Understand how deliverability differs across channels
Click the dropdowns below to learn about how deliverability differs for email, text messages, and mobile push notifications. Then, follow along with best practices to ensure that your messages reach subscribers long-term.
What is it?
Email deliverability is the ability for your email to reach a subscriber’s inbox, and relies heavily on your sender reputation. Inbox providers (e.g., Yahoo and Gmail) may move emails to spam or block them altogether if your audience is highly unengaged or your content does not add up to their standards. They pay attention to whether or not your recipients open and click, indicating if content is welcomed and safe to be sent.
How to improve?
- Pay close attention to your deliverability score within Analytics > Deliverability and make adjustments as soon as you notice room for improvement.
- Enable double opt-in for your lists and global unsubscribes.
- Make sure your unsubscribe link is clearly visible in every email.
- Avoid spam-related terms (e.g., “free money”, misspelled subject lines, all capitalization, etc.).
- Clean your email list regularly and send mainly to engaged segments.
- Set up a sunset flow to remove unengaged or fake emails from your list.
For more recommendations to improve email deliverability, register for our Deliverability certificate next.
Text
What is it?
Text message deliverability measures the likelihood that your text will be sent to a recipient's phone rather than filtered out or blocked by wireless carriers, like AT&T or Verizon.
3 main factors determine whether or not your message will send:
- Klaviyo (i.e. your text message service provider)
Klaviyo blocks texts from sending to those who have not consented to text. Moreover, you cannot send content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco (SHAFT) or other illegal activity and substances, like CBD. - Wireless carriers
Wireless carriers ensure compliance (e.g., that the text does not mention illegal terms in the content or link). and assess whether or not you’re a trustworthy sender. They monitor your sender reputation, looking at things like your sending number, recipient engagement, and unsubscribe rates; then, they’ll filter your texts as they see fit. - Recipient’s mobile device
If a phone is turned off or lacks service, this can also delay or restrict your sending. Android devices can also filter messages into a spam folder, rather than showing them in the main text inbox if you are not seen as a trusted sender.
How to improve?
- Turn on double opt-in for your text messaging lists.
- Send consistently (at most, 1-2 times per week when you first ramp up with texting, then expand as time goes on based on engagement).
- Make sure recipients know who the message is coming from, such as by mentioning your organization's name in your message or using a branded sender ID.
- Use a trusted sending number, such as a short code or verified toll-free number.
- Include a link or specific language on how to opt out in each text.
Push
What is it?
Deliverability does not apply to push notifications, since, as long as someone has enabled push on a device, your message will be sent until they opt out. The only time a push may not deliver to a subscriber is if there is an issue with delivery, such as if the size of the payload is too large or there’s a service error.
What is it?
For WhatsApp, your focus is on delivery, or in other words, whether the recipient receives your message.
A number of factors affect whether your messages are delivered, including:
- Message limits
WhatsApp limits the number of conversations you can initiate within 24 hours. - WhatsApp quality ratings
WhatsApp rates the quality of your overall account and your individual templates. Furthermore, you must get templates approved prior to sending. - User consent
This is a non-negotiable. You must get explicit consent to send WhatsApp; otherwise, your message will not be delivered.