FAQ
Why is my email delivery rate so low?
The following are the common causes of delivery failure. Usually, the delivery rate can reach over 99.00% if the following causes are excluded:
- The users have entered the wrong email address (the address does not exist).
- The sending frequency is too high and is limited by the ESP (email service provider).
- The emails are rejected by the ESP due to a bad domain reputation.
- The emails are rejected because the email content hits the anti-spam policy of the ESP.
- The mailbox of the users is full.
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Why do I need an overseas team to send emails?
Due to regulatory compliance reasons, emails must be sent by an overseas team. Teams based in China can send test emails on SmartLink to check whether the email content meets the expectations but cannot reach the email address of overseas users. Therefore, official emails must be sent by an overseas team.
Why is it not recommended to use a new domain?
If you use a new domain to send mass emails without warming it up first, the sent emails will likely be mistaken as spam by the recipient email addresses. In this case, your emails will be rejected and put into the spam folder. We recommend you use an existing domain to send emails or warm up a new domain before sending emails.
Why should I set a lower sending frequency?
The sending frequency is the maximum number of emails that can be sent per second. Currently, SmartLink allows you to set a sending frequency between 5 to 300 per second. When the sending frequency is too high, the sending volume will be too large, which will probably trigger the temporary ban by the recipients' ESP. To reduce email rejections caused by a high sending frequency, it is recommended to maintain a balanced sending frequency within the campaign period.
Why doesn't the image appear in the preview after I upload an HTML file?
When the HTML file uploaded to the SmartLink template contains an image whose local path cannot be displayed, you need to upload the image to CDN and add the corresponding link in the HTML template.
Why is there no user data in User Management?
The prerequisite of user management data acquisition is that the users have already received a SmartLink mass email, and the Support Cancel Subscription function is enabled for the email. The subscription status of these users will be updated in User Management. After a user unsubscribes, SmartLink will no longer send emails to the user.
Why didn't I receive the test email?
Usually, you need to send a test email before sending official emails. When you use SmartLink for the first time, email delivery may fail in the following situations:
- You forget to enable the task after submitting it. The email will be sent at the specified time only after the task is enabled.
- The time zone setting is wrong. Be sure to select the corresponding time zone to avoid time configuration errors.
- The sender address prefix is invalid. Currently, sender address prefixes support English only.
Why is the number of email addresses of the sending progress in the campaign details different from that in the uploaded Excel file?
When there are blank rows or duplicate email addresses in the uploaded Excel file, the number of email addresses calculated by SmartLink will be inconsistent with that in the uploaded Excel file. Therefore, please delete blank rows and duplicate email addresses before uploading the Excel file.
Why does an email go to the spam folder?
Whether an email is considered spam is determined by the ISP's anti-spam policy. Each ISP's policy is different but generally involves the domain, sender IP reputation, and users' operation habits.
If the sender domain has never been used to send emails or has not been used to send emails stably for a long time, it is difficult to guarantee the reputation of this domain. Therefore, the initial use of such domains will have a relatively high probability that the emails will go to the spam folder. However, the reputation of the sender domain will gradually increase as users open and read the emails and with other positive behaviors, which will alleviate the issue of the emails ending up in the spam folder.
The ISP will not notify the upstream of the data that the emails are put into the spam folder, so the platform delivery party cannot obtain the statistical data. Based on experience, it is recommended to pay attention to the following matters when sending emails:
- For email content:
- Illegal content (such as gambling and pornography) is prohibited.
- Avoid words with obvious promotional nature (such as Double Eleven, coupons, and giveaway).
- Avoid strange symbols and keywords such as invoice, promotion, free, and censored words in the subject and email body.
- Do not use too many red, yellow, or oversized fonts.
- Use concise HTML code, and better not to add attachments.
- Make sure the website link in the email is safe and legitimate.
- Avoid sending images directly. A combination of words and images is recommended.
- For product design: If you use a new domain to send emails, you are recommended to give users a prompt such as "If you cannot find the email in your inbox, please check the spam folder."
Why do you need consent from players to receive marketing emails?
Before sending marketing emails, obtaining permission from players to receive your email marketing campaigns is the first step in building a contact list. Having recipient consent is a requirement in SmartLink's marketing campaign terms.
In email marketing, player consent to receive marketing campaigns has a very clear definition. Consent refers to a clear and verifiable way of agreeing to receive marketing communications.
Because consent should also be verifiable, we recommend obtaining written or other archived consent from each contact. When you upload contacts to SmartLink, we track and record the date and time of submission to ensure that you have obtained verifiable consent.
People who have not obtained consent are more likely to report your email activities as spam and are less likely to participate in your games or campaigns. Therefore, ensuring that players have explicit consent can maintain long-term campaign effects.
How to avoid being reported as spam?
If you do not obtain a player's consent to send emails in advance, your email may be reported by the player as spam. Spam reports can cause your emails to be added to the player's email rejection list, preventing some subscribers from receiving any of your campaigns. This may also damage the overall reputation of your sending domain and negatively impact email delivery for all users.
When someone reports an email as spam, their inbox will notify their email service provider (ISP) to mark it as suspicious. The ISP will then track how many people have reported emails from this sending domain as spam in their mailboxes.
Unfortunately, many email users report emails as spam unintentionally. Some of these spam reports may actually be attempts to unsubscribe. Therefore, all your email activities should include an easily accessible unsubscribe link for subscribers. If the recipient is unfamiliar with your game name, they are more likely to mark your email as spam. Research shows that 43% of email users report spam when they do not recognize the sender's name or email address. Ensure that this sender information is clearly related to your game brand, and send emails regularly so that subscribers do not forget who you are. A consent reminder should always be included at the bottom of your email campaigns.
Spam Filtering Mechanism
Aggressive spam filtering mechanisms may detect disorganized email code or email campaigns containing "spam" content and mark your email campaign as spam. There is no comprehensive content guideline on how to avoid being flagged, but it is generally recommended to design clean, clear, and harmonious email content.
In the worst-case scenario, firewalls may identify the system as spam, or URLs may be added to the reject list, blocking emails containing these URLs. This means that if someone else or a company mentions one of your domain names in their entirely independent emails, the ISP may also block their email.
More ISPs and anti-spam services are sharing records. If an ISP reports you, other ISPs may also add you to their reject lists.
Reject List
If enough people mark your email campaign as spam, the Internet Service Provider (ISP) can place you on the reject list. Once listed, any emails you send to anyone on their network will be blocked. Different ISPs have different thresholds for the reject list, but they are usually very low. Just a few spam complaints can lead to your inclusion on the reject list. Once you are listed, it is very difficult to remove yourself from it.
A few complaints can damage your email campaign activities for a long time, so it is important to ensure that your email marketing is based on user consent and that your user consent remains valid.