How to automate deliverability testing in Folderly for continuous email optimization

If your emails are quietly landing in spam folders, all your clever subject lines and campaigns are pretty much wasted. This guide is for anyone who manages email outreach, sales, or newsletters and wants to actually know if their messages reach real inboxes. We’ll walk through how to automate deliverability testing in Folderly, so you can stop guessing and start fixing issues before they cost you leads or reputation.

No empty promises here. Folderly’s automation is useful, but it’s not magic. You’ll get the steps to set it up, honest advice on what’s worth your time, and real talk about what Folderly can (and can’t) do.

Why Automate Deliverability Testing Anyway?

Let’s not overthink it. If you’re sending any meaningful volume of email—whether cold outreach, newsletters, or transactional—you can’t afford to just “hope for the best.” Spam filters are slippery; what worked last week may not work today.

Manual tests are better than nothing, but they won’t catch reputation dips or sudden issues. Automation means:

  • You get a steady pulse on your sender reputation.
  • You can spot problems before your open rates tank.
  • You save time (and sanity) versus constant manual checking.

Folderly automates this process so you can focus on fixing issues, not hunting them down.

Step 1: Prep Your Sending Environment (Don’t Skip This)

Before you jump into Folderly’s automation, get your basics sorted. Otherwise, no amount of fancy testing will help.

Checklist:

  • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records set up? If you don’t have these, fix it first. Deliverability tools can’t compensate for missing authentication.
  • Dedicated sending domain? If you’re blasting emails from your main domain, you’re risking your company’s whole reputation.
  • Avoid obvious spam triggers. Bad subject lines, link stuffing, poor HTML, or weird sender names will kill your deliverability before automation even starts.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure about your DNS records, check with your IT or use online tools like MXToolbox. Don’t just trust what your email platform says.

Step 2: Connect to Folderly and Add Your Mailbox

Once your basics are solid, it’s time to plug into Folderly. They support major email providers like Google Workspace, Office 365, and custom SMTP.

How to connect:

  1. Sign up for Folderly (if you haven’t already).
  2. Add your mailbox:
  3. Use OAuth for Gmail/Outlook, or provide SMTP/IMAP credentials for custom setups.
  4. If you’re wary about giving full access, use a dedicated mailbox just for testing.
  5. Let Folderly sync. It should pull in your recent activity and start baseline checks.

What’s worth knowing: Folderly needs sending access to run automated tests. If you only give it IMAP (read-only), you’ll get limited results.

Step 3: Set Up Automated Deliverability Tests

With your mailbox connected, you can start the real work: automated testing.

What Folderly’s Automation Actually Does

  • Sends test emails to a network of “seed” inboxes (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and others).
  • Checks where your messages land (Inbox, Promotions, Spam, etc.).
  • Runs these tests on a schedule you set (daily, weekly, etc.).
  • Tracks sender reputation issues and common filter triggers.

Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Go to the Deliverability Testing section in Folderly’s dashboard.
  2. Create a new automated test.
  3. Pick your sender address.
  4. Choose your test frequency. Daily is best if you’re sending regularly; otherwise, weekly works.
  5. Customize the test content. Use something close to your real emails—don’t just send “test” as the subject.
  6. Review the seed list. Folderly handles this, but make sure it covers providers that matter to your audience.
  7. Save and activate.

Pro Tip: If you use multiple sending addresses or domains, set up separate tests for each. Spam filters treat them differently.

Step 4: Analyze Results (and Don’t Panic)

Folderly will start running tests and showing you results—Inbox, Promotions, Spam, and “Missing” (didn’t arrive at all).

What to look for:

  • Consistent inbox placement: That’s the goal. Dips or sudden changes mean something’s up.
  • Spam or Promotions jumps: Don’t freak out over one-off spikes, but a trend means you’ve got work to do.
  • Provider-specific issues: Sometimes you’re fine on Gmail but dead in Yahoo. That’s normal—ISPs use different filters.

What’s worth your attention:

  • Trends, not one-offs. Don’t get obsessive about a single test result.
  • Sudden drops. If deliverability tanks out of nowhere, check for recent changes—content, sending volume, or DNS tweaks.
  • Feedback from Folderly. Take their suggestions with a grain of salt. Some are useful (like “your domain is on a blacklist”); others are generic (“avoid spammy words”—no kidding).

What to ignore:

  • Overly broad advice. “Avoid all links” isn’t realistic if your emails need them.
  • Panic about Promotions. Some inboxes just route bulk email there, and it’s not always bad. Focus on avoiding Spam first.

Step 5: Take Action and Iterate

Automated tests are only useful if you act on the results. Here’s how to keep it practical:

  • Tweak subject lines, links, and HTML if you see issues. Make one change at a time so you know what worked.
  • Warm up new sending addresses gradually. Don’t go from zero to 1,000 emails overnight.
  • Monitor DNS and authentication. Sudden deliverability drops often come from expired DKIM or a busted SPF record.
  • Ignore “perfect” scores. Your goal is reliable inboxing, not chasing a mythical 100%.

Pro Tip: Set a recurring reminder to check Folderly’s automated results weekly. Don’t obsess daily unless you’re running a huge campaign.

What Folderly Won’t Do For You

Let’s be honest: no tool can fix everything.

  • Folderly can’t rewrite your copy. If your emails sound spammy, automation won’t save you.
  • It doesn’t fix reputation overnight. If you’re blacklisted or burned your domain, it’ll take time—and maybe a new sending domain.
  • It won’t catch every filter. Some ISPs have custom rules that even Folderly’s seed network can’t perfectly simulate.

Use it as a signal, not gospel.

Keep It Simple, Keep It Consistent

Automating deliverability testing in Folderly is about building steady habits, not chasing magic numbers. Set it up, check results regularly, and tweak as you go. Skip the obsessing—just fix what matters, ignore the noise, and your emails will land where they should.

If you hit weird issues, don’t be afraid to ask support or try a different tool for a second opinion. The key is to get out of reactive mode and stay ahead of problems—without making deliverability your full-time job.