Aditi Goyal Contents
Cold email campaigns face a persistent challenge: getting emails past increasingly sophisticated email spam filters.
Traditional outreach tools operate with a fundamental limitation – sending all emails from a single, generic server, regardless of the recipient’s email service provider.
Most email outreach platforms use a uniform approach to email routing. Whether targeting a Gmail user or a Microsoft user, emails are sent through emails of mismatched ESPs leading to reduced deliverability.
Let’s see what is ESP matching and how it helps!
ESP Matching
ESP (Email Service Provider) Matching is designed to enhance your email deliverability by matching the sender’s email service provider with the recipient’s. For instance:
- Emails to Gmail addresses are routed through Gmail servers
- Emails sent to Microsoft accounts will come from Microsoft servers
- Each email finds its most optimized delivery path
How does ESP matching help in improving deliverability?
By aligning the sender’s email provider with the recipient’s email provider, ESP Matching leverages natural email-sending patterns and builds trust with email service providers, ultimately increasing the chances of your emails landing in the inbox rather than the spam folder.
Here’s a detailed look at how ESP Matching works and why it’s beneficial:
Human-like Natural Email Flow
Modern email service providers rely on sophisticated pattern recognition to distinguish between genuine and potentially malicious communications.
When emails are sent from the same email service provider as the recipient, they inherently mirror typical human-to-human email exchanges.
Example: A Gmail user receiving an email from another Gmail-based sender appears more legitimate to filtering algorithms. This natural email-sending pattern reduces suspicion and minimizes the likelihood of spam classification.
Building Trust with Email Providers
Email giants like Gmail and Microsoft employ advanced algorithmic screening to protect users from unwanted emails. ESP Matching provides a critical trust signal by:
- Demonstrating consistent, predictable sending patterns
- Matching expected communication infrastructures
- Reducing anomalies that typically trigger spam filters
Reduced Spam Filter Triggers
Sending emails across multiple email service providers can inadvertently raise red flags, especially when:
- Email volumes are high
- Sending patterns appear irregular or unnatural
- Authentication mechanisms vary significantly
By matching ESPs, you can:
- Reduce suspicious activity indicators
- Normalize email-sending characteristics
- Decrease the likelihood of automated spam classifications
Improved Email Reputation
Sender reputation is a critical metric in email deliverability. ESP Matching contributes to reputation management by:
- Increasing inbox placement rates
- Improving potential engagement metrics
- Providing consistent, trustworthy sending behaviors
Higher engagement rates signal to email providers that the communications are valuable and welcome, gradually improving the overall sender’s reputation.
Enhanced Authentication and Security
Matching ESPs typically involves more robust authentication processes, including:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Validates sending server authorization
- DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail): Ensures email integrity
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): Provides comprehensive email validation
These authentication layers significantly reduce the risk of email spoofing and enhance overall security.
Consistency in Sending Patterns
ESP matching promotes consistency in sending patterns, which is a positive signal to email providers. Consistent sending patterns indicate that the emails are part of regular communication and not spammy bulk sending, leading to better deliverability.
How does ESP matching work in Saleshandy?
Enabling ESP matching is very easy in Saleshandy.
- Go to your sequence settings and under ESP matching you will see a toggle that enables it.
- Once you enable it, you will see the following columns.
- ESP – Email service Provides
- Sender account – Number of Sender Accounts connected to your sequences per ESP
- Sending limit – Sending limit per email account as set by you
- Prospects – Number of prospects with different ESPs
Currently, we only match the ESP of Google and Microsoft, any other ESP will fall under the other category and might be sent from both Google and Microsoft or other ESPs.
ESP matching with Sender Rotation
When running cold email campaigns, deliverability is key to ensuring your emails reach the inbox and not the spam folder.
Two powerful strategies that can significantly improve your email outreach success are ESP Matching and Inbox Rotation.
ESP Matching ensures your emails are sent through the same service provider as your recipient’s, boosting trust with email providers. Inbox Rotation helps spread your emails across multiple inboxes, preventing limits and spam flags.
When used together, these strategies create a powerful combination that enhances deliverability, maintains a healthy sender reputation, and ultimately leads to more effective campaigns.
ESP matching with Sending quota
Combining ESP matching with daily sending limits allows you to optimize your email campaigns by ensuring both higher deliverability and adherence to sending restrictions.
ESP matching aligns your emails with the recipient’s email provider, boosting trust and improving inbox placement.
At the same time, staying within daily sending limits prevents you from exceeding quotas that could flag your emails as spam.
By using both strategies together, you can send larger volumes of emails without risking your sender’s reputation or delivery success, ensuring more effective and scalable outreach.
Conclusion
ESP matching can significantly enhance the success of your email outreach campaigns. By sending emails through the recipient’s specific email service provider, you boost the likelihood of landing in their inbox rather than being flagged as spam.
This is particularly valuable for cold outreach and Account-Based Marketing (ABM), where targeting the right recipient is key.
When paired with daily sending limits management, the effectiveness of ESP matching is amplified. By spreading your outreach across multiple inboxes, you can avoid surpassing sending limits and reduce the risk of being flagged as spam.
