Email delivery is key when you’re trying to run an email marketing campaign. However, when some of your emails don’t make it to the intended user or a valid email address, you can bet that there are problems — usually on your end.
Problematic emails that are deemed spam by email authentication protocols — like DKIM and SPF — usually just end up in a person’s spam folder.
One of the reasons behind poor email delivery is being on the Lashback blocklist. If you find that your emails are not getting to where they need to be, there’s a chance your IP address is on its database.
Being blocklisted can affect more than your email deliverability. It can affect your ability to send email messages further. More importantly, it can cause your sender reputation and business to take a hit.
Luckily, there’s a way to get delisted. Find out more about Lashback and how to reinstate your IP address.
What Is Lashback and What Is It For?
Lashback is an online database containing IP addresses that send spam emails. The IP addresses contained in their database are blocklisted, meaning that the database bars delinquent IP addresses from sending emails. This is one of the oldest databases in existence with approximately one million IPs. For more than a decade, it has been monitoring unsubscribe compliance, adding to its database on an hourly basis since its founding. This is its main function.
Lashback is a real-time database of IP addresses that repeatedly send emails to harvested email addresses. Harvested email addresses come from suppression files and suppression lists — lists of addresses where emails should not go. Usually, email addresses in a suppression list are the origins of unsubscribe requests. In other words, the users of these email addresses have unsubscribed to emails sent from an IP address.
Once harvested from suppression lists, harvested email addresses become part of the database. Hence, emails sent to a harvested email address are also sent to Lashback.
When an email is sent, it indexes data like the domain names and IP addresses of the sender. Sending an email to an address within Lashback’s database is an indicator that whoever sent the email isn’t complying with an unsubscribe request.
Lashback then includes these into the Lashback unsubscribe blocklist (UBL).
Why Am I on the UBL?
There are many ways to end up on the UBL. Ultimately, it comes right down to what the database is supposed to do — monitor unsubscribe compliance.
As mentioned earlier, Lashback records email addresses that have unsubscribed to certain emails. These emails become part of the database, and they will also receive emails sent to these harvested emails.
When Lashback receives an email from an IP address, it’s a sign that the email sender is not acknowledging the unsubscribe request. This will prompt two actions: either a warning will be issued to the IP address free of charge, or it will impose a fee for repeat offenders.
In short, Lashback may have received an email from an IP address owned by your company. By receiving the email, they will be under the impression that you’re not honoring an unsubscribe request, thereby branding your IP address as delinquent.
Now that you understand why or how you may have ended up on the blocklist, how do you get your IP address off the list?
We answer this in the next section.
How To Get Your IP Address Removed from the List
The removal process is surprisingly straightforward and not time-consuming — provided that you’re a first-time offender trying to remove an IP address free of charge. Of course, this is the case if you’re sure that you’re the one sending emails. If you’re the victim of a security issue like a directory harvesting attack, you’ll need to check for threats.
You may contact Lashback for their removal services. First-time offenders can request removal free of charge. The only condition is that there should be no additional incidents emanating from an IP address. If thirty days pass with no incidents, Lashback will have automatically removed your IP address. Otherwise, any further emails from the address will levy an added fee for removal.
Keeping Your Address Off the List
Following the removal of your IPs and data from the UBL databases, it will be in the best interests of your company to stay off the list. To stay off the blocklist, there are three steps you need to take.
Make Sure You’re Not Sending Spam
Determining if email messages are spam is not always objective. Granted that you’ve got your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in place, you’ll need other ways to ensure your emails get to an inbox. One way is to use spam-check sites like Mail Checker.
Keep Tabs on Whoever Unsubscribed
Take stock of who you’ve sent emails to and who has unsubscribed. Repeatedly sending emails to an address with one of Lashback’s unsubscribe probes is an easy way to be blocklisted again.
Determine If You Have a Security Issue
Someone may be sending unauthorized emails on behalf of your company. Contact your DNS administrator to ensure that you receive notification of emails that are sent. Any unauthorized emails may find their way to an email user that has unsubscribed.
Conclusion
Being blocklisted anywhere isn’t desirable, especially online. Luckily, should you be on the UBL, you can easily get yourself out — provided that you’re certain that you have only IPs that are fully managed, secure, and authorized.
The UBL may not be a list you’d like to be on. However, one where you’ll be glad to be a part of is our list of satisfied customers.
Get in touch with us now at MailMonitor if you’re struggling with your email marketing. Learn first-hand what we can do for your email marketing.
