Buttondown Emails Going to Spam

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Check you have only one SPF record

   Copy steps
   1. Look up your domain's TXT records in MXToolbox
   2. If two v=spf1 records exist, merge the include mechanisms into a single record
   3. Save and wait for DNS to propagate
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Verify the sending domain in Buttondown

   Copy steps
   1. Open Settings and find Sending domain
   2. Confirm every record shows as verified
   3. Prefer a dedicated subdomain such as mail.example.com with the managed NS setup
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Warm up and watch reputation

   Copy steps
   1. If moving over 10,000 subscribers, expect Buttondown to cap hourly sends on a new domain
   2. Add your domain to Google Postmaster Tools
   3. Send to your most engaged subscribers first
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Clean the list and ask readers to whitelist you

   Copy steps
   1. Remove long-unengaged subscribers
   2. Add a note asking readers to reply or move you to Primary
   3. Test with a tool such as GlockApps or mail-tester
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Subscribers report newsletters in Promotions or Spam, or Gmail shows a warning banner; open rates drop.

Why it happens

• Two SPF records on the same domain (some mailboxes read only one and softfail)
• Sending from a root domain with missing or conflicting DNS records
• New domain with no reputation and a big first send
• High unsubscribe, complaint or bounce rates
• Spammy content or unengaged subscribers

This guide also covers

• buttondown emails going to spam
• buttondown deliverability
• buttondown spf softfail

The same problem in other apps

All notifications, reminders & messages not sending guides →

• Substack Emails Going to Spam or Promotions (Substack)
• beehiiv Emails Going to Spam (beehiiv)
• Ghost Emails Going to Spam (Ghost)
• ConvertKit (Kit) Emails Going to Spam (ConvertKit (Kit))
• MailerLite Emails Going to Spam (MailerLite)

Other Buttondown errors

• Buttondown Custom Domain Not Verifying
• Buttondown Import Subscribers Not Working
• Buttondown Stripe Paid Subscriptions Not Working
• Buttondown Embed Subscribe Form Not Working
• Buttondown Confirmation Email Not Received
• Buttondown Automations Not Available or Too Expensive
• How to Cancel Buttondown Subscription