Remember when Google dropped those new email requirements last year and everyone scrambled to figure out what the heck SPF and DKIM meant? Well, Microsoft just rolled out their own set of rules for 2025. If you're sending emails to your audience (5k a day or more) you are considered a bulk sender and will want to abide by these new rules. Don't worry though – we've got your back!
Who Needs to Care About This?
Microsoft is targeting what they call "bulk senders" – basically anyone sending 5,000+ emails per day to Microsoft addresses like Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com, or MSN.com.
Now, before you think "I don't send that many emails," hear us out. If you're:
Running email newsletters (even small ones that are growing)
Sending welcome sequences or course emails
Doing product launches or promotional campaigns
Building any kind of email list
...then you should absolutely pay attention. Why? Because even if you're not hitting 5,000 emails today, you hopefully will be someday! Plus, following these practices will make your emails perform better regardless of your list size.
What's Actually Changing?
If you are already following Yahoogle guidelines from 2024 there may not be much for you to change. Microsoft is basically saying "prove you're legit" in three specific ways.
1. You Need to Authenticate Your Emails (Translation: Prove You're Not a Spammer)
This involves setting up three things that sound scarier than they are:
SPF – Think of this like a bouncer list for your domain. It tells email providers "yes, this server is allowed to send emails for my domain."
DKIM – This is like putting a tamper-proof seal on your emails. It proves nobody messed with your message between sending and receiving.
DMARC – This is the instruction manual that tells email providers what to do if your SPF or DKIM checks don't pass.
The good news? Most email platforms (including us!) can help you set these up pretty easily.
2. Make Unsubscribing Actually Easy
We've all been there – you want to unsubscribe from something, but you have to log into an account, navigate through five menus, and sacrifice your firstborn just to stop getting emails.
Microsoft is now requiring:
A "List-Unsubscribe" header (fancy tech speak for "one-click unsubscribe")
Actually processing unsubscribe requests within 2 days (wild concept, right?)
Honestly, this is just good practice anyway. Making it easy for people to leave means the people who stay actually want to be there.
3. Keep Your Spam Complaints Low
If too many people mark your emails as spam, Microsoft will start throttling or blocking your messages. This isn't new, but they're getting stricter about it.
The fix? Send good emails to people who actually want them. Revolutionary, we know.
What do you need to do?
✅ Step 1: Get Your Authentication Sorted
Most email service providers (definitely including us) can help you set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. It usually involves adding some records to your domain settings. If that sounds like gibberish, just reach out to your ESP's support team. We also make it really easy with a third party tool called Entri that can automatically add these records for you.
✅ Step 2: Make Sure Your Unsubscribe Process is Easy
Check that people can actually unsubscribe easily and that it works quickly. Again, most good email platforms handle this automatically, but it's worth double-checking.
✅ Step 3: Send Better Emails
This is the big one. Focus on:
Only emailing people who opted in
Regularly cleaning out inactive subscribers
Creating content your audience actually wants to read
Making it clear who you are and why you're emailing
✅ Step 4: Keep an Eye on Your Stats
Watch your open rates, bounce rates, and (especially) complaint rates. If you're seeing lots of spam complaints, that's a red flag that something needs to change.
Why This Actually Matters for Creators
These changes aren't just about compliance. They're about making sure your emails actually reach your people. We always want to help encourage quality deliverability and meeting these requirements only strengthens your ability to land in the inbox!