GoLeadX
Sign in with Google
Deliverability

Sender reputation

Sender reputation is the score mailbox providers keep on your domain and sending IP, based on how recipients react to your mail. It decides whether your next message reaches the inbox.

The inputs are behavioural: how often your mail bounces, how often it is marked as spam, whether people open and reply, and whether you hit addresses that should not exist. Complaints and bounces push it down fast; positive engagement pulls it up slowly.

It is asymmetric in a way that governs everything else. Damage arrives in days and recovery takes weeks or months, which is why the sensible posture is conservative — verify before sending, ramp volume gradually, and never send a batch you have not cleaned because you were in a hurry.

Goes deeper: Why Your Cold Emails Land in Spam

Related terms

Deliverability
Deliverability is whether your email reaches the inbox rather than the spam folder or nowhere at all. It is decided by sending reputation, authentication and list quality — not by your copy.
Bounce rate
Bounce rate is the share of sent messages the receiving server refused. Under 2% is healthy for cold outreach; above 5% and mailbox providers start treating you as a sender who did not collect their own list.
Spam trap
A spam trap is an address that exists only to catch senders who did not collect their list properly. Mail to one is strong evidence of harvesting or list buying, and hitting them damages reputation quickly.
Domain warm-up
Warm-up is increasing sending volume gradually on a new domain, so mailbox providers build a reputation for it before it ever sends at full rate.
List hygiene
List hygiene is the habit of removing addresses that bounce, never engage, or should never have been added, so your sending reputation is not spent on people who are not there.