Every email marketer has come across a ‘how-to charlatan’ spewing fake advice that does nothing but earn them cheap clicks, especially for deliverability advice.
It’s no surprise though. Deliverability issues often feel complex, incomprehensible, and like any real solutions are going to be some form of hack or trick.
Add to that how deliverability seems to be changing every year, and you can’t really be blamed for looking for the Big Secret wherever you can.
Well, before you run and join the email-hacks cult, let me recommend some reliable sources for deliverability knowledge, as well as outline real quick how you can tell the real advice from the fake.
How to identify quality deliverability advice
The good news here, is that once you learn proper deliverability advice you grow a pretty strong instinct for finding the information you need and knowing if it’s BS or not.
But where to start? For the sake of avoiding biases, let’s just go to the spam-filter builders themselves.
The biggest names in deliverability algorithms Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft, GMX, and more, have all begun to release statements around their systems’ expectations for bulk email marketing.
Reading through them, you can easily catch consistent themes:
Authenticate all traffic sources
Only send to opted-in subscribers
Send relevant and expected content
Provide the ability to opt-out
Retarget and sunset unengaged subscribers
Follow all relevant email laws
In summary, be transparent, relevant, and consistent with honoring subscribers’ preferences from beginning to end.
No gimmicks. No tricks.
Sometimes, you’ll see certain providers having more specific advice, but it always works towards better transparency, relevance, and preference honoring.
Don’t believe me? Go through some of those hacky blogs you’ve seen recently and test them out. I think you’ll see that I’m right AND that you’re already growing an instinct for this.
Now, let’s move on to some deliverability blogs I have come to trust and enjoy visiting almost daily for niche perspectives.
My top 5 deliverability blog recommendations
Why I love it
Ignoring the nostalgia of this being the first deliverability blog I was introduced to by my mentor, this blog is fantastic for many reasons.
Laura and Steve are a power duo who have been covering both the marketing and engineering sides of deliverability for over 20 years, with at least 15 years of historical content available still on their blog. Amazing!
There is so much that you can glean through this blog from best practices to niche topics in the deliverability space.
Where it’s weakest
Their posting frequency tends to be based on if they feel a niche topic needs something written on it, which also means new content topics can often be surprising or unexpected for average marketers.
Another thing is that you will always want to check the date of the information you are referencing and make sure there isn’t anything more recent in case it has changed since the writing of it (which can be the case with over 15 years of email history available).
Overall, though, I still love it and appreciate what their blog means for our community!
Why I love it
Another OG of the email space, Al Iverson has similar 20+ years of experience both in deliverability and blogging about deliverability.
His blog acts as a “somewhat real-time” deliverability-related news resource, regularly providing new posts about relevant changes and topics in the email deliverability space.
He often covers niche or difficult-to-uncover topics (like what domains does a particular provider from Australia use for their users, etc.) that can really help most any marketer’s issue.
But I especially love the organization of his home page that can make hunting topics for specific providers much, much easier. And he works hard to keep it all updated despite it being a personal project of his. (I especially love the little wombat that waddles across the browser screen)
Where it’s weakest
Al works so hard on this passion project that I struggle to find something worth warning against.
I guess I could say that the content for B2B senders is a bit sidelined by all of the B2C sender content (and probably rightfully so). Just know it’s there, you may just need to search a little to find it.
Why I love it
Jennifer Lantz has been working in email deliverability for almost 12 years now, and her experience and efforts in improving the email community have been felt by many.
This series in particular I love because over the years she has pulled various deliverability experts from all different niches to answer common questions in their own ways.
You’ll quickly see that while the answers often lead to the same place eventually they don’t always take the same path, which is awesome to see.
Through this blog, you are likely to see what experts who’ve worked around your industry niche have found as a priority over other industry approaches.
Where it’s weakest
Firstly, my recommendations are focused on reliable, free content and not for buying any third-party services.
Kickbox is an email verification and deliverability service platform and, while their tools are likely strong (as far as third-party deliverability tools go), I am unwilling to make any recommendations for third-party paid services at this time.
Outside of that, I’d also warn I haven’t vetted any of the other writers besides Jen at Kickbox (though I’m sure they’re great) so just know at this time I am specifically calling out blogs Jen is a part of.
Why I love it
Lauren Meyer’s 15 years in the email space has included marketing roles, deliverability management at an ESP, deliverability service software, and more.
She knows what it means to be an email marketer and her content shows how she prioritizes that in her approach. She especially focuses on niche marketing strategy themes where others try to just cover best practices or immediate-solution topics.
On top of her approachable writing voice, her content is incredibly detailed and thought out while also formatted for skimmability when you’re searching for the answer quickly.
I highly recommend reading her stuff even about familiar topics, as I know her approach and thoughtful explanations will really help give you the well-rounded understanding you need.
Where it’s weakest
Frequency is lower, about once a month, because like many others this is more a passion project on top of her day-job.
Also, if you’re in a hurry and just want the answer to a problem with a particular provider, you may want to reference Al’s blog first (but I’d still recommend checking back with Lauren’s blog, as you will likely learn even more from it on the topic).
Why I love it
M3aawg is a working group whose members consist of industry professionals from all spectrums of the online experience that work together to fight online abuse across channels and platforms. (Ortto is a member)
While these documents are not outright blogs and come out at a slower frequency, they are reliable and instructive whitepapers that were written and peer-reviewed by various experts in relevant fields.
The topics often cover important processes and structures needed to build an email setup that is safe and secure for subscriber experience. A lot of the topics are more important for email sending platforms, but many are still helpful to common marketers.
Where it’s weakest
Its frequency is low and content can cover processes often irrelevant to common marketers. However, what information is provided is considered common best practices for actioning various elements on the sender’s side, which can provide a lot of otherwise hidden context in the email experience for marketers.
(The whitepaper on server-clicks/NHIs is especially a favorite of mine)
Okay, we’ve covered lots of in-depth resources to rely on, but what about some recommendations for some quick, short-content sources.
My top 3 Deliverability Linkedin influencers
Alison’s been in deliverability for 11 years now, and she’s made a name for herself both in the deliverability and Linkedin worlds—as an expert in her field, a master of meme humor, and a no-BS truth teller.
Their focus
Alison’s Linkedin content focuses on providing accessible-but-in-depth breakdowns of relevant best practices while appetizing her content with a hand-made meme everytime.
She doesn’t pull her punches when spitting truth, and her comment game is strong, especially when she finds someone spewing deliverability nonsense for attention and sales.
She’s a blast to follow and I HIGHLY recommend you do if you’re on Linkedin.
Israa’s been in the DTC marketing space for 8 years now, and consistently proves her knowledge and expertise for both DTC marketing and niche-deliverability topics. She constantly impresses me with her level of deliverability knowledge that feels rarely seen outside of those who work day in and out in deliverability-specific roles like my own.
Their focus
Israa is a daily poster whose content focuses on helping marketers do what she did—build a successful DTC marketing strategy using strong email marketing and deliverability skills.
She confronts common myths and mistakes with engaging real-life stories and light-hearted banter.
Even when I know the answer she’s leading to with a post, I still enjoy reading it every time. I’m a big fan, and I think you will be too.
Andrew’s been providing email consultation for over 19 years and been involved in the email space in the UK since the 90s. He has co-founded an email consulting agency, as well as hosting several email-focused marketing conferences.
Their focus
Andrew’s content focuses largely on showcasing bite-sized pieces of content from various experts speaking at email conferences that he is a part of (several of which he is a co-founder).
His content regularly brings visibility to experts worth listening to on truly helpful topics while also facilitating a sense of community and humanity in an otherwise dry, tech-heavy space.
Follow Andrew and join the conversation! I know he’ll be glad to have you.
Bonus rec: Me!
Okay, it’s time for a little self-promotion, but I also think it’s worthy of it.
Travis' Ortto blog
I have 6 years of deliverability experience specifically focused on managing the email reliability for multiple email platforms, as well as providing white-glove assistance for various size senders from 10,000-1,000,000+. I have a personal passion for educating by humanizing complex topics with common metaphors…and I try to be light hearted about it as often as I can.
Why I love it
I write one blog a month, working with the Ortto marketing team to regularly identify relevant topics based on our interactions with our customers and leads. I mostly cover email but have begun to branch out into other channels, like SMS.
I have built a foundation for best practices and how-to’s around the most important pieces of deliverability in both B2C and B2B marketer experiences, and I am working towards providing even more niche subject focuses to help simplify solutions for the common hurdles felt by marketers when aiming for the inbox.
The key focus each time is to provide both immediate tools and a deep-understanding without having to waste time for the reader.
If you liked this blog, check the rest of mine when you have time.
Where it’s weakest
How dare you?! Just kidding.
I’d say my blog’s bigger weaknesses are:
It’s more topically thematic than referential so if you have issues with a particular provider you’ll have to look elsewhere
The topics are a bit here and there from month-to-month based on perceived need
I often focus on teaching the theory and how to use tools to then work it out yourself (I’m trying to help you become a deliverability expert too!)
There’s probably more, but I’ll stop there.
Of course, I have a Linkedin. How could you think otherwise??
On Linkedin, I get to let a bit more of my personality out as I attempt to bring more knowledge and humor in the marketing space in my own sassy, slightly-unhinged way.
My focus
I write new posts daily (at least Mon-Fri) and engage regularly on my network’s posts as well.
Similar to the blog, I try to feel out what is the more relevant topic to discuss, whether after a real-world conversation or reading someone else’s posts about a similar topic.
All in all, my Linkedin works hard to simplify complex topics, make them accessible, and make you laugh as often as I can without being cheesy.
With that said, please don’t actually follow me on Linkedin. Any more followers and my boss is gonna make me wear a tie when posting.
Closing
While I really do hope you check out my friends’ blogs/Linkedin’s, I also hope that you click away today more equipped to easily spot the good advice from the bad.
If you’ve got questions or thoughts on this list, please please please…keep them to yourself. :P
But if you really need to, you can always chat me up on Linkedin. (Please, no sales pitches)
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