Get more of your bulk emails and campaigns into inboxes, and fewer into spam folders or bounces.
Why emails land in spam or bounce
Spam filters look at both your content and your sending behavior. Common triggers:
- Large sends to old lists: Outdated addresses bounce and hurt your reputation.
- Spammy language: Words like "Free" or "Buy now," or excessive punctuation (!!!).
- Poor formatting: Too many links or images and not enough text.
- Missing authentication: No SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records for your domain.
- New or inactive domains: Unfamiliar sender addresses or brand-new domains and IPs.
- Spam complaints: Recipients marking your emails as spam.
- Irregular sending: A large batch after weeks of silence.
- Low engagement: People who never open your emails.
Pipeline CRM sends your emails, but how they're received depends on your recipients' email providers and your own sending reputation.
Why emails from your inbox work but bounce from Pipeline CRM
A one-to-one message from Gmail or Outlook looks like normal, low-risk behavior. Bulk emails and campaigns go out in larger batches, so recipient servers and spam filters check them more strictly, and some get flagged or bounced. Your email provider's daily limits also apply to these sends. See Check Your Email Sending Limits.
Keep your list clean
- Remove invalid and inactive addresses.
- Validate new addresses before you add them. The Email Validation add-on checks addresses as they're entered.
- Segment your lists and focus on engaged people. Quality beats quantity.
- Honor every unsubscribe. See Manage Unsubscribed People.
Authenticate your domain
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domain. They prove to inbox providers that your emails really come from you.
Send like a trusted sender
- Warm up new domains and IPs: start with small batches and scale up.
- Send on a regular schedule.
- Personalize your emails with merge tags instead of generic templates.
- Ask recipients to add you to their contacts.
- Use a real reply-to address.
- Get consent before you email people, and follow GDPR and CAN-SPAM requirements.
Monitor your email health
- Track bounce and complaint rates, and adjust based on your campaign reports.
- Test inbox placement before you send, and check where emails actually land afterward, not just whether they were delivered.
- Review your domain and IP reputation regularly to stay off blacklists.
These third-party tools can help:
- GlockApps: Tests inbox placement and spam score.
- MxToolbox: Checks blacklist status and SPF records.
- Sender Score: Rates your sender reputation.
Need help? Contact support at customercare@pipelinecrm.com.