The big one: Messages that fail authentication or trip the spam rate threshold are now getting 5xx permanent rejections at the SMTP level, not just filtered to the spam folder.<\/p>\n
And while the bulk sender rules from Google (and Yahoo, and later Microsoft) didn’t kill mass email like people initially feared, it\u2019s important for you to have a full understanding of the changes so they don\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0kill your deliverability and get you sent to email purgatory.<\/p>\n And even if you\u2019re not sending gigantic volumes of email, there are a few things you\u2019ll need to do to stay in compliance with Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft\u2019s guidelines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019ll break down the bulk sender policy changes. I\u2019ll also walk you through steps to make sure you stay nice and compliant.<\/p>\n Google implemented its\u00a0policies for bulk senders<\/strong>\u00a0(defined as people sending 5,000+ emails per day to Gmail accounts) as well as all senders of any volume<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When GMass\u2019s founder and CEO, Ajay Goel, posted a Twitter\/X thread about the new sender guidelines<\/a>, he spotted an interesting edit.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s original post, in early October 2023, said the guidelines applied to anyone sending to free Gmail accounts or<\/em>\u00a0paid Google Workspace accounts.<\/p>\n But they changed that to say the rules only apply if you\u2019re sending to free accounts. Google Workspace accounts are no longer included.<\/p>\n That alone is fantastic<\/em>\u00a0news for cold emailers.<\/p>\n Since cold email is quite often B2B, you\u2019re far more likely to send to people using Google Workspace than free gmail.com addresses. While it\u2019s not impossible<\/em>\u00a0to have a bunch of @gmail.com addresses on your list, it seems far less likely that you\u2019ll hit the 5,000-per-day bulk sending threshold \u2014 which has way more requirements.<\/p>\n Which is why Ajay\u2019s conclusion was: These changes were unlikely to have a significant effect on cold emailers.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick summary of Google\u2019s bulk sender requirements<\/a>\u00a0for anyone sending 5,000 or more messages per day from a single email address to free @gmail.com or @googlemail.com accounts.<\/p>\n There are some other requirements as well around message formatting, From headers, and technical changes if you\u2019re sending from your own mail server. You can dig into those more in Google\u2019s announcement; if you\u2019re sending messages using GMass, those likely won\u2019t apply to your use case.<\/p>\n But, as the cliche goes, that\u2019s not all<\/em>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re sending <\/strong>any<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0volume of emails to Gmail accounts, Google also has some new requirements for you<\/strong>\u00a0as of February 1st, 2024.<\/p>\n These are less aggressive than the bulk sender guidelines, but still could require some action steps on your part.<\/p>\n Google also has the same requirements here around message formatting, From headers, and technical changes on your mail server. Again, those most likely won\u2019t apply to you.<\/p>\n Yahoo\/AOL\u2019s new bulk sender guidelines<\/a>\u00a0are similar to Gmail\u2019s.<\/p>\n One difference, though: They don\u2019t specify<\/a>\u00a0who counts as a bulk sender.<\/p>\n Here are the bulk sender requirements when you send “a significant volume of mail” to people with Yahoo or AOL email addresses:<\/p>\n There are also similar notes here on technical changes to your own mail server and message formatting. Neither of those should affect you.<\/p>\n Much like with Google\u2019s bulk requirements, it\u2019s again unlikely that your cold email list is full of people with @yahoo.com or @aol.com accounts. Unless you\u2019re cold emailing my parents and all their friends, in which case yeah, you\u2019re cooked.<\/p>\n So if you\u2019re sending a lower volume of messages to Yahoo\/AOL addresses<\/strong>, here are your new requirements:<\/p>\n And again, there are some technical changes to your own mail server and notes on message formatting. Neither of those should affect you.<\/p>\n The answer, fortunately, is (probably) no. As long as you\u2019re not sending spam.<\/p>\n As a cold emailer sending messages to business professionals, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll send 5,000+ messages to people with @gmail.com addresses in a single day from a single address.<\/p>\n Similarly, with Microsoft’s enforcement, it’s unlikely you\u2019ll send 5,000+ messages to people with @outlook.com or @hotmail.com addresses in a single day from a single address<\/p>\n As for Yahoo\/AOL, since those are less prominent email addresses (especially for work purposes), it\u2019s also unlikely you\u2019ll send them messages at any significant volume.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re an email marketer sending opt-in emails, it\u2019s more likely you could hit those thresholds.<\/p>\n However, you\u2019re sending opt-in <\/em>email. As long as you\u2019re following all the email marketing best practices \u2014 like not auto-subscribing unknowing people to your list and sending desirable messages \u2014 you shouldn\u2019t cross past the 0.1% spam report line.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re sending cold email, opt-in email, or both, if you\u2019re distributing your large campaigns across multiple email accounts using GMass\u2019s MultiSend<\/a>, it\u2019s nearly impossible to hit 5,000 emails per day per account.<\/p>\n With Gmail\u2019s daily sending caps, the only way a GMass user could hit 5,000+ emails per day from a single email account is by connecting a third-party SMTP server to break Gmail\u2019s limits<\/a>.<\/p>\n We\u2019re talking about a subset of a subset of a subset of senders who will really feel the impact of these new bulk sender guidelines.<\/p>\n However, one group who will be affected are people using @gmail.com accounts and sending emails through a SMTP server<\/strong>. You will<\/em> be affected, because the DMARC policy for gmail.com is \u201cquarantine\u201d \u2014 which means your messages won\u2019t be delivered. Our team here came up with a unique solution<\/a> \u2014 we’re taking care of it.<\/strong><\/p>\n These are the rules where\u00a0failures trigger rejection<\/strong>:<\/p>\n These are the rules where\u00a0failures trigger warnings, reputation impact, or throttling<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Google retired the legacy Postmaster Tools dashboard in October 2025 and launched Postmaster Tools v2<\/a>.<\/p>\n The old High\/Medium\/Low domain reputation scores are gone. The new dashboard uses a binary Compliance Status: either you pass or you fail.<\/p>\n If you haven’t logged in since the change, it’s worth a visit. The new interface surfaces exactly which requirements you’re failing, which is useful both for diagnosing rejections and for triaging which fix matters most<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In the next section, I\u2019ll cover the steps you should take to make sure you don\u2019t run into trouble<\/strong> sending your campaigns to Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or AOL Mail<\/a>\u00a0users.<\/p>\n Here are five things you can do<\/strong> to stay on the right side of Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo\/AOL.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a bulk sender, you\u2019ll need to follow all five steps.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re not a super high-volume sender, you can choose SPF or DKIM<\/strong>.\u00a0DMARC, a list-unsubscribe header, and a visible unsubscribe link are all optional (but good to have). And while an unsubscribe list is technically optional under the new guidelines, it\u2019s likely still required by laws in various jurisdictions.<\/p>\n Also\u2026 though it\u2019s not on the list, I\u2019d be remiss not to point out that you should be sending relevant, targeted, valuable messages<\/strong>. It\u2019s hard to avoid spam complaints if you\u2019re sending spam.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re sending your campaigns using a free @gmail.com account and not a Google Workspace account, you won\u2019t be able to set up SPF, DKIM, or DMARC \u2014 after all, those require editing a domain\u2019s DNS settings.<\/p>\n And for some reason, Google doesn\u2019t want random people messing with their DNS settings. So paranoid. I mean, what\u2019s the worst thing that could happen. (Cue the internet exploding.)<\/p>\n As a regular volume sender using a free Gmail account, you don\u2019t have to do anything on the SPF\/DKIM\/DMARC front. Your Gmail messages will pass authentication because Google has those technical authentication records set up for you.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re a sender who has a free @gmail.com address and you\u2019re using a third-party SMTP to send high-volume campaigns through GMass\u2026 then there\u2019s an issue. This is the solution<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Bulk senders are required<\/strong>\u00a0to set up SPF under the new guidelines.<\/p>\n Lower volume senders have the option<\/strong>\u00a0to set up SPF or DKIM; if you\u2019re only going to pick one, we recommend DKIM (because it\u2019s less tricky for DMARC to get DKIM alignment).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re only sending emails through Google Workspace (and not bringing a third-party SMTP service into the mix), SPF is a one-line TXT record you\u2019ll add to your domain.<\/p>\n The record is Log into your domain registrar<\/strong>\u00a0(GoDaddy, Namecheap, or whomever).<\/p>\n Find your domain and go to the area where you update DNS records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Then create a new TXT record<\/strong>\u00a0with the necessary SPF information.<\/p>\n Save<\/strong>\u00a0the record and give it up to 48 hours (usually a whole lot less).<\/p>\n If you are using a third-party SMTP service to send your campaigns, you\u2019ll need to add information from that service to your SPF record. (Your SMTP provider will have instructions on how to do that.)<\/p>\n Here\u2019s our beginner-friendly guide to setting up SPF<\/a>. You can find info there for situations like adding a third-party SMTP server or your own server, setting up SPF for a subdomain, and any other questions.<\/p>\n Bulk senders are required<\/strong>\u00a0to set up both SPF and DKIM under the new guidelines. Lower volume senders can choose one or the other; again, we recommend this one.<\/p>\n If you are using a third-party SMTP service with GMass, follow the instructions in this article on DKIM settings<\/a>\u00a0to get everything set up properly.<\/p>\n Otherwise, if you\u2019re just sending emails through your Google Workspace account, here\u2019s what to do.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to get your DKIM key<\/strong>\u00a0to start. Go to the Google Admin<\/a>\u00a0section for your Google Workspace account. Go to Apps > Google Workspace > Gmail<\/strong>\u00a0and select Authenticate email<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Click Generate New Record<\/strong>. For DKIM key bit length<\/strong>, you should select 2048-bit (assuming your domain registrar allows it). For Prefix Selector<\/strong>, you can make that any word; Google recommends leaving it as the default \u201cgoogle\u201d option.<\/p>\n Copy the DNS Host name and the TXT record value.<\/p>\n At your domain registrar, go to the DNS section<\/strong>\u00a0and add a new record<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now give it up to 48 hours (usually less).<\/p>\n Then go back to the email authentication section of Google Admin. Click the Start Authentication<\/strong>\u00a0button and, if everything is working properly, you\u2019ll get a message that you\u2019re now authenticating your email with DKIM.<\/p>\n Again, if you\u2019re using a third-party SMTP service to send campaigns through GMass, follow these instructions<\/a>. Ideally you can set up your DKIM via your SMTP service\u2019s instructions. If not, set it up through GMass. That way GMass will pass along your custom DKIM headers to the SMTP service (assuming the service doesn\u2019t strip them out) so you won\u2019t run into trouble.<\/p>\n And you can find more information on this process by going to our beginner-friendly guide to setting up DKIM<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bulk senders are required<\/strong>\u00a0to set up DMARC under the new guidelines; it\u2019s optional for regular senders. But since you\u2019ve already set up SPF or DKIM, at this point you might as well do DMARC too and get SPF\/DKIM alignment.<\/p>\n We recommend DKIM alignment; it\u2019s easier and more stable.<\/p>\n First, make sure you have DKIM and\/or SPF set up and you\u2019re successfully authenticating messages before you enable DMARC.<\/p>\n I use the DMARC Record Wizard<\/a>\u00a0to help generate everything I need for a DMARC record.<\/p>\n As you\u2019re going through the wizard\u2026<\/p>\n Both Google and Yahoo allow for you to set your DMARC policy to \u201cnone\u201d<\/strong>. You can also set your SPF\/DKIM alignment as \u201crelaxed,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0which is the default.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re done, you should get a result that looks like this which you can now enter at your domain registrar.<\/p>\n Head to your domain registrar, create a new TXT record<\/strong>, and enter the relevant info.<\/p>\n Save, then give everything a little bit of time to propagate.<\/p>\n You can test all of your email authentication settings using GMass\u2019s free Email Analyzer<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you need more info on adding a DMARC record, here\u2019s our beginner-friendly guide to setting up DMARC<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re sending bulk email, offering one-click unsubscribe through a list-unsubscribe header is a Google\/Yahoo requirement.<\/strong>\u00a0(No more of doing the whole \u201cDon\u2019t want more emails from me? Reply to let me know\u201d for unsubscribes and to drive up your reply and engagement rate in the process.)<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a regular sender, the new guidelines don\u2019t require one-click unsubscribe. However, you still may want to offer the option; an easy unsubscribe can help keep your spam complaint rates down, which is<\/em>\u00a0important under the new guidelines.<\/p>\n A list-unsubscribe header<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is an efficient way to make sure you\u2019re always including a one-click unsubscribe option in your email.<\/p>\n The list-unsubscribe header puts an unsubscribe link at the top of your email<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n In GMass, using a list-unsubscribe header is a global preference \u2014 meaning you won\u2019t have to remember to select it on a campaign-by-campaign basis.<\/p>\n You can turn it on in the GMass dashboard<\/a>\u00a0in Settings > Unsubscribes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As for Yahoo\u2019s requirement to remove unsubscribed addresses within two business days, that\u2019s not an issue.<\/p>\n With GMass\u2019s unsubscribe management<\/a><\/strong>, messages to unsubscribed addresses are automatically and immediately suppressed. There\u2019s no work required on your part.<\/p>\n The last setup step here is to add an unsubscribe link<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in your messages if you cross the bulk sender threshold.<\/p>\n Based on Google and Yahoo\u2019s bulk sender guidelines, that link can go to an email preferences page (unlike the list-unsubscribe header, which is a one-click unsubscribe) or it can be a direct unsubscribe.<\/p>\n Adding an in-message unsubscribe link is simple in GMass<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re putting together your campaign, open the GMass settings. Then click the Unsubscribe Link<\/strong>\u00a0button to insert a link into your message. (You can edit the text of the link once it\u2019s in there.)<\/p>\n That link will take a person to a page where they can finish the unsubscribe process.<\/p>\nGmail Bulk Sender Guidelines: Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
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Bulk Sender Rules: The Timeline<\/h2>\n
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A Breakdown of Google and Yahoo\u2019s New Mass Email Rules for 2024<\/h2>\n
Google\u2019s changes for bulk and regular senders<\/h3>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image8.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image1.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n
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Yahoo\/AOL\u2019s changes<\/h3>\n
![\"Yahoo's](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image3.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n
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Will These Bulk Sender Rules Catch YOU?<\/h2>\n
Very few people will hit the bulk sender threshold<\/h3>\n
As for GMass users\u2026<\/h3>\n
So which rules are hard enforced?<\/span><\/h3>\n
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And which rules have softer enforcement?<\/h3>\n
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Using Google Postmaster Tools to monitor your standing<\/h3>\n
5 Steps to Make Sure Your Sending Account(s) Aren’t Affected by Bulk Sender Rules<\/h2>\n
What if you send campaigns through a @gmail.com account and not Google Workspace?<\/h3>\n
1. Set up SPF<\/h3>\n
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all<\/code> \u2014 that\u2019s all you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image11.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n2. Set up DKIM<\/h3>\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image10.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image4.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n3. Set up DMARC<\/h3>\n
![\"Getting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image7.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image5.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n4. Use a list-unsubscribe header<\/h3>\n
![\"What](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image2.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n![\"Enabling](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image6.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n5. Add a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the message body<\/h3>\n
![\"Adding](\"https:\/\/www.gmass.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image9.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n