For festival organisers, this creates a particular challenge. Email campaigns often happen in bursts: an announcement, a presale, a final information email, followed by months of silence. That pattern can damage your sender reputation and make it harder for your next campaign to reach visitors.
Why email deliverability matters
Mailbox providers look at how people interact with your emails and how consistently you send them. When your festival goes quiet for months and suddenly sends a large campaign, it can look suspicious.
The result? Some subscribers may never receive your announcement, even if your email tool reports that the campaign was successfully sent.
How to protect your email deliverability
You don't need to become an email deliverability expert, but there are a few important steps every festival organiser should take.
01Build up your sending volume gradually
Don't go from months of silence to emailing your entire database in one go. Start with your most engaged subscribers and gradually increase your sending volume, while monitoring complaints and bounces. This is what we call a warm-up campaign: gradually rebuilding your sending activity and establishing a good sender reputation before reaching your full mailing list.
02Get your technical setup right
Make sure your sending domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC properly configured. These are authentication methods that help mailbox providers verify that your emails are legitimate. Also check that your emails support one-click unsubscribe, allowing recipients to opt out directly from their inbox. Without the right setup, even a well-written campaign can be rejected.
03Keep your mailing list healthy
Remove hard bounces and inactive or invalid addresses before sending. Start with subscribers who are most likely to welcome your email, such as previous ticket buyers or presale registrants. A smaller, engaged audience is a better starting point than sending to your entire list.
Don't wait until your next announcement
Email deliverability isn't something to think about when your next campaign is ready to go. It takes time to build a good sender reputation, and a sudden burst of activity can put it at risk.
Keep your audience engaged during the quieter months with occasional, relevant updates. Then, when it's time to announce your next edition or launch ticket sales, your emails have a much better chance of reaching the people who signed up to receive them.
The goal isn't just to send your campaign. It's to make sure your audience actually receives it.
