post

<p>As creators, trust is everything. The trust between you and the subscribers who stay tuned is the foundation of your business and the source of your creative freedom.</p>
<p>And while it can take months or years to build up hard-earned trust, it only takes one spammer to derail it.</p>
<p>In the tech-driven twenty-first century, spamming is more prevalent than ever. Unfortunately, an email list and an ESP mean you’re a prime target for spammers seeking lists, data, and, above all else, subscribers who trust your domain. As such, it’s important to take steps toward staying secure and spam-proof, for your peace of mind and for the sake of your business.</p>
<p>In this episode, Alyssa and Melissa discuss the top three steps for stopping spam, hacks, and phishing. From two-factor authentication to securing forms, double opt-ins, and the beauty of DMARC, here’s everything you need to know.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39225 lazy" data-src="https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fm=pjpg" alt="protect email list" width="1500" height="1598" srcset="https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=600&amp;w=563 563w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1024&amp;w=961 961w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=818&amp;w=768 768w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1536&amp;w=1442 1442w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=629&amp;w=590 590w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=240&amp;w=225 225w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=2048&amp;w=1922 1922w, https://media.kit.com/post/e58dnX7a-protect-list.jpg?fm=pjpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></p>
<h2>Key Takeaways</h2>
<ul>
<li>[03:55] &#8211; An email list backed by a trusted ESP is valuable email currency. This currency makes you especially vulnerable to spammers and phishers.</li>
<li>[06:48] &#8211; Using two-factor authentication at your ESP is essential.</li>
<li>[10:19] &#8211; The most common damage spammers do is buy loads of subscribers or followers and send them spam or phishing links.</li>
<li>[14:18] &#8211; Data breaches have long-lasting impacts. The two seconds it takes to double authenticate are worth it to avoid years of potential fallout.</li>
<li>[15:06] &#8211; Use double opt-in and reCAPTCHA to prevent list bombing.</li>
<li>[25:57] &#8211; Aside from spam prevention, double opt-ins ensure your list has the most engaged subscribers.</li>
<li>[27:38] &#8211; Implement DMARC to prevent spoofing.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Quotes</h2>
<p><em>“One of the most important steps you can take to protect your email list and sender reputation is to add 2-factor authentication to your email service provider account.”</em> &#8211; <a href="https://x.com/alyssa_dulin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alyssa Dulin</a></p>
<h2>Links</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://kit.com/features/deliverability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Have I Been Pwned?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canva</a></li>
<li><a href="https://mailchimp.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MailChimp</a></li>
<li><a href="https://sendgrid.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SendGrid</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.spotify.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a></li>
<li><a href="http://gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gmail</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.microsoft.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reCAPTCHA</a></li>
<li><a href="http://slack.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Slack</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.leadpages.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leadpages</a></li>
<li><a href="https://deliverability.transistor.fm/episodes/authentication-spf-dkim-dmarc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deliverability Defined 0106: Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dmarcian.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dmarcian</a></li>
<li><a href="https://dmarcian.com/dmarc-inspector/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DMARC Record Checker</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reply All</a></li>
<li><a href="https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/z3hler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reply All #91: The Russian Passenger</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.statista.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Statista</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.verizon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Verizon</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Connect with our hosts</h2>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://x.com/alyssa_dulin" target="_blank">Alyssa Dulin</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://x.com/mel_lambert_" target="_blank">Melissa Lambert</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Stay in touch</h2>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deliverability-defined/id1515377286" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Podcasts</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1ElZx2zrhvllOkbPzSfGxX" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://x.com/convertkit" target="_blank">X/Twitter</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/convertkit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/convertkit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://kit.com/features/deliverability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deliverability Defined Website</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Try Kit&#8217;s deliverability in action</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s now free to use Kit with an audience of 10,000 subscribers or less! Start building your audience and reaching their inboxes: <a href="https://kit.com/pricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convertkit.com/pricing</a>.</p>
<p>To receive email notifications when new episodes of Deliverability Defined are available, or to submit topic suggestions, <a href="https://deliverability-defined.ck.page/d1d644385c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign up to our email list</a>.</p>


Protecting your email list and reputation

Own the relationship with your audience

Alyssa Dulin

Kit’s November 2021 Deliverability Report

How iOS 15 has impacted open rates for creators