[GTM glossary](/glossary.md) Inbox placement Sales Development & Prospecting # Inbox placement In short Inbox placement is where an email actually lands after it is accepted by the receiving server: the main inbox, a promotions or other tab, or the spam folder. Inbox placement rate is the percentage of emails that reach the main inbox. It is different from deliverability in the narrow sense. A message can be delivered, meaning not bounced, and still go to spam. For cold outreach, placement is what decides whether anyone reads you. ## What affects inbox placement ### Authentication SPF, DKIM, and DMARC prove that you are allowed to send for your domain. Missing or misaligned records hurt placement. ### Sender reputation Mailbox providers score your domain and sending address based on past behavior: complaints, bounces, and engagement. ### Content and links Heavy images, many links, spammy wording, and tracking domains can trigger filters. ### List quality Sending to invalid or unengaged addresses raises bounces and signals poor practices. ### Volume and pattern Sudden spikes from a new domain look suspicious. Warm up gradually and keep daily volume steady. --- ## How to check it * **Seed tests:** Send to test mailboxes at different providers and see where messages land. Results are directional. * **Postmaster tools:** Provider dashboards show reputation and spam rate for your domain. * **Reply and open trends:** A sudden drop in replies on a steady list often points to a placement problem. Open rates are less reliable because of privacy features. --- ## How to improve it * **Set up authentication:** Publish SPF, DKIM, and DMARC before sending. * **Use a separate sending domain:** Protect your main domain by running outbound from a related one. * **Verify addresses:** Remove invalid and risky contacts before each send. * **Write like a person:** Short, plain text, one clear ask, minimal links. * **Honor opt-outs:** Remove people who ask, and watch spam complaints closely. --- ## Common mistakes Teams often blame copy when the cause is a burned domain, or skip warmup and ramp volume in a week. Monitor placement continuously, not only after results drop. --- ## Inbox placement FAQs **What is inbox placement?** Inbox placement is where your email lands after the receiving server accepts it: primary inbox, promotions tab, or spam folder. Inbox placement rate is the percentage of sent emails that reach the main inbox. **What is the difference between inbox placement and deliverability?** Deliverability often means an email was accepted rather than bounced. Inbox placement goes further and asks which folder it landed in. A message can be delivered yet sent to spam, so placement is the stricter measure. **How do you improve inbox placement for cold email?** Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, send from a separate domain, warm up gradually, verify addresses, keep messages short and plain, limit links, and remove people who opt out. Monitor spam complaints and reputation continuously. **How can you test inbox placement?** Send test emails to seed mailboxes at several providers and check which folder each lands in, and review postmaster dashboards for domain reputation. Also watch reply trends on a steady list; a sudden drop can signal spam foldering. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [No spam](/glossary/no-spam.md) * [SPF, DKIM, and DMARC](/glossary/spf-dkim-dmarc.md) * [Bounce rate](/glossary/bounce-rate.md) ## Similar phrases * [Email deliverability](/glossary/email-deliverability.md) Email deliverability is your ability to get emails into recipients’ inboxes instead of spam or being rejected, shaped by reputation, authentication, and content. * [Spam complaints](/glossary/spam-complaints.md) Spam complaints happen when recipients mark your email as spam, and they are one of the strongest negative signals mailbox providers use to judge your sending domain. * [Spam filters](/glossary/spam-filters.md) Spam filters are automated systems that scan incoming email and decide whether it lands in the inbox, the junk folder, or is blocked, based on sender and content signals. * [Cold email](/glossary/cold-email.md) A cold email is an unsolicited message sent to someone you have no prior relationship with, usually to start a business conversation or book a meeting. * [Email sequence](/glossary/email-sequence.md) An email sequence is a series of pre-written emails sent to a prospect in a set order until they reply, book a meeting, or the series ends.