Definition
The email delivery path traces every stop an email makes after hitting send. Understanding this path helps diagnose deliverability problems.
Typical Path
- MTA (Mail Transfer Agent): Your sending server hands the email off using SMTP
- Outbound IP: The email leaves from your sending IP address
- DNS Lookup: The receiving server looks up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
- Inbound MTA: The receiving server accepts or rejects the connection
- Spam Filter: Content is scored against filtering rules
- Engagement Filter: The ISP checks how this subscriber has engaged with you
- Inbox Classification: The email is sorted into primary, social, promotions, or spam
- Render: The recipient's email client displays the message
Why It Matters
A breakdown at any step can cause delivery failure. Checking SMTP logs, authentication results, and postmaster tools at each step reveals where deliverability issues originate.
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
AIDA Model for Email
The AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a classic copywriting framework used to structure email campaigns that guide subscribers from awareness to conversion.
AMP for Email
AMP for Email is a Google-developed framework that allows email messages to include interactive elements like forms, carousels, accordions, and live content. It turns static emails into dynamic, interactive experiences directly inside the inbox.
Anchoring Effect in Email Marketing
The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias where the first piece of information presented (the anchor) influences subsequent decisions, used in email to frame pricing and value perception.
Announcement Email
An announcement email is a dedicated campaign that communicates a specific update, milestone, or change to subscribers, from product launches and feature releases to company news and events.