Outlook is now trying to catch up to the Yahoogle updates that took place last year with their own.
If you recall Google and Yahoo rolled out some requirements for high-volume senders. You can see those requirements listed here, but where has Microsoft been this whole time?
Well, it's finally happening.
Here's what you need to know about...
Beginning after May 5th, Outlook will require stricter authentication for domains sending more than 5,000 emails per day, and if the requirements are not met then you will be sent to the dreaded Junk folder. <---that's kinda funny.
What this means is:
SPF (Sender Policy Framework), which authorizes the IP address of the sending server must pass.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) must pass to validate the integrity of the emails.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) must have a policy set to at least NONE and align with either SPF or DKIM (ideally both).
I'd say that you're already set there since the other providers got a head start on this front.
Here's the interesting thing: Microsoft is "recommending" the following to maintain trust and quality:
The 5322.From (visible From-Address) - must be a valid and functional address. Ideally, the Reply-To should be valid and monitored as well.
Functional unsubscribe link - There's no mention of a list-unsubscribe header, but as long as there's a way to unsub is all they seem to be looking for.
Practice good list hygiene - Remove invalid addresses, segment disengaged contacts, etc. Basically, have a way to sunset.
This snippet is direct from Microsoft:
After May 5th, 2025, Outlook will begin routing messages from high-volume non‐compliant domains to the Junk folder, giving senders an opportunity to address any outstanding issues. NOTE: that in the future (date to be announced), non-compliant messages will be rejected to further protect users.
***
Let’s Work Together
If you're dealing with email deliverability issues, losing sales due to emails not reaching customers, or just want to improve your engagement, fill out this quick form. It takes less than 2 minutes, and I’ll get back to you with the best next steps.
➡️ Start Here: Get My Email Fix Started
Email me: [email protected]
Join my newsletter: https://inboxready.funneltechie.com
Book a Discovery Call: funneltechie.com/schedule
Let’s get your emails reaching the right people - because if they don’t see it, they can’t act on it.
.png)