I work for a marketing company that creates online games for big brands. We send follow-up emails to people who play these games. The players agree to get one email from us. This follows EU privacy rules.
Recently we’ve had problems with email services like Mailgun and Resend. They think we’re pretending to be the brands we work for. They shut down our accounts without warning even though we’ve used them for years and pay for their service.
When we try to fix this the support teams take forever to reply. They don’t help much and can’t turn our accounts back on. We have to make new accounts but the same thing happens again. It’s really frustrating our clients.
Has anyone else had this issue? How did you deal with it? We’re thinking about making our own email service because of this. Right now we’re trying AWS SES but we’re worried about getting banned there too.
As someone who’s been in the email marketing trenches for years, I can relate to your frustration. The reality is, these providers are constantly battling spam and abuse, which unfortunately leads to overzealous filtering that affects legitimate senders.
One strategy that’s worked well for us is warming up our IP addresses gradually. We start with small volumes and slowly increase over time, which helps build a positive reputation. We’ve also found success in segmenting our lists more granularly and focusing on engagement metrics.
Have you considered using a dedicated IP? It’s pricier, but it gives you more control over your sender reputation. Also, make sure you’re regularly cleaning your lists and removing inactive subscribers.
Regarding AWS SES, it’s a solid option if you’re willing to manage more of the infrastructure yourself. Just be prepared for a steeper learning curve and potentially more hands-on work to maintain deliverability.
Building your own email service is a massive undertaking. Unless you have significant resources and expertise, I’d caution against it. The compliance and technical challenges are substantial.
ugh, been there done that. these email providers are a pain. have u tried sendinblue? theyre pretty decent with support. maybe reach out to the brands u work with, see if they can vouch for u? could help with the reputation thing.
also, documenting everything helps when u gotta deal with support. good luck man, hope u figure it out!
I’ve been in a similar situation, and it’s incredibly frustrating. From my experience, the root of the problem often lies in the automated systems these providers use to detect spam and protect their reputation. Unfortunately, legitimate senders can get caught in the crossfire.
One approach that worked for us was to build stronger relationships with our email service provider. We scheduled regular calls with their team to discuss our sending patterns and any potential issues. This helped them understand our business better and reduced false positives.
We also implemented more robust authentication methods like DKIM and SPF records, and gradually ramped up our sending volume to avoid triggering red flags. It’s a bit of work upfront, but it pays off in the long run.
If you’re considering building your own email service, be aware that it’s a complex undertaking. Managing IP reputation, dealing with blacklists, and staying compliant with ever-changing regulations can be a full-time job. AWS SES might be a good middle ground if you’re willing to put in the effort to maintain a good sender reputation.
Ultimately, diversifying your email providers and having a solid backup plan is crucial in this industry. It’s not ideal, but it’s the reality we face in email marketing today.