A recipient’s email provider decides whether to place a message in the Inbox, Spam/Junk folder, or quarantine. Even a message that was sent successfully can still be filtered after acceptance.
Common reasons
- Your domain’s email authentication records are missing, incorrect, or not aligned with the sender.
- The sending server or domain has a poor reputation.
- Messages contain deceptive subjects, suspicious links, or unusual attachments.
- Large volumes of similar messages are sent without appropriate consent or unsubscribe handling.
- The recipient has a personal rule, block, or company spam policy.
Steps you can take
- Ask a recipient to check Spam/Junk and report whether the email is there or was rejected.
- Confirm whether the issue affects one recipient, one company, or multiple providers.
- Ensure the From address matches an authorized sending service. A website form, mailbox, and AIOTB campaign may use different senders.
- Ask your domain administrator to verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for the services that send mail on your behalf. Do not add duplicate SPF TXT records.
- Avoid misleading subject lines, excessive links, and attachment-heavy messages. Include recognizable business identity and contact information.
- For bulk marketing, send to permission-based contacts, honor opt-outs, and maintain clean lists.
- Review any bounce or reputation reports provided by the sending service.
What is not guaranteed
Authentication improves legitimacy and helps receivers evaluate mail, but it does not guarantee Inbox placement. Likewise, asking one recipient to mark a message “Not Spam” may help that person but cannot force every mail provider to accept future messages.
Still need help?
Provide the sending address or service, recipient domain, sample sending time, and the full non-sensitive delivery details or headers if available. Include whether the message was sent from Outlook, WordPress, or AIOTB.