What Postmasters Are and Why Businesses Need Them
What is the purpose of postmasters
Depending on the specific provider, postmaster reports may show:
- how many emails were actually delivered to users' inboxes;
- how many emails were rejected or landed in the "Spam" folder;
- how high the trust level is for your domain and IP address;
- whether emails meet technical authentication standards.
Essentially, the postmaster functions as a "flight recorder" of email delivery. It reveals filtering processes that remain invisible in regular analytics. Without this data, users might notice a drop in open rates but be unable to understand whether it is related to blocking issues, complaints, or authentication errors.
It is important to note that a postmaster is not limited to graphs and numbers. It serves as a feedback channel between the provider and the sender. This allows for timely detection of an increase in spam complaints, identification of errors, and maintenance of a good reputation.
What data postmasters collect
The main task of the postmaster is to show the sender how the email delivery service perceives their messages and what factors influence decisions regarding delivery. This is critically important for companies working with email campaigns, as the outcome of these processes determines whether an email lands in the "Inbox" or "Spam" folder.
Let's take a look at the main categories of data that postmasters collect and process.
Trust level for the sender
Deliverability statistics
This includes key metrics showing:
- how many emails were delivered;
- how many emails were rejected;
- what proportion of emails were marked as spam.
The reasons for a high proportion of rejected emails may include outdated or incorrect email addresses in the database, technical failures, or delivery blockages on the provider’s side. The postmaster helps distinguish random errors from systematic ones and determine steps for further action: for example, checking the contact database, reconfiguring the infrastructure, or requesting unblocking.
User complaints (feedback loop)
This is a feedback mechanism showing how many recipients have marked an email as spam. For the email service, this metric is the primary indicator of user dissatisfaction. If the complaint rate rises, email deliverability may decline sharply. The postmaster provides this data in aggregated or detailed form.
Authentication errors (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
For modern mailing services, proper authentication is a must. If even one signature fails verification, there is a high probability that the email will be perceived as suspicious. Postmasters show the percentage of successful verifications and record cases of non-compliance, thereby allowing timely detection and resolution of issues.
TLS encryption
The security of email transmission also plays an important role. The postmaster provides information on whether emails are sent via the secure TLS protocol and whether the server supports a secure connection. For the provider, this is an additional signal of trust: emails from organizations that pay attention to security have a better chance of being delivered to their recipients.
What opportunities postmasters offer
Postmasters turn the flow of technical data into user-friendly dashboards and tools, enabling marketers and developers to ensure proper email delivery and compliance with requirements. This is achieved through several key features:
Visual dashboards
Graphs and tables showing trends in key metrics are the face of the postmaster. Here, it is possible to see how the domain reputation has changed over a specific period, what percentage of emails have ended up in "Spam" in recent days or weeks, and how often authentication errors occurred. The visual format helps quickly grasp trends and respond to issues before they impact deliverability.
Automated reports and API
In conjunction with ESPs and marketing platforms, data from the postmaster can be used to generate specific suggestions: not just "what went wrong" but also "how to fix it". For example, systems indicate errors in DKIM configuration or a sudden increase in complaints and immediately suggest steps for correction. Instead of resolving issues manually, the user receives ready-made guidelines for restoring the sender reputation.
Additional functions by different providers
The extended functionality of the postmaster depends on the specific service. Some providers may offer detailed reports for audience segments, while others provide visual trust indicators.
For example, the postmaster may implement Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) technology. This allows the display of the company logo next to the message in the email client’s interface. Such an element enhances brand recognition and trust.
Examples of active postmasters
Today, several active postmasters are available on the market, suitable for use by email marketers. Each has its own unique features and functionalities.
Postmaster Tools by Gmail
A service that allows bulk email senders to track how Gmail evaluates their messages and what factors influence deliverability.
Available data in Postmaster Tools by Gmail includes:
| Data | Description |
|---|---|
| IP and domain reputation | Presented as diagrams and color indicators; categorized as High (minimal complaints, good deliverability), Medium (possible issues, increased risk of landing in "Spam"), Low (a significant portion of emails might land in "Spam") and Bad (emails are almost always rejected or land in "Spam") |
| Spam complaint rate | Proportion of emails marked by users as spam |
| Authentication results | SPF, DKIM, and DMARC compliance, cases of non-compliance |
| Encryption usage | Whether TLS protocol is used for message transmission |
| Delivery errors | Percentage of rejected or undelivered messages |
Starting from February 1, 2024, senders who send over five thousand emails per day to Gmail addresses must comply with updated rules, including as follows:
- SPF and DKIM must be configured for the domain. DMARC also needs to be configured (though the policy can be set to
none). - The domain or IP must have valid PTR records ("reverse DNS records" showing that the IP address actually belongs to your server).
- Emails must be transmitted over a secure connection (TLS encryption) and comply with RFC 5322 standards (correct headers and structure of emails).
- The spam complaint rate must be kept below 0.30%.
- It is prohibited to specify email addresses on the @gmail.com domain in the
From:header if the messages are sent from a third-party server or email platform. - All marketing emails and subscription messages must support one-click unsubscribe and contain a noticeable link for unsubscribing in the email body.
Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to delivery blocks or emails being marked as spam.
Yahoo Sender Hub
A platform that has replaced the classic Yahoo Postmaster, serving as a single management hub for domains and spam complaints.
To connect a domain to Yahoo Sender Hub, a user needs to verify that it belongs to them. This requires adding a special TXT record to the domain settings; emails must be signed with DKIM, and a working address to which Yahoo will send complaints (e.g., postmaster@ or abuse@) must be provided.
Key features of the service include:
- Complaint Feedback Loop (CFL): automation of ARF format reports about which emails were marked as spam by the recipients.
- Bulk domain import: uploading up to 100 domains via CSV, which is convenient if the sender has many sites or brands.
- DKIM support for the entire domain: just connect the entire domain at once, and Sender Hub will accept complaints for any emails signed by that domain.
Conclusion
Postmasters are a strategic tool for anyone working with bulk email campaigns. They allow you to see email delivery from the perspective of the email provider and maintain a high reputation.
For companies that build their communications and sales through email, postmasters help ensure channel stability and directly influence marketing effectiveness. The cleaner the database and the more stable the authentication and reputation metrics, the easier it is to scale the email channel and implement new marketing scenarios.
