11 April 2026, 12:04 PM
I’m really curious to hear from others who work with email marketing or bulk email sending. Have you ever had clients try to “hack” the system with ideas that sound completely unrealistic or too good to be true?
One situation I ran into still stands out. A client was fully convinced that the best approach to email marketing was just to send as many emails as possible, from any tool available, and somehow, spam filters would just not affect them. There was no interest in things like proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warming up domains, list hygiene, or even basic targeting. Their thinking was very simple: more emails = more results. They didn’t really want to hear about strategy, segmentation, or engagement.
That made me wonder how common this mindset actually is. Because from what I’ve seen and tested, most tools out there, whether it’s Mailchimp, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), SendGrid, Amazon SES, MailerLite, or SMTP-based services like SMTPmart - all work well in their own way. They provide the infrastructure, features, and capabilities needed to run campaigns. But a lot of people seem to believe that just picking the “right” platform will automatically solve all deliverability issues.
In reality, it doesn’t seem to work like that at all. Deliverability looks way more dependent on how you use the system rather than which system you use. Things like domain reputation, IP warming, authentication setup, email content quality, user engagement, and sending frequency seem to play a much bigger role. Even the best platform can’t save a campaign if the fundamentals are ignored.
I’ve also heard other unusual suggestions from clients, like intentionally using misleading or clickbait subject lines just to boost open rates, or blasting the same generic email to huge, unsegmented lists. Some even believe that using multiple tools at once or constantly switching platforms can somehow “trick” spam filters. From what I understand, these tactics usually backfire and can damage the sender's reputation over time.
Another interesting pattern is that some clients expect instant results. They think email marketing is like flipping a switch, send emails today and get conversions tomorrow—without realizing that it often takes time to build trust, optimize campaigns, and understand audience behavior.
So I’m wondering, how often do you all run into these kinds of expectations or ideas? Do you see this more with beginners, or even experienced business owners sometimes? And when you do encounter it, how do you explain the importance of proper setup and long-term strategy without overwhelming them with too much technical detail?
It would be great to hear real experiences or even some of the craziest suggestions you’ve received. Feels like this gap between expectation and reality in email marketing is still pretty common, and I’m curious how others handle it.
One situation I ran into still stands out. A client was fully convinced that the best approach to email marketing was just to send as many emails as possible, from any tool available, and somehow, spam filters would just not affect them. There was no interest in things like proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), warming up domains, list hygiene, or even basic targeting. Their thinking was very simple: more emails = more results. They didn’t really want to hear about strategy, segmentation, or engagement.
That made me wonder how common this mindset actually is. Because from what I’ve seen and tested, most tools out there, whether it’s Mailchimp, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), SendGrid, Amazon SES, MailerLite, or SMTP-based services like SMTPmart - all work well in their own way. They provide the infrastructure, features, and capabilities needed to run campaigns. But a lot of people seem to believe that just picking the “right” platform will automatically solve all deliverability issues.
In reality, it doesn’t seem to work like that at all. Deliverability looks way more dependent on how you use the system rather than which system you use. Things like domain reputation, IP warming, authentication setup, email content quality, user engagement, and sending frequency seem to play a much bigger role. Even the best platform can’t save a campaign if the fundamentals are ignored.
I’ve also heard other unusual suggestions from clients, like intentionally using misleading or clickbait subject lines just to boost open rates, or blasting the same generic email to huge, unsegmented lists. Some even believe that using multiple tools at once or constantly switching platforms can somehow “trick” spam filters. From what I understand, these tactics usually backfire and can damage the sender's reputation over time.
Another interesting pattern is that some clients expect instant results. They think email marketing is like flipping a switch, send emails today and get conversions tomorrow—without realizing that it often takes time to build trust, optimize campaigns, and understand audience behavior.
So I’m wondering, how often do you all run into these kinds of expectations or ideas? Do you see this more with beginners, or even experienced business owners sometimes? And when you do encounter it, how do you explain the importance of proper setup and long-term strategy without overwhelming them with too much technical detail?
It would be great to hear real experiences or even some of the craziest suggestions you’ve received. Feels like this gap between expectation and reality in email marketing is still pretty common, and I’m curious how others handle it.