Patrick Sande July 30, 2025
Hi Alison! I’m very excited to be meeting you, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. I have to tell you that you are the driving force for why I check LinkedIn these days. Your posts always put a great smile on my face and, equally important, I have been learning so much from you. So, thanks!
With that, would you mind introducing yourself and what you’ve been doing?
Oh WOW! You’re going to make me cry on the very first question?! It means so much to me that you not only read, but actually enjoy, the stuff I put on LinkedIn. Some weeks it feels like I’m just writing into the void, so hearing that you’re out there makes it feel worthwhile, thank you!!
If we haven’t met yet, I’m Alison Gootee and I am a Deliverability Advocacy Specialist at Sinch Mailgun. I actually just started this job in May, so it’s still pretty fresh! Previously, I worked in email deliverability-related roles at Braze for 6 years, Emma (a Marigold company) for a couple years, and Mailchimp for a couple years before that. And before email found me, I did a slew of other random jobs (dog walker, waitress, and freight customs broker among them) in my quest for long-term, gainful employment.
Congratulations on the new role, Alison! Can you tell us a bit more about the new gig?
Thank you! So, at my most recent job, I was working in a consultant role. I got to work directly with brands I love on anything from IP warming to seasonal sends to brand launches. I had a front-row seat to email initiatives going amazingly well or horribly wrong, at scale. In my new role, I get to be the bridge between the front lines and behind-the-scenes; translating senders’ concerns into actionable platform insights, and keeping everyone informed when we’re seeing things that customers or customer-facing teams should be aware of when supporting our senders.
That’s awesome. What a cool space to be working in! So with that, I’d love to ask you more about Deliverability. I will be completely honest that for most of my career, this has been something I could sorta get away with not really needing to know much about. But, that’s absolutely not the case anymore. How important is Deliverability today?
For brands who rely on email marketing in any capacity, whether that’s one-to-one outreach or bulk marketing, deliverability is critical to your success. Poor deliverability outcomes like spam filtering, blocks, complaints, or even low engagement, are all hurdles to generating the revenue you’re after. Most senders are surprised to learn that spam filters aren’t just looking for malware and phishing attempts, but for anything that users have indicated is low-value. Mail isn’t blocked or sent to the spam folder based on your business model, your legal team’s say-so, or your legitimacy as a company! If brands want to reach the inbox, they need to first understand how mailbox providers award inbox placement and focus on those things, rather than arguing about the results.
I love that - it can sometimes feel like a bit of a mystery but thinking about it as making sure your sending higher value content makes great sense. What tips do you have for others out there, like me, who are playing catch-up?
First, remember the golden rule and treat others’ inboxes the way you want yours to be treated! If you don’t want to be auto-subscribed just because you made a purchase, then don’t do that to your own customers. If you don’t want daily emails from a brand you occasionally buy from, neither do your subscribers! If you hate being asked for your email address when you’re just trying to buy an 8-pack of socks, hey guess what, EVERYONE DOES, and everyone should stop doing that.
Next, and honestly this is just an extension of number one: the majority of deliverability problems can be traced back to your own sending practices, particularly your acquisition. People who want mail will ask for it, and people who don’t want it won’t miraculously become your most engaged subscribers just because you email them all the time. Someone who doesn’t want to receive your messages will inevitably harm your reputation, and in turn your inbox placement, whether it’s with a fake address during signup, or a distinct lack of interest once you’re in their actual inbox. Every person you send to should want your emails so badly that they’d look for them in the spam folder and drag them back into the inbox. If you can’t count on that sort of engagement? Skip it.
Fantastic tips, Alison! I really appreciate your time and insights today. Before I let you go who do you go to for insights and inspiration? Who’s really crushing it out in the email space?
SO many people and I am sure I will forget some and feel bad later, but, in no particular order:
Al Iverson
Lauren Meyer
Simon Harper
Jen Nespola Lantz
Alyssa Dulin
Laura & Steve Atkins
The whole team at Really Good Emails
And of course, the Mailgun marketing team!