Plus in this edition: why your newsletter doesn't work, how to proof and test your emails, the billboard effect and SO much more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

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If you're not seeing this logo, it's super cool. It says RE:markable by astral.

In this edition:

→ What's a normal spam placement rate? 

→ Your newsletter is not working - so here's how to fix it  (scroll to blogs)

→ How to proof and test your emails properly before sending (scroll)

→ Before you suppress anyone - check this  (scroll to end)

Howdy 🤠


How are you? Are you as busy as everyone I am speaking to?! Why does it feel like time is going faster than ever and everyone is busier than ever 

 

I vote for a year off, wbu? 

What's a normal spam placement rate? 

Some emails will go to spam, learn what's normal and what's not

Every sender in the world has a spam placement rate (SPR%).

 

The question isn't whether some emails land in spam - it's how much and does it present a problem? 


There are three different things "going to spam" actually means

 

1) Provider-decided spam placement (algorithm filters your email)

 

2) Subscriber-reported spam (a human clicks "this is spam")

 

3) Delivery rejections (the server blocks it entirely)

 

They are not equally serious and they need completely different responses.


0-15% spam placement rate is broadly normal for each email send

 

What matters is whether it's sustained or a short-term spike, because the response to each is completely different.

  • Gmail averaged 89.8% inbox placement in 2025.
  • Microsoft averaged 77.4% - meaning a 15.1% spam placement rate as standard

And B2B has it even harder.


Most corporate environments have two layers of filtering - the hosting platform AND a corporate security filter (Proofpoint, Mimecast, Cisco).

 

Emails can disappear into an admin quarantine queue with no trace in your data at all


The full guide covers what changed, how to actually test your spam placement, what to watch for, and what to do when you have a real problem.

Read the guide →
Learn deliverability →

From the Vault

A blog a day keeps the spam filter away 

⌚ 7 min read:

→  The Billboard Effect

⌚ 6 min read:

→  Your Newsletter Is Probably Not Working - so here's how to fix it

⌚ 4 min read:

→  Email QA: How to Proof and Test Your Emails Before Sending

From the Queen’s Court

Voiceover video verdicts 

Let's talk about hair

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Hear the verdict

Love this newsletter!

Let's take a look at Starling Bank's email newsletter...
Hear the verdict

Email Design Masterclass

MORNING SESSION | 27 MAY

🕐 10am (BST)

Join live or get the recording (you still need to get a ticket). Includes 15 min Q&A

Get a ticket →

AFTERNOON SESSION | 27 MAY

🕐 3pm (BST)

Join live or get the recording (you still need to get a ticket). Includes 15 min Q&A

Get a ticket →

The Inbox Drop

Email QA: How to proof and test your emails properly before sending

Most email quality assurance (QA) processes work from the outside in.

 

Check the design, test the links, make sure the images load and then maybe think about whether this email should be going to this audience at all.


That's backwards! 


A perfectly rendered email going to the wrong people is a far bigger problem than a slightly imperfect email going to exactly the right people with exactly the right message.


Here's the framework: three layers & do them in this order

Layer 1: The deliverability check


Before anything else, will sending this email help or harm your sender reputation?


→ Volume risk: are you dramatically increasing your usual send volume?

 

A sudden spike is a red flag to inbox providers. It needs a gradual ramp, not a one-off blast.


→ List quality risk: how old is this segment? When were they last emailed? Old lists carry bounce risk.

 

A bounce spike is a negative event that damages sender reputation fast. If a segment hasn't been contacted in six months or more, validate the addresses before you send.

Layer 2: The audience check
Getting the list smaller is the goal - not the compromise.


→ Exclusions first: who should definitely not get this email?

 

Active complaints, ongoing sales conversations, people mid-way through another journey, people whose lifecycle stage makes this message irrelevant. 


→ Messaging alignment: read the email from your subscriber's perspective, not yours.

 

Use TFDS: what are they thinking, feeling, doing, and saying right now?

 

Does this email speak to that?

Layer 3: The tech check 

 

The last layer, test the environments that matter most:


→ Mobile - iOS Mail and Gmail on Android first
→ Gmail web
→ Outlook desktop (Windows) — the most likely to cause rendering issues
→ Dark mode - across all of the above
→ Images-off -what does your email look like with no images? Can someone still understand it?


The things most commonly missed:
→ Links pointing to the wrong destination (check every one, every time)
→ Preheader not set — or the email client is pulling in the first line of body copy instead
→ Alt text missing on images
→ Mobile text sizing — a three-line paragraph on desktop becomes six lines on mobile
And remember: you cannot guarantee a perfect experience for every person on every device. Get it right for the majority. Catch the things that would genuinely break it for significant portions of your audience. Make peace with the rest.

Learn the Email Testing framework →

Quick win for you

Before you suppress anyone - check for meaningful actions first.

 

Most suppression rules are built on email engagement alone.

 

Hasn't opened in 90 days? Suppress.

Hasn't clicked in six months? Gone.

 

But email engagement is one signal, not the whole picture! 

 

Before you remove anyone from your list, ask: have they taken a meaningful action outside of email recently?

 

→ Made a purchase

→ Visited key pages on your website

→ Started a trial or free plan

→ Submitted an enquiry

→ Engaged with your content elsewhere

→ Returned to your site after receiving an email they never opened

 

If yes, they are not disengaged. They are just not engaging with emails.

 

That is a completely different thing.

 

Build your suppression rules around the full picture - not just what your ESP can see.

Plug of the week 

Taking on new clients and partnerships from June 🤗

I specialise in two areas:

 

1) HubSpot (implementation, optimisation, integrations, architecture & engineering)

 

2) Email (of course) - audits, training, workshops, consultancy and transformation   

Talk about working together →
Beth headshot final

May your list be warm, your QA be thorough, and your spam placement stay in the green,

 

Beth ✌️

I have ADHD (IFYKYK) so please excuse any typos and spelling errors in this email.

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