Ever since I started emailing, I've heard this recommendation. For improve email deliverabilitywe'd have to ask our recipients to add the sender's address to their address book. You know, that little phrase added to the pre-header of your emails such as "To continue receiving our newsletters, add truc[at]domaine.com to your address book."
But is this practice really effective, or is it just a piece of advice given out of habit? Let's take a look at the arguments and the impact on overall campaign deliverability.
1. Does adding to the address book improve email legitimacy?
Yes, theoretically. In some messaging systems, when a sender's address is present in a recipient's address book, this signals to spam filters that the sender is trusted. As a result, emails are more likely to avoid junk or promotional folders and land directly in the main inbox.
However, this potential advantage is far from guaranteed. Email filtering algorithms are complex, and do not rely solely on this signal to build your email reputation. It's a drop in the ocean of signals. And in some messaging systems, this criterion won't even be used.
2. An unintuitive action for users
Asking your subscribers to manually add an email address to their address book may seem simple on the surface, but in reality it can become an obstacle. Depending on the email platform used (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.), the procedure varies and is not always straightforward. Many people don't know how to go about it and, let's be honest, the majority probably won't bother looking.
If you really want to get going, it's advisable to publish step-by-step guides on your website for the different messaging systems (it's tedious, we tell you).
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3. No metrics available to track this action
Another major drawback is the lack of measurable data. Unlike email opens or link clicks, it's impossible to know how many recipients have actually added your address to their address book. This makes it difficult to assess the impact of this practice on the overall performance of your campaigns.
4. The likelihood of users doing so is very low
Let's face it: how many times have you personally added a brand's address to your address book? If you don't do it yourself, why expect your subscribers to take the initiative? Unless you're an unconditional fan of your brand, the majority of users won't invest time in this task.
Conclusion: Focus on the essentials
Even if adding addresses to your address book can theoretically improve the deliverability of your emails, its real impact is very limited. It won't be the magic solution for reaching your subscribers' inboxes.
Instead of relying on this practice, it's better to focus on what really works:
- Send relevant content Write newsletters that your subscribers really want to read.
- Manage your lists intelligently Make sure that only interested parties receive your communications.
- Respecting the frequency of mailings Don't send too often to avoid audience fatigue.
Ultimately, the key to success lies in the quality of your relationship with your subscribers, not in laborious techniques that are difficult to measure.
