Email Marketing

Trust and Email Marketing: Why Reputation Matters More Than Words

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

13 Jun 2010 • 1 min read

Trust is hard to define, but we know it when we feel it—and nowhere is that truer than in email marketing.

Today, the real measure of trust isn’t clever subject lines or fancy graphics. It’s your reputation score: a behind-the-scenes calculation that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use to decide whether your email lands in the inbox, the spam folder, or never gets delivered at all.

This score isn’t random. It factors in bounce rates, spam complaints, authentication, past sending history, and whether people actually engage with your emails. Subject line wording, once a big deal, now plays only a small role.

Here’s the kicker: instead of unsubscribing, up to 20% of recipients simply hit “spam” to make unwanted emails disappear. That click doesn’t just end your relationship with one reader—it damages your reputation across the board.

So how do you protect your score? Relevance. If your emails consistently deliver value, insights, offers, or content people actually want, you become a trusted sender. If not, you’re just another piece of spam.

John Bradley Jackson