What Is a Feedback Loop (FBL)?

Definition

A Feedback Loop (FBL) is a built-in service from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Its purpose is to let email senders know through a report whenever their emails are marked as spam. This notifies them which messages are causing issues. For businesses, feedback loops act as an early warning system to help address any complaints or adjust their approach before their deliverability rate takes a hit.

Example

Let's take for example a promotional email that is sent to 10,000 subscribers. You might think that uninterested recipients would pretty much just ignore or delete the email. Some, however, opt to mark it as spam. The ISP takes note of these actions and sends you a report detailing each flagged email. Now you have the information to adjust your approach, from changing your timing to refining your message, helping you prevent further complaints.

How Does a Feedback Loop Work?

Here’s a look at the steps involved in an FBL:

1. The recipient marks an email as spam. They receive the email and click “mark as spam,” triggering the feedback loop.
2. ISP records the complaint. The ISP logs the spam complaint, identifying the IP address and domain of the sender.
3. ISP sends a report. The ISP sends a complaint report to the sender, usually with details like the recipient’s email address and type of complaint.
4. Sender reviews the complaint. The sender reviews the report, noting which emails generated complaints. They might remove that address from future sends.
5. Adjustments are made. Based on the feedback, the sender can basically refine targeting, tweak messaging, or improve list quality.

Benefits of Using Feedback Loops

Feedback loops bring several benefits to businesses and marketers:

• Protects sender reputation. Staying aware of complaints helps you manage your reputation with ISPs. A low number of spam complaints tells ISPs that your domain can be trusted.
• Improves deliverability. Being a trusted domain among ISPs is a good thing. It increases the chance that your emails reach someone’s inbox.
• Fine-tunes audience targeting. Knowing which recipients mark your emails as spam helps you adjust your approach and avoid uninterested recipients.
• Boosts content relevance. With feedback, you can refine an email’s content to meet audience needs, reducing the likelihood of future complaints.

Feedback loops offer a proactive way to keep your email health on track, reduce spam complaints, and keep campaigns running smoothly for better engagement.

Related terms

• Email Deliverability Rate
• Spam Trap

Related articles

• How To Improve Email Deliverability
• How to Prevent Emails from Going to Spam
• How to Ensure Your Emails Are Delivered