Brenda Zambrano, Senior Email Marketing Specialist at Hustler Marketing
Klaviyo Elite Partner | 9 Years Retention Marketing Experience | 450+ Brands Scaled
Quick Summary
Klaviyo deliverability determines whether your emails reach the inbox or get filtered into spam. It is driven by list quality, engagement rates, and proper technical setup, making it a critical factor in email performance.
- Deliverability impacts opens, clicks, and revenue
- Driven by engagement and list quality
- Requires proper authentication setup
- Poor hygiene leads to spam placement
- Most issues are preventable with best practices
What Is Klaviyo Deliverability and Why Does It Matter?
Deliverability determines whether your emails are actually seen.
If your emails:
- Go to spam
- Get filtered out
- Or are ignored
Then:
- Opens drop
- Clicks drop
- Revenue drops
You can have great copy and offers, but if you don’t reach the inbox, none of it matters.
→See the Complete Klaviyo Guide for how deliverability fits into the full system.
How Does Sender Reputation Work in Klaviyo?
Your sender reputation is how inbox providers evaluate your emails.
Shared vs Dedicated Infrastructure
Most Klaviyo accounts use:
- Shared sending infrastructure
This means:
- Your reputation is influenced by your behavior
- Not just your domain, but your engagement
What Impacts Your Reputation?
- Open rates
- Click rates
- Spam complaints
- Bounce rates
- Sending consistency
What This Means Practically
- High engagement = better inbox placement
- Low engagement = higher spam risk
Inbox providers reward senders people interact with.
How Do You Maintain List Hygiene in Klaviyo?
List hygiene is the foundation of deliverability.
How Often Should You Clean Your List?
- At least every 90 days
- More frequently if performance drops
What Should You Suppress?
- Hard bounces
- Unsubscribes
- Chronic non-openers
- Spam complainers
What Is the Klaviyo Suppression List?
The suppression list includes:
- Unsubscribed users
- Bounced emails
- Marked-as-spam users
These contacts should never be emailed again.
How to Clean Your List in Klaviyo (Step-by-Step)
- Identify unengaged segments (no opens/clicks in 60–90 days)
- Attempt re-engagement (sunset flow)
- Suppress users who don’t engage
- Monitor performance after cleaning
Use a Sunset Flow First
Before removing subscribers:
- Try to re-engage them
- Confirm interest
Suppression without re-engagement can remove recoverable revenue.
→See the Klaviyo Segmentation Guide to build engagement-based segments.
How Do You Set Up Email Authentication in Klaviyo?
Authentication builds trust with inbox providers.
DKIM (Required)
- Verifies your emails are legitimate
- Set up via DNS records
SPF (Required)
- Defines who can send on your behalf
- Helps prevent spoofing
DMARC (Strongly Recommended)
- Adds policy and reporting
- Helps enforce authentication
BIMI (Optional)
- Displays your brand logo in inboxes
- Builds trust with recipients
How to Check in Klaviyo
- Go to account settings
- Verify authentication status
- Ensure all records are active
Missing authentication is one of the fastest ways to hurt deliverability.
Why Should You Use Engagement-Based Sending?
Sending to your full list is one of the biggest mistakes.
Why It Hurts Performance
- Low engagement signals
- Higher spam risk
- Lower inbox placement
Recommended Approach
- Send campaigns to highly engaged users first
- Monitor performance (opens, clicks)
- Expand to broader segments if metrics are strong
Engagement drives deliverability, not list size.
How Do You Monitor Deliverability?
You need to track key signals.
Key Benchmarks
- Bounce rate: keep as low as possible
- Spam complaint rate: under 0.08%
- Open rates: consistent across campaigns
Warning Signs
- Sudden drop in open rates
- Increase in spam complaints
- Rising bounce rates
What to Do If Deliverability Drops
- Pause broad sends
- Segment by engagement
- Clean your list
- Review recent campaigns
Fixing deliverability is about removing risk, not adding volume.
Klaviyo Deliverability Checklist
Before sending campaigns, verify:
- Authentication (DKIM, SPF, DMARC) is set up
- Lists are cleaned within last 90 days
- Unengaged users are suppressed
- Segments are based on engagement
- Sending volume is consistent
- Campaigns are not sent to full list blindly
- Flow filters are configured properly
- Smart sending rules are active
- No recent spikes in complaints or bounces
- Email content is not misleading
- Links and domains are reputable
- Sunset flow is active for inactive users
What Are the Most Common Deliverability Mistakes?
Sending to Everyone
Broad sends reduce engagement and hurt reputation.
Ignoring List Hygiene
Outdated lists lead to bounces and complaints.
Inconsistent Sending Patterns
Large spikes after inactivity look suspicious.
Skipping Authentication Setup
Without DKIM/SPF/DMARC, trust is reduced.
Most deliverability issues are self-inflicted.
If you’re unsure whether your deliverability is healthy, a structured audit can identify issues before they impact revenue.
Get a Klaviyo deliverability audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Klaviyo emails going to spam?
Usually due to low engagement, poor list quality, or missing authentication setup.
How often should I clean my Klaviyo list?
At least every 90 days, or more often if performance declines.
What is a good Klaviyo bounce rate?
As low as possible. High bounce rates indicate list quality issues.
How do I set up DKIM in Klaviyo?
Add the DKIM record provided by Klaviyo to your domain’s DNS settings and verify it in your account.
What is the Klaviyo suppression list?
It’s a list of contacts who should not be emailed, including unsubscribes, bounces, and spam complaints.