Hey {{First Name}},
Let’s clear up a common misconception:
👉 Low click rates do NOT automatically mean there are deliverability issues.
Clicks are a signal, not the whole story.
Here is how engagement ACTUALLY affects your deliverability
How inbox providers actually judge engagement
Inbox providers look at patterns over time.
They care about:
Proper email authentication
Solid sender reputation
Low spam complaints & unsubscribes
High user engagement
Replies
When you send emails that are properly authenticated, getting LOW spam complaints/unsubscribes, and high opens, clicks are easy to overlook by mailbox providers.
You’re more likely to be flagged and sent to spam if you’re being seen as a scammy sender, that’s typically gauged first by email authentication and spam complaints, NOT by engagement.
When engagement indicates a real problem
Here are some signs that a drop in engagement is an issue:
Click rates drop off a cliff
Open rates drop across multiple sends
People stop replying (As noted by your support team)
Revenue starts to drops
Your “Recently unengaged users“ segment is growing (Profiles that have received a certain number of emails and have NOT opened or clicked in the last 30 days)
That’s when inbox placement starts to slip.
Want the full deliverability walkthrough?
This week, we covered auditing deliverability, segmentation, and engagement, but if you want the overview of everything you need to get dialed in for best-in-class email deliverability, watch my latest YouTube video where I break all of this down visually.
👉 Watch it here: https://youtu.be/biGjS9pfBU4
If you want a follow-up on how to improve engagement without hurting revenue, reply to this email and let me know.
Until next time.
– Anthony
P.S. A few practical ways to improve engagement without risking deliverability:
Test more plain-text emails (they often feel more personal and get replies)
Improve your angles, not just your offers
Example:
❌ “Shop these sleep gummies for better sleep tonight.”
✅ “Does your racing mind stop you from sleeping? Try these risk-free.”
Use past performance and unit economics to find offers that balance profit and sales volume
Test tools like Mailmend to see if moving emails from Promotions to the Primary tab improves CTR