Ask the Expert: Brad Van der Woerd, Inbox Monster

Brad Van der Woerd, Head of Customer Experience at Inbox Monster, provides insights into common challenges and best practices in email deliverability in a Q&A session. He emphasizes the importance of proper domain and IP setup, consistent sending cadence, and cautious domain choice to avoid appearing as a spammer to Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Brad discusses the significance of understanding delivery rates beyond surface-level metrics and the role of rendering tests in ensuring emails are seen as legitimate by ISPs. He also highlights the utility of Inbox Monster’s read-time pixel for tracking subscriber engagement, suggesting daily seed testing based on sending frequency, and discusses how Apple's Mail Privacy Protection has increased the reliance on metrics like reputation scores and email read rates. Brad advises senders on handling blocklist issues and integrating traditional email metrics with Inbox Monster's tools to enhance email program effectiveness, while maintaining a focus on adjusting strategies based on subscriber segmentation and list source to resolve deliverability issues.