Deliverability AMA: your BFCM success starts in the Inbox

Hello ​@Jenna Lowe, 

Thanks so much for reaching out, and great question!

We completely understand the need for greater creative freedom, especially when working with visually led health and wellness brands. While designing full emails as images look better visually, there are some important trade offs to consider when it comes to deliverability.

Here are some benefits of using live text in emails:

Better Deliverability - Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and spam filters typically favour emails with a good balance of live text and images. Emails that are primarily image based especially with little to no live text are more likely to be flagged as spam or promotional.
 

Faster Load Times -  Live text generally loads faster than images, particularly on mobile devices or in areas with slower internet connections. Larger image files (even when sliced) can slow down load times and cause drop offs.

I would recommend a hybrid approach. Using live text for key messaging  such as headings, copy, and calls to action, alongside imagery which allows you to still have nice emails while supporting deliverability performance. Please have a look at our guide about email images best practices for more tips and recommendations!

Hello ​@Eddie Sun,

Thanks so much for getting in touch! It’s a common challenge, and you're not alone in trying to strike the right balance between email deliverability and driving revenue.

It’s encouraging to hear that the AI Repair Plan helped improve your deliverability previously and that is  a strong sign that your sender reputation is responsive to more targeted, engagement led sending.

As your deliverability has taken a dip again, I would  recommend running a repair plan again. While it may temporarily reduce your campaign reach it’s a valuable way to restore your sender reputation and improve inbox placement in the long run.

In order to reach your customers and get sales, your emails need to land in the inbox, so prioritising your deliverability for now would be beneficial in the long run. By focusing on subscribers who have engaged recently (within the past 30 - 60 days), you’re signalling to inbox providers that your emails are wanted and relevant, which can gradually improve your performance across the board.  Think of this as a “reset” rather than a permanent change in strategy.

Once your core metrics begin to stabilise, you can slowly start expanding your sending audience. Instead of including unengaged users in your main sends, try running separate re-engagement flows or one off campaigns tailored to those who have not engaged perhaps with an offer, a survey, or a softer CTA.

Hello ​@Cindy O , great question -  email deliverability is a critical part of a successful DTC email marketing strategy. Here are some common mistakes that negatively impact deliverability and cause emails to end up in spam:

- Poor List Hygiene

Consistently sending email to unengaged subscribers often triggers spam filters. High bounce rates, low engagement, and spam complaints which all harm sender reputation.

- Image Based Emails

 Emails that are mostly images with little supporting text can raise red flags with spam filters.

- Segmentation

 Sending too frequently to unsegmented lists.

- Missing Domain Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

 If your sending domain isn’t properly authenticated, email providers can’t verify that your messages are genuine, which increases the chance of them being blocked.

For  best practices to improve deliverability please have a look at our guide here!

 Hello ​@MAUJH , great questions! If you import the entire design as one large image, and use that as the whole email, deliverability can suffer. Inbox providers prefer emails with a balance of text and images, because they rely on text content to understand what the email is about and whether it's likely to be spam. However, if you're using Canva to create individual images and then building the layout and adding text directly in Klaviyo, you're much less likely to run into deliverability issues. The ideal image sizes and ratios can be found in our guide: About email images best practice. For industry benchmarks please check out our guide: 2025 email marketing benchmarks by industry.

Hello ​@Bartok Team 

Great question, low open rates can be caused by several different reasons such as:

• Poor List Quality or Engagement
• Inbox Placement Issues (Emails Going to Spam)
• Subject Lines 
• Sending Frequency and Timing
• Lack of Personalisation 

In order to determine what is directly affecting your account I would recommend the following:

• Check Your Deliverability Metrics
• Review Segments and Engagement
• Test Subject Lines & Send Times
• Check Domain Authentication

Please read our guide on how to improve your open rates here.

Hello ​@ren_lipari thanks for reaching out,  this is a common issue, especially with Outlook, which can be particularly strict when it comes to filtering. If your emails suddenly started landing in spam around April, that suggests a reputation or authentication change.

Here are a few things to check and actions you can take to improve inbox placement:

•  Check Domain Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Avoid image only emails or overly designed emails
•  Review engagement segments
• Compare sending behaviour
•  Check for reputation or volume changes around April

I’d also suggest starting a warming period dedicated to these mailboxes, targeting your most engaged Outlook users and monitoring the results.