So your Quickmail campaigns aren’t hitting inboxes like they should. Maybe you’re seeing open rates nosedive, or your replies are way lower than expected. Maybe you just got that “bounce rate warning” and now you’re sweating. This guide is for anyone who needs clear steps—no fluff, no magic tricks—to actually fix deliverability problems and get their cold emails seen.
Let’s cut through the noise and figure out what’s going wrong, what you can realistically fix, and what’s probably not worth your time.
1. Figure Out If You Really Have a Deliverability Problem
Before you start tweaking every setting in Quickmail, take a step back. Not every dip in replies means deliverability is the culprit.
First, check: - Open rates: If these suddenly tank (<15% with no list changes), you’ve likely got a deliverability problem. - Bounce rates: Over 5% is a red flag for most systems. - Spam complaints: Even a few can tank your sender reputation. - Soft vs. hard bounces: Soft is temporary (mailbox full, etc.), hard means you’re emailing a dead address.
If your numbers look healthy but you’re not getting replies, it’s probably your targeting or copy—not deliverability.
Pro tip: Don’t obsess over one bad day. Patterns over time matter more than any single send.
2. Check Your Sending Domain’s Health
If your emails are going straight to spam, your sending domain is probably the issue—not Quickmail itself.
Steps: - Run a blacklist check. Use tools like MXToolbox or MultiRBL. If your domain or IP is listed, you’ll need to request removal. - Check your sender score. Tools like Talos Intelligence or SenderScore.org can give you a rough idea of your reputation. - Look for warning signs: - Sudden drop in open rates - Increase in bounces or spam complaints - Replies saying “why did this end up in my spam?”
If you’re using a brand-new domain, expect a tough start—new domains have no reputation and are treated cautiously by spam filters.
What doesn’t really help: Changing your sending tool. If your domain is burned, switching from Quickmail to another platform won’t fix it.
3. Authenticate Your Email (Seriously, Don’t Skip This)
Authentication tells email providers, “Hey, this is really us, not a spammer pretending.” Skipping this is like not locking your door and wondering why stuff goes missing.
You need three things: - SPF: Authorizes Quickmail (or your email provider) to send on your behalf. - DKIM: Adds a digital signature, proving the email’s legit. - DMARC: Tells inboxes what to do with suspicious emails.
How to set up: - Check Quickmail’s documentation for the exact SPF and DKIM records you need to add to your DNS. - Use MXToolbox to verify they’re set up right. - For DMARC, start with a policy of “none” to monitor, then tighten it up once you’re confident.
What to ignore: “Advanced” authentication tricks. Just get SPF, DKIM, and DMARC right and you’re 90% there.
4. Clean Your Email List
Sending to garbage addresses is the fastest way to tank your deliverability. Bounce rates go up, reputation goes down. It’s that simple.
Steps: - Use a list cleaning tool. Neverbounce, ZeroBounce, and BriteVerify are all solid. Don’t cheap out—it’s worth it. - Remove bounces and unsubscribes regularly. Quickmail can do this automatically if you set it up. - Don’t buy lists. You’ll get a pile of invalid addresses and spam traps.
Pro tip: If you haven’t emailed a list in months, clean it again before you hit “send.”
5. Warm Up Your Sending (Don’t Blast Cold)
If you just set up a new domain or mailbox, don’t expect to send 500 emails a day and hit inboxes. You’ll get flagged as a spammer.
How to warm up: - Start with 10–20 emails per day, ramping up slowly (by 10–20/day) over a few weeks. - Send to real, engaged addresses—colleagues, friends, or use a warm-up tool. - Mix in manual replies and forwards if you can.
What doesn’t work: Warm-up tools promising “instant” results. They help, but nothing beats real, gradual sending and real replies.
6. Review Your Email Content (Spammy Copy Gets You Filtered)
Spam filters look at more than just the sender. They’ll flag emails for: - Trigger words (“free,” “guaranteed,” “risk-free”) - ALL CAPS or weird formatting - Too many links or images - Attachments (especially ZIPs, EXEs, etc.)
What to do: - Keep emails short, clear, and human-sounding. - Avoid using lots of links—one is enough. - Test your email with tools like Mail-Tester.com to see how spammy it looks.
What to ignore: Chasing every “secret” spam trigger list online. Just write like a person, not a robot or a marketer from 2005.
7. Watch Your Sending Volume and Frequency
Blasting too many emails at once is the #1 way to trip spam filters—especially from new mailboxes.
Best practices: - Stick to 50–100 emails per mailbox per day, max, when starting out. - Space out sends. Quickmail lets you stagger emails—use it. - Rotate sending between multiple mailboxes if you need higher volume.
What to ignore: “Send as much as you want if your list is clean.” Even clean lists get flagged if you send too fast, too soon.
8. Monitor and React (Don’t Set It and Forget It)
Set up regular check-ins in Quickmail to monitor: - Open, reply, and bounce rates - Spam complaints - Blacklist status
If you see a problem: - Pause sending from that mailbox - Investigate the cause (domain reputation, list quality, content) - Fix, then warm up again before resuming
Pro tip: Set up alerts for high bounce rates or spam complaints so you can catch problems before they get worse.
9. When to Ask for Help (and When Not To)
Sometimes you’ve tried everything and emails are still missing inboxes.
Get help if: - Your domain is blacklisted and you can’t get off the list. - You’ve set up SPF, DKIM, DMARC correctly and still have issues. - Your ESP (like Google or Microsoft) is throttling or blocking your account.
Don’t bother with: - “Guaranteed inbox placement” services. These are usually snake oil. - Massaging subject lines endlessly. If your domain or list is the problem, no amount of wordsmithing will fix it.
Wrapping Up
Deliverability is never “set and forget.” The basics matter most: use a healthy, authenticated domain, send to clean lists, and keep your volume sane. Don’t chase every rumor or hack—just watch your numbers, stay consistent, and adjust when things slip.
Keep it simple, iterate, and don’t panic over every bad day. If you stay on top of the basics, your Quickmail campaigns will land where they belong: the inbox.