📩 Email Delivery Just Got Harder

The email world hit the reset button in 2024, and if you send emails at scale, these changes affect whether your messages actually reach inboxes or disappear into the void.

Gmail and Yahoo dropped the hammer in February 2024 with strict new rules. Microsoft followed along. Now, if you send over 5,000 emails daily, you must have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC properly set up. Your domains need to align perfectly across all headers. One-click unsubscribe became mandatory. Spam complaint rates must stay below 0.3%. Miss any of these requirements and your emails either bounce back or land straight in spam folders.

In partnership with

Keep This Stock Ticker on Your Watchlist

They’re a private company, but Pacaso just reserved the Nasdaq ticker “$PCSO.”

No surprise the same firms that backed Uber, eBay, and Venmo already invested in Pacaso. What is unique is Pacaso is giving the same opportunity to everyday investors. And 10,000+ people have already joined them.

Created a former Zillow exec who sold his first venture for $120M, Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3T vacation home industry.

They’ve generated $1B+ worth of luxury home transactions across 2,000+ owners. That’s good for more than $110M in gross profit since inception, including 41% YoY growth last year alone.

And you can join them today for just $2.90/share. But don’t wait too long. Invest in Pacaso before the opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

*Ad

The ISP landscape shifted dramatically too. AT&T completed its migration to Yahoo infrastructure, meaning all those att.net, sbcglobal.net, and bellsouth.net addresses now run on Yahoo servers. Comcast announced they're doing the same thing, with full migration to Yahoo Mail by 2026. Apple expanded their Mail Privacy Protection to block even more tracking. Spectrum consolidated their scattered domains under Charter.net.

These aren't small tweaks. When major ISPs change their entire email infrastructure, it changes how your messages get processed and delivered.

Authentication Became Non-Negotiable

The days of loose email authentication are over. Every major provider now demands strict SPF, DKIM, and DMARC alignment. Your sending domain must publish either a "quarantine" or "reject" DMARC policy. TLS encryption became the baseline expectation. Gmail and Outlook will flag messages that arrive without proper encryption.

This means your technical team needs to audit your current setup immediately. Check Gmail's official bulk sender requirements to see exactly what they expect. Yahoo's sender requirements page breaks down their rules in detail.

Legacy protocols got the boot too. If you're still using basic SMTP authentication or outdated connection methods, those need upgrading to modern authentication standards.

Protect your checkout from coupon plug-ins. Boost your margin today.

KeepCart: Coupon Protection partners with DTC brands like Quince, Blueland, Vessi and more to protect your checkout from plug-ins like Honey, CapitalOne, RetailMeNot, and more to boost your DTC margins

Overpaid commissions to affiliates and influencers add up fast – Get rid of the headache and revenue losses with KeepCart.

After months of using KeepCart, Mando says “It has paid for itself multiple times over.”

Now it’s your turn to see how much more profit you can keep.

Try it 2 months free, only in September (email us SEPTMARGIN) – No risk, Cancel anytime.

*Ad

Privacy Laws Keep Piling Up

While technical requirements tightened, legal requirements expanded. Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and Connecticut all activated comprehensive privacy laws in 2024 and 2025. These join California's CCPA and international regulations like GDPR and Brazil's LGPD.

The legal landscape isn't just about compliance checkboxes anymore. These laws directly impact how you collect, store, and use email addresses. Track the latest state privacy law updates to understand what applies to your business.

What This Means for Your Email Program

Your sender reputation now depends on meeting stricter technical and legal standards. ISP consolidation means fewer but more powerful gatekeepers controlling inbox access. Authentication failures that used to result in warnings now cause complete delivery blocks.

The complaint threshold dropped to 0.3%, meaning if more than 3 out of every 1,000 recipients mark your email as spam, you risk getting blocked entirely. List hygiene and engagement quality became more critical than ever.

BIMI adoption is growing slowly but gaining support across Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple. This visual authentication standard could become the next requirement for maintaining strong sender reputation.

Your Immediate Action Plan

Start with authentication. Verify your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are properly configured and aligned. Implement one-click unsubscribe headers using RFC 8058 standards. Replace any legacy protocols with modern authentication methods.

Monitor your sender reputation through Gmail Postmaster Tools and Yahoo Sender Hub. These platforms provide real-time insights into delivery performance and flag potential issues before they become major problems.

Test your current setup against the new requirements. Email delivery isn't about following yesterday's best practices anymore. Providers are rewriting the rules in real time, and senders who adapt quickly will dominate the inbox while others struggle with delivery problems.

The inbox belongs to those who respect the new rules and stay ahead of the changes.

AI You’ll Actually Understand

Cut through the noise. The AI Report makes AI clear, practical, and useful—without needing a technical background.

Join 400,000+ professionals mastering AI in minutes a day.

Stay informed. Stay ahead.

No fluff—just results.

Smarter AI. Zero fluff.

*Ad