Email Deliverability

Deliverability vs Delivered: Why Your 98% ‘Success Rate’ Might Be Lying

May 8, 2025

If your email tool is bragging about a 98% delivery rate, hold the celebration — because that number doesn’t mean what you think it does.

Most email platforms are only measuring delivery, not deliverability. And there's a big difference.

Delivered ≠ Inboxed

Let’s define it clearly:

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A message can be delivered but never seen. Because being delivered to the Spam folder, the Promotions tab, or corporate quarantine isn’t the goal.

Your goal is simple: visibility.

Why That “98% Delivered” Metric Is Misleading

Here’s why it doesn’t tell the whole story:

  • Spam and Promotions still count as 'delivered'

  • Silent drops (emails discarded by filters) are marked as delivered

  • False positives from bots loading images can inflate open rates

So if your outreach isn’t getting replies, your deliverability might be broken — even with a 98% delivery rate.

Mailbox providers care about trust. If you’re not authenticating properly, building your reputation gradually, or engaging your audience — you’ll end up flagged, filtered, or ignored.

What Actually Impacts Inbox Placement

There are multiple technical and behavioral signals that email providers look at when deciding where your email goes:

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These are all evaluated before your copy is even read. The decision to inbox or spam you is made in milliseconds — and it’s not based on your “open rate.”

What You Should Be Tracking Instead

Let’s fix the metrics mindset. Here are the KPIs that actually matter:

1. Inbox Placement Rate (IPR)

  • What it is: % of emails that land in the Primary Inbox (not Promotions/Spam)

  • How to test it:

2. Reply Rate

  • Real human replies = you landed in a real inbox

  • Use this as your gold standard KPI for deliverability

3. Positive Reply Rate

  • Are people responding with interest, questions, or meetings?

  • Even "Not now" is better than silence — it means they saw you

4. Lead-to-Meeting Rate

  • Ultimate goal: Did your cold email create pipeline?

5. Domain & IP Reputation Monitoring

  • Use Google Postmaster Tools for domain health

  • Use Microsoft SNDS for Outlook sender rep (if you own the IPs or are using dedicated IPs)

  • Run blacklist checks on Talos Intelligence or MXToolbox

  • Use Mission Inbox’s rep dashboard to track trust signals daily

How to Fix Poor Deliverability

Step 1: Fix Your Infrastructure

  • Set up and align SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (use strict alignment settings)

  • Avoid using links entirely.

Step 2: Build Reputation the Right Way

  • Warm up new domains slowly

  • Send from aged domains if possible

  • Keep bounce rates below 2% and spam complaints near 0%

  • Avoid sudden sending volume spikes

Step 3: Send Better Emails

  • Ditch the templates — write like a human

  • Personalize beyond {FirstName}

  • Keep HTML minimal or send in plain text

  • Avoid phrases like “Act Now,” “FREE,” “Only 2 Left!”

  • Use Mission Inbox’s spam check engine to flag risky language, broken headers, or domain mismatches before you hit send

Deliverability Is a Strategy — Not a Metric

Here’s the real KPI equation:

Visibility → Engagement → Conversion.

If people don’t see you, they can’t reply. If they don’t reply, you won’t book meetings.

Forget vanity stats. Focus on:

  • Inbox rate

  • Reputation scores

  • Real human engagement

Ready to Fix Your Deliverability for Real?

Get clear, actionable insights into your inbox placement, reputation health, and sending infrastructure, all in one platform — Mission Inbox.

No more guesswork. Just better delivery.

© 2025 Mission Inbox Inc, All Rights Reserved.

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Propery of Mission Inbox Inc, developed by Cazin

Chicago, Illinois, United States

+1 (512) 270-1303

hey@missioninbox.com

It’s easy to get started

© 2025 Mission Inbox Inc, All Rights Reserved.

|

Propery of Mission Inbox Inc, developed by Cazin

© 2025 Mission Inbox Inc, All Rights Reserved.

|

Propery of Mission Inbox Inc, developed by Cazin