as deliverabi...
May 11, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 10
So much of deliverability is fixing issues after you realize there’s a problem. But what about solving problems before they become a problem? There are ways to predict your deliverability future and improve not only your business but your subscribers’ experience as well. In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa outline tips for proactively preventing deliverability issues before your email even reaches a recipient. Some of these tips may sound counterintuitive and some may sound a bit obvious, but th...
May 04, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 9
With hundreds of big creators monopolizing YouTube, starting a channel from scratch and beating YouTube’s notoriously tricky algorithm is no small feat. Take it from Ben Schoeffler, a content creator who’s learned a few tricks for bypassing the algorithm with email marketing. YouTube doesn't provide the names of your subscribers. So while it may sound counterintuitive, going off YouTube is often the only way to grow your channel and build a relationship with your otherwise mysterious audience. I...
Apr 27, 2021•35 min•Season 2Ep. 8
