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The email inbox is a crowded place. Among the clutter of newsletters, marketing emails, and just general chatter, it’s easy for important emails to slip under the radar (or inbox). By whitelisting your favorite contacts, you can make sure their emails actually make it to your inbox.
This article will cover:
- What is Whitelisting?
- How to Whitelist an Email
- In Gmail
- In Outlook
- In Yahoo
- How Whitelisting Can Improve Your Email Deliverability
What Does It Mean to Whitelist an Email?
Whitelisting an email is basically just telling your email provider you want to see emails from a specific sender or with specific content in your inbox. That way, you won’t find them months later in your spam folder. Yeah, frustrating.
The process to whitelist an email is easy, but differs between email providers. Below, you’ll learn how to whitelist an email in Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.
How to Whitelist an email in Gmail
You’ll need to go to your web version of Gmail for this process.
- In the top right corner, click the gear icon.
- In the drop-down menu that pops up, click “See All Settings.”
- A new screen will appear. In the top navigation, click “Filters and Blocked Addresses.”
- Select “Create a New Filter.”
- Fill in the domain name or email you want to whitelist.
- Click the “Create Filter” button in the bottom right corner.
- On the next page, click “Never send it to Spam.”
- Click “Create Filter,” and boom! You’re done.
How to Whitelist an Email in Outlook
You’ll need to go to your Outlook web view for this process.
- In the top right corner, click the gear icon.
- In the drop-down menu that pops up, click “View All Outlook Settings.”
- Under the “Mail” category, click “Junk email.”
- Under the “Safe senders and domains” section, click “Add.”
- Enter the email address or domain name you want to whitelist.
- Click “Save” in the bottom right corner.
How to Whitelist an Email in Yahoo.
With Yahoo, this process is even easier if you’ve already received an email from the sender you want to whitelist. In your spam folder, simply click on the email you want to whitelist and click the “Not Spam” button at the top of the email to move it (and all future emails) to your inbox.
However, if you haven’t already received an email from the address you’re trying to whitelist, you’ll need to set up a filter by following the steps below on Yahoo mail web. Please note you must have a Yahoo mail Plus account to set up filters or switch to the Basic Mail setup.
- In the top right corner, click “Settings.”
- In the drop-down menu that pops up, click “More Settings.”
- Select “Filters” on the left menu.
- Click “Add new filters.”
- Enter the email address or domain name you want to whitelist.
- Click “Save.”
How Whitelisting Can Improve Your Email Deliverability
No matter how much effort your marketing team puts into your emails, if they’re not getting to your customer’s inboxes, it’s a waste of your time and money. By encouraging your subscribers to whitelist your emails, you’ll improve your email deliverability and make sure your communications are actually getting to your customers—not the dark pit of the spam folder.
How to get on your subscribers’ whitelists.
- Send a dedicated email asking your audience to whitelist your address for future content. (Make sure to include instructions for different email providers.)
- Avoid using spammy words or phrases in subject lines. (This helps customers see the value in your emails.)
- Segment your audience to offer more personalized and meaningful content your readers will want to make sure they receive.
- Include a reminder to whitelist at the bottom of all your email sends.