Why email deliverability matters: Email throttling and list segmentation

Why email deliverability matters: Email throttling by list segmentation 

Email deliverability is dependent on a host of different factors and tactics, which often makes this important concept seem challenging for marketers. The good news is, unlike some channels that are constantly changing requirements (*cough* Instagram *cough*), improving email deliverability comes down to a few consistent elements. In the first post of this "Why Deliverability Matters" blog series, we introduced the concept and the importance of protecting your sender reputation. The second post went on to discuss email list hygiene, which is the practice of keeping clean and organized lists. Up next, we have the concept of "throttling" emails, a tactic employs batch sends versus mass sends for better bounce rates. 

Many ESPs will enforce a daily rate limit (the number of emails you’re allowed to send in a day) to prevent spam from being sent from their platform. ESPs aren’t the only ones with a rate limit, either. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will also limit the number of emails they’ll accept from the same IP address within a set timeframe to prevent spam.

When an email sender reaches their rate limit, the email will be temporarily undeliverable — or what email marketers call a “soft bounce.” The server will likely resend a soft-bounced email within 72 hours to see if it’ll go through, but who wants to take their chances with that? This is where “throttling” comes in.

Throttling is the practice of sending emails in smaller batches over time to avoid hitting rate limits, getting soft bounces, or getting marked as spam. For large lists (typically above 250 recipients), senders should segment their lists. Once lists are segmented, plan ahead to make sure the campaign is sent to each segment by the date needed.

Ways to segment your audience

There isn’t a set way to segment your audience when it comes to email marketing.

In fact, it’s completely up to you on how you wish to do so.The best way to segment an audience depends on the brand, and it’s important you take the time to decide which way will optimize your email success.

There are popular ways to segment your audience, and these strategies would be a great place for you to start if you’re unfamiliar with audience segmentation.

As you become more comfortable with segmenting your audience, you can then adjust your strategies to fit your business structure best.

Here are some great ways to start segmenting your email list:

Demographic data
This will probably be your first go-to strategy when you begin to segment your audience. From gender to location to age, this information could be a great way to segment your email audience.

Position in the sales funnel
When you are marketing a company that relies on the sales funnel to reach conversions, you could use each subscriber’s position to create individualized content. Each user is looking for something different from your business depending on where they are in the funnel.

Email engagement
When it comes to your email list, you have the group of people that are interactive with your email content, and those who may send you straight to the trash. Segmenting your audience into groups based on their email engagement helps turn those inactive users into active users.

Include a survey/quiz in your opt-in
When your new users subscribe to your email list, you can have them take a quick survey or quiz that can help you learn more about who they are and what they want. Their answers can help you segment them into specific groups and ensure they receive targeted content. 

About the Author

Emma is an email marketing platform that gives you all the tools you need to send campaigns that really connect with your subscribers. With our

More Content by Emma Email

Want to engage your audience and grow your brand? Try Emma's robust easy-to-use product today.