What is SPF and why does it matter?

SPF defines which mail servers can send on behalf of your domain; publish a correct v=spf1 record to avoid SPF failures. Incorrect records or excessive DNS lookups cause SPF to fail and raise spam scores.

How strict should my DMARC policy be initially?

Begin with p=none to collect aggregate reports (RUA) and review sources. After validating legitimate streams, move to quarantine or reject to enforce protection without blocking valid mail.

Can I use a third-party ESP and still maintain reputation?

Yes—document sending IPs and ensure ESPs authenticate with your domain via DKIM and SPF. Coordinate warm-up and suppression lists; assign ownership for ESP-related items in the checklist.

How often should I clean email lists?

Remove hard bounces immediately and implement a re‑engagement cadence for inactive addresses every 90 days; frequent cleaning reduces bounce and complaint rates and preserves sending reputation.

Does HIPAA affect email deliverability checks?

Yes—if messages include protected health information, apply HIPAA security rules and retain evidence per 45 CFR §164.530(j). Use encryption and verify Business Associate Agreements where applicable.

What if messages still land in spam?

Review authentication alignment, sending IP reputation, content (links and images), complaint rates, and recipient engagement. Use inbox-placement testing and consult mailbox provider feedback to target remediation.

Electronic Signature
Templates
Miscellaneous
Email Deliverability Checklist

Email Deliverability Checklist

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

EMAIL DELIVERABILITY CHECKLIST

Client Name: Consultant Name:

Project Name

Primary Contact

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Client Name: seeks to assess and remediate email deliverability for the Project Name: ; and

WHEREAS, Consultant Name: possesses technical expertise to evaluate sending infrastructure, authentication, content, and recipient management to improve inbox placement; and

WHEREAS the parties desire that Consultant perform the evaluation and provide findings and remediation recommendations in accordance with the Scope of Work below.

SCOPE OF WORK

Consultant will perform a technical and operational audit addressing the checklist items below, produce a remediation plan, and provide implementation guidance. Deliverables include an executive summary, detailed findings, and prioritized remediation steps.

Detailed Scope

CHECKLIST — AUTHENTICATION

SPF record present and authoritatively published for sending domains
SPF alignment with From header ensured (envelope-from alignment)
DKIM signing configured with valid selectors and rotation plan
DMARC record published and enforcement level appropriate (p=none/quarantine/reject)
BIMI readiness evaluated (logo, VMC considerations)

Authentication Notes

CHECKLIST — SENDING INFRASTRUCTURE

Dedicated IP versus shared IP analysis completed
IP warm-up plan established and documented
PTR record / reverse DNS matches sending domain
HELO/EHLO name is consistent and resolves to sending IP
SMTP TLS and modern cipher suites configured

Infrastructure Notes

CHECKLIST — SENDING PRACTICES

Sending rate / throttling policy documented
Segmentation by engagement and recency in place
Working unsubscribe mechanism and suppression logic
Feedback loops (ISP complaint reporting) enrolled where available
Bounce handling and automated suppression functioning

Sending Practices Notes

CHECKLIST — CONTENT & TEMPLATE

Subject lines and preheaders tested for spam triggers
Proper text-to-HTML ratio and accessible templates
Tracking domains aligned with sending domain(s)
Personalization and dynamic content controls validated
Templates reviewed for unintentionally phishing-like content

Content Notes

CHECKLIST — RECIPIENT MANAGEMENT

List hygiene practices and suppression lists maintained
Consent and source records are retained and auditable
Re-engagement and sunset policies implemented
Double opt-in and confirmation flows verified where required

Recipient Management Notes

CHECKLIST — MONITORING & REPORTING

Seed tests and inbox placement monitoring scheduled
IP and domain reputation monitoring configured
Open, click, complaint, and unsubscribe metrics baselined
Major mailbox provider postmaster metrics reviewed

Monitoring Notes

REMEDIATION & RISK MITIGATION PLAN

Immediate remediation items, prioritization, and responsible parties should be captured below. Consultant will highlight any items that may materially impact delivery and recommend timeline estimates.

Remediation Plan

PAYMENT TERMS

Consultant compensation for the services described herein shall be as follows.

Total Amount Payment Schedule Late Fee

TERM AND TERMINATION

This engagement commences on Effective Date and continues until completion of the services or earlier termination in accordance with this section.

Effective Date End Date (if applicable) Notice Period for Termination

CONFIDENTIALITY

Each party shall treat as confidential all non-public business and technical information disclosed by the other party that is designated as confidential or that reasonably should be understood to be confidential given the nature of the information. Consultant may disclose confidential information only to personnel and subcontractors who have a need to know and who are bound by confidentiality obligations. Confidentiality obligations survive termination for a period of two years, except for trade secrets which remain protected for as long as they qualify as trade secrets.

GOVERNING LAW

This agreement and any disputes arising from it shall be governed by the laws of the State of without regard to conflict of law principles.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This document, together with any attachments and written amendments signed by both parties, constitutes the entire agreement between Client and Consultant with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, and understandings, whether oral or written.

ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS

Client represents that it has the necessary rights to send to the recipient lists provided and that those recipient lists were obtained and maintained in compliance with applicable law. Consultant represents that recommendations will follow industry best practices and applicable law but does not guarantee specific inbox placement outcomes.

Client:

By:

Date:

Consultant:

By:

Date:

What the Email Deliverability Checklist Covers

An Email Deliverability Checklist is a structured guide designed to ensure messages reach recipients' inboxes reliably. It covers technical authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sending infrastructure configuration, list hygiene, content and link review, frequency and volume limits, feedback loop handling, and monitoring. Use it to document current settings, identify gaps, assign owners, and track remediation steps. The checklist supports consistent operational practices across marketing, transactional, and system-generated mail streams to protect sender reputation and reduce bounces, blocks, and spam-folder placement.

Why a Deliverability Checklist Matters for Your Email Program

A checklist reduces operational risk by improving inbox placement, limiting bounce rates, and protecting IP/domain reputation. It helps teams identify configuration errors, align marketing and security controls, and meet consent and privacy obligations while improving measurable delivery metrics.

Who Typically Completes the Email Deliverability Checklist

Use this checklist as a shared operational tool that IT, marketing, and compliance teams can complete together to ensure consistent email delivery practices.

IT / Email Operations: Responsible for DNS, SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, sending IP configuration, and bounce handling scripts.
Marketing / Growth Teams: Provide sending cadence, segmentation rules, and content templates; own suppression and unsubscribe lists.
Legal / Compliance: Verify consent records, opt-in sources, and industry-specific requirements such as HIPAA or education record protections.

Coordinated ownership speeds remediation and reduces contradictory settings that harm reputation; include a named owner for each checklist item.

Core Sections to Include in the Email Deliverability Checklist

A practical checklist is modular: authentication, infrastructure, list health, content, monitoring, and compliance sections each require clear checks and owners.

Authentication

Verify SPF syntax, DKIM key rotation, and a DMARC policy with reporting configured to receive aggregate and forensic reports for domain protection and visibility.

Sending Infrastructure

Document sending IP addresses, ESP settings, reverse DNS, rate limits, and whether dedicated or shared IPs are used to manage reputation and throttling.

List Hygiene

Confirm suppression lists, bounce processing, hard/soft bounce rules, re-engagement campaigns, and automated removal of stale or invalid addresses.

Content & Links

Review subject lines, visible From addresses, authentication-aligned Return-Path, link domains, and use of tracking parameters that can trigger spam filters.

Monitoring & Reporting

Set up inbox placement checks, aggregate DMARC reporting ingestion, bounce metrics, complaint rates, and scheduled reputation audits with assigned owners.

Compliance & Consent

Record source of consent, opt-in timestamps, privacy disclosures, and any sector-specific obligations such as HIPAA safeguards for protected health information.

Step-by-Step: Completing the Email Deliverability Checklist

Follow the checklist in order: validate authentication, confirm infrastructure, clean lists, review content, then enable monitoring and reporting.

01

Inventory Domains: List all sending domains and subdomains.
02

Configure SPF: Publish correct SPF record and test mechanism results.
03

Publish DKIM: Add DKIM records and verify signature alignment.
04

Set DMARC: Start with p=none, monitor, then move to stricter policy.

How to Configure an Online Checklist Workflow

Set up a shared, versioned checklist in a collaboration tool and automate routing to owners for each item with deadlines and evidence attachment.

Field	Configuration
Owner Assignment	Assign team member and backup contact
Evidence Attachment	Require screenshot or DNS record link
Due Date	Set realistic deadlines per item
Verification	Designate verifier and approval step

Where to Submit Completed Checklist Items

Route completed items to teams and systems that act on them: DNS hosts for record changes, ESPs for sending configuration, and monitoring tools for verification.

DNS Host: Update SPF/DKIM/DMARC records at the authoritative registrar.
Email Service Provider: Configure ESP sending settings and IP warm-up procedures.
Monitoring Platform: Ingest DMARC reports and inbox-placement data for analysis.
Internal Ticketing: Open a ticket for each remediation with owner and deadline.

Technical Requirements for Digital Checklist Management

Use a platform that supports PDF and DOCX attachments, automated routing, and integrations with DNS, ESP, and monitoring tools for end-to-end workflow.

File Formats: PDF, DOCX supported
Integrations: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365
Audit Trail: Timestamped activity logs

Recommended Timelines and Review Cadence

Establish recurring schedule items to maintain deliverability health and document expected response times for incidents.

Daily Monitoring:

Check DMARC aggregate reports and bounce spikes each business day.

Weekly Actions:

Process hard bounces and update suppression lists weekly.

Monthly Review:

Run inbox-placement tests and review complaint metrics monthly.

Quarterly Audit:

Audit DNS records, DKIM keys, and IP reputation every quarter.

Annual Policy Review:

Reassess DMARC enforcement and vendor relationships yearly.

Common Mistakes That Harm Email Deliverability

Publishing an incorrect SPF record that uses include loops or exceeds DNS lookup limits can cause SPF to fail and increase spam classification.
Failing to rotate or publish DKIM keys correctly leaves signatures invalid and undermines message authentication across recipients and ESPs.
Moving immediately to DMARC reject without monitoring often causes legitimate mailstreams to be rejected; start with p=none and collect reports first.
Neglecting list hygiene and sending to stale addresses raises bounce rates and complaint counts, which quickly damage IP and domain reputation.

Operational and Compliance Risks of a Poor Checklist

Deliverability Loss: Sustained reduced inbox placement rates

IP Blacklisting: Listing that interrupts outbound mail

Legal Exposure: Noncompliance with consent or privacy rules

Revenue Impact: Lower conversions and transactional failures

Increased Costs: Remediation, consultant, or warm-up fees

Operational Delay: Longer incident resolution timelines

eSignature Provider Comparison for Managing Checklists and Evidence

Compare core eSignature vendor features and costs relevant to hosting, signing, and storing checklist documents; signNow appears first for easy reference.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day trial	Trial varies	Trial varies	Trial varies	Trial varies
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Envelope Cap	No cap	100 envelopes/user/yr	Varies	Varies	Varies

Frequently Asked Questions About the Email Deliverability Checklist

Answers to common questions about checklist scope, configuration, and next steps for persistent delivery problems.

Need help? Contact support

What is SPF and why does it matter?
SPF defines which mail servers can send on behalf of your domain; publish a correct v=spf1 record to avoid SPF failures. Incorrect records or excessive DNS lookups cause SPF to fail and raise spam scores.
How strict should my DMARC policy be initially?
Begin with p=none to collect aggregate reports (RUA) and review sources. After validating legitimate streams, move to quarantine or reject to enforce protection without blocking valid mail.
Can I use a third-party ESP and still maintain reputation?
Yes—document sending IPs and ensure ESPs authenticate with your domain via DKIM and SPF. Coordinate warm-up and suppression lists; assign ownership for ESP-related items in the checklist.
How often should I clean email lists?
Remove hard bounces immediately and implement a re‑engagement cadence for inactive addresses every 90 days; frequent cleaning reduces bounce and complaint rates and preserves sending reputation.
Does HIPAA affect email deliverability checks?
Yes—if messages include protected health information, apply HIPAA security rules and retain evidence per 45 CFR §164.530(j). Use encryption and verify Business Associate Agreements where applicable.
What if messages still land in spam?
Review authentication alignment, sending IP reputation, content (links and images), complaint rates, and recipient engagement. Use inbox-placement testing and consult mailbox provider feedback to target remediation.

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