If you’ve ever hit “send” on a mass email and wondered where it actually goes—or why only half your contacts seem to read it—you’re not alone. Email deliverability is one of the most misunderstood parts of digital communication, especially when it comes to CRMs and mass messaging platforms.
At Proximity, we’ve built an email system from the ground up with one goal in mind: make sure your messages land in real inboxes, not spam folders. We consistently see over 95% deliverability rates for our customers—but that doesn’t happen by accident. Let’s break down how mass email works, what affects your deliverability, and how Proximity sets you up for success.
What Actually Happens When You Send a Mass Email?
Think of mass email like a shipment: you’re trying to send hundreds or thousands of packages (your messages) to various mailboxes (your recipients). Each internet service provider (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) is like a post office that inspects every package to decide whether it should go to the front door (inbox), the trash can (spam), or get returned (bounce).
These ISPs use a combination of rules, sender reputation, and past behavior to make that call. And in mass email, reputation is everything.
What Affects Your Email Deliverability?
There are a lot of moving parts, but here are the big ones you can control:
1. Hard Bounces Are Red Flags
A hard bounce happens when you send an email to an address that flat-out doesn’t exist. Maybe it was typed wrong, or maybe it’s a dead address. Either way, internet providers see a high hard bounce rate as a signal that you’re not keeping a clean list—or worse, that you might be a spammer.
More than 10% hard bounces? You risk getting flagged, and future emails may start going to spam—even for valid recipients.
2. Sending Reputation Matters
Each time you send an email through Proximity, it travels through a dedicated server assigned just to you. That means your sending behavior doesn’t get diluted or penalized by others using the platform. Many services lump everyone together, so if one bad actor abuses their list, you get punished too. Not with us.
3. Engagement Is King
ISPs also track how people react to your emails. Do they open them? Click links? Or immediately delete? All of that feedback affects your sender reputation. That’s why good content, clear subject lines, and consistent sending habits help keep you in the good graces of inbox algorithms.
Proximity’s Deliverability Best Practices
To make sure your messages stay inbox-bound, here are a few things we strongly recommend:
Clean Your List Regularly
Use tools to validate addresses before sending. We flag hard bounces on your behalf, but it’s up to you to stop sending to them. Request a bounce report from the Proximity team to analyze which email addresses are invalid.Watch Your Bounce Rates
If your bounce rate creeps over 10%, your email reputation could be damaged—even if your intentions are good.Be Consistent and Human
Avoid shouty subject lines, spammy words, or image-only emails. They’re all red flags.
Why Proximity’s Email Service Is Different
Unlike many CRM-based platforms, Proximity gives each user their own sending infrastructure, meaning you’re not penalized for someone else’s bad habits. That design choice—combined with automated bounce handling, list hygiene tools, and best-practice guidance—means our customers consistently enjoy inbox placement rates above 95%.
Want to Learn More?
Here are some great reads if you want to dive deeper:
If you have questions about your current deliverability stats or need help cleaning up your list, reach out to our support team. We’re happy to dig in with you and make sure your messages get where they’re supposed to go.
