The Deliverability Pyramid: What Matters Most in 2025

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Most marketers obsess over email copy.

They’ll rewrite subject lines ten times. Argue over emoji placement. Debate whether to say “Hey {First Name}” or “Hi friend.”

But here’s the hard truth:

If your deliverability is broken, none of it matters.
Your brilliant copy won’t save you if your email never lands in the inbox.

Say hello to The Deliverability Pyramid, a simple but powerful framework that shows exactly what matters (and in what order) when it comes to making sure your emails are seen, read, and acted on.

Let’s break it down layer by layer.

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Base Layer: Authentication (The Technical Foundation)

At the base of the pyramid is the stuff most marketers ignore, but shouldn’t.

Your authentication protocols are what tell inbox providers, “I’m a legitimate sender, not a spammer.” Without this foundation, everything else crumbles.

Here’s what matters most:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Confirms your email was sent from an approved server.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a cryptographic signature to prove your email wasn’t tampered with.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Tells inbox providers what to do if an email fails SPF or DKIM, and gives you reports to see what’s happening.

In 2025, DMARC is non-negotiable.
Both Google and Yahoo now require DMARC for bulk senders. No DMARC = blocked or throttled emails. Period.

🛠 Quick Fix Tip: Use tools like MXToolbox, Google Postmaster Tools, or your ESP’s domain settings dashboard to confirm all three protocols are properly set up.

Layer 2: Domain Reputation (The Trust Score)

Once the tech is dialed in, your sender reputation comes into play. Think of it like a credit score for your domain.

Inbox providers track how your domain has behaved over time. If you’ve:

• Sent to bad lists…

• Gotten too many spam complaints…

• Had tons of bounces…

…they remember. And they punish you.

Domain reputation is built slowly, but can be destroyed overnight.
Warm up your domain. Don’t blast cold emails from a fresh domain. And never send massive broadcasts to disengaged lists.

✅ Pro Tip: Check your domain reputation regularly via services like Talos Intelligence, Google Postmaster Tools, and GlockApps.

Layer 3: List Hygiene (The Silent Killer)

Your list might be the biggest threat to your inbox placement, and you don’t even know it.

Here’s what poor list hygiene looks like:

• Old or inactive contacts

• Spam traps

• Purchased or scraped lists

• Unengaged subscribers

And here’s what it causes:

• High bounce rates

• Low engagement signals

• Instant spam folder trips

List quality = inbox quality.
If you haven’t pruned your list in the past 6 months, you’re probably hurting your own deliverability.

Cleaning Tip: Use email verification tools like ZeroBounce, NeverBounce, or Bouncer to clean your list before major campaigns. Segment out inactive users and run a re-engagement campaign before deleting them.

Layer 4: Engagement Signals (The Hidden Algorithm Driver)

This is the “new SEO” of email.

Inbox providers don’t just check your setup, they look at how subscribers are interacting with your emails. These behaviors send strong signals:

• ✅ Opens (despite Apple MPP)

• ✅ Clicks

• ✅ Replies

• ✅ Moving your email from Promotions to Primary

• ✅ Whitelisting your address

• ❌ Deleting without reading

• ❌ Marking as spam

• ❌ Ignoring you consistently

Engagement is now king.
In 2025, engagement behavior tells Google/Yahoo/Microsoft whether to inbox your email, or bury it in spam.

Boost Tip:

• Send emails people actually want (not just promos).

• Ask for replies in your welcome sequence.

• Prune inactive users every 60-90 days.

• Use “click to segment” campaigns to let users self-select interests.

Tip of the Pyramid: Content & Copy (The Final Lever)

Surprised this is at the top?

Yes, your copy matters. But only after all the other layers are solid.

Good copy:

• Keeps you out of spam folders (no spammy trigger words)

• Increases engagement

• Reinforces trust

• Drives conversions

But here’s the trap: most marketers start here when trying to fix low deliverability.
Big mistake.

Great copy on a broken domain with bad list hygiene and no engagement? You’re just shouting into the void.

Smart Content Tips:

• Avoid all caps and spammy language (“FREE!!!”, “Guaranteed!!!”).

• Use plain text or hybrid emails.

• Prioritize clarity and personalization over gimmicks.

The Wrap-Up: Build From the Bottom Up

Fixing email deliverability is like building a house.
You can’t hang up nice curtains (your copy) in a house with a cracked foundation (bad authentication).

Use the Deliverability Pyramid as your blueprint:

1. Authentication: Is your email technically legit?

2. Domain Reputation: Does your domain have a good track record?

3. List Hygiene: Are you sending to clean, engaged contacts?

4. Engagement Signals: Are people interacting with your emails?

5. Content: Are you writing emails worth reading?

Get the bottom four layers right, and your copy will shine in the inbox

Cheers
The InBoXer Team