What is email marketing deliverability rate?
Email marketing deliverability rate refers to the percentage of emails that are successfully accepted by your recipients’ email servers and delivered to their inboxes. Unlike open rate, which measures user interaction, deliverability focuses on whether the message arrived. A high deliverability rate indicates strong sender reputation, relevant content, a clean email list, and a reliable email service provider.
Why does email marketing deliverability rate matter?
Deliverability directly influences campaign success and ROI. Emails that don’t land in inboxes can’t be opened, read, or acted upon—leading to wasted resources and missed engagement. A low deliverability rate can also harm sender reputation, making future delivery even more difficult. Maintaining a high rate ensures your content reaches its intended audience and preserves long-term trust.
How to calculate email marketing deliverability rate?
Use this formula:
Deliverability Rate = [(Emails Sent – Emails Bounced) / Emails Sent] x 100
For example, if you send 1,000 emails and 100 bounce, your deliverability rate is:
(1,000 – 100) / 1,000 x 100 = 90%
While this calculation gives your delivery rate, true inbox placement is harder to track, as providers like Gmail or Outlook don’t disclose exactly where emails land. Still, bounce rates and open rates provide useful indicators.
How to improve email marketing deliverability rate?
Use a reputable email service provider, authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and warm up new IP addresses gradually. Clean your email list regularly to remove invalid or inactive addresses. Segment your audience and send personalized, relevant content. Avoid spam triggers in your subject lines and body. Monitor metrics closely and comply with local email marketing laws.
How to measure email marketing deliverability rate?
Measuring deliverability includes more than just bounce tracking. Monitor delivery rate, inbox placement, engagement (opens, clicks), and spam complaints. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS, and Inbox Placement Testing services. Since mailbox providers don’t reveal exact inbox placement, you’ll need to rely on aggregated metrics and trends to assess and optimize performance.
Here’s what else to consider
Email deliverability isn’t a fixed number—it depends on many factors. Improve results by configuring domain authentication, managing spam rates below 0.1%, and using dedicated sending domains or IPs. Review metrics like open rate, click-through rate, bounce rate, and spam complaint rate regularly. Personalize campaigns and treat subscribers like individuals, not just entries on a list.
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