Episode 235: Email Deliverability Troubleshooting: A Real-World Case Study from Mentor Table Office Hours

The Smart Marketer Podcast

Episode 235: Email Deliverability Troubleshooting: A Real-World Case Study from Mentor Table Office Hours Episode Description

Your emails might look great, but are they even landing in inboxes?

In this Mentor Table Email Office Hours session, you'll sit in on a real-time troubleshooting call with Heather and Matt from the Smart Marketer email team as they help a founder navigate a frustrating deliverability issue. If you’re sending emails and seeing sudden dips in opens, strange bounce patterns, or deliverability issues with major inbox providers then this is for you.

“It's difficult to diagnose any one thing. A lot of it is just making sure you're tightening up sending practices.” – Matt

You'll hear common mistakes, how to fix them, and advanced tips to keep your list healthy and compliant so you can keep driving sales.

You Will Learn:

• How to identify and troubleshoot bounce-related email issues

• The DNS records you must have configured (SPF, DKIM, DMARC—and how to check them)

• What a branded sending domain is and why it's now required by major email providers

• How to use tools like Litmus, MX Toolbox, and Sender Score to test and monitor

• Why exclusion segments and list hygiene matter more than ever

• When to consider switching to a dedicated IP address and how to know if you’re ready

Links & Resources:

• Smart Marketer Mentor Table

• Omnisend for Email & SMS (Use code SMART for 50% off 3 months)

• Litmus Email Testing Tool

• MX Toolbox – DNS & Blacklist Lookup

• EasyDMARC – Email Security Platform

• Sender Score – Email Reputation Check

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Mentor Table Email Office Hours 01:12 – Ezra’s Omnisend Recommendation 02:16 – The Deliverability Problem: Rising Bounces and Email Errors 04:50 – Policy-Related Bounce Messages Explained 07:15 – Tools to Test Inbox Appearance & Placement (Litmus) 08:53 – How to Check DNS Setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) 13:01 – Using Zoho & Klaviyo Separately for Deliverability 15:01 – Exclusion Segments & List Hygiene Tactics 16:06 – Should You Move to a Dedicated IP? 18:35 – Diagnosing Blacklists & Using Lookup Tools 22:04 – Sender Score, EasyDMARC, and MX Toolbox 25:08 – Final Thoughts & Action Plan for Inbox Recovery

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