How do you rebuild trust with Gmail and Microsoft specifically?

You've probably noticed that when your deliverability dips, it doesn't dip evenly. Gmail might still be fine while Outlook is rejecting you. Or the opposite. That's because Gmail and Microsoft measure trust in genuinely different ways, and fixing one doesn't fix the other.

Here's how to approach each one.

Rebuilding with Gmail

Gmail is an engagement-first provider. Its systems are watching what real users do with your emails: do they open, click, and reply? Do they drag you out of spam? Or do they delete without opening and hit "report spam"? These signals train Gmail's filters, and no amount of perfect authentication overrides bad engagement signals.

The practical fix is to start small with your most engaged Gmail subscribers first. Not your full list. Not even half your list. Think about the people who've opened in the last 60 days. Send to them, get positive signals flowing, and only then start widening the circle.

Set up Google Postmaster Tools if you haven't already. It's free and it shows your domain reputation and spam rate as Gmail actually sees them. You can't fix what you can't measure, and this is the only place Google tells you directly how you're doing. Aim to keep your spam rate well under 0.1% inside that dashboard.

Be patient. Gmail's machine learning takes time to update. If you drop your send volume, focus on engaged subscribers, and keep complaints low for 2-4 weeks, you'll usually start seeing movement in Postmaster Tools before you see it in your inbox rates.

Rebuilding with Microsoft

Microsoft (which covers Outlook, Hotmail, and Microsoft 365) cares more about complaint rates and IP behavior than Gmail does. They have their own tool called SNDS (Smart Network Data Services) that shows you how your sending IPs are perceived. Red IPs in SNDS are a clear sign you've got a problem worth investigating before you send anything else.

With Microsoft, the fix often starts with a hard look at your list. Remove addresses that are generating complaints or bouncing consistently. If you're using a shared IP, those signals from other senders can also drag you down (which is one reason dedicated IPs matter as you scale).

And if the damage is severe, Microsoft does have a Sender Support process where you can submit a request for re-evaluation. It's not always fast, and it won't substitute for fixing the underlying problem. But it exists, and it's worth using if you've already cleaned things up and you're still stuck.

Microsoft also responds well to consistent, predictable sending patterns. Erratic volume spikes after quiet periods look suspicious to their filters. Steady, gradual volume increases are far better than a "we're back" blast to your whole list.

What applies to both

There are a few things that matter regardless of which provider you're trying to win back. Make sure your authentication is solid (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC all properly configured). Neither provider will trust a sender whose authentication is broken or missing. Clean your list of chronically unengaged addresses before you ramp back up. And keep sending frequency predictable.

Recovery is rarely fast. Most senders see meaningful improvement after 3-6 weeks of consistent, clean sending. If you're not sure where things stand right now, our free blocklist checker is a good first stop, and if things feel genuinely urgent, our SOS hotline is free.