Locks and restrictions in Email Marketing

Valid for IONOS Email Marketing

When using IONOS Email Marketing , certain values are monitored to prevent misuse. If the values are exceeded the use of Email Marketing can be restricted. This article informs you about the criteria that need to be observed when sending out a campaign.

Why is my campaign locked?

Exceeding the following criteria can lead to a temporary limitation or restriction on IONOS Email Marketing . The specified limit values refer to the total sending volume of a campaign.

Undeliverable emails > 8%:
Emails that are returned by the addressed recipient because the email address does not exist or is inactive.
Unsubscribes > 1%:
Recipients who unsubscribe from recipient lists.
Blocked emails > 30%:
Emails that are sent to email addresses already marked as undeliverable in previous campaigns.
Spam complaints > 0.08%, but max. 50 spam complaints per day:
Emails that are manually reported as spam by the recipient.
Spam trap hits and complaints about abuse > 1 complaint:
Email providers (ISP/ESP) use certain email addresses as spam traps (e.g. email addresses that have not been used for a very long time). This can be used to identify senders who use outdated lists or lists purchased from third-party providers. An email sent to a spam trap is considered a spam trap hit.

Questions about email campaign locks

The IONOS Customer Support is your first point of contact for Email Campaign locks. For the fastest possible support, prepare the following questions::

How were the addresses recorded in your contact list?
Create a detailed overview of all the ways in which an email address can be added to your list. Make sure that you have recorded the URL for your online collection sources.
When and how was the email address that complained added to your contact list?
Provide as much detail as possible, including the date and timestamp for the subscription, as well as how it was obtained, e.g. via your website's subscription page, a third party, in person, etc. If the address was collected via an online method, please include the URL of the subscription source.
How do you maintain your contact list?
Describe the maintenance effort for your address list. For example, how often do you remove spam complaints, bounces, and unsubscribes from your list?
What targeting do you use in your campaigns?
Targeting is picking a specific group or individuals within an email distribution list to send to. For example, do you only target active subscribers who have signed up or clicked on one of your emails within the last 6 months?

Improve your reputation

Remove role addresses or role accounts:
Role addresses, e.g. info@, contact@, admin@, are email addresses that are not used by a single person, but by a team, group or department. Sending to role addresses is problematic as most recipients have probably never given their consent to receive your email. There is therefore a high probability that your emails will be marked as spam.
Do not use third-party lists:
IONOS does not allow the use of third-party contact lists. Such lists lead to many unsubscribers, bounced emails, and spam complaints, as they are not based on authorization lists and very often contain spam traps. In addition, the use of third-party lists or purchased lists is prohibited by law in most countries.
Remove unused email addresses:
If you have not sent any communications to a contact list for many months, you risk higher response rates due to invalid email addresses and risk spam complaints because recipients have forgotten to unsubscribe from your mailing list. Remove all unused contacts that are older than 6 months.
Manage inactive subscribers:
To maintain a high-quality contact list, it is important to regularly check open and click rates and take action on inactive subscribers.