Why Your Black Friday Emails Fail and How to Fix Deliverability

Email marketing delivers 30 to 40 times the return of any other marketing channel, yet most Black Friday campaigns vanish into spam folders before customers even see them. Robby Bryant from Campaign Monitor reveals why the big three mailbox providers—Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft—now act as sheriffs, policing email deliverability like never before.

Episode Summary

We explore the seismic shift in email deliverability over the past five years, as consolidated mailbox providers transformed from passive gatekeepers into active sheriffs. Robby breaks down the authentication trinity (DKIM, SPF, DMARC) that determines whether your emails even make it past the front gate, the non-negotiable metric thresholds that separate inbox placement from spam (0.1% spam complaints, 1% unsubscribes, 2% bounces), and why establishing cadence matters more than clever subject lines. From list hygiene strategies to the 60-40 text-to-image ratio, this episode provides the practical checklist for ensuring your Black Friday campaigns actually reach the customers who want to hear from you.

Key Point Timestamps:

07:29 - The cadence mistake that kills Black Friday campaigns

09:47 - Understanding sender reputation and deliverability governance

16:37 - List hygiene practices that protect deliverability

21:42 - The authentication trinity: DKIM, SPF, DMARC explained

27:31 - Content formatting rules and the 60-40 ratio

40:06 - The metrics that actually matter for inbox placement

The Sheriff Problem Nobody Saw Coming (04:32)

Four or five years ago, the email landscape looked completely different. Robby explains how fragmentation amongst mailbox service providers meant brands could send mediocre emails with very little negative consequence. Those days are gone.

"They're acting now as the sheriffs," Robby describes, referring to how Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft now police sender behaviour. "They're looking at opens, clicks, replies, forwards, and then on the negative side, they're looking at deletions without reading, spam complaints, and people marking it as junk."

The result? Brands attempting email marketing for the first time during Black Friday get slapped down before they start. Poor authentication, bad text-to-image ratios, and zero segmentation lead to lackluster results, convincing them email doesn't work. Meanwhile, brands understanding the new rules capture those 30-40X returns.

The Cadence Mistake That Kills Campaigns (07:29)

If Robby could solve one issue plaguing Black Friday email campaigns, it would be what he calls "advanced engagement." The typical pattern? Brands decide it's time for an email send, perhaps even segment their list, put together something beautiful, then do "one really loud blast."

"That is the exact opposite of what you should do," Robby emphasises. "You really want to have an established cadence leading up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday and keep that cadence going on after the holiday."

The walk-up engagement practice warms customers up, builds brand recognition, and establishes sender reputation with mailbox providers before the critical moment arrives. At minimum, Robby recommends sending at least one email per week during this period—enough to keep subscribers aware and set expectations with mailbox service providers.

Understanding Sender Reputation (09:47)

Here's what caught Robby off guard when entering email marketing after years in paid search and social: the misconception that nothing you do in email matters.

"I too was kind of under this misconception that nothing you do in email matters. It's kind of ephemeral," Robby admits. "It's not true."

Mailbox providers track something called "deliverability governance"—whether your email lands in the inbox. Just like Google Ads has quality scores and social platforms track engagement, email sheriffs watch every move. Every email accrues positive points (opens, clicks, replies, forwards) or negative points (deletions without reading, spam complaints, marking as junk).

All emails count towards this reputation—newsletters, transactional emails, automated sequences. You're either building or destroying your reputation with every send.

The Authentication Trinity (21:42)

Three acronyms determine whether your Black Friday emails reach anyone: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. "Those are some hairy acronyms," Robby laughs. "But very effective."

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells mailbox providers which servers are allowed to send email for your domain. "It's a guest list for sends," Robby explains. "If your email doesn't come from an approved sender, it gets rejected or flagged as spam."

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) acts as your digital signature, proving the email came from you.

DMARC (Domain-Based Message Authentication) is supplemental to SPF and DKIM, enforcing what happens when an email fails either test and reporting back on spoofing or phishing attempts.

Beyond these, Gmail and other providers use AI to judge sender reputation in real time. "You're not going to hack your way past these controls," Robby warns. "You need real genuine user engagement."

The Non-Negotiable Metric Thresholds (40:06)

During the rapid-fire closing section, Robby laid out the metrics that determine inbox placement versus spam.

Spam complaints must stay under 0.1%. Not 1%. Not 0.5%. Under 0.1%. For 10,000 emails, that's only 10 spam complaints before mailbox providers investigate.

Unsubscribes should remain under 1%. "A little bit of unsubscribing is healthy for your email programme," Robby notes, "but you should be tailoring emails so that it isn't an action they should be taking frequently."

Bounces need to stay below 2%. This connects to list hygiene—continually refining your list over time.

The big metrics that always matter: opens, clicks, click-through rates, and conversions. These determine programme success, especially in terms of actually being seen in the first place.

Today's Guest

Today's guest: Robby Bryant

Company: Campaign Monitor

Website: campaignmonitor.com

LinkedIn: Connect with Robby