Email Deliverability Checklist

A comprehensive checklist for ensuring email deliverability is optimized across all sending infrastructure.

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What's included

Authentication setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Sending reputation monitoring
List hygiene practices
Content optimization
Monitoring and alerting

Best used when

Setting up email infrastructure
Troubleshooting deliverability
Pre-campaign audits
New domain warm-up
Quarterly deliverability reviews

The template

The Template

AUTHENTICATION SETUP

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF record published in DNS
All sending IPs included
No more than 10 DNS lookups
Include all third-party senders
Mechanism ends with -all or ~all

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM keys generated for domain
Public key published in DNS
Private key configured in sending system
Keys rotated annually
All sending systems have DKIM

DMARC

DMARC record published
Started with p=none for monitoring
Reporting addresses configured
Reports being received and reviewed
Plan to move to p=quarantine then p=reject

SENDING REPUTATION

Monitor These Metrics

Metric	Target	Your Current	Status
Sender Score	>80
Bounce rate	<2%
Complaint rate	<0.1%
Spam trap hits	0
Blacklist status	None

Reputation Monitoring Checklist

Sender Score monitored weekly
Blacklist monitoring active
Feedback loops enabled
Bounce handling automated
Complaint handling documented

LIST HYGIENE

Invalid emails removed immediately
Hard bounces removed on first bounce
Soft bounces suppressed after 3
Unsubscribes processed immediately
Re-engagement for 6+ month inactive
Email verification on acquisition
Spam traps monitored

CONTENT OPTIMIZATION

Avoid spam trigger words
Text-to-image ratio balanced
HTML validated
Unsubscribe link prominent
Physical address included
Personalization fields verified

Frequently asked questions

What is the Email Deliverability Checklist?

A comprehensive checklist for ensuring email deliverability is optimized across all sending infrastructure.

Who is the Email Deliverability Checklist for?

It is built for CMOs and their teams working on Marketing Operations. The AI coach adapts it to your company, stage, and goals.

How long does the Email Deliverability Checklist take to use?

It saves roughly 20+ hours versus building from scratch. Our AI coach can tailor the checklist to your situation in minutes, then hand you a step-by-step plan.

Is the Email Deliverability Checklist free?

Yes. You can read the full checklist and start getting coached through it for free. Sign in to save your tailored version and track your next steps.

How does the AI coach help with the Email Deliverability Checklist?

The coach teaches you the framework, asks a few questions about your business, tailors the checklist to you, and gives you measurable next steps to execute.