Even the best mailers out there have, at one point or another, found themselves on a Blacklist. Winding up on a Blacklist is not to say you're a spammer right off the bat, or even a poor mailer. While it is true a "questionable" number of mailers have a greater likelihood of ending up on these lists… it’s important to note that, like many things in life, there’s always an exception. The fact of the matter is, when you spend a fair amount of time sending emails for a living (or even a hobby), it's only natural for even the good mailers to experience some bumps in the road along the way.
In our conclusionary post on Mailing, we’re going to examine ways to avoid— and get you out of— the pickle that is known as "Blacklists.”
Every good mailer out there can tell you the importance of a Blacklist (hint: they exist as a way of reducing spam). Blacklists are very much a GOOD thing. They stop spammers from reaching our emails. We tend to only regard Blacklists as a bad thing when we accidentally, or mistakenly, wind up on one...
Check Yo Self Before You Blacklist Yo Self
First off, every individual with a hankering for mailing, whether it's a hobby, side-passion, or a career... should routinely check to see that they are not ending up on any Blacklists.
Here’s two great resources you can use to check:
- Mxtoolbox - a complete IP check for sending Mailservers; this blacklist checker will check a mail server's IP address against over 100 DNS based email blacklists.
- Multirbl - a free multiple DNS Blacklist lookup tool (as well as a Forward Confirmed reverse DNS) check tool.
With these two tools, not only will you find out where you've been Blacklisted — you'll even be able to ask for a removal from these lists, with the links they provide you.
How to avoid Blacklists entirely...
To ensure you never end up on one of those troublesome lists, the best approach is a proactive approach! Get ahead of something before it becomes a problem...
Feedback Loops
One way of doing this is by creating different feedback loops.
And how does a feedback loop work, you might ask?
It's a cycle of communication between a Mailbox Provider and an organization.
You know that "Mark as Spam" choice we all have? Well, whenever a person clicks that on an email sent from one of your IP addresses, that is considered a complaint against you, more or less.
Feedback loops can help you out. If you create a feedback loop with a specific mail provider, you will then get a copy of each complaint received and generated whenever an individual marks your email as "spam."
Fill out a Request Form
Most of the big providers offer these Feedback Loop request forms.
Hotmail refers to their form as a Junk Mail Reporting Partner Program.
How to get removed from a Blacklist
So Feedback Loops are one way to get ahead of the problem... but what if it's too late?
What if you still end up on that dreaded Blacklist?
Don’t panic. It happens all the time. Thankfully, some providers even have a page setup for this.
Yahoo
Here's how you remove your IP from a Yahoo Blacklist.
AOL
To request a delisting and/or Whitelisting with AOL, you can do so here.
What's nice about AOL is that they offer a public database in which you can check your reputation. (Your server IP against their database.)
AOL also offers a comprehensive Troubleshooting guide, which is particularly helpful to those who aren't blacklisted, but still encountering problems sending mail.
GMAIL
With Gmail, you can report a delivery problem between your domain and Gmail.
For a more comprehensive overview of what it takes to remove your IP from a Gmail Blacklist, you'll want to check out this detailed guide.
It's important to note that if your email is going into Gmail's Spam Folder— you are NOT Blacklisted.
If you are Blacklisted, you will receive 421 or 550 SMTP errors, which can be found in your email server’s logs.
Who says the glory days of Profitable Mailing are long past? Not us!
So with that said, we hope our five part series on Mailing has shed some light. Never underestimate the power of a loyal following— your subscribers. We talked about building a legitimate mailing list, we covered the importance of writing efficient emails and template designs, and we talked about how to have your emails looking good on all levels and platforms. Now, keep sending those emails! And let the profits roll in!
Thanks for stickin’ with us!
