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| tips and tricks for getting your list mail delivered |
| OVERVIEW |
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Unfortunately for list owners, the spam situation has reached a point where email hosts are willing to toss out a lot of legitimate email in an effort to reduce the amount of spam delivered to their customers. Customers are demanding better anti-spam protection for their inboxes, and hosts are finding the high costs of processing millions of spam emails per day intolerable.
As a result, several large email hosts have instituted anti-spam policies (sometimes referred to as greylisting) that stop deliveries of emails from IP addresses that send a large number of messages to their servers in a specified period of time. The period of time and what is considered a "large number" varies, depending upon the host, and this information is not published. The spam prevention measures of the large mail providers have reached such levels that if you are sending more than just a few messages to them, your mail server's IP will likely be greylisted. Service providers like WebHelps, that offer email list services using virtual domains on shared IPs, find their mail server IPs unduly targeted for greylisting. It does not matter that our customers are sending legitimate mail, the large mail hosts are still flagging it as spam. This is a problem affecting all companies that send a large number of messages to @yahoo.com, @aOL.com, @msn.com, @hotmail.com, and similar email accounts - not just WebHelps - and no one has a sure-fire solution.
As a WebHelps list customer, the one thing you can do that will make the most difference in your ability to get list mail delivered to subscribers is to signup to run your lists off your own IP address. This is available now with IMail® and will soon be available with LISTSERV® for a small monthly fee. To use your own IP you must be using your own domain/subdomain with your lists. If you purchase the Domain IP Extra for your lists, we will waive the setup fee for your domain.
IMail® List customers should also take advantage of the free email accounts included with your Custom Domain installation. We provide 50 free mailboxes specifically for you to give to subscribers who are having difficulty receiving list mail at their regular email address. If you are a LISTSERV® List customer using your own domain and need/want the option to provide a free email account to your subscribers, please submit a Support Ticket asking for this and we will be happy to get a 50-mailbox email hosting account setup for you at no charge. |
| Guidelines to Help Get Your List Mail Delivered |
While following the guidelines below will not guarantee that your email will be delivered, it should decrease the incidence of your email being misidentified as spam:
- Send to the List Address only. Avoid sending emails to a large number of addresses in the "To", "Cc" or "Bcc" fields.
- Draft subject lines with care. Avoid using words, phrases, and symbols that can appear to be spam, such as "free," "limited time offer," or "low-cost," words in all caps, or exclamation marks. Do not use subjects that include words or phrases with a sexual conotation or that includes names of pharmaceuticals, illegal or illicit drugs, or money-making or -saving schemes. Never send emails with blank subject lines or add "Re:" to your subject as these are both common spam tactics.
- Watch your language. If your email contains words or phrases on a host's Banned Phrase List (view ours), it will not be delivered, and you will not receive a bounce notification.
- Be careful when adding links. If your email contains a link with a domain on a host's Domain Black List (view ours), it will not be delivered, and you will not receive a bounce notification.
- Include unsubscribe instructions. Both IMail® and LISTSERV® allow a plain text header or footer (trailer) to be automatically added to all list emails. Typically unsubscribe instructions are put in the footer. Many hosts, including AOL, require this for bulk email delivery.
- Respond to unsubscribe requests. Instead of clicking an "unsubscribe" link, which should be included in all list emails, if available, a subscriber may personally ask you to remove his/her address from the subscriber list. Do this immediately, and report back to the requestor.
- Do not use HTML on discussion list emails. HTML email should not be used at all on an email discussion list. No good reason exists for using HTML on this type of list. But there are many reasons why HTML should not be used. A very good explanation can be found at here, along with instructions on how to turn off Rich Text (HTML) email in virtually all email programs.
- Keep the HTML in your newsletters simple. Do not use any of these types of coding in your emails:
- Scripts (e.g.. JavaScript, VBScript)
- Java
- Frames and IFrames
- Tooltips
- Active X
- Video
- Audio
- External Style Sheets
- Meta Refresh
- Reply-to address should be the same as the From address. If sending mail from an email program that will let you set a Reply-to address for the sending email account that differs from the From address, make sure you use the same exact address for both. For instance, in Outlook Express, when you create a mail account, on the General tab are fields for both E-mail Address: and Reply Address:. Leave the Reply Address field blank and it will default to the sending address.
- Do not send attachments, particularly not image files. Rather than sending an attachment via email, upload the file you want to provide to web space you have acquired for this purpose, or can set aside from your web site, then provide a download link in your email.
A download link is just like a link to a web page, except it resolves to a file that generally cannot be viewed with a web browser. Simply instruct recipients to right click on the link you provide, select Save target as, and save the file to their computer. Right click on this link: http://webhelps.com/images/freeAddOnOffer-general336x115.gif to see how this works first-hand. To further simplify providing files in this manner, most all email programs will automatically convert URLs to clickable links. Therefore, it is not necessary to use Rich Text or HTML in your email to provide a download link. Simply type the URL (e.g. http://webhelps.com/images/myfile.doc) in your email. Our Specialty Packages include 50-100MB of web space and a file upload utility. Our Web Hosting Plans have plenty of space and FTP for easy uploading. We also have an excellent File Sharing web tool that can be added to any Package or Plan (if not already included). All of these are good, no-cost or low-cost alternatives to sending files via email.
- Do not send from a free email account. Some hosts automatically reject bulk email sent from free email accounts, like HotMail.
- Keep the filesize under 100KB. If you are sending email in plain text, without attachments, you are probably already doing this.
- Include your organization's name, physical address, and telephone number. This information should be included in your list's header or footer so it is automatically added to all emails. Some hosts, including AOL, require this for bulk email delivery.
- Send during non-peak hours. Peak hours vary from host to host, so first you need to review your subscriber list to determine where most of the mail is going. Some hosts publish delivery tips that include the non-peak days/times for their mail servers. If you cannot find this information, test sending at different times a day and/or review your bounce notifications to determine if there is a best time of day to send mail to your list.
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| Email Blacklists |
An Email Blacklist is a database of addresses used by known spammers. Using this information, anti-spam filters installed on mail servers can reduce the amount of spam they process by blocking email messages coming from those addresses. Blacklists are used by thousands of email hosts as one of their main defenses against spammers. In today's skeptical internet communication environment, a legitimate email system can also end up being blacklisted, resulting in mail delivery problems and immeasurable costs in lost business. According to a study released in August 2006 by Return Path, Inc.'s, Assurance Services division, seventeen per cent (17%) of permission-based email messages get incorrectly blocked or filtered by the top 12 Internet service providers. Even emails addressed to confirmed recipients may never reach their inboxes.
There are several types of Blacklists, but those most commonly used by anti-spam filters are DNS Blacklists:
- DNS Blacklists
Domain Name Server (DNS) Black lists are lists of IP addresses that are the source of unsolicited emails. With the help of these types of lists, mail system administrators can block mail sent from "spamming" domains. DNS Blacklists are usually maintained by anti-spam organizations or by individuals. Lists maintained by individuals may not be up-to-date and reliable, particularly those run by anti-spam vigilantes. WebHelps was on such a List for quite some time, for the sole reason that we host our servers with Rackspace and this individual listed all of Rackspace's customers, whether or not he had any evidence of spam coming from their server(s).
- IP Blacklists
IP Blacklists block specific IP addresses (and IP ranges), message senders or message recipients (local mailboxes) as determined in the Blacklists. The problem with using an IP Blacklist is that it may cut off legitimate users trying to access sites or blogs, or prevent them from sending email to users.
- Spam Blacklists
Spam Blacklists are lists of mail servers or open relays known to be used by spammers to deliver unwanted email. Mail System administrators can use these Lists to block spam transmitted from such sources.
- Email Blacklists
Email Blacklists contain known mail servers and email addresses used by spammers. These lists are not frequently used by mail system administrators because of the high probability that legitimate mail is also being blocked.
- IP blockers & IP Blackholes
IP Black Hole lists are large repositories of IP addresses that are known to be spamming. These repositories use various reporting mechanisms ranging from human reporting to spam-trap email boxes to determine who is sending spam, and when a spammer is identified by IP or IP block, the spammer is added to the Black Hole list. ISPs and email providers can configure their email servers to query the Black Hole list any time a new email comes in. When a new mail arrives at the server, prior to putting it into the recipient's mailbox, the server will examine the email, and trace its origin. Then it will ask the Black Hole list if this email came from a source that is a currently-know spammer. If the email does not originate from a source known to be spamming, it will be properly delivered into the recipient's email box. If the mail fails the test and is flagged as spam, the email will not be delivered, but rather will be moved to a storage box for future examination by either the mail system administrator or the recipient. Each Blacklist has its own policies and procedures for how an IP gets on the List, how long an IP must stay on the List, and when/how an IP will/can be removed from the List. There are hundreds of Blacklists, but only a few are widely used. Therefore, even if your email address or IP is on a Blacklist, it may not effect delivery of your mail to most recipients.
To check many DNS Blacklists at once, you can use a service like MXToolbox's DNS Blacklist Check. Links are provided to the site responsible for the List. This can be valuable information if you find you are listed and need information on how to get your address/IP removed. If you are an IMail® List customer using the default shared IP, you would check IP 64.49.220.152. If you are a LISTSERV® List customer using the default shared IP, you would check IP 64.49.220.162. (Using your own domain is not the same as using your own IP to send list mail.) Like most email service providers, WebHelps has anti-spam software installed on its mail server which is configured to check the IP of incoming email messages against one or more Blacklists. Currently, WebHelps uses DNS Lists provided by Spamhaus and SpamCop. Mail from senders on either List is automatically deleted, without notice to the sender. WebHelps also maintains a list of email addresses and domains from which it will not accept mail. Click here to view this blacklist. |
| Yahoo.com |
| Yahoo! Guidelines for Senders. Yahoo! has posted a few guidelines for senders here. You will find a list of questions and answers for Postmasters in the Postmaster section of Yahoo! Mail's Abuse Help Center (see excerpts below). |
Yahoo!'s guidelines include the following:
- Ensure that your email address lists are well maintained.
- Remove email addresses that bounce. Bounces are an indication that the mail could not be delivered because the user does not exist, no longer exists, or is unable to accept your email. List managers should remove addresses that generate bounces. A particularly popular technique for managing bounces is to use VERP to identify the recipient address that has failed.
- Examine your retry policies. Messages that receive permanent errors, such as emails sent to accounts that do not exist or are over quota, should not be retried. Permanent errors that are retried increase the likelihood that delivery will not receive the priority it deserves.
- Pay attention to the bounce notices sent by Yahoo!. In particular, Yahoo! will send "500" SMTP response codes to indicate problems you need to investigate. For example, if an email is sent to an invalid recipient, our servers will respond with a "500" range SMTP code, indicating a permanent error.
- Don't send unsolicited email. Make sure that all email addresses are confirmed with an opt-in process that ensures the recipient wants to receive your mail. Obtaining permission from a third party to send an email does not ensure the email is solicited. Probably the best way to confirm an email addresses before adding them to a mailing list is by using closed-loop confirmation (sometimes referred to as "full confirmation," "full verification," "confirmed voluntary subscription," or "double opt-in"). In this process, after you receive a subscription request, you send a confirmation email to that address which requires some affirmative action before that email address is permanently added to the mailing list. Since only the true owner of that email address can respond, you will know that the true owner has truly intended to subscribe and that the address is valid.
- Provide a method of unsubscribing from your list in each email sent.
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The following techniques are said by list owners to be effective in resolving yahoo.com delivery problems:
- Send one small, non-list, "good" email to a yahoo.com address from the same address that has been receiving bounces. If it goes through, you will again be able to send list mail to yahoo.com.
- Change the From: address on your emails, including a different domain, if possible. [Note: Unless you are using your own IP address with your WebHelps List, even if you are using your own domain, there are several alternate domains you may use when sending mail to/from the list server:
IMail Lists:
- whathelps.com
- webhelps.com
- webhelps.biz
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| Yahoo! Mail Abuse Help Center: Information for Postmasters
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| MSN.com and Hotmail.com |
| MSN, Hotmail and Windows Live Mail Postmaster Services. The MSN guidelines and standards for email senders are all collected here. |
MSN Mail Postmasters Help
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| Gmail.com |
| Gmail Support. The Gmail support center can be found here. |
| AOL.com |
| AOL Standards and Guidelines for Senders. The AOL guidelines and standards for email senders are all collected here. You should read them carefully before beginning to mail to AOL. The Tutorial should answer questions you might have while reading. |
AOL will reject all emails containing:
- a link to a redirected URL. Example: In your email you include a link to our Help section as http://help.whathelps.com, rather than the real URL of http://webhelps.com/Info/Help.aspx. This can be extremely problematic, as many dynamic web sites (due to necessary programming requirements) have a redirect in place for their homepage.
- a link to a banned site. Example: In your email you include a link to a site which AOL has placed on their banned site list. These sites are ones which AOL has deemed to be sources of spam. Unfortunately, AOL does not publish this list, so there is no way to determine if a site is banned by AOL prior to sending out an email.
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| AOL Mailer FAQ. AOL posts an important list of questions/answers about sending mail to their site at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/faq/mailerfaq.html.
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AOL Postmaster Site. The following important anti-spam information can be found at: http://postmaster.info.aol.com
- Whitelist and Certified EMail. If you send using your domain via a dedicated IP, you should apply for whitelisting. (Both IMail® and LISTSERV® Lists can be setup to use a dedicated IP. Contact your Support Team for more information.)
- Feedback Loop. WebHelps participates in the Feedback Loop for IP 64.49.220.152 (IMail® Lists). You should become familiar with how the Feedback Loop works in case you are contacted by the IMail® Administrator regarding AOL spam complaints against your list.
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework). An SPF Record is in place for our mail servers. The IMail® Server checks SPF records as part of its anti-spam processing of inbound mail.
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| AOL's Bulk Email Policy. This can be found at http://postmaster.info.aol.com/guidelines/bulk_email.html. |
| Comcast.net |
What is Comcast doing about spam?. Comcast utilizes a variety of techniques to block spam, including:
- Reputation Services
Confirm that the email originates from a reputable source.
Determine if sender is a known spammer, and block accordingly.
- Automated Spam Filtering
Comcast uses Brightmail, a best-in-class vendor, to filter outbound and inbound spam using the latest tools and software.
- Port 25 Blocking
Port 25 is conduit on a computer that spammers can take control of and use to send their spam - often without the user ever knowing his/her computer has been "hijacked". Comcast works with their customers to block access to Port 25 and protect their PC. Comcast has made it easy for customers to switch to using Port 587, a safer PC configuration, by creating a one-click fix that automatically re-configures computers to use this Port.
- Spam Blocking (Blacklisting)
Spammers are constantly looking for new ways to target our customers, often hiding behind legitimate mail hosting and mail forwarding companies without their knowledge.
In these situations, Comcast applies a precise, scientific approach to identify key indicators and patterns of spam and then blocks those senders classified as sending excessive amounts of spam. |
| Comcast Blocked Provider Request Form. Comcast provides a Blocked Provider Request Form that may be used to request that an IP address be removed from their blocked sender list. The shared IP address for IMail Lists, WebHelps WebMail, and WebHelps POP3/SMTP is 64.49.220.152. The shared IP address for LISTSERV Lists is 64.49.220.162. You will find the exact domain that is being blocked on the bounce notification. |
| Secureserver.net |
| Secureserver.net provides a IP Address Unblock Request that may be used to request an IP address or range be removed from their blocked IPs list. The shared IP address for IMail Lists, WebHelps WebMail, and WebHelps POP3/SMTP is 64.49.220.152. The shared IP address for LISTSERV Lists is 64.49.220.162. You will find the exact domain that is being blocked on the bounce notification. |
Secureserver.net recommends two specific actions that may be taken by a mail host to help prevent having their IPs blocked as sources of spam or viruses:
- Complete a thorough virus scan on the mail server. WebHelps complies with this recommendation. We have Avast! running on the server at IP 64.49.220.152 (IMail Lists) and AVG running on the server at 64.49.220.162 (LISTSERV Lists) continually scanning all server files.
- Verify that your rDNS (reverse DNS) contains a name that includes "mail", "SMTP", "relay", or "MX". (For example: mail.example.com, smtp.example.com, or mx1.example.com.) WebHelps complies with this recommendation. Reverse DNS for 64.49.220.152 is set to mail.whathelps.com, and 64.49.220.162 is set to smtp.webhelps.com.
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| Road Runner (rr.com) |
| Information regarding Road Runner's Spam Control Policy and the steps Road Runner will take to try to prevent unsolicited email from reaching its customers can be found here. |
Technical and Email Formatting Guidelines. In addition to several technical requirements for mail servers, all of which are fully met by WebHelps, Road Runner specifies numerous requirements for inbound emails and their senders:
- List administrators must immediately unsubscribe any Road Runner email addresses for which they receive a permanent failure email bounce.
- Senders must not do anything that tries to hide or forge the sender and sending site of an email.
- Each mailing must specifically state how each Road Runner customer email address was obtained (i.e. subscription to newsletter, purchase from Acme tools, sign up for Travel discounts, etc.) and must state whether this is a one-time mailing or a recurring mailing. Additionally, such details as the date and time when each email address was obtained, along with supporting documentation such as the Internet headers from email messages requesting signup, or web server logs from addresses collected from signup forms, etc. must be available upon request.
- All mailings should contain simple and obvious unsubscribe mechanisms. While Road Runner recommends that this be in the form of a working link to a one-click unsubscription system, a valid "reply to:" address may also be used. Requests from Road Runner customers to unsubscribe from mailings must be honored without undue delay.
- All email must have valid non-electronic contact information for the sender in the text of each email (phone number, physical mailing address, etc.). If this is not readily feasible, there must be a link in each email to such information on the sender's website.
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Policy & Procedural Guidelines. Road Runner does not filter incoming emails based on content. Emails are refused based solely on the source (i.e., IP address or domain).
- All email to Road Runner customers must be solicited (i.e., there is an existing and provable relationship between the email recipient and the sender).
- If a sender generates complaints, bounces 20% or more of the total recipients on its mailings, or bounces are refused by the sender, Road Runner may implement blocks.
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| Mail Server Blocks. Senders whose mail server is being blocked will have received an error message that looks like this:
550 ERROR: Mail Refused - IP_ADDRESS - See http://security.rr.com/cgi-bin/block-lookup?64.49.220.152
If you are not sure if your mail server is being blocked, a quick way to check is provided here. The shared IP address for the IMail® List Server is: 64.49.220.152. The shared IP address for the LISTSERV® List Server is: 64.49.220.162. WebHelps customers who receive a Mail Server Block error from Road Runner should immediately login to their Account Manager and submit a Support Ticket informing their Support Team. |
Block Lists. Three lists of domains and IP Addresses are used by Road Runner in determining whose mail to block. One list is compiled and maintained by Road Runner and two are commercial black lists. Road Runner's list is based mostly on spam complaints from its customers. The two commercial black lists are the Trend Micro RBL-Plus List and the SpamHaus Combined SBL and XBL List.
If you receive an error message from Road Runner that looks like this:
ERROR:5.7.1:550 Mail Refused - IP_ADDRESS - See http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#REASON_CODE - YYYYMMDD
you are on a block list from which removal can be requested.
There are many reasons why your domain or IP might be listed. Road Runner provides a list of all its error messages and detailed explanations of what the errors mean here. For us to request removal on your behalf, you will need to provide your Support Team with a copy of the error message you received from Road Runner. |
| Subscription Abuse Error. If you receive an error message from Road Runner that looks like this:
ERROR:5.7.1:550 Mail Refused - DOMAIN_OR_IP_GOES_HERE - See http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#subscription
mail from your domain is being blocked because your list has a reputation for subscription abuse. To prevent your domain from being blocked for subscription abuse, you should follow the best practices of confirmed opt-in when establishing your subscriber list. See Road Runner's website here for the steps that should be followed each time a new address is added to the list. Getting off Road Runner's Block List when your list has been added for subscription abuse is very difficult, so it is best to follow their requirements when adding any @rr.com addresses to your subscriber list. |
| Spam Source Error. If you receive an error message from Road Runner that looks like this:
ERROR:5.7.1:550 Mail Refused - DOMAIN_GOES_HERE - See http://security.rr.com/mail_blocks.htm#spam_source
mail from your domain is being blocked because your domain has a reputation for sending unsolicited email to Road Runner customers. |
Feedback Loop and White List. Road Runner offers Feedback Loop participation for email and list administrators with their own IP addresses. WebHelps participates in the Feedback Loop for both the IMail® and LISTSERV® shared IP addresses. If you have your own IP address, we highly recommend participation in the Feedback Loop. As a Feedback Loop participant, your IP address will be excluded from blocking by Road Runner's automated tools and you will receive copies of complaints made by Road Runner customers regarding emails sent from your IP address. In exchange, you must promise to take necessary actions to reduce or eliminate all such complaints. Road Runner requires our IMail/LISTSERV Administrator to make all Feedback Loop participation requests, so please submit a Support Ticket if you want to participate.
Road Runner does not maintain its own White List. To be white listed by Road Runner, you must be on either the Sender Score Certified or Habeas lists. |
Your Mail Server or Domain is not Blocked, but Subscribers are not Receiving List Mail. If IMail® or LISTSERV® List subscribers using Road Runner are not receiving list mail, they should
- review their email security settings to be sure they are not interfering with list mail deliveries;
- add their list's sending email address to the Allowed Senders and Domains field. The sending email address for IMail® lists is listname-owner@listdomain and for LISTSERV® lists is owner-listname@listdomain; and
- make certain their junk mail setting is not on auto-delete.
Road Runner provides instructions here on various security settings available to individual Road Runner customers for dealing with spam. Methods include filtering, blocking, junk mail, and SMTP authentication - all of which could be preventing list mail from being delivered to a subscriber's inbox. |
| Charter.net |
| Charter.net provides an Unblock Form that may be used to request the removal of a Sender's address from their block list. |
| Charter uses several different tactics to determine if a message is spam. The primary tactic is using an industry leading anti-spam filtering application, corroborating feedback from the Internet community and Charter subscribers. A message will not be accepted by Charter mail servers if it is flagged as spam.
Emails reported as spam by Charter customers are sent to Charter's anti-spam vendor and aggregated in near real-time to improve filtering. The filtering data used in determining what email is flagged as spam by Charter's anti-spam system is constantly updated based on reports from customers. Customers can report emails as spam by using the Report as Spam button in WebMail or by attaching the message they want to report as spam to a new email and sending it to spamalert@charter.net.
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| How can Charter customers report a message being incorrectly treated as spam?
If a Charter customer receives an error that incorrectly indicates a message was returned as spam, they may submit that message as feedback to Charter. Emails reported as false positives are sent to Charter's anti-spam vendor and aggregated in near real-time to improve filtering. The filtering data used in determining what email is flagged as spam by Charter's anti-spam system is constantly updated based on reports from customers.
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Error Codes:
- 421 Connection Refused - Customer has exceeded the maximum number of messages allowed per hour.
- 421 Service Not Available - Client IP sending email is on Charter RBL (black list)
- 421 Charter.net Lost - Connection was terminated. Possible network connectivity issue.
- 450 Unable to find: Recipient's domain not found.
- 452 Too many recipients - The number of email recipients per message exceeded the allowable threshold.
- 503 Sender Already specified - Too many invalid email addresses
- 550 Message identified as SPAM -
The email was flagged as spam by Charter anti-spam detection system. Charter uses several different tactics to determine if a message is spam. The primary tactic is using an industry leading anti-spam filtering application, corroborating feedback from the Internet community and Charter subscribers. A message will not be accepted by Charter mail servers if it is flagged as spam.
- 550 Relaying mail to - IP attempted to relay, IP not on relay list
- 552 Message size exceeds allowed maximum message size: 10 Megabytes is the maximum allowable single message size.
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