Sending an email might feel as simple as pressing a button, but behind the scenes, it’s more like sending a letter across a border with multiple customs checks. Remember COVID times?

First, your message leaves your email platform (like MailerLite, Outlook, or Gmail)—this is the digital version of dropping a letter into a mailbox.

Then it’s scanned by invisible border agents who ask:

• “Who sent this?”
• “Are they legit?”
• “Can I trust this envelope?”
• “Is this spam, or something the recipient is expecting?”

These invisible border agents are very fussy and will ask your email to provide the necessary papers before it is allowed to cross the border.  What papers?

• SPF – like checking your return address
• DKIM – a digital signature to prove it hasn’t been tampered with
• DMARC – your written instructions for what to do if those checks fail

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Let’s not get too hung up on the paperwork for now.  All will be revealed!  And no, you won’t need an IT degree to understand it all.

Before we dig in, here are two of my favourite tools when it comes to understanding and troubleshooting email deliverability.

You could write the perfect email with a clever subject line, a beautiful layout, and a compelling message…

But if it doesn’t land in someone’s inbox?

📉 No one reads it
📉 No one clicks
📉 No one buys
📉 You just wasted time (and maybe money too)

That’s the reality of poor deliverability. Email deliverability isn’t just a “tech issue.” It’s a business issue.

It affects;

• Client communications – Missed invoices, appointment confirmations, or onboarding emails.
• Sales & marketing – Your offers can’t convert if they never arrive.
• Reputation – A dodgy sender reputation can mean future emails get blocked too.

And here’s the kicker:
You often don’t know there’s a problem until someone tells you they didn’t get the email. That’s why it’s so important to set up your “email trust signals” properly (we’ll get to those next).

Think of email deliverability as making sure your mailman knows the right route, carries ID, and doesn’t look suspicious when dropping letters at someone’s door. Because if the inbox gatekeepers don’t trust you, they won’t let you in.

When your email lands at the border (aka your recipient’s mail server), the first thing it needs to do is prove it’s not dodgy. This is where trust signals come into play.

Think of them like the uniform, ID badge, and company letterhead that show you’re legit.

Here are the big three:

✅ SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

What it is:
This confirms that you are allowed to send emails from your domain.  It tells the receiving server, “Hey, these are the official places my emails should come from.”

Why it matters:
Without an SPF record, anyone can pretend to be you, and inboxes won’t know the difference.

✅ DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

What it is:
A digital signature. It proves that your email hasn’t been tampered with along the way.

Why it matters:
It gives your message that “signed, sealed, delivered” credibility. Without it, your email could look suspicious, even if it’s totally innocent.

✅ DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)

What it is:
Your instructions to the email gatekeepers: “Here’s how to handle any suspicious messages pretending to be me.”

Why it matters:
It puts you in control. Without DMARC, the email world has to guess what to do with fakes—often dropping or junking them.

These trust signals don’t just make things safer. They also dramatically improve your email deliverability. When they’re set up correctly, inboxes say, “Cool, we know you. Come on in.”

Want to know if your trust signals are working?  Remember your shiny new mail tester tool!

Ever wonder why some emails land right where they should, and others go missing or end up in the dreaded Spam folder?

It’s not random. Inbox providers (like Gmail and Outlook) run your email through a spam filter obstacle course. And if anything looks dodgy, off it goes to Junk Town.

Here are the most common reasons emails get flagged as spam:

• No authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC): If your email doesn’t come with the right “papers,” inbox providers don’t trust it.
• Bad sender reputation: If your domain or IP has a history of sending spam (even accidentally), you’re on thin ice.
• Spammy content or formatting: USING ALL CAPS, too many exclamation marks!!! or shady language (like “Get rich quick”) can trigger alarms.
• Sending from a free email address: Sending business emails from something like yourbusiness@gmail.com looks unprofessional, and spam filters know it.
• Low engagement: If people don’t open or click your emails (or worse, report you), your future emails are more likely to be filtered out.
• Dodgy links or attachments: If your email includes suspicious links or bulky attachments, that’s another red flag.

How to Avoid It?

• Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC properly.
• Send helpful, relevant content to people who actually want it.
• Use your own domain (like you@yourbusiness.com).
• Keep your list clean and avoid sending to stale or purchased email lists.