Gold Standard Solutions · Email Deliverability

Your Emails Are Going to Spam.
We Fix That.

Most cannabis dispensaries are sending to spam folders and don't even know it. We diagnose the problem, warm up your domain, fix your authentication, and get your emails landing in the inbox — where they generate revenue.

Fix My Deliverability
176%
Peak Open Rate Lift After Warmup
25 Days
Average Warmup Timeline
37%
Post-Warmup Average Open Rate
4
Domains Successfully Recovered
The Problem

Why Your Dispensary Emails Land in Spam

Cannabis dispensaries face a unique set of deliverability challenges that most email marketers never encounter. The combination of restricted content, new domains, and aggressive sending patterns creates a perfect storm for spam folder placement. Here's what's working against you:

  • Cannabis-flagged content — Email providers flag cannabis-related language. Words like "THC," "dispensary," and "cannabis" trigger content filters that route your messages to spam before a human ever sees them.
  • New domains with no reputation — A brand new sending domain has zero trust with Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook. Sending bulk email from a domain with no history is the fastest way to end up blacklisted.
  • Bulk sending without warmup — Jumping from 0 to 5,000 emails on day one signals spam to every major inbox provider. Domains must be warmed gradually to build trust.
  • Missing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — Without proper authentication records, inbox providers can't verify you are who you say you are. Missing authentication is the single most common deliverability issue we find.
  • Previous provider suspensions — If you were kicked off Mailchimp or Constant Contact, that history follows your domain. The damage to your sender reputation doesn't disappear when you switch platforms.
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Open Rates Under 10%
If your open rate is below 10%, the majority of your emails are not reaching the inbox. You're paying to send messages nobody sees.
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Promotions or Spam Tab Placement
Even emails that avoid the spam folder often land in the Promotions tab in Gmail, where open rates drop by 50% or more compared to primary inbox placement.
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Sudden Open Rate Drops
A sudden decline in open rates, from 25% to 12% in a matter of weeks, usually means your domain hit a spam trap or your sender score dropped below an inbox provider's threshold.
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Platform Suspensions
Getting suspended from Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or other mainstream platforms is common for cannabis businesses. Migrating to a cannabis-friendly platform like Alpine IQ or SpringBig is only step one — you still need to fix your domain reputation.
Our Process

How We Get Your Emails Back in the Inbox

A systematic, five-step approach that addresses every layer of email deliverability — from DNS records to content strategy. No guesswork. No trial and error. Just the process that works.

Step 01
Domain & Reputation Audit
We check your sender score, blacklist status, authentication records, and historical sending patterns. We test inbox placement across Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook, and identify exactly what's broken before we touch a single setting.
Step 02
Authentication Setup
We configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your domain. We set up a dedicated sending domain separate from your main domain so your transactional email reputation stays clean regardless of marketing volume.
Step 03
Strategic Warmup
We build a graduated sending schedule starting with your most engaged subscribers. Volume increases daily based on engagement signals — opens, clicks, and replies. This is where patience and precision matter most. Read the full warmup case study.
Step 04
Content Optimization
Cannabis-compliant copy that avoids spam trigger words without watering down your message. Image-to-text ratio optimization, proper unsubscribe links, and compliance footers that satisfy CAN-SPAM and inbox provider requirements.
Step 05
Ongoing Monitoring
Weekly deliverability reports, inbox placement testing, and proactive adjustments to maintain your sender reputation. We monitor blacklists, track sender scores, and intervene before small issues become inbox-killing problems. Part of our ongoing email marketing management.
Ongoing
List Hygiene & Segmentation
We continuously clean your list by removing hard bounces, suppressing unengaged contacts, and segmenting by engagement level. A clean list is the single best long-term defense against spam folder placement.
Proven Results

From 12% to 42% Open Rate in 25 Days

One dispensary client came to us with a decimated sender reputation, 12% open rates, and emails landing in spam across every major provider. Within 25 days of our domain warmup process, their open rate hit 42% — a 250% improvement that directly translated to recovered revenue.

12% → 42%
Open Rate Recovery Over 25 Days
176%
Peak Open Rate Lift vs Pre-Warmup Baseline
25 Days
From Audit to Full Inbox Placement
0
Blacklist Listings Post-Recovery
Read the full domain warmup case study →
Who Needs This

Is Your Dispensary Email Program at Risk?

If any of the following sound familiar, your emails are likely underperforming — or actively damaging your sender reputation. The sooner you address it, the faster the recovery.

01
New Dispensaries Launching Email
If you're sending email for the first time, you need a warmup plan from day one. Skipping this step means your first 10,000 emails train inbox providers to filter you as spam.
02
Open Rates Below 15%
If your open rates have dropped below 15%, your domain reputation is already damaged. Every email you send at current volumes makes it worse. You need intervention, not more volume.
03
Suspended from a Platform
If you were suspended from Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or another mainstream platform, switching to a cannabis-friendly ESP is only half the fix. Your domain reputation needs active recovery.
04
Switching to a Cannabis Platform
Moving to Alpine IQ, SpringBig, or Dutchie from a non-cannabis platform is the right move — but the migration itself requires a warmup plan to protect your sender reputation on the new infrastructure.
05
Multi-Location Operators
Consolidating email programs across multiple locations creates deliverability complexity. Different domains, different reputations, different list hygiene levels — all need to be unified without triggering spam filters.
06
Revenue Depends on Email
If email is a primary revenue channel for your dispensary and you're not actively monitoring deliverability, you're leaving money on the table every single send. Our email marketing service includes deliverability as a core component.
Common Questions

Frequently Asked

How long does a domain warmup take?▾
A typical warmup takes 21 to 30 days, depending on your list size, current sender reputation, and how damaged your domain is. Our average is 25 days from audit to full-volume sending. During that time, we're sending real campaigns to real subscribers — just at controlled volumes that increase daily based on engagement. You'll see revenue from email throughout the warmup, not just at the end.
Will I lose subscribers during the warmup?▾
No. During the warmup, we prioritize your most engaged subscribers first. These are the people who are most likely to open, click, and interact with your emails — which sends positive engagement signals to inbox providers. Your full list remains intact. We simply control the order and volume in which different segments receive emails. By the end of the warmup, your entire list is receiving mail at full inbox placement rates.
Do I need a separate sending domain?▾
We strongly recommend it. A dedicated sending subdomain (like mail.yourdispensary.com) isolates your marketing email reputation from your transactional emails, website, and internal communications. If a marketing campaign causes a temporary dip in sender score, it won't affect your order confirmations or customer service emails. We handle the full setup including DNS configuration and authentication records.
What platforms do you work with for deliverability?▾
We handle deliverability on all major cannabis marketing platforms including Alpine IQ, SpringBig, Dutchie, Klaviyo, and Mailchimp. The authentication setup and warmup process works regardless of which ESP you use — the principles are the same across all platforms. If you're currently on a platform that's causing deliverability issues, we can also advise on migration.
How do I know if my emails are going to spam?▾
The most obvious sign is an open rate below 15%. Other indicators: a sudden drop in open rates over 2 to 3 weeks, high bounce rates, or subscribers telling you they never received your emails. We run inbox placement tests across Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook that show exactly where your emails are landing — primary inbox, promotions tab, or spam folder — for each provider. Our domain recovery guide covers the warning signs in detail.

Stop Sending to Spam

Every email that lands in spam is revenue you'll never see. We'll audit your domain, fix your authentication, warm up your sending reputation, and get your dispensary emails back in the inbox where they belong.

No contracts · Month-to-month
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