Mary

lbarbagallo

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Daria

The fact that Email 1 dropped from 1.52% to 0.14% before you noticed the follow-ups going quiet makes me think the follow-ups are probably a symptom, not the root cause. Since your inbox placement test for Email 1 looked healthy, I wouldn't jump straight to saying it's only a deliverability issue. At this point, I'd be looking at the bigger picture, sender reputation over time, engagement signals, any changes to the sequence or targeting, and then how the follow-ups are being treated. I would still test every email in the sequence though. Just because Email 1 lands in the inbox doesn't mean Email 2, 3, or 4 are being treated the same. The images alone make them different enough that it's worth validating each step instead of assuming they'll behave the same. As for the Instantly infrastructure, I do think branded domains tend to perform better over time because they're more trustworthy to recipients, but I don't think branding by itself explains a drop that dramatic. It feels like there's another variable in the mix. One thing I'd really want to understand is what changed around the time the reply rate started falling. Was it the lead source, the copy, sending volume, personalization, tracking, or something else? In my experience, that's usually where the real answer is hiding.

From 1.52% → 0.14%. That's roughly a 90% drop in reply rate. Daria

Thanks for the extra detail, this gives a much clearer picture. From what you've shared, I don't think I'd focus on the blacklists alone anymore. The fact that you're seeing the same pattern across your Google domains, Microsoft domains, and even Instantly's pre-warmed infrastructure makes me think this is more of a deliverability/inbox placement issue than a simple reputation problem. The biggest thing that stands out is that Email 1 gets a few replies, then the follow-ups almost completely die. If I were digging into this, I'd want to confirm where those follow-ups are actually landing first. They could be getting delivered but ending up in Spam or Promotions, especially with the images or tracking in later emails. Personally, I'd avoid changing providers just yet. I'd let the domains settle after pausing warmup, then work through it methodically, check inbox placement, review Google Postmaster and Microsoft SNDS if available, compare the headers between Email 1 and the follow-ups, and test the sequence without images or tracking. That usually makes the real issue much easier to spot than changing multiple things at once. Out of curiosity, have you done any seed inbox placement tests across Gmail and Outlook for each email in the sequence, or have you mostly been judging it from blacklist checks and reply rates? Daria

That pattern usually points to a deliverability issue, but I wouldn't assume SURBL alone is the root cause. I'd also check your domain/IP reputation, SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment, engagement signals, and whether the warmup network is affecting sender trust. If even unused domains are showing up, it's worth auditing the warmup setup rather than just the blacklist. Quick question: are the reply drops happening across all inboxes, or only specific Google Workspace domains? Daria

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