The Five Checks Before Any Outbound Send
Run these before every campaign. Each one takes minutes and each one has cost someone a domain.
Most deliverability problems are visible before the first send. These five checks catch the common ones.
1. Authentication Passes
SPF, DKIM and DMARC all pass for the sending domain, and the tracking domain points where it should. Send to a test inbox and read the authentication results in the headers.
2. The List Is Clean
Verify every address before sending. Remove role addresses, catch-all domains you cannot confirm, and anything older than six months that has not been re-checked. A bounce rate above 2 percent on the first batch means the list was not ready.
3. The Volume Fits The Domain
Compare today's plan with the domain's recent sending. A jump of more than 30 percent over the last week is the kind of change providers notice. Raise volume in steps.
4. The Message Reads Like A Person Wrote It
Short, plain, one ask. No image-heavy layouts, no more than one link, no tracking pixel stack. Read it aloud. If it sounds like a flyer, rewrite it.
5. There Is An Exit
Every message needs a clear way to stop receiving it, and someone must read the replies. Unsubscribes and complaints are the signal you act on within a day, not a quarterly report.
Run the five, write down the result, and keep the record. When placement drops, the record tells you which check changed.
Want a full check before you send? Deliverability Audit.
More on this: The Teardown.