INBOX PLACEMENT VS. DELIVERABILITY

By Julia, Deliverability Expert

I’m sure you’ve wondered, at one point or another, what we are really monitoring during our domain warming phases.

Well, I’ll tell you…

The two main things we are watching while determining how quickly or slowly we can increase our sending volume is:

1. Deliverability
2. Inbox Placement

I am sure you’ve heard both of these terms used by our email team; let’s discuss what they are, why they are important, & how we can be tracking them.

The WHAT

Deliverability implies to the rate at which your sends are getting through to the server

Inbox placement refers to where your email lands – whether it lands in spam, your promotional inbox (‘other,’ ‘promotions,’ etc.), or your primary inbox.

The WHY

Deliverability is a key player in your email ‘delivering;’ it simply means the rate at which a server is allowing your messages through to the recipient. This does not ensure where the email will land within the inbox, just that the server did not fully block the message.

Inbox placement is, arguably, even more important because it determines where the email lands within the inbox. Since many of us are not regularly looking through our junk mailboxes, I think we can all agree the email will reach the most recipients when it is visible in the general inbox.

The HOW

When it comes to tracking your success with deliverability, we are looking at our deliverability rate. The closer the deliverability rate is to 100%, the better!

In terms of our inbox placement, we will be monitoring our open rate. While it can be impossible to precisely measure our inbox placement, a higher open rate means that more people are likely seeing the email, meaning it is more likely to be landing in our recipients’ general inbox

The graphic above shows us a couple of different servers & their deliverability and open rate. It is a great example of how our deliverability & inbox placement can reflect on each server differently.

Through the years, we’ve made plenty of improvements and updates to our batching system & with that, I think it’s time for a little review session…

First, we’ll review how to set-up a batch. Then, we are going to review our Nucleus-recommended scaling technique. And lastly, we’ll put your skills to work and run through some examples. Let’s begin!

Set-Up

At the top, we have our selections concerning ‘batch size.’ While I do occasionally see a reason to utilize the ‘percentage’ or ‘remainder’ function (hence its existence), I find that the ‘fixed’ batch size is easiest to manage when warming a new domain, so I recommend taking that route. Below your selection, you can identify the exact volume of recipients you’d like to send to.

Your ’schedule’ is used to determine how each individual batch will be initiated. I generally base this decision off personal comfort and need.

Manual entails the individual sending of each campaign by a user following the campaign launch.

Start means the batches will begin with the start of the campaign – this is likely the easiest option for users.

Delayed would allow you to set times for the batches to be released following the launch of the campaign.

In our ‘reoccurring’ section, you can implement a reoccurrence of batches. I generally do not recommend using the ‘repeat’ selection while warming a new domain/IP as this can affect our reputation, but when it is utilized, I recommend not exceeding more than one send in a 24-hour period.

In order for the batch to send, you will have to set your ‘Status’ to ‘ready’ as it is automatically placed in ‘draft.’

Finally, you can select the email servers that you’d like to include or exclude from your batch. I find that it is easiest to have an individual batch for every server; this allows you to monitor deliverability in the most efficient manner possible.

For more information, contact our team for training or insight and visit your Nucleus Resource Library!

OR

We’re always working to make Nucleus faster, smarter, and easier to use. This month, we’re rolling out a fresh set of updates designed to give you better visibility, streamlined management, and more customization across your campaigns and CRM tools.

Here’s what’s new:

Dashboard: Countdown Widget

Keep your team on track with our new comprehensive countdown widget. You can now easily track campaign deadlines and milestones right from your dashboard — making it simple to stay organized and meet your goals on time.

Email: Smarter Sorting & Filtering

Managing your campaigns just got easier and more insightful.

Performance-Based Sorting – You can now sort campaigns by open and click rates, giving you a quick view of what’s performing best.

Repeating Status Filter – Filter email campaigns by their repeating status to manage recurring sends more efficiently.

Data Feeds Refresh Button – Instantly refresh your data feeds with one click to ensure you’re always viewing the most up-to-date campaign insights.

Export as PDF – Need a record of your sent emails? You can now download and save them as PDFs for reporting or compliance.

CRM: Gender Segmentation

Personalization just got a boost. Gender has been added as a segmentation criterion in the CRM Segment Builder, allowing for even more targeted and relevant outreach.

Memberships: Renewal Period Filtering

Simplify membership management with our new renewal period filter. You can now view and filter members based on their renewal dates — helping you track upcoming renewals and plan your outreach effortlessly.

Stay Ahead with Nucleus

These updates are all about giving you better control and smarter insights across your campaigns, contacts, and memberships. From deadline tracking to personalized segmentation, Nucleus continues to evolve with the tools you need to move faster and connect more effectively.

These updates are live now, so dive in and explore the new possibilities!