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Best Practices

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How to conduct high-volume email customer vetting (with example questionnaire included!)

How to Conduct an Email Customer Vetting with Example Questions

It can only take one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch (of sending IPs). So, email service providers (ESPs) enact an entire process to research new customers in an to attempt to weed out the bad actors (worms) before they’re able to send their first email. Without proper vetting, spammers and fraudsters can wreak […]
How to conduct high-volume email customer vetting (with example questionnaire included!)

How to Conduct an Email Customer Vetting with Example Questions

It can only take one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch (of sending IPs). So, email service providers (ESPs) enact an entire process to research new customers in an to attempt to weed out the bad actors (worms) before they’re able to send their first email. Without proper vetting, spammers and fraudsters can wreak […]

by Lauren Meyer - May 25, 2023

Using Pre-vetting to Protect your Self-serve ESP Platform

When the Certified Senders Alliance asked me to participate in a webinar about best practices for email onboarding, I jumped at the chance. It’s such a nuanced topic with so many ways to creatively and easily keep email service providers (ESPs), especially self-serve models, reputable and successful.  While of course I believe watching the entire […]

by Lauren Meyer - May 11, 2023
two computers calling each other

What is a Webhook?

Wondering what’s a webhook? In this article, you’ll get a crash course on webhooks. You’ll learn, what’s a webhook, example of webhooks, why use….

by Skyler Holobach - April 24, 2023
Email best practices pictured as a man watering flowers with envelopes on top of the stems.

Nurture the seeds of success with email best practices for complex senders

Even for the most direct sending use cases where you’re sending on a single domain, email best practices can feel a little bit more like…suggestions. Sometimes we’re guilty of not using our best judgment and while sometimes there’s little to no consequence, that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Like…REALLY important.  Best practices for every sender […]

by Lauren Meyer - April 20, 2023

Gmail Tabs: Friend, Not Foe

The scene: One of your senders calls your customer service team and starts complaining.   What’s the complaint? Oh, just a common one we hear all the time as not just an email service provider (ESP), but as members of the email community at large.  They’re upset their mail is being delivered…to the Promotions tab.  Gasp! […]

by Lauren Meyer - February 21, 2023

Avoid the reputation wrecking ball

Right out of the gate, here is some advice: You should absolutely care about a bad reputation.  Complex senders like email service providers need to care about two different types of reputation to be able to feel secure in the market. First and most obviously, having adequate IP and IP pool reputation to better ensure […]

by Lauren Meyer - January 30, 2023
swamp monster climbing out of swamp and scaring man

The Email Swamp: Don’t Go Bayou-self!

Let’s not beat around the bush: As an email service provider (ESP), you probably (definitely) have an IP or pool that looks more like a swamp than, well…a pool you actually want to use.  There is nothing wrong with having an Email Swamp! There is, however, a big risk in not watching the swamp like […]

by Nicky Copland - January 17, 2023
Build buy or diversify with a mailbox with 3 types of mail going in.

Build, Buy…Diversify!

By now, after reading our Build or Buy eBook, which you most certainly did (right?), you likely have a good understanding of the nuance between building or buying your email infrastructure.  If you didn’t read it, it’s no biggie – we’ll give you a quick primer here but strongly encourage you get the full run-down […]

by Tim Moore - January 10, 2023
A bad actor is using the sender reputation of other brands to send their spam.

Subdomain Squatters are Threatening Your Email Sender Reputation

An unfortunate reality of email sender reputation is the ability for it to be weaponized. Of course, as senders you can do a whole bunch of things to protect yourself from malicious activity, and the effect is not only protection, but a positive sender reputation. Mailbox providers (MBPs) use reputation information to protect their own […]

by Brian Godiksen - October 26, 2022

Ducking and Dodging Spam Traps

Email and spam traps have an “It’s Complicated” relationship status on Facebook. Or at least they would if Facebook still had that option.  If you’re here, you likely know enough about spam traps to be dangerous. If not, here is a little quick info to keep you up to speed on what they are and […]

by Lauren Meyer - October 12, 2022

Avoid Santa’s Blocklists This Holiday Season

Ho ho hold on there. Your holiday email program may be running a little behind, but you still can’t run amok.  While Santa’s sleigh is still parked in the hangar, you’ve got some work to do before you can make it rain — er, snow — email. If you don’t, you might find yourself on […]

by Skyler Holobach - October 5, 2022

How To Know You’re Hitting Spam Traps

There are only a few things you can count on in life:  Death  Taxes  Spam traps  I’m serious.  Spam traps are simply a fact of life for email marketers and really, anyone sending email at all. There are a bunch of types with different uses and they’re sprinkled out there in the world waiting to […]

by Lauren Meyer - September 29, 2022

Leaving the Choir: Shared IPs vs. Dedicated IPs

When I was in middle school, I joined a musical theater class. Of course, first year students were always relegated to the choir. It made sense: Most first-time performers were new to singing and performing and it’s risky to trust a rookie. Most organizations starting an email program are also put into the “choir.” Instead […]

by Mike Hillyer - September 12, 2022

On the Record: Spamhaus and Informational SBLs

Last week, I sat down with Matthew Stith, industry liaison at Spamhaus, to discuss the recent uptick in informational SBLs. My mission was to find out what’s going on, why the recent change, and what it means for the future of email service providers (ESPs) and senders alike.   I’ve structured this as simply and […]

by Lauren Meyer - September 1, 2022

This is Your Email on Burnout

We are all exhausted   Burnout: the word of the year   Well….multiple years.  I had the pleasure of talking about two of my favorite topics at UNSPAM in Chicago: burnout and recovering from an email disaster. The experiences of discovering you’re burned out and finding yourself on a blocklist are extremely similar, and so is the […]

by Skyler Holobach - August 24, 2022
An illustration of a person receiving a triggered email.

Triggered Email: Beyond the Blast

The scene: a late-night Amazon scrolling session where your cart is full of must-have items like an avocado slicer, a tofu press, and a vintage butter knife. But wait! You put down the phone and go to sleep, your wallet thankful for your willpower. But then! The next morning you get the email you didn’t […]

by SocketLabs - June 8, 2022
A blog cover with moving boxes and a moving truck, showing someone moving on to a new email delivery provider.

Moving On: Your Essential Email Delivery Migration Guide

Today you’re gonna learn how an email vendor migration is a lot like moving to a new home—including the reasons for moving, as well as the pains and frustrations that come along with it. In this article, we’ll help you understand the benefits of email migration from one email delivery vendor to another. We’ll also […]

by David Mozeleski - April 12, 2022
scale email delivery

Scaling Up: Growing Your Email Program the Smarter Way with SocketLabs’ Concierge

Work smarter, not harder with email expertise and strategic guidance from SocketLabs Concierge Email Solution.

by Lauren Meyer - March 7, 2022
Members of the SocketLabs concierge team ready to assist you in finding context so you can send email the smart way.

Finding Context: Send Email the Smart Way With SocketLabs’ Concierge

In over your head managing your email program? Get professional expertise and strategic guidance with SocketLabs Concierge Email Delivery Solution.

by Lauren Meyer - February 15, 2022
DKIM Replay Attacks

DKIM Replay Attacks: Preventive Measures to Protect Email Deliverability

Old spamming techniques are making a comeback. See how bad actors are stealing sender reputation to send spam, and what you can do about it.

by Brian Godiksen - February 14, 2022
top ten email best practices

Top 10 Resolutions for Email Success in 2022!

Get the new year started off right with our top ten resolutions for a successful email program in 2022!

by Lauren Meyer - January 7, 2022
top level dontmains

Top-Level Do(n’t)mains: A Cautionary Tale About Choosing the Right Sending Domain for Your Email Program

SocketLabs’ Brian Godiksen and Campaign Monitor’s Travis Hazlewood look into the increasingly prevalent issue of top-level domains causing major deliverability issues.

by Brian Godiksen - December 10, 2021
email intelligence with StreamScore

Email Performance Management Made Easy

SocketLabs’ Director of Customer Solutions, Brian Godiksen, spends some time with our Chief Marketing Officer, Lauren Meyer, talking about StreamScore™ and how its evolving the email landscape we know today

by SocketLabs - November 10, 2021
why your holiday email campaigns are already late

Your Holiday Email Campaigns are Already Late: How to Get Caught Up

Holiday email campaigns not started yet? You’re late! Don’t panic, check out what our email experts have to say about the do’s and don’ts of holiday email this year.

by SocketLabs - October 12, 2021
Streamscore email reputation monitor

SocketLabs StreamScore™

Email intelligence that shows you how your email is performing, areas that need work, and what you can do to get more from your email program.

by SocketLabs - October 5, 2021
email deliverability do and dont best practices

Email Deliverability Best Practice Guide: Hot or Not

Hitting the inbox can be challenging, we cover the top hot, and not-so-hot email deliverability best practices that will help get you to the inbox.

by SocketLabs - September 20, 2021
email open rates

Email Open Rates are (Mostly) Dead: Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Care

Are email open rates really dying? Here’s what’s really happening with email open rates and why you’ll be just fine!

by Lauren Meyer - September 15, 2021
types of email infrastructure

How to Choose the Right Email Infrastructure for Your Business

On-Premises, cloud, hybrid…email infrastructure can be a complex topic. We put together a guide (along with a handy comparison chart) of the main types of email infrastructure that exist today and the benefits and challenges that come with each option.

by Lauren Meyer - August 20, 2021

How to Check Your Domain Reputation with Google Postmaster Tools

Learn how to use Google Postmaster Tools to check your domain reputation and other valuable email metrics to help stay on top of your email and improve your deliverability

by Brian Godiksen - August 17, 2021
email data

Turning Email Data into Intelligent Insight: Interview with Louis Driving Hawk, Director of Product Management

SocketLabs’ Director of Product Management, Louis Driving Hawk explains the SocketLabs’ methodology on email data and how its being used to change the way businesses manage email delivery

by Lauren Meyer - August 10, 2021
hosted email infrastructure

Email Infrastructure Landscape: Your Guide to Email Delivery in 2021

Using a hosted email infrastructure solution is one of the best ways to send your transactional and marketing email…

by Lauren Meyer - July 23, 2021
smtp or imap

SMTP or IMAP: What’s the Difference? [Bonus: What is POP3?]

Today you’re going to learn exactly whether you should be using SMTP or IMAP. In fact, there is a major difference between the two protocols. In this article, we’ll help you understand the differences between SMTP and IMAP. We’ll also briefly touch on POP3. Let’s get started. What is SMTP? What is IMAP? What Is […]

by John Porrini - July 2, 2021
email deliverability expert

10 Ways to Unlock More Value From Your Email Program

Trying to convey the importance doing email the right way to various departments at your company (or customers) can be a challenge, here are 10 tips to share to help everyone unlock more value from email.

by Lauren Meyer - June 11, 2021

5 Reasons Why Your Email Goes to Spam Instead of the Inbox

…email keeps getting stuck in the spam folder? We’ve compiled a list of the top 5 reasons your emails goes to the spam folder instead of the inbox…

by Jarred Injaian - June 9, 2021
importance of email

The Importance of Email in Modern Business: Interview with SocketLabs’ CRO Brandon Dingae

SocketLabs’ CRO Brandon Dingae explains the relevance of email in the business world, and shares insights about how SocketLabs is meeting the challenges of high-volume senders with unique email needs.

by Lauren Meyer - June 8, 2021
email deliverability terms

Email Deliverability Cheat Sheet

Getting started in the complex world of high-volume email deliverability? Here’s a quick guide on the most important email deliverability terms to know!

by Lauren Meyer - June 7, 2021

What is My IP Reputation? [3 Ways to Improve]

Find answers to all your questions on IP reputation and how it can affect your email deliverability. Read more on SocketLabs’ blog!

by Jarred Injaian - May 20, 2021
avoid email blocklists

How to Avoid Email Blocklists: 7 Tips from Leading Blocklist Providers

Learn how to stay off of email blocklists and improve your deliverability with 7 tips from the industry’s leading blocklist providers.

by Lauren Meyer - May 17, 2021

What is a Spam Filter and How Does it Work?

A spam filter can be your worst enemy as a bulk email sender, or it can be a powerful tool used to out-perform your competition…

by Jarred Injaian - May 3, 2021
smtp response codes

21 SMTP Response Codes That You Need To Know

Use these 21 Common SMTP Response Codes to determine why an email bounced, or why you’re receiving an SMTP error when sending email…

by John Porrini - January 26, 2021
how to warm up an ip address

How to Warm up an IP Address

IP warming is the process of warming up a new IP address by gradually increasing the volume of emails sent through it over a period of time…

by Jarred Injaian - January 22, 2021
A confused person asking "What is BIMI?"

What is BIMI?

BIMI, or brand indicators for message identification, is a new industry-developed specification that allows brands to associate their logos with email they send.

by SocketLabs - January 20, 2021
Transactional email CAN-SPAM

Transactional Email & CAN-SPAM: Is Transactional Email Exempt?

The CAN-SPAM Act is a US law which establishes standards for sending commercial email. But what about Transactional Email & CAN SPAM? In this post you’ll…

by John Porrini - January 16, 2021
how to send confirmation emails

How to Send Confirmation Emails: 5 Tips with Examples

In today’s day and age, confirmation emails are extremely important. Find out how to send confirmation emails that hit the inbox and make happy customers…

by SocketLabs - December 15, 2020
what is dkim

What is DKIM?

DKIM is an email authentication mechanism that helps ensure an email has not been altered in transit using custom signatures in…

by SocketLabs - June 11, 2020
what is transactional email

What is Transactional Email? [With Examples]

What is transactional email and how can it help generate revenue? Transactional email is an email that is prompted by the…

by Jarred Injaian - May 29, 2020
Effective Communication In a Remote Work Environment with tips from Mark Cuban

Tips for Effective Communication in a Remote Work Environment 

Now, more than ever, clear, effective digital communication is more important than ever before. Here are a couple tips and tricks that will make things easier…

by Jarred Injaian - May 7, 2020

Why We Partnered with SocketLabs

Hear from CTO of SignUp.com, Patrick Dyson, speak on his experience switching to SocketLabs….

by SocketLabs - March 20, 2020
recipient report

New Recipient Activity Report From SocketLabs

Socketlabs is excited to introduce new reporting features that provides customers with email performance history and engagement data down the individual level!

by SocketLabs - March 7, 2020
reduce email bounce rates

How To Reduce Email Bounce Rates [4 Easy Steps]

Learn how to reduce email bounce rates in 4 easy steps to get your emails to the inbox on, time every time…

by Jarred Injaian - January 20, 2020
troubleshooting email delivery issues

Troubleshooting Email Delivery Issues: 4 Tips To Get Back On Track, Fast

Troubleshoting email delivery issues can be a real headache…Luckily we’ve made it super easy with this four part checklist….

by Jarred Injaian - December 19, 2019
what is ccpa

What is CCPA: Everything You Need to Know

With January 1, 2020 approaching quickly, its important to know what is CCPA and how it will impact your business moving forward…

by SocketLabs - December 16, 2019
azure email

How To Send Email From an Azure Web App

Sending email from your Azure web application just got easier with the SocketLabs Email Service listed in the Azure App Center…

by Jarred Injaian - November 22, 2019
email campaign analyitics

Email Campaign Analytics That Make a Difference

How can you determine the effectivness of your high volume email without the proper email campaign analytics to guide your…

by Jarred Injaian - November 12, 2019
mailjet alternative

Easy Mailjet Alternative: SocketLabs Getting Started Guide

If you are looking for a Mailjet alternative after their recent acquisition by Mailgun, SocketLabs makes it easy to get up and running…

by SocketLabs - November 5, 2019
email marketing still effective

Is Email Marketing Effective?

Bad email practices have left businesses and consumers wondering if email marketing is still effective. The simple answer is…

by Jarred Injaian - November 2, 2019
how to use email data analytics

5 Interesting Ways to Use Email Data Analytics

Check out these 5 interesting ways you can use email data analytics to transform the way you send high volume email….

by Jarred Injaian - November 1, 2019
future of email

The Future of Email: Is Email Still Relevant?

Advancements in modern communication technology have left people questioning the relevance of email. In this blog we will cover what the future of email actually looks like…

by Jarred Injaian - October 24, 2019
customer experience email

Using Email to Drive a Better Customer Experience [With Real Examples]

Most people wouldnt consider email a part of their customer experience strategy, those people should think again…

by SocketLabs - October 21, 2019
customer service experience

7 Ways to Master Your Customer Service Experience

Master your customer service experience with these 7 tips from customer experience expert and CEO Lindsay Willott…

by Jarred Injaian - October 18, 2019
Email Analytics Best Practices

Email Analytics Best Practices: Using Analytics to Optimize Email Deliverability

Improving your email deliverability comes down to one thing: email analytics. Are you following email analytics best practices? Find out…

by Jarred Injaian - October 11, 2019
engagement tracking

Simple and Secure Email Innovation: Encrypted Engagement Tracking

An innovative solution from SocketLabs for encrypting the custom-branded, white-labeled engagement tracking links that are used inside customer email messages!

by SocketLabs - September 15, 2019
spf email authentication

SPF Email Authentication: Explained in Plain English

What is Sender Policy Framework (SPF)? Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an open email authentication standard used to prevent sender address forgery, allowing senders to publish a list of IP addresses, or server names that are authorized to send on their behalf. SPF authenticates the domain used in the “envelope” or return-path email address. This […]

by SocketLabs - September 12, 2019
what is email analytics

What is Email Analytics: How to Use Email Analytics Best Practices to Improve Email Performance

Learn how to improve your email performance by answering this simple question: What are email analytics and how do you ise them?

by Jarred Injaian - August 29, 2019
three marketing tricks

Three Tricks for the Modern Marketer

After our time with best selling authors and award winning marketers, we took away three tricks that every marketer should use to succeed…

by Jarred Injaian - August 5, 2019
importance of email authentication

The Importance of Email Authentication

After two exciting days at Digital Summit Philadelphia, marketers from around the globe learned the importance of email authentication and how it works…

by SocketLabs - July 29, 2019
Dyn Alternative

Oracle Users Seek Dyn Alternative: Here’s What You Need to Know

With Oracle’s recent annoucement of the discontinuation of Dyn Email Services and DNS, customers are left looking for a Dyn alternative

by SocketLabs - July 18, 2019
socketlabs email tools

New SocketLabs Email Tools

SocketLabs is excited to introduce four new email tools that will simplify the tedious and complicated tasks associated with email platform management…

by Jarred Injaian - June 27, 2019
email blast

How to Send Bulk Email Without Using an Email Blast

Here is why you should avoid sending your high volume email through an email blast campaign…

by Jarred Injaian - June 10, 2019

Don’t Forget the “L”: How A Typo Spam Trap Can Destroy Your Email Deliverability

Is it possible that a company’s email deliverability can be impacted by a simple typo? The short answer is yes — keep reading to learn more…

by John Alessi - May 2, 2019
What is a Smart Host?

What is a Smart Host Service?

At a very high level, an SMTP Smart Host is a server that sits between an email sender’s server and an email recipient’s server that can…

by Jarred Injaian - May 1, 2019
SMTP Monitoring

SMTP Monitoring: How to Monitor Delivery Errors with Email Monitoring Tools

What is SMTP Monitoring? Learn all you need to know about how to specifically monitor your email delivery errors and message failures.

by John Porrini - April 29, 2019
what is email throttling

What is Email Throttling?

Trying to improve your email deliverability? Learn what is email throttling and how it will get more emails to the inbox…

by Jarred Injaian - April 29, 2019
best bulk email service

8 Things to Look for When Choosing the Best Bulk Email Service Provider

When looking for the best bulk email service for your business, follow these 8 tips to get the most success from your email…

by Jarred Injaian - April 26, 2019
how to improve email open rates

How to Improve Email Open Rates [Top 4 Tips and Tricks]

Learn how to improve email open rates with these four steps to get your important emails to the inbox on time…

by Jarred Injaian - April 24, 2019

Top 3 Benefits of DMARC

Today we’re going to talk a little about the benefits of DMARC. What is DMARC? DMARC is an email technology that is really cool. It’s essentially an email authentication protocol that is designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use. DMARC email authentication is really valuable to companies […]

by Brian Godiksen - April 23, 2019
What is an email bounce?

What is a Email Bounce? [Three Ways to Lower Your Bounce Rate]

A bounced email is an email that makes it to the recipient server but encounters an error before making it to the….

by Jarred Injaian - April 18, 2019
smtp email delivery

SMTP Email Delivery 101: When Is An Email Actually Considered Delivered?

Today you’re going to learn about SMTP and email delivery — exactly when an email is actually considered delivered. Ready? Let’s go…

by John Porrini - April 11, 2019
what is my ip reputation

What is My IP Reputation? [3 Ways to Improve]

…have noticed a decrease in your email engagement and deliverability, it may be time to start thinking about your IP reputation.

by Jarred Injaian - April 10, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 8

This is part 8 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. Conclusion As spam and online threats continue to plague user inboxes, Internet and email providers will continue to aggressively take steps to protect their users by implementing the latest technologies and standards available. Email authentication is part […]

by SocketLabs - April 5, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 7

This is part 7 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. ISP Adoption of Email Authentication As stated earlier, there has been no general adoption of one specific email authentication standard by the ISP and receiving communities. Additionally, ISPs generally have not been forthcoming about what authentication methods […]

by SocketLabs - April 4, 2019

Effective Transactional Email Design: The Anatomy of a Receipt Email

What does an effective transactional email design look like? In this post, you’ll learn how to create an an effective transactional receipt email that…

by John Porrini - April 4, 2019
what effects email deliverability

What Affects Email Deliverability: Top 3 Best Practices

Let’s dive a little deeper into what affects your email deliverability and how you can maximize the potential of your email sending

by SocketLabs - April 4, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 6

This is part 6 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. DomainKeys Identifed Mail (DKIM) DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is the successor to Yahoo DomainKeys. Being very similar in functionality to DomainKeys, DKIM has additionally adopted aspects from Cisco’s Identified Internet Mail standard (IIM), and the result […]

by SocketLabs - March 31, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 5

This is part 5 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. DomainKeys DomainKeys is a domain-level authentication standard that uses public/private key encryption, DNS, and multiple policies to prove the legitimacy and contents of an email message. It verifies the domain used in the “from” or “sender” header. […]

by SocketLabs - March 29, 2019
What Port Does SMTP Use

What Port Does SMTP Use?

Port 25 is registered for SMTP, meaning it’s the only port to use for email that is being transmitted from server to server…

by Jarred Injaian - March 29, 2019
setup smtp gmail

How to Setup SMTP in Gmail: Do You Know the Limits?

Looking to setup SMTP in Gmail? For most small senders, Gmail SMTP is a quick setup. However, Gmail’s SMTP server comes with serious limitations…

by John Porrini - March 28, 2019
what is telnet

How to Test SMTP Relay Server Connection Issues With This Powerful Telnet Alternative

Get step by step instructions on how to test your SMTP relay connection with SocketLabs’ telnet alternative.

by John Porrini - March 28, 2019

What is an SMTP Server?

An SMTP server is a lot like any other server but it is highly specialized in the ability to process and deliver outbound email.

by Jarred Injaian - March 28, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 4

This is part 4 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. Sender ID Framework (Sender ID) Very similar to SPF version 1 is SPF 2.0, more commonly known as Sender ID. Sender ID works on the same principles as SPF, with the exception that it not only has […]

by SocketLabs - March 27, 2019

Email Whitelisting: A Dying Practice

What are email whitelists and are they still relevant to you in todays highly technical email industry? An email whitelist is a…

by Jarred Injaian - March 25, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 3

This is part 3 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. Sender Policy Framework (SPF) For purposes of clarification, the term SPF used in this section refers to SPFv1 or SPF Classic. SPF 2.0 will be discussed in the next section under Sender ID. Sender Policy Framework (SPF) […]

by SocketLabs - March 24, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 2

This is part 2 of an 8 part series on Email Authentication, to go to part one click here. A Brief History of Email Authentication Meng Weng Wong and Sender Policy Framework The concept of email authentication – validating sender email either by IP address or encryption – dates back as far as 1997. Multiple specifications […]

by SocketLabs - March 22, 2019
transactional email GDPR

Transactional Email GDPR Rules: Can You Send Transactional Email Without Consent?

Under GDPR do you need consent to deliver transactional emails to EU citizens? Find out in this post about Transactional Email and GDPR…

by John Porrini - March 15, 2019

The Complete Guide to Email Authentication, Part 1

Introduction The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview and description of the most commonly used email authentication practices and methodologies. It is not exhaustive in nature, and does not cover every aspect of every technology in use today. It does, however, cover the main topics and points of discussion with regard […]

by SocketLabs - March 15, 2019
powershell automation

Making the Most of PowerShell Automation – More than Just Sending Email

If you are an IT administrator and want to learn more about how you can use PowerShell automation to simplify administrative duties…

by SocketLabs - March 11, 2019
marketing email example

Top 6 Transactional Email Best Practices

Today we’re sharing our very best top 6 transactional email best practices to ensure smooth delivery of your transactional email. Here’s the list…

by John Porrini - February 11, 2019
example of marketing email

Marketing vs Transactional Email [All You Need To Know]

Learn the difference between transactional and marketing emails, with examples of each and best practices to ensure your email is delivered…

by John Porrini - February 6, 2019
hipaa email API

The Software Developer’s Guide to HIPAA Email APIs

Do you need a HIPAA email API for your app? In this post we’re going to help you understand the basics of HIPAA and email. Let’s get started…

by John Porrini - January 9, 2019
Send email using python

How to Send Email Using Python [With Code Samples]

SocketLabs’ Python 3 email library is perfect for sending basic and bulk emails from your Python application.

by David Schrenker - December 31, 2018
Golang send email

Introducing the Golang Send Email Package

SocketLabs’ Golang email API is perfect for sending basic and bulk emails from your Go application.

by Joe Cooper - December 31, 2018
nodejs-send-email

Building the Node.js Send Email Library While Embracing the Flexible Nature of JavaScript

Our goal with the SocketLabs Nodejs Send Email library was to embrace the flexible nature of the JavaScript language and the Node.js framework, thereby allowing developers to use the library in their own preferred coding style.

by John Porrini - December 11, 2018
c# send email guide

[Guide] How to Use C# to Send Email From Your Application (With Code Samples)

Need to use C# to send email from your app? In this short guide, we’ll show you how to enable your C# app to send email! Get C# code samples…

by John Porrini - December 5, 2018
Secure Email API

Secure Email API: Best Practices for Message Protection

Does using an API make email more secure? In this blog post we’ll discuss whether or not an Email API will make your email more secure. Ready? Let’s go…

by John Porrini - November 19, 2018
setting up my own smtp server

How to Setup SMTP Servers: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You DIY

Want to setup your own SMTP server? It might not be worth it when it comes to deliverability. Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before you DIY.

by John Porrini - November 15, 2018
how to find SMTP credentials

How to Choose a Hosted SMTP Relay Service – [Use This 5 Point Checklist]

SocketLabs™ SMTP relay services give you the tools and support you need for your email. Guaranteed! Discover reliable SMTP relay services today.

by John Porrini - November 15, 2018

SocketLabs, the GDPR and Privacy Shield. What Email Senders Need to Know.

We are writing this article to let you know about the upcoming GDPR regulations, what we are doing at SocketLabs regarding our own compliance and ways that we may be able to help you with yours. As a trusted email delivery service, we hope to educate you on issues involving the use of our email […]

by John Alessi - February 27, 2018
Customer Support PIN

Introducing The Customer Support PIN

At SocketLabs, we take the security of your account and data very seriously. That’s why we created a new feature called the Customer Support PIN. Now, when you call or live chat with us, we may ask you to provide your four digit PIN to verify that you are associated with the account. In this […]

by John Porrini - December 4, 2017

Best Practices with Sender Policy Framework (SPF)

What is SPF? Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is one of the primary means of authenticating email messages as they transit the Internet. The importance of SPF is growing as additional technologies, such as DMARC, are built on top of the standard. As more domains implement SPF records, greater value is derived from the framework for anti-spam […]

by Brian Godiksen - September 14, 2017

How to Ensure That Forwarded Messages Arrive at the Destination Mailbox

Auto-Forwarding is a frequently used mailbox rule to move messages along from a secondary mailbox to a primary mailbox. But, this in itself has some shortcomings, such as forwarding spam messages along or failing to forward messages along due to security policies put in place by the original sender of the message. We have in […]

by Brian Godiksen - June 15, 2017
How subscription bombing works

Are You Aware of This Hidden Danger of Collecting Email Addresses on Your Website?

Subscription bombing, also known as mail bombing, is an internet-wide trend where malicious bots attack a person via their email address, ultimately rendering the address and email account useless for a period of time. In this article, we’ll discuss how you – the sender, can be compromised by an attack if the forms on your […]

by John Porrini - June 8, 2017
Upload Email List

How to Create Personalized Emails Using Custom Fields

With even more access to marketing data, marketers are focusing more on personalization of email and custom fields can help you send personalized emails…

by John Porrini - March 15, 2017

Take Your Notification API and Inbound Parse API Endpoints Serverless with Azure Functions

Take Your Notification API and Inbound Parse API Endpoints Serverless with Azure Functions SocketLabs offers a suite of powerful programming language agnostic APIs, which enable application developers to integrate with the SocketLabs On-Demand platform. Two of our popular APIs are the Notification API and the Inbound Parse API. When you send mail through SocketLabs On-Demand, […]

by John Alessi - March 9, 2017
JSON example

How to Unleash the Power of Merge Fields

SocketLabs offers the ability to send messages through your server using our Injection API. With the Injection API you can use JSON or XML to create a large number of messages and send them to your SocketLabs server over HTTP, rather than SMTP. This allows for some significant flexibility in sending email, especially in cases […]

by Brian Godiksen - March 3, 2017
Open Loop Example

9 Ways to Improve Your Email Open Rate

SocketLabs processes millions of emails, so we know what it takes to get emails opened. Here are 9 actionable tips to help improve your email open rate.

by John Porrini - January 16, 2017

A Brief History of Spam [Infographic]

You may know what Spam is, but do you know the history of spam? This short infographic will tell all that you need to know about the history of spam.

by John Porrini - October 21, 2016
Holidays

Are You Prepared for the Holidays?

Are You Ready to Send More Email over the Holiday Season? Did you know that during the holidays we tend to see email traffic increase by up to 30% platform wide? Well, the holidays are fast approaching and if you’re planning to send more email during the holiday season then now is the perfect time […]

by John Porrini - September 29, 2016

Are Your Messages Being Transmitted Securely?

If you are not certain that your messages are being securely transmitted to the SocketLabs platform, then today is a great day to review your current configurations.  We’ve launched additional options, features, and security to the encryption behind the SocketLabs SMTP gateway.  With these great enhancements in place we are calling for all SocketLabs customers to […]

by Brian Godiksen - August 23, 2016

Understanding Modern Spam Filters

Spam filtering used to be a cut and dry affair, very binary, black and white. Mail was either spam or it was not spam. Analyzing a message and deciding the bucket for each was also a simple process. For the most part filtering technology scaled well along with the rise of the internet. DNS blacklists, the […]

by Brian Godiksen - July 7, 2016

Email Lists, A Better Upload

Uploading email lists can be challenging, but we have just made it much easier with our newly revamped list upload tools.

by John Alessi - May 10, 2016

Introducing Email Image Management

Now it is easier than ever to incorporate images in your email content

by John Alessi - April 6, 2016

Introducing Our New Email Designer

SocketLabs’ new email designer enables anyone to easily create great looking email content! Try for Free today, and let us help design your emails.

by John Alessi - January 12, 2016

Today Google Announced Their DMARC Plan, and It May Affect Your Email

Google’s DMARC implementation plan may affect your outbound email. Discover what you need to know online here at SocketLabs, and try us for Free!

by Brian Godiksen - October 20, 2015

How to Stay off of Santa’s Blacklists This Holiday Season

Here are some simple tips to help you get the most success out of your holiday email and stay off of the blacklists! Check out this blog today at SocketLabs.

by John Alessi - September 30, 2015

Two-Step Verification

Discover our two-step verification service which helps to ensure your email account is protected! Check out SocketLabs’ hosted email solutions today.

by John Alessi - June 11, 2015

Is Poor Message Formatting Hurting Your Inbox Placement?

Is poor message formatting hurting your inbox placement? Find out now at SocketLabs! Read about error codes now to discover if your messages are compliant.

by Brian Godiksen - February 12, 2015

The Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Email Results in 2015

Increase your email results in 2015 by following these 5 simple recommendations.

by John Alessi - December 23, 2014

Taking Password Security Seriously

With today’s security breaches, it’s more important than ever to understand how to keep your personal data secure by using safe passwords. Read more today.

by Scott Figario - November 20, 2014

The Importance of WHOIS Data for Email Senders

WHOIS data plays an important role in the deliverability of your email messages. Come to SocketLabs, and learn how concealing your identity may hurt you.

by Brian Godiksen - November 6, 2014

Are You Ready For The Holidays?

Holiday Email Tips The Holidays are fast approaching and SocketLabs is ready to handle your holiday email traffic. Many of our customers will have a significant increase in volume over the holidays. Now is a good time to review your account and prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Here are some suggestions: Clean Your Lists […]

by John Alessi - October 2, 2014

Securing and Protecting the Privacy of Your Email with SSL/TLS

Learn about SSL and TLS and how they can protect your email data with a layer of security. Discover how SocketLabs provides secure email delivery and relay!

by Brian Godiksen - August 5, 2014

AOL Becomes Second Major Mailbox Provider to Implement DMARC

AOL Mail implements a DMARC record which could prevent emails from getting delivered in certain circumstances. Read about the implementation at SocketLabs.

by Brian Godiksen - April 23, 2014

Heartbleed Bug

As you may be aware, a serious bug in the OpenSSL library was recently discovered (CVE-2014-0160). The OpenSSL library handles SSL encryption for the majority of sites on the Internet. We conducted a prompt investigation on April 8th, 2014 and found only one vulnerable machine which was immediately mitigated. As an added precautionary measure, we […]

by John Alessi - April 10, 2014

Yahoo.com Changes DMARC Policy

Google has implemented a new change in their DMARC policy. Read about the effects of this change in policy and what it means for email messaging!

by Brian Godiksen - April 7, 2014

GMail Adds New Unsubscribe Option

Find out the latest on the new GMail unsubscribe feature to understand the impact on your email campaigns. Check out this blog today at SocketLabs!

by Brian Godiksen - February 24, 2014

5 Common From Address Mistakes You Should Correct Now!

The From Address is a Critical Component of any Email Message. When was the last time you put some thought into the address you are using in the from field of your messages? Between anti-spam analysis and brand identification, the from address is one of the most critical components of an email message. It is […]

by Brian Godiksen - February 18, 2014
Modern HTML Email by Jason Rodriguez

Designing Emails for Mobile Devices

Ensuring your email works well on a mobile device is becoming increasingly critical! Learn how to design emails to effectively reach your audience.

by Brian Godiksen - December 16, 2013

Increase Deliverability By Separating Your Mail Streams

Transactional and Marketing email messages are looked at differently by ISPs. This article focuses on increasing deliverability by separating mail streams.

by John Alessi - November 11, 2013

Do’s and Dont’s of Email Marketing Content

When it comes to getting your email to the Inbox, there are some email marketing best practices to follow that will help ensure you get there! Learn more.

by Brian Godiksen - November 4, 2013

The Top 5 Smart Host Mistakes An SMTP Provider Can Help With

Don’t damage your email deliverability reputation. Avoid these top 5 smart host mistakes by partnering with a free smart host service provider like SocketLabs.

by John Alessi - October 28, 2013

The Danger of Auto-Forward Rules

Use SocketLabs smarthost smtp service to help you easily find & solve email delivery issues associated with auto-forwarding rules. Read today at SocketLabs!

by Brian Godiksen - October 21, 2013

Mailbox Providers 101 – Part 5 The Big ISPs

SocketLabs On-Demand service provides an optimized SMTP server infrastructure to send your email more effectively to the large MSO ISP service providers.

by Brian Godiksen - September 24, 2013

Mailbox Providers 101 – Part 4 Outlook

At SocketLabs we have customers asking us questions every day about the big mailbox providers.  These providers run a significant percentage of consumer inboxes and some also offer corporate and private domain mailbox solutions. Through years of delivering billions of messages to these organizations, we’ve gained great insights which we will share over the next […]

by Brian Godiksen - September 19, 2013
AOL

Mailbox Providers 101 – Part 3 AOL Mail

Mailbox Providers 101 – A five part series about the industry’s biggest email domains. Here at SocketLabs we have customers ask us questions everyday about the big mailbox providers.  These providers run a significant percentage of the consumer inboxes and some also offer corporate and private domain mailbox solutions.  Through the years of delivering billions […]

by Brian Godiksen - September 18, 2013

Mailbox Providers 101 – Part 2 Yahoo! Mail

Mailbox Providers 101 – A five part series about the industry’s biggest email domains. Here at SocketLabs we have customers ask us questions every day about the big mailbox providers.  These providers run a significant percentage of consumer inboxes and some also offer corporate and private domain mailbox solutions. Through the years of delivering billions […]

by Brian Godiksen - September 17, 2013

Mailbox Providers 101 – Part 1 GMail and Google Apps

Here at SocketLabs we have customers asking us questions every day about the big mailbox providers.  These providers run a significant percentage of consumer inboxes and some also offer corporate and private domain mailbox solutions. Through years of delivering billions of messages to these organizations, we’ve gained great insights which we will share over the […]

by Brian Godiksen - September 16, 2013

How Transactional Email Can Affect Your Bottom Line

Transactional email delivery can be critical to establishing and keeping customers engaged. What happens when your critical transactional email doesn’t make it to your customer’s inbox?

by John Alessi - September 4, 2013

8 Easy Ways to Improve Your Transactional Email Messages

Discover these 8 easy ways to improve your transactional email messages! Come to SocketLabs, and learn how to create a positive customer experience.

by John Alessi - September 4, 2013

Best Practices Using Custom DKIM Signatures

Interested in using custom DKIM signatures? We have the information you are looking for! Discover the best practices using custom DKIM signatures.

by Brian Godiksen - August 5, 2013

Engage Your List: The Importance of Customer Engagement

Discover a list of tips to help increase your customer engagement. Our tools make it easy to track! Find out the importance of customer engagement here.

by John Alessi - July 22, 2013

Why you should think twice before sending to a purchased list

Growing email lists may take more effort rather than buying lists, but it is effort well spent. Learn why you shouldn’t purchase email lists at Socket Labs.

by Brian Godiksen - July 15, 2013

Changes At Yahoo Mail You Need to Know Now!

Laura Atkins over at the Word to the Wise blog posted an interesting article on undocumented changes that seem to have taken place behind the scenes at Yahoo Mail.  Multiple sources are reporting an increase in “invalid user” or hard bounces at Yahoo over the last couple of weeks.  It appears that Yahoo is not only revamping […]

by John Alessi - April 9, 2013

Preventing Backscatter Spam When Using SocketLabs as a Smart Host

Learn how you can prevent backscatter spam when using SocketLabs’ Smart Host email delivery platform! You can prevent email spam from happening today.

by Brian Godiksen - April 5, 2013

Best Practices for Using Custom MailingIDs and MessageIDs

Socket Labs provides information on the best practices for using custom MailingIDs and MessageIDs. Find email delivery solutions at SocketLabs.com!

by Brian Godiksen - January 24, 2013

New Injection API Brings Email Assembly to SocketLabs On-Demand

New Injection API Now Available At SocketLabs we constantly look for ways to add value through new functionality to our hosted SMTP relay service SocketLabs On-Demand.  Our new Injection API is one of those value-added features that provides developers with a new, flexible way to inject outbound email messages into our SocketLabs On-Demand service for delivery without using […]

by John Alessi - January 24, 2013
Launch the SocketLabs SMTP Console

Diagnosing SMTP Service Connection Issues

Are you having problems connecting to smptp.socketlabs.com? Come to SocketLabs today, and let us help diagnose your SMTP service connection issues!

by Brian Godiksen - January 22, 2013

Don’t Let Blacklisted Domains Affect Your Deliverability

Over the past few months, we have been working on designing and implementing a new ultra-efficient spam detection system across our entire outbound email delivery infrastructure.  Processing billions of messages a year through our SMTP servers makes it difficult to scrutinize each and every message to the level of detail we desire.  As we have incrementally […]

by Brian Godiksen - January 15, 2013

Are your DomainKey/DKIM keys secure enough?

If you are securing your email with DomainKeys or DKIM, please be aware of the key-length you are using. Our free DKIM tool generates 1024-bit keys.

by John Alessi - October 26, 2012

Announcing Hurricane MTA Server Version 2.0

Hurricane MTA Server Version 2.0 Today we are pleased to announce version 2.0 of our industry leading Hurricane MTA Server.  Hurricane MTA Server 2.0 is the next evolution of our high performance, high deliverability MTA. Under the Hood Running our own cloud SMTP service, which we built on top of Hurricane MTA Server, has given […]

by John Alessi - October 16, 2012

New Suppression List Removal Process for Complaints

This morning we released an update to the SocketLabs On-Demand Control Panel with a new removal process for addresses suppressed due to a complaint. You now have the ability to remove any user from your Suppression List without any interaction with SocketLabs Support Team, making it easier than ever to directly manage your Suppression List. […]

by Brian Godiksen - November 10, 2011

Keeping Your Mail out of the Spam Folder

Laura at Word to the Wise has posted an excellent article on how to keep your mail out of the bulk folder. In it she also references another great article: 10 Things you can do if your email campaign is going to the junk folder At SocketLabs, we put all the technology and management in […]

by John Alessi - January 7, 2011

The Single Most Important Thing Marketers Need to Know about Sending Email

Forcing messages on someone is not going to ever be easy or effective with email. But email marketing can be very powerful and rewarding if you accept and follow the one truth. We all tend to see things through the lens of the past. We get new tools, but try to use them like the […]

by John Alessi - October 28, 2010

How would your subscribers rate your marketing email?

On a scale of 1-10 how would your subscribers rate your marketing email? Take a step back and think about it. Are you providing them with information that they would consider useful or just a sales pitch? When your subscribers see your message in their inbox, what emotion do you think they feel? What content […]

by John Alessi - April 5, 2009

Surviving the down Economy – Communicating with your Customers

There are many articles out there that will tell you what to do to help your business survive a down economy, but one item that seems to make most of the lists is communicating with your customers.  When starting a new marketing campaign it is import to focus on what will give you the best […]

by Bill Volz - March 10, 2009

Best Practices: AOL, MSN, Yahoo

If you are experiencing email delivery problems or delay issues when sending to the larger ISP’s then most likely there is a reputation problem with your IP address.  The first thing any ISP will tell you when you ask how you can improve your reputation is to follow their best practices guide.  The problem is […]

by Bill Volz - January 5, 2009

Enable your Recipients to Determine Email Frequency

Determine email marketing frequency with SocketLabs email delivery service! Give your subscribers control over the frequency and content of your messages.

by John Alessi - December 22, 2008

Tracking Opens and Clicks

The latest build of Hurricane Server includes native support for tracking opened mail messages as well as click-throughs. Not only that, but it is fully automated and so simple to use. To make this happen, two main pieces had to come together: 1) we needed to include a web server dedicated to catching open and […]

by John Alessi - October 25, 2007

Just How Old is the Oldest Message in Your Queue?

Monitoring the age of messages in your queue is a great way to monitor the health of your server and ensure that messages are being processed in the expected time frame. We recently rolled out an update to Hurricane Server that allows you to view the age of the oldest message in each account. This […]

by John Alessi - September 19, 2007

Greylisting: a High-Level Overview

Greylisting is a method used by a receiving mail server to prevent spam from entering its network. It does this by rejecting incoming messages on their first attempt. Since the typical email systems employed by spammers are not programmed or set up to try again later, their messages never get delivered. Normal internet mail servers, […]

by John Alessi - June 16, 2007

Making the cut – DomainKeys

We had put off implementing DomainKeys in Hurricane Server due to the multitude of other tasks that were at hand. But at the 9th hour it looks like DomainKeys functionality will make it into the new release. I am very happy about this because using DomainKeys will enable more of your mail to get delivered […]

by John Alessi - May 9, 2007