Email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook use increasingly strict filtering to block spam.
This means that mailing lists — especially parish newsletters and group announcements — must follow certain best practices to ensure messages reach inboxes.
Below are simple recommendations to help your parish mailing list achieve the best possible deliverability.
1. Use a Consistent “From” Address
Choose one parish email address for sending list mail, such as:
Do not switch between personal Gmail/Yahoo addresses and your parish domain.
Changing “From” addresses confuses filters and creates authentication mismatches.
2. Avoid Using Free Personal Email Addresses to Post
Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, and others use strict DMARC policies.
Messages from these domains often bounce or get blocked when sent through a mailing list.
Recommendation:
Post to mailing lists from your parish email account whenever possible.
3. Keep Message Content Simple and Clean
Complex formatting can trigger spam filters.
For best results:
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Avoid using multiple fonts, colors, or oversized images.
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Keep attachments small (PDFs preferred).
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Avoid linking to suspicious or shortened URLs.
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Do not copy and paste content from Word without “Paste as plain text.”
Clean, simple emails are far more likely to be delivered.
4. Keep Your Recipient List Healthy
High bounce rates harm deliverability.
Encourage parishioners to:
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update their email if it changes
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check spam/junk folders
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add your parish address to their contacts
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mark “Not Spam” if they find your message in spam
We recommend reviewing mailing list subscribers once or twice a year.
5. Don’t Send Extremely Large Emails
Most providers limit message size.
To avoid rejection:
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keep total email size under 5 MB
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resize images before sending
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upload photos to your website and link to them instead of embedding them
6. Watch Out for “Reply All” Issues
Some mailing lists can be configured to reply to:
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the entire list
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the original sender
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or the parish office
Reply-all storms can look suspicious to filters and cause temporary blocking.
If you need help adjusting your list’s reply behavior, contact OWS Support.
7. Encourage Members to Whitelist Your Parish
Ask parishioners to add your parish email address to their contacts.
For example:
This greatly improves inbox placement.
8. Keep a Professional Signal
Filters analyze the overall reputation of a sender.
Good signals include:
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real parish name in the email footer
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a working website
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contact information
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unsubscribe instructions (Mailman provides this automatically)
This shows mailbox providers that your parish is legitimate and not a spammer.
9. Use Mailing Lists for Announcements — Not Internal Debates
Lengthy back-and-forth discussions between many members can trigger rate limits.
If you expect extended conversation, consider using:
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a small internal group
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private email threads
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your parish communication platform (if applicable)
This keeps mailing lists from being flagged as “high volume chatter.”
10. Contact OWS if You See Delivery Problems
OWS includes MailChannels with every hosting plan, which protects deliverability and prevents server-wide blacklisting.
If you notice:
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bounce errors
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undelivered messages
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members not receiving emails
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Gmail sending list messages to spam
Just contact support and we will review the logs for you.