Glossary
A small dictionary of email terms. Short definitions here, longer notes inside each entry.
A
The portion of the email that is visible without scrolling.
The percentage of emails sent that are successfully accepted by the recipient's mail server, regardless of whether they land in the inbox or spam folder.
A file sent along with an email message.
An automatic email or sequence of emails sent when a trigger event occurs.
B
A list of IP addresses or domains that are suspected of sending spam and are therefore blocked from sending emails to certain servers or recipients. Being on a blacklist can severely
hinder email deliverability.
The percentage of your total emails sent that could not be delivered to the recipient's inbox.
A detailed, semi-fictional representation of an ideal customer based on market research and real data about existing customers. It helps marketers and businesses tailor their
strategies to better target and engage their audience.
C
A prompt in the email that tells the reader what action they should take next, typically in the form of a clickable button or link.
Stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email and gives recipients the right to stop receiving
emails.
Stands for Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, which is Canada’s equivalent to the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States.
The percentage of your audience that advances (or clicks through) from one part of your website to the next step of your marketing campaign.
An unsolicited email sent to a potential client, lead, or prospect without prior contact or relationship. It's typically used for outreach, sales, or networking purposes.
The percentage of email recipients who complete a desired action after clicking on a link in an email, such as making a purchase.
The cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of an advertisement.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The total cost associated with acquiring a new customer, including all marketing and sales expenses.
D
The ability of an email to reach an inbox without being blocked or rerouted by spam filters.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
An email authentication method designed to detect email spoofing by providing a mechanism for validating a domain name identity associated with a message through cryptographic
authentication.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
An email authentication method designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing or phishing.
A two-step process where a person who signs up to receive emails must confirm their email address by clicking a link in a confirmation email.
A method used in direct marketing where a set of predetermined emails are sent out automatically on a schedule.
E
Email authentication is the set of technical checks that proves your mail is really from your domain and has not been tampered with in transit.
Email automation refers to using software to automatically send personalized emails based on predefined triggers and schedules.
The main content of an email message, excluding the subject line, header, and footer. It contains the primary message, graphics, links, and other relevant details the sender wishes
to communicate to the recipient.
An email campaign is an individual email message or a coordinated set of email messages that are sent to a segment of contacts with a particular purpose or goal in mind.
The bottom section of an email that usually contains sender information, such as company name, contact info, social media links, and unsubscribe links.
The top portion of an email that contains essential information such as the sender's name, email address, subject line, and preview text.
An email list is a collection of email addresses that you are able to send emails to. These email addresses belong to people or customers who have shown interest in your product or
service and have opted-in to receiving marketing communications from you on an ongoing basis.
A company that offers email marketing or bulk email services.
Email engagement is how recipients interact with your emails, including opens, clicks, replies, conversions, unsubscribes, and other response signals.
F
Feedback loops notify senders when recipients mark messages as spam, giving teams a chance to suppress those contacts and protect deliverability.
H
Email that has been returned to the sender due to a permanent reason, like a non-existent address.
Emails that include graphics and colors and look similar to a webpage. They provide a more visually engaging experience than plain text emails.
I
Where your email ends up once it’s delivered - in the primary inbox, spam folder, or another location like Gmail’s Promotions tab.
A unique set of numbers and/or letters that identifies a sender's location on the internet.
The practice of gradually increasing the volume of mail sent via a dedicated IP address according to a predetermined schedule. This helps build a positive sending reputation with
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and reduces the likelihood of being flagged as spam.
K
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
A measurable value that indicates how effectively a company or individual is achieving specific business objectives.
L
A standalone web page designed to capture leads.
The process of developing and reinforcing relationships with potential customers at every stage of the sales funnel through targeted and relevant content.
Email list hygiene is the process of regularly cleaning and maintaining your email list by removing inactive or unengaged subscribers.
A header in an email that helps identify the mailing list used, allowing recipients to categorize and manage their email subscriptions more effectively. It is particularly useful in
helping recipients sort emails into different folders based on their origin or purpose.
The process of dividing an email list into more targeted groups for personalized marketing.
M
Designing emails to ensure they are readable and easily navigable on mobile devices.
N
A newsletter is a recurring email sent to subscribers with updates, ideas, stories, or resources they chose to receive.
Newsletter open rate measures the percentage of recipients who open a sent newsletter, calculated by dividing unique opens by emails delivered.
An email address set up by organizations to send messages without allowing recipients to reply directly to that specific address.
O
A feature in email marketing that allows recipients to easily opt out of future emails with a single click.
Open rate is the percentage of delivered emails that are opened, offering a top-level indicator of how effectively your subject line and sender name attract attention.
To give permission to receive email communications by actively checking, ticking, or filling a form.
When a user chooses not to receive email communications.
P
Marketing centered around obtaining customer consent to receive information from a company.
The practice of creating personal, relevant messages to individual subscribers using data like their name, location, or behavior.
A fraudulent attempt, usually via email, to steal personal information or credentials by masquerading as a trustworthy entity.
An email composed solely of text without any formatting, images, or graphics. Unlike HTML emails, it appears the same regardless of the recipient's email client or platform, ensuring
compatibility and deliverability.
A preference center is a page where subscribers choose what emails they want to receive, how often they want them, or whether they want to unsubscribe.
Preview Text (or Preheader Text)
A short summary text that follows the subject line when an email is viewed in the inbox.
An email list of individuals or entities waiting for a specific product or service. Waitlists are often used when availability is limited.
A type of email specifically designed to introduce offers, discounts, or new products to recipients, with the goal of driving sales or engagement. They are often sent to subscribers
or customers as part of a targeted marketing campaign.
R
The individual or company to whom an email is addressed and intended to be delivered to.
A reply-to address tells email clients where responses should go, which can be different from the visible From address.
Email design technique that ensures emails are readable and navigable on any device, whether it be desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Online advertising strategy that targets users who have already visited your website or engaged with your email content.
An email format that allows for basic text formatting, such as different fonts, colors, sizes, and the inclusion of hyperlinks, offering more visual appeal and structure than plain
text emails while being less complex than HTML emails.
S
The sender name is the first thing a recipient sees when an email arrives in their inbox. It's the name displayed before the subject line and often decides whether an email is opened
or ignored.
A score assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that can affect your email deliverability.
A one-step process where a person who signs up to receive emails is immediately added to the email list.
Email that is returned to the sender due to a temporary issue, like a full inbox or an offline email server.
Unsolicited, irrelevant email, sent in bulk to a list of people.
An email authentication method used to prevent spammers from sending messages on behalf of your domain.
Split Testing (or A/B Testing)
A method to test two versions of an email to see which one performs better. It is a way to test changes in elements like subject lines, images, content, calls to action, etc.
The subject line in an email is the brief summary or preview of the content of the email. It appears in the recipient's inbox and serves as the first impression and likely a deciding
factor for whether or not the email will be opened.
A suppression list is a list of contacts who should not receive future email, usually because they unsubscribed, bounced, or complained.
T
Transactional emails are one-to-one messages triggered by a user action or system event, such as a receipt or password reset.
U
Unsubscribe rate is the percentage of delivered emails that lead recipients to opt out after receiving a campaign or sequence.
W
The first email subscribers receive once they join your email list, often thanking them for subscribing and setting expectations for future emails.
A list of accepted email addresses that an ISP, a subscriber, or other email service provider allows to deliver emails directly to the recipient's inbox.
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