Email deliverability is about more than just pressing send. Even when campaigns are correctly delivered from MediaOS, they can be blocked, rerouted, or ignored by recipient inboxes due to technical misconfigurations, poor content practices, or engagement history. This article helps you uncover the reasons your emails may not be reaching your readers—and offers clear, proactive steps to improve campaign performance and ensure your messages are seen.
Why Emails Might Not Reach Your Readers #
Even when an email campaign is successfully sent through MediaOS, that doesn’t always mean it lands in the recipient’s inbox. Email providers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo use strict filtering systems that may block, reroute, or deprioritize your emails for various reasons. Some issues are technical, like missing DNS records, while others relate to your content or engagement levels.
Note: This article focuses on MediaOS campaign emails, not one-to-one emails sent through the Gmail integration.
Common Causes to Check First #
Before diving into technical fixes, it’s helpful to review the most frequent deliverability obstacles. These include using low-quality or outdated lists, sending content that appears overly promotional, missing DNS configurations such as DKIM or SPF, or being blocked by recipient email filters. Your domain might also appear on a suppression list, or your emails may be ignored because of previous unsubscribes or spam reports.
Important: MediaOS cannot bypass a recipient’s spam filters or override their email client’s filtering logic.
Checking for Email Blocks #
One of the fastest ways to identify if someone is not receiving your emails is by using the Email Blocker Check tool inside MediaOS. This feature can show whether a specific email address has blocked your domain, been flagged for spam, or added to a suppression list.
To use the tool, navigate to Campaigns > Email Blocker Check and enter the recipient’s email. If the result shows they are blocked, MediaOS will stop sending to that address to protect your sender reputation. Continuing to send to blocked addresses can lead to your email domain being flagged by global spam filters.
Configuring Your DNS Records #
Proper DNS setup ensures email providers recognize that MediaOS is authorized to send on your behalf. Without these records, your campaigns may be marked as suspicious or rejected altogether.
DKIM Records #
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) verifies that your emails come from an approved sender and haven’t been altered. If DKIM is missing or misconfigured, platforms like Gmail may block or flag your campaigns.
SPF Records #
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lets receiving email servers confirm which systems are allowed to send messages for your domain. Incorrect SPF settings are a common reason for delivery failures.
Whitelisting Our IP and Sending Address #
For organizations managing their own mail servers or spam filters, whitelisting the sending IP and address can dramatically improve deliverability. We recommend approving the following:
- From Address: no-reply@mediaos.com
- IP Address: 168.245.55.238 (Note: only required if you are not using your own SendGrid account)
Content Quality Matters #
Email providers assess the quality of your messages based on engagement and perceived value. Emails that are overly promotional, sales-focused, or lacking useful content are often deprioritized or flagged.
If your subject lines use excessive capitalization, emojis, or urgency-driven phrases like “BUY NOW,” your campaigns are more likely to be filtered. Similarly, sending promotional emails to your entire audience without segmentation or editorial content lowers your overall deliverability.
Tip: Think of each campaign as a newsletter. Include helpful content that your audience finds useful—not just ads.
Check Subscriber Engagement #
Inboxes reward engagement. If your readers open and click your emails, future messages are more likely to reach them. If they ignore or delete them, your deliverability drops.
To improve engagement, review open and click rates from recent campaigns. Consider segmenting your audience so only active readers receive messages, and run a re-engagement campaign for inactive users.
Tip: High engagement tells inbox providers that your messages are valuable, which improves overall inbox placement.
We Can Send It, But We Can’t Make Them Open It #
MediaOS handles the generation and delivery of your email campaigns, but it cannot guarantee what happens once the message reaches the recipient's inbox. Platforms like Gmail and Outlook make independent decisions about whether to show the email in the inbox, spam folder, or elsewhere. They may also block tracking pixels, prevent link clicks, or disable formatting.
Note: Think of it like mailing a letter—MediaOS can deliver it to the mailbox, but we can’t control whether it gets opened or read.
Suggested Next Steps #
If you’re still encountering deliverability issues, here are the immediate actions to take:
Start by using the Email Blocker Check tool to confirm the recipient hasn’t blocked your domain.
Verify that your DKIM and SPF records are correctly configured.
Whitelist no-reply@mediaos.com and IP 168.245.55.238 if you're not using your own SendGrid setup.
Avoid campaigns that are purely promotional or lacking in reader value.
Review engagement metrics and consider sending only to active segments of your list.
