A Peek Beneath the Send Button ✉️

A Peek Beneath the Send Button ✉️

Explained by our CTO, Oskar Smith.

When you send a campaign through Airship, you want it to be seen, not just sent. Deliverability is the difference between arriving in the inbox and being lost to spam.

Our CTO, Oskar Smith, created this framework to help explain the journey of an email, what affects its success, and how you can protect your sending reputation.

Delivery vs. Deliverability

Delivery – The email reached the mailbox provider. If it bounced, it never arrived.

Deliverability – The email reached the inbox, bypassing spam.

Think of it like this: delivery is getting through the front door; deliverability is making it to the living room.

The Journey of an Email

Send – Your campaign leaves Airship with headers, content, tracking pixels, unsubscribe link, sending IP and domain.

Passport control – Mailbox providers check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Fail these checks, and you risk being delayed or blocked.

Security check – Trustworthiness is assessed based on your past sending behaviour, engagement, and complaints.

Decision time – Inbox, Promotions, Spam, or Bounce.

Feedback loop – Every open, click, complaint, and bounce impacts future sends.

IPs, Domains, and Reputation

IP address – The “van” that carries your email. Airship keeps it clean, monitored, and warm.

Sending domain – The “logo” on the van. This is your brand’s responsibility to maintain.

Branded domains – Improve trust, inbox placement, and brand recognition. If you can set one up, you should—and we’ll help.

Factors That Influence Deliverability

Mailbox providers consider:

• IP and domain reputation
• Spam complaints
• Bounce rates
• Engagement (opens, clicks, replies)
• Spam traps
• Content issues (spammy language, broken links, poor text/image ratio)
• Sending patterns (sudden spikes, inconsistent frequency)

Best Practice for Better Results

Only send to opted-in contacts – Never use old or purchased lists.

Keep lists clean – Remove hard bounces, persistent soft bounces, and unengaged recipients.

Respect frequency and relevance – Send content people expect and want.

Use branded domains – They strengthen trust and improve inbox placement.

Monitor the right metrics – Clicks are more reliable than opens, which can be inflated by Apple Mail Privacy Protection

How Airship Monitors Deliverability

We monitor:

• Platform-wide – Issues like blacklisted IPs.
• Customer-level – Repeatedly poor delivery or high bounce rates.
• If a problem is spotted, we’ll work with you to fix it—whether that’s technical authentication, list hygiene, or content adjustments.

Final Thought from Oskar

Good deliverability comes from good sending habits. Send relevant emails to the right people at the right time, and you’ll earn trust with mailbox providers. Airship takes care of the technical delivery, so you can focus on creating emails worth opening.

Need help setting up a branded domain or improving your sending practices?

Contact us here.

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