Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders

What happens when Apple reads your email before your subscriber does?In email, September is Apple month. This year it brought iOS 27, the iPhone Duo (Apple's first foldable), and a version of Siri that can read, search, and act on what's sitting in the inbox. Around 60% of US email opens happen in Apple Mail on an iPhone. When Apple changes how mail works, it changes how most of your subscribers experience everything you send.The foldable is the shiny announcement, and Danielle's answer on it is short: please don't build a separate template for it. Fluid or hybrid layouts that reflow, core message and primary CTA visible on the outer screen without scrolling, and preview every send folded and unfolded the same way you check dark mode now. When in doubt, test it out. The bigger shift is the part you can't see. Siri now reads the sender name and the subject line out loud before anyone opens anything, and ambiguity gets punished. Clever is fine. Clever and vague is a problem. Structured details like order numbers, tracking numbers, and confirmation codes get pulled out of the email and used across the phone, which is why transactional email is suddenly the most interesting thing in your program rather than the thing you template once and forget.None of this means rebuilding your program. Foldables are still niche, Siri AI is still opt-in beta and isn't live in the EU or China, and the fundamentals of a good email are the fundamentals of a good email. But Apple keeps moving further in between brands and subscribers, and the cost of sending an unclear one keeps going up.What you'll learn:Why one well-built responsive template beats a dedicated foldable build, and the three layout checks to run before your next send.What Siri can actually see when it reads your email aloud, and the one-line gut check that tells you if your sender name and subject line pass.How to get ahead of the opens and clicks conversation with leadership before the numbers dip, and which metrics to put in front of them instead.For advice and resources to help you become a stronger sender, visit validity.com.

Are you truly ready to send globally?Anna Levitin got into email by accident. She had a degree in cultural anthropology and was asked, “Can you also send emails?” Nine years later, she leverages her degree to turn emails into a relationship engine.Her argument in this episode is that translation should be the first layer of accessibility, not a copy task handed off five minutes before launch. If someone cannot read your email, they ignore it. Ignored mail signals low engagement to mailbox providers, and that shows up in poor deliverability. From there, the conversation moves to the other considerations outside of language marketers need to be aware of. The date format that means two different things depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on. The logo that had to be redesigned because black is the color of bad luck in China. The wave of Florida cancellations that turned out to be a hurricane rather than a broken landing page. And the Arabic countdown timer that rendered backwards, because numbers run left to right while words run right to left.Anna is equally clear about when not to translate emails. A rough translation costs more trust than no translation, and if the product only exists in English, English-only is a defensible choice. Her one fix, if she could change anything: stop treating language as something you infer from an IP address. Start treating it as a preference—sitting in the preference center alongside promotional and product updates, chosen by the subscriber.What you'll learn:Why an email nobody can read becomes a deliverability problem, and what image-only sends cost you on top of thatThe three technical approaches to multilingual email— segmentation, scripted, and dynamic—and the subject line problem that none of them fully solveWhen English-only is the right call, and why a rough translation damages trust more than no translation at allFor advice and resources to help you become a stronger sender, visit validity.com.

Somewhere in your database there’s probably at least one French subscriber. As of mid July, that’s enough to put your entire program in danger.France's regulator, the CNIL, is now enforcing a requirement that senders obtain explicit, unbundled consent before dropping a tracking pixel into a marketing email—consent that is separate from the permission to send marketing messages at all. Click tracking may follow within the year and because the requirement sits on top of GDPR, getting it wrong carries GDPR-level fines. Danielle and Guy have both been struck by how quiet the response has been from senders outside France.In this episode they cover what a compliant permissioning email actually looks like—plain language, simple bullets, no imagery, one obvious engagement point—plus the triggered and automated campaigns that almost every audit forgets, and why the fastest interim move for anyone late to this is simply switching the pixel off while you sort out consent.Then the harder question: do we even need open tracking anymore? What you'll learn:Why a single French subscriber could put a global sender in danger, and what a "pixel off" interim approach looks like in practiceWhat separates a permissioning email that earns consent from one that gets ignored—and the automated campaigns most compliance audits missWhich engagement metrics are ready to replace opens today, and why APRF could end the guesswork around sender reputationThe rules will keep moving. For advice and resources to help you become a stronger sender, visit validity.com.

Your CRM is collecting all that customer data...but is it actually making your emails better? In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson and Danielle Gallant sit down with Lisa Wester, Senior Manager of Global Marketing Automation at Copeland, to explore why even the most sophisticated email programs are only as good as the customer data behind them.Lisa explains how better data leads to better personalization, how every email can make your CRM smarter, and how AI is helping marketers build richer customer profiles without adding complexity.If your email personalization strategy feels stuck despite having plenty of data, this episode will help you break the cycle.What you'll learn:How standardized data enables scalable personalization across global teams and multiple channelsHow to improve data quality during platform migrations without sacrificing engagementWhy outcome-based metrics matter more than inflated opens in an AI and bot-driven worldHow AI and customer data platforms can power smarter segmentation, personalization, and sales enablement…and more!If you'd like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at [email protected], or send us an audio message at https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-sendersAbout Lisa WesterLisa Wester is Senior Manager of Global Marketing Automation at Copeland, where she leads global email marketing, customer engagement, and lifecycle automation initiatives. A three-time Salesforce-certified marketing leader, Lisa specializes in building scalable, data-driven customer experiences that connect CRM strategy, marketing automation, and personalization. With extensive experience managing complex global marketing operations, she helps organizations transform customer data into actionable insights that drive stronger engagement, better sales alignment, and long-term customer relationships. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.And if you’d like to feature as a guest on the podcast, head to: https://fame.so/val-guest Episode Highlights[00:03:39] Turning a platform migration into a data reset [00:08:30] Why personalization is only as good as your data[00:11:32] Standardizing a complex global email program[00:17:25] Why the welcome journey matters so much[00:20:07] Making messy customer data actually useful[00:22:51] Measuring real engagement beyond opens and clicks[00:28:37] Building the future of CRM-powered customer experiences Episode Resources:Lisa Wester on LinkedInCopeland WebsiteEmail After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Not trying to point fingers here but…lay off Marketing!In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson and Danielle Gallant sit down with Israa Alrawi, founder of The Winbox, to discover why many deliverability issues aren't marketing problems at all—they're technical issues hiding beneath the surface.Israa is on a mission to simplify some of the most dreaded aspects of email marketing, from authentication and sender reputation to AI-powered inbox experiences.If you've ever felt overwhelmed by deliverability, this episode will help you turn complex technical concepts into actionable strategies.What you'll learn:Why authentication issues are one of the most common and fixable causes of deliverability problemsHow smarter segmentation and list hygiene improve inbox placement and long-term engagementHow AI is changing the way mailbox providers interpret email content, including why alt text and plain text matter more than ever…and more!If you'd like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at [email protected], or send us an audio message at https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-sendersAbout Israa AlrawiIsraa Alrawi is the founder of The Winbox and a full-stack email consultant specializing in deliverability, email infrastructure, lifecycle marketing, and revenue optimization. With more than eight years of experience and over $200 million in attributed email revenue, she helps enterprise brands, high-volume senders, and MarTech teams improve inbox placement, strengthen authentication, optimize customer journeys, and build scalable email systems that drive long-term business growth. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here: https://www.fame.so/follow-rate-reviewAnd if you’d like to feature as a guest on the podcast, head to: https://fame.so/val-guest Episode Highlights[04:17] Why has email marketing become so intimidating? [06:17] Balancing deliverability, strategy, and revenue[10:46] Understanding DMARC and protecting your domain[22:18] What bounce logs reveal about your email program[27:05] Has your email landed in the promotions tab? Don’t panic.[33:07] Smarter segmentation and writing emails for AI[37:24] How to structure emails for AI-Driven inboxes[41:26] Why deliverability should shape every email decisionEpisode Resources:Israa Alrawi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/israaa/The Winbox Website: https://www.thewinbox.com/Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Short and (sometimes) sweet…This week on Email After Hours, we’re shaking things up with a new format! In between our longer-form interview episodes, Guy and Danielle will be spilling the hot email industry gossip and diving into their own inboxes for the best and worst examples of the week for Inbox Unfiltered!On the docket today: Gmail’s new Deliverability Analysis feature in Google Postmaster ToolsThe IETF’s proposal for more transparent inbox placement data across the boardFrustrating air travel opt-outsBirthday email successes and blunders…and more!Don’t miss this bite-sized chat with actionable insights you can bring back to your team today.If you’d like to send in your email marketing hot takes, questions, or queries, you can email us at [email protected], or send us an audio message at https://s.fame.so/email-after-hours-the-podcast-for-email-senders And if you’d like to feature as a guest on the podcast, head to: https://fame.so/val-guest Episode Highlights[01:05] Update: Gmail adds plain-language deliverability analysis[03:57] A potential new standard for inbox placement and engagement data[06:19] A peek inside the hosts’ inboxes[06:56] Personalization and unsubscribe failures[13:27] The best and worst birthday email offersIf you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here: https://www.fame.so/follow-rate-reviewEmail After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

There’s probably a treasure-trove of pipeline and praise getting dusty in your no-reply inbox. In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson and Danielle Gallant sit down with Leah Miranda, Head of Demand Gen and Lifecycle Marketing at Zapier, to talk about killing one of the most destructive “best practices” in email marketing: the no-reply inbox.For years, marketers have relied on no-reply addresses to avoid managing inbound email at scale. But as mailbox providers place greater emphasis on engagement signals and customer experience, that approach is quickly becoming outdated. Leah explains why reply-to inboxes are no longer optional and how ignoring replies could be hurting both deliverability and customer relationships. She also walks through how she builds AI agents to create the best customer experience while keeping the human touch. If you're still sending from a no-reply address, this episode may completely change the way you think about email.About Leah MirandaLeah Miranda is Head of Demand Gen and Lifecycle Marketing at Zapier, where she leads customer journey, lifecycle, and demand generation strategies that drive engagement, conversion, and long-term growth. With more than a decade of experience spanning B2B marketing, lifecycle strategy, and entrepreneurship, Leah helps organizations create meaningful customer relationships while delivering measurable business impact. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here: https://www.fame.so/follow-rate-reviewEpisode Highlights[03:16] The hidden cost of ignoring customer replies[07:48] Approaching angry replies with empathy[11:29] How positive replies become advocacy and pipeline[16:48] Using AI agents to manage reply-to inboxes[20:22] Why human oversight still matters in AI workflows[26:18] Will reply-to addresses become a deliverability requirement?[31:28] Building relationship-driven email marketing at scaleEpisode Resources:Leah Miranda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahmiranda/Zapier Website: https://zapier.com/?utm_source=linkedinEmail After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

Gmail open rates are dropping. Is it time to panic???In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson sits down with Laura Christensen, Senior Director of Professional Services and Customer Success at Validity, to unpack how Gmail’s latest inbox changes are shifting the way marketers think about email performance.Gmail is reshaping the inbox experience in ways that directly impact how open rates are measured, interpreted, and valued. Laura explains why many marketers are panicking over the wrong metrics and why declining open rates are pushing towards healthier measurement practices, rather than papering over weaker engagement.If you’re at an inflection point with your Gmail performance, this episode will help get you back on track..What you’ll learn:How Gmail’s inbox innovations are changing subscriber behavior and engagement trackingWhy low-engagement subscribers can actively hurt inbox visibility in GmailHow Gmail’s compliance enforcement impacts authentication, bounce handling, and sender reputationWhy first-party identity resolution matters more as address-change tools evolveHow to evaluate performance holistically instead of relying on vanity metrics …and more!About Laura ChristensenLaura Christensen is Senior Director of Professional Services and Customer Success at Validity, where she helps brands improve email performance, deliverability, and customer engagement strategies. With years of experience guiding senders through evolving mailbox provider requirements and inbox innovations, Laura specializes in helping organizations turn complex deliverability and compliance challenges into practical, actionable improvements. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here: https://www.fame.so/follow-rate-reviewEpisode Highlights[03:12] Why Gmail open rates are suddenly dropping[05:37] AI summaries, promotions tabs, and subscriber behavior shifts[08:17] Subscription management, message clipping, and list decay[10:44] Compliance, deliverability, and smarter email strategy[14:50] Why marketers need to move beyond open rates[17:33] New email KPIs and the future of inbox engagementEpisode Resources:Laura Christensen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurachristensen1/Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

What actually keeps email trustworthy in an era of spoofing, phishing, and AI-powered abuse? Strong authentication.In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson sits down with Tom Bartel, SVP of Data Services at Validity and Chair of the M3AAWG Board of Directors, to unpack the latest DMARC updates—and why they matter for every email sender.From SPF and DKIM to DMARC enforcement and reporting, Tom breaks down the often-confusing world of email authentication into practical terms. Together, Guy and Tom explore how new the DMARC standards improve consistency across mailbox providers, close long-standing security gaps, and help legitimate senders strengthen both deliverability and brand trust.They also dive into the collaborative process behind internet standards, the role organizations like M3AAWG and the IETF play in shaping the email ecosystem, and why authentication has become one of the clearest signals separating trusted senders from bad actors.If you’ve ever wondered how mailbox providers determine trust, this episode is essential listening.What you’ll learn:What DMARC actually is and how it works alongside SPF and DKIMWhat changed in the latest DMARC updates and why those changes matterHow organizations like M3AAWG and the IETF collaborate to evolve email standardsHow authentication standards continue to evolve alongside new abuse tacticsWhat senders should review in their own DMARC setup to stay aligned with modern best practices…and more!About Tom BartelTom Bartel is SVP of Data Services at Validity and Chairman of the Board at M3AAWG, with more than 25 years of experience spanning email, data, security, and digital marketing. He works with global brands, ESPs, and major mailbox providers including Microsoft, Yahoo, and Comcast to help organizations navigate messaging trust, sender reputation, email security, and data privacy. Known for his deep expertise in the email ecosystem, Tom brings a unique 360-degree perspective on deliverability, abuse prevention, and the future of trusted digital communication. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here: https://www.fame.so/follow-rate-reviewEpisode Highlights[02:08] What M3AAWG does and why collaboration matters[04:27] DMARC explained In simple terms[06:19] Why DMARC took years to evolve[09:47] New DMARC RFCs, tags, and technical updates[17:24] Reporting changes, sender benefits, and deliverability gains[23:38] Future DMARC initiatives and helpful resourcesEpisode Resources:Tom Bartel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barteltom/Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)

What actually happens when your emails suddenly stop landing in the inbox? In this episode of Email After Hours, Guy Hanson and Danielle Gallant sit down with Tara Natanson, Manager of ISP Relations at Constant Contact. They pull back the curtain on one of the least understood—but most important—areas of email deliverability: Internet service provider (ISP) relations.Drawing on more than two decades of experience working directly with mailbox providers, Tara outlines the realities of working with Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft, the right way to approach delisting requests, and why humility and accountability matter more than most marketers realize. Tara also shares practical guidance on authentication, postmaster tools, list hygiene, and adapting to a future where open rates and traditional feedback signals continue to disappear.If you’ve ever wondered what mailbox providers actually expect from senders, or why reputation is so difficult to rebuild once it’s damaged, this episode is for you.What you’ll learn:Why legitimate senders still end up on blocklists and how to avoid itHow insecure signup forms and poor bounce management damage reputationWhat mailbox providers expect before responding to delivery issuesHow to approach Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft without hurting your chances of resolutionHow to think about sender reputation as something easy to lose and difficult to rebuild …and more!About Tara NatansonTara Natanson is the Manager of ISP Relations at Constant Contact, where she has spent more than two decades helping businesses improve deliverability, maintain sender reputation, and navigate the evolving email ecosystem.Throughout her career, Tara has worked closely with mailbox providers, authored industry best practices and white papers, and helped shape authentication and compliance standards across the email industry. Known for her practical expertise and collaborative approach, she brings a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on how mailbox providers and senders work together to keep email trusted and effective.If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. Instructions on how to do so are here.Episode Highlights:[00:00:00] Intro[00:01:43] The Story Behind ISP Relations[00:03:28] A Day In The Life of an ISP Relations Manager[00:05:13] How Industry Relationships Have Evolved[00:06:49] Helping Small Senders Solve Deliverability Issues[00:11:21] How To Engage Mailbox Providers[00:15:03] Why Legitimate Senders Get Blocklisted[00:20:26] Authentication, Lost Signals, And The Future Of Deliverability Episode Resources:Tara Natanson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-natanson/Constant Contact Website: http://www.constantcontact.com/Email After Hours: The Podcast for Email Senders is handcrafted by our friends over at fame.soCheck out our three most downloaded episodes:Rethinking Customer Loyalty Programs: The Good, The Bad, and The Free CoffeeThe One Email Metric You’re Not Tracking (& Other Secrets to Killer Email Content) with MarketingProfs’ Ann HandleyNew Consumer Email Trends & Tips to Become a BFF Brand with the Data & Marketing Association (DMA)