Email deliverability is one of those invisible problems that can quietly wreck your outreach. If your emails land in spam or go missing, you’re not just losing leads—you’re flying blind. This guide is for anyone who’s tried sending cold emails, newsletters, or onboarding sequences, only to wonder why responses have dried up. If you’re ready to actually see what’s happening with your email sending and do something about it, you’re in the right place.
We’re going to walk through how to track and fix deliverability issues using Mailwarm’s reporting features. No sugar-coating, no vague best practices—just practical steps for figuring out what’s broken, and how to fix it.
Step 1: Understand What Mailwarm Actually Measures (and What It Doesn’t)
Before you jump into the dashboard, let’s set some expectations. Tools like Mailwarm simulate real inbox activity by sending emails to their own controlled network of mailboxes, then replying and marking those emails as “not spam.” The idea is to warm up your domain and provide you with feedback about where your messages are landing.
What Mailwarm reports can tell you: - How often your emails land in inbox vs. spam vs. other folders - Trends over time (are things getting better or worse?) - How “natural” your sending activity looks to spam filters - Flags for suspicious activity (big jumps in spam placement, for example)
What Mailwarm can’t do: - Tell you exactly what every recipient’s experience is (their delivery depends on their filters, corporate firewalls, etc.) - Fix a burned domain instantly - Replace good sending practices (no amount of “warming” will save you from bad content or spammy behavior)
Bottom line: Treat Mailwarm’s reports as a strong signal, not gospel truth. If the tool says you’re trending toward spam, you probably are—fix it before it gets worse.
Step 2: Set Up Consistent Tracking in Mailwarm
Consistency is everything. You need enough data to spot real patterns, not just random glitches.
How to set up your reporting for useful insights: - Add all your sending addresses. Don’t just track your main domain—if you have multiple inboxes or aliases, include them. - Schedule daily sends. Sporadic warming gives you patchy data. Set a daily schedule that matches your real sending volume (or slightly less). - Review your warmup settings. If you’re sending 20,000 cold emails a week but only warming up with 20, you’re not getting a real signal. Make sure your Mailwarm activity is in the same ballpark as your actual use.
Pro tip: If you’re onboarding a new domain, start slow. Let Mailwarm gradually ramp up your sending—just like you would in real outreach. Fast spikes look suspicious to spam filters, and Mailwarm’s reports will quickly show the fallout.
Step 3: Read the Reports (and Ignore the Fluff)
Mailwarm’s dashboard is loaded with charts and numbers. Here’s what actually matters:
1. Inbox Rate
- What it is: The percentage of your test emails that landed in the inbox (not spam or promotions).
- Why it matters: This is the single best snapshot of your sender reputation.
- What’s good: 90%+ is solid. If you’re dipping below 80%, you’ve got problems.
2. Spam Rate
- What it is: The percentage hitting the spam folder.
- What’s good: Under 5%. If this creeps up, take it seriously.
3. Promotions & Other Tabs
- What it is: Gmail and others have tabs like “Promotions.” Landing here isn’t as bad as spam, but it’s not great for outreach.
- What to watch: If most of your emails end up here, your content may look too “salesy.”
4. Reply & Recovery Rate
- What it is: Mailwarm’s network replies to your emails and takes them out of spam if needed.
- What to ignore: Don’t obsess over this unless your spam rate is high. The main value is in showing that “rescuing” emails helps, but you can’t rely on this in real life.
5. Trend Lines
- Why they matter: A single bad day isn’t a crisis. A bad week is. Watch for negative trends, not just day-to-day swings.
What to skip:
Don’t spend hours on “engagement rate” or “open rate” inside Mailwarm. These numbers are mostly artificial, since the replies are automated.
Step 4: Identify Patterns and Triggers
Once you have a week or two of data, look for patterns.
Ask yourself: - Did deliverability drop after a big campaign? - Do issues line up with changes to your templates, subject lines, or sending tools? - Is there a difference between inboxes or domains?
Common red flags: - Sudden spike in spam rate: You might have hit a spam trap or sent to a bad list. - Gradual decline in inbox rate: Often means your content is triggering filters, or recipients are ignoring your emails. - Promotions tab creeping up: Review your formatting—too many links, images, or sales buzzwords?
Don’t waste time on:
Tiny fluctuations day-to-day. Focus on significant, sustained changes.
Step 5: Take Action Based on Real Data
Here’s where most people drop the ball—they see a problem, panic, and blast out test emails or random “fixes.” Instead:
If your inbox rate is strong (>90%):
- Keep doing what you’re doing.
- Maybe experiment with small changes (timing, subject lines), but don’t overthink it.
If your spam rate is creeping up:
- Check your sending practices.
- Are you sending too many emails at once?
- Did you recently buy or scrape a list? (Don’t do this.)
-
Are your emails generic or spammy?
-
Fix your technical setup.
- Double-check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. You’d be shocked how many people miss this.
-
Make sure your “from” address matches your domain.
-
Pause campaigns if needed.
- If things get bad, stop sending for a couple days and let your domain “cool off.”
- Let Mailwarm run in the background to help repair your reputation.
If you’re landing in Promotions:
- Cut down on links, images, and fancy formatting.
- Write like a human, not a marketer.
- Test plain-text emails.
If you see wild swings with no obvious cause:
- Check if something changed with your sending provider.
- Sometimes it’s just a Mailwarm hiccup—don’t panic over a single weird report.
Step 6: Use Mailwarm to Monitor Recovery (But Don’t Rely on It Alone)
Mailwarm is great for spotting trends and helping you recover from minor hits to your reputation. But it’s not a magic fix.
To use Mailwarm effectively: - Keep it running, especially after a deliverability issue. - Watch for gradual improvement in your inbox rate—don’t expect an overnight turnaround. - Keep your real outreach volume in sync with your warmup activity.
But also: - Always test with a few real contacts (friends, colleagues) to see where your emails land for them. - If you’re still seeing poor results after fixing the basics, consider using a fresh domain or getting professional help.
Step 7: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Deliverability can feel like black magic, but most issues boil down to: - Bad sending practices - Overly aggressive outreach - Ignoring your technical setup
Mailwarm’s reporting pulls back the curtain and gives you real signals. Don’t get obsessed with every data point—use the big trends to guide your next steps, and adjust one thing at a time.
Remember:
There’s no permanent “fix”—just a series of small tweaks and steady habits. Keep it simple, check your reports regularly, and don’t let deliverability myths distract you from the basics.
If you stay curious, skeptical, and willing to adapt, you’ll stay ahead of most senders. Happy (inbox) landing.