salesforcesalesforce-marketing-cloud

How to troubleshoot MC emails not delivering to active subscribers

Sometimes I feel like I don't understand Salesforce at all.

My company uses Salesforce and Marketing Cloud. I'm the one who sends emails in MC, but I'm having trouble investigating the cause of some undelivered emails. We have a handful of Salesforce campaigns created specifically to hold contacts for a series of mass emails. I added the Salesforce campaigns to the audience list when sending the latest email. After accounting for duplicates and contacts without email addresses, there were approximately 40,000 that would receive the email. But only 32,000 actually sent.

Some of these email addresses were unsubscribed, but many were marked as Active or not in the All Subscribers list in Marketing Cloud. I've looked through the reports and can't seem to find one that looks like it would shed some light on this issue. And the Salesforce Help site is not helpful.

Why would active subscribers not receive emails? Can I even send emails to someone who is opted into email in Salesforce but who's not in the All Subscribers list in Marketing Cloud?

Solution

  • Reasons Why Subscribers Might Not Receive Emails

    1. Auto-Suppression List: Your SFMC instance may have an auto-suppression list that removes certain records at the time of sending.
    2. Suppression List or Exclusion Script: Your deployment might include a suppression list or an exclusion script that filters out specific records during the send process.
    3. List Detective: SFMC’s List Detective feature can remove records with bad formatting, spam traps, or other issues.
    4. Email Code/Logic Issues: The email’s code or logic (e.g., RaiseError function) might skip certain records, or the send process could error out due to issues in the email content or configuration.
    5. Inactive Subscriber Status: If a subscriber’s status in the All Subscribers list is not active (e.g., due to a previously invalid email address), they won't receive the email.
    6. Email Provider Rejections: Email providers might reject emails based on reputation, content, or authentication issues. These rejections typically appear as bounces in your email report, but sometimes they can show as delivered yet end up in spam or promotions folders.
    7. Preference Management: Check if there are any specific preference settings configured that might prevent certain subscribers from receiving emails, even if they are active.

    Can I Email Someone Who Has Opted Into Email in Salesforce but Is Not in the All Subscribers List in Marketing Cloud?

    Yes, you can, but the record must be added to the All Subscribers list first. Records are typically added when imported into a list, sent from a Data Extension, or synced via the Salesforce Connector. However, the List Detective feature may prevent some records from being added if they are identified as potential spam traps or invalid emails etc.

    Email Send Debugging Step-by-Step

    Here is an awesome detailed guide to help you identify your issue: https://mateuszdabrowski.pl/docs/sql/snippets/sfmc-sql-debugging-email-sends/#email-send-debugging-step-by-step