Keep Tabs on Your Gmail Reputation With Google Postmaster Tools

If you’re sending marketing emails to Gmail users, your reputation with Google can have a large impact on your success. A poor reputation means more of your emails end up in spam, or don’t get delivered at all. But how can you tell what Google thinks of your sending behavior?

That’s where Google Postmaster Tools come in. This free service from Google lets you monitor key reputation signals for your sending domain (i.e. the portion of your “From Address” that comes after the “@“), so you can catch problems early and take action before they affect your deliverability.

Why Monitor Your Gmail Reputation?

Google doesn’t just look at email content to determine if a message is spam, it also evaluates your sending behavior over time. Postmaster Tools gives you insight into what Gmail thinks about that behavior. Reporting areas include:

  • Domain reputation: A measure of how trustworthy your domain is as a sender. This is largely influenced by how much your recipients engage with your emails. Senders whose emails are regularly opened and clicked on will enjoy a better reputation than senders whose emails largely go unread.
  • Spam rate: The percentage of your messages that users mark as spam. Keeping this number at 0.1% or less is critical. Spam complaints from Gmail users do not appear in your regular Direct Mail campaign reports (because Gmail does not share that information for privacy reasons), so Postmaster Tools is the only place to find this information.
  • Delivery errors: This includes the percentage of emails that were delayed temporarily or bounced entirely and the reasons why.
  • IP reputation, authentication status, etc.: Unless you are sending via your own email server, you won’t need to worry about these reporting areas. Our e3 Delivery Service manages these requirements on your behalf.

Tracking these metrics can help you troubleshoot inbox placement issues, stay ahead of reputation problems, and prove your good sending practices to clients or stakeholders.

How to Set Up Google Postmaster Tools

Getting started only takes a few minutes. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Google Postmaster Tools
    Sign in with a Google account.
  2. Add your sending domain
    Click the red “+” button to add a domain you send emails from (e.g. yourdomain.com).
  3. Verify domain ownership
    Google needs to make sure you own or control the domain. They’ll ask you to add a DNS TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings. You’ll typically do this through your domain registrar (like GoDaddy or Namecheap).
  4. Wait for verification
    Once the TXT record is live, Google will verify it and begin collecting data—usually within 24–48 hours.
  5. Check your dashboards
    After data starts flowing, you’ll see reports for your domain reputation, spam rate, authentication status, and more. If something looks off—like a sudden dip in reputation or spike in spam complaints—you’ll know where to start investigating.

Pro Tips

  • Monitor trends over time. Sudden changes can point to technical problems or shifts in subscriber engagement.
  • Combine with your campaign reports. If you see low open rates in Direct Mail and a drop in reputation in Postmaster Tools, there may be a connection.

Stay Ahead of Deliverability Issues

Email reputation can make or break your ability to reach the inbox—especially with Gmail. By setting up Postmaster Tools, you’re giving yourself an early warning system to keep your campaigns on track.

Need help interpreting your Postmaster Tools data? Reach out to our support team—we’re happy to help!

by Jonathan in In-Depth

Reach Inboxes at Just the Right Time(Zone)

Timing matters. Whether you’re sending a promotional email, a newsletter, or an important update, hitting your subscribers’ inboxes when they’re most likely to check email—like first thing in the morning—can make a big difference in open and click rates.

But what happens when your mailing list includes people across time zones? Scheduling your email for 9AM might work great for your East Coast subscribers, but it could land in the middle of the night for those on the West Coast… or way off the mark for your international audience.

That’s where time-zone delivery comes in.

Deliver at 9AM (Their Time), Not Yours

With time-zone delivery, you can schedule your message to arrive at the same local time—say, 9:00 AM—for everyone on your list, no matter where they live. It’s a great way to boost engagement and ensure your emails land at just the right moment, whether your audience is in New York, San Francisco, or Sydney.

How to Use Time-Zone Delivery in Direct Mail

To set up time-zone delivery:

  1. Click Send Campaign in the toolbar—the same as you would for a regular campaign
  2. In the window that appears, locate the Schedule settings
  3. Choose Send Later
  4. Select the time you want the campaign to send
  5. Instead of your local time zone, choose Recipient’s Time Zone

Click the Schedule button once you’re ready to send the campaign.

What to Expect During Delivery

When you use time-zone delivery, you’ll notice a few differences in the delivery of your campaign:

  • Because some of your recipients may be in time zones ahead of you, don’t be surprised if some emails are sent before the appointed time arrives in your own time zone.
  • Because some of your recipients may be in time zones that are much later than you, Direct Mail will not show the campaign as fully sent until up to 24 hours after the appointed time arrives in your own time zone.
  • Direct Mail learns the time zone of each recipient based on historical open- and click-tracking data. If no such data exists for a particular recipient, Direct Mail will deliver to them at the appointed time in your own time zone.

Time-zone delivery is a powerful way to make sure your emails show up when they’re most likely to be seen, no matter where your audience is located. It’s just one more way Direct Mail helps you send smarter, more effective campaigns with less effort. Give it a try on your next send and see the difference it can make!

by Jonathan in Features

Turn Emails Into Insights: Embedding Net Promoter Score Surveys

When was the last time you heard unfiltered, honest, and actionable feedback from your customers? That’s exactly what a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey delivers. NPS is a simple yet powerful way to measure customer loyalty by asking one key question: “How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?” The answers you receive can help you identify promoters who love your brand, detractors who might be at risk of churning, and everyone in between.

Embedding NPS surveys directly into your email campaigns is one of the most effective ways to collect this feedback. For starters, email is a direct and personal channel—perfect for engaging customers at key moments in their journey. NPS surveys are short, unobtrusive, and easy to respond to, which makes them a natural fit for email’s quick-scan format. Plus, by embedding the survey directly in the message, you reduce friction and increase response rates. The result is a steady stream of high-quality feedback you can use to improve your product, service, or customer experience.

How NPS Works

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is based on a single, straightforward question: “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?” Respondents answer on a scale from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). Based on their responses, customers are grouped into three categories:

  • Promoters (9–10): Loyal enthusiasts who are likely to recommend your brand and fuel growth.
  • Passives (7–8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who could be swayed by competitors.
  • Detractors (0–6): Unhappy customers who may churn or share negative feedback.

To calculate your score, subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The result is a number between -100 and 100. A positive score means you have more promoters than detractors—an encouraging sign of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

How to Add an NPS Survey to Your Email

Direct Mail makes it easy to add NPS surveys to your email campaigns. This is done by adding a “Poll” block to your message. In the message editor, click the Poll Block button in the toolbar:

Next, click where you’d like to place the poll:

By default, new polls include only two choices: 👍 and 👎…

…but we want to change that to a 0–10 rating scale. We could enter those numbers by hand, but let’s save time: click “Suggestions”, then choose “0–10”:

Your survey is now ready to send!

Calculating Your Net Promoter Score

Once your email is sent and recipients begin responding to the survey, your campaign report Summary tab will show the results:

In addition to a displaying a histogram of the survey results, Direct Mail calculates and displays the Net Promotor Score in the top-right corner of the tile.

If you’d like to dig into the details, switch over to the Polls tab of your campaign report. There you can see a list of how each recipient voted.

Acting on NPS Feedback

Collecting NPS data is only half the value—the real impact comes from how you respond. Detractors (those who score 0–6) are at risk of churning, leaving negative reviews, or spreading dissatisfaction. Instead of ignoring their feedback, use it as an opportunity to win them back:

  • Follow up personally. A quick, empathetic email or call asking for more detail shows you care and can help diffuse frustration.
  • Acknowledge their pain points. Even if you can’t solve the problem right away, let them know you’re listening and working on improvements.
  • Loop in your support or product team. Their feedback can help guide bug fixes, feature requests, or service improvements.
  • Offer a gesture of goodwill. In some cases, a discount, credit, or priority support may help repair the relationship.

Promoters (those who score 9–10) are your biggest fans and a powerful resource for growth:

  • Thank them. A simple thank-you message goes a long way in reinforcing their loyalty.
  • Ask for a review or testimonial. Now’s the perfect time to request a public review or case study.
  • Invite referrals. Encourage them to refer friends or colleagues, especially if you have a referral program.
  • Gather deeper insights. Ask what they love most—this can help shape future marketing or product messaging.

Incorporating Net Promoter Score surveys into your email marketing is a great way to meet your audience where they are and gain access to honest, high-quality feedback about your business. Whether it’s turning detractors into loyal customers or empowering promoters to amplify your brand, the insights you uncover from NPS can drive meaningful improvements and long-term growth. So don’t let valuable feedback slip through the cracks—start using NPS in your next campaign and turn every email into an opportunity to listen, learn, and improve.

by Jonathan in Features, In-Depth

Tabs Come to Apple Mail on the Mac

We recently highlighted the new automatic mail categorization features that arrived on the iPhone with iOS 18.2 and outlined why email marketers should or shouldn’t be concerned. That same feature is now available on the Mac as of macOS 15.4. If you haven’t already, now is an excellent time to review what you need to know about tabs to ensure your emails land in the right place.

by Jonathan in Announcements

How to Capture Subscriber Interests and Send Smarter Emails

Capturing your subscribers’ preferences when they sign up for your list can help you unlock valuable insights. Insights that let you send emails tailored to their interests, delivered at just the right time. These are the emails people can’t wait to open, read, and click on—boosting engagement, improving deliverability, and building a loyal audience.

Direct Mail’s email sign-up forms have been enhanced to make this a breeze. Let’s check it out!

by Jonathan in Features

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