Email deliverability isn’t broken. Expectations are.

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Today's Email: Email deliverability isn’t broken. Expectations are.

I had a call yesterday where a familiar belief came up:
“Even Fortune 500 companies can’t keep a clean reputation with Google.”

That part is true.

But the reason matters more than the complaint.

Here’s the hard-earned truth after managing and advising on billions of emails:

👉 Inbox placement is a long game.

Brands that stay “green” with Google didn’t hack their way there. They earned it over years of disciplined sending.

Think of email reputation like credit.

You can do the right things for five years…

Miss once… And suddenly your score collapses.

That’s how Google Postmaster works.

The framework I come back to every time.

When deliverability breaks down, it’s almost never one thing. It’s usually a mix of three pillars:

1. Data (the most underestimated risk)

Not all emails are equal. Where the email address came from, how “warm” the relationship is, and whether the recipient recognizes you matter more than whether the email technically exists.

Spam complaints compound fast, and they’re hard to undo.

2. Technical foundation (necessary, but not sufficient)

SPF, DKIM, DMARC, alignment, domains, IPs—this is table stakes. You don’t win here. You just avoid losing.

3. Engagement (the real differentiator)

Google doesn’t care what you want to send. It cares how users react.

Unengaged audiences, irrelevant sends, and “ask-only” emails erode trust quickly.

👉️ One of the most reliable models I’ve seen over the years: 4 value-driven emails for every 1 ask.

Successful brands don't just email when they need something.

They built engagement before they monetized it.

Two principles most senders ignore:

1. Don’t scale what isn’t working.

High spam rates at low volume don’t magically fix themselves at higher volume.

2. Isolate risk.

Different audiences behave differently. If everything is sent through one domain or subdomain, you lose visibility (and control) over what’s actually causing the damage.

Deliverability today is part science, part discipline, part patience.

There are no shortcuts.

But there is a playbook.

And it starts with respecting the inbox like it has a memory. Because it does.

Best,
Alec

P.S. Have a topic you’d like us to cover in the next edition? Reply to this email and let us know! We're always eager to address.