Why is my email blocked? Policy Rejected explained

At Lettermint, we make sure your transactional emails reach the inbox, not the spam folder. We do this by automatically scanning every email. This scan protects not only your sending reputation, but also the recipient from unsafe or unwanted content.

When an email gets a spam score that's too high, we don't send it and the email receives the Policy Rejected status. This means your email was blocked before sending. You'll see this email status right away in your dashboard. In this article, we'll explain why this happens and how you can fix it.

What is Policy Rejected

Policy Rejected is a status you see when your email has a spam score that's too high. Every email you send is automatically checked for elements that can lead to the spam folder. Think of suspicious links, commonly used spam words, or poor HTML structure.

When the score is too high, we don't send the email. We do this to protect your sending reputation, but also the recipient. An email with such a high score will almost certainly be marked as spam by providers like Gmail or Outlook.

Common causes of Policy Rejected

When an email gets a spam score that's too high, it gets blocked on all plans. Pro users can see in the dashboard via Spam Insights exactly which causes led to the high score.

These are the most common causes:

• SUBJ_ALL_CAPS
• MSBL_EBL
• R_SUSPICIOUS_URL
• RBL_SPAMHAUS_DROP
• DBL_PHISH
• RSPAMD_URIBL
• FROM_DN_EQ_ADDR
• MIME_BAD_EXTENSION

SUBJ_ALL_CAPS: Subject entirely in capitals

The email subject consists entirely of capital letters. This is seen as shouting and typical spam behavior. Use normal capitals and lowercase letters for a better score.

MSBL_EBL: Email or domain on blacklist

An email address or domain in your email is on a blacklist. This can be:

• The sender address
• A reply-to address
• Email addresses in the email content
• A link to a blocked domain

This blacklist mainly contains addresses used for scams. Check all addresses and links you use in your email.

R_SUSPICIOUS_URL: Suspicious link in email

Your email contains a link that's seen as suspicious. This can be a link to an unknown domain, a shortened URL, or a website that was previously used for phishing or malware. Check all links in your email and avoid link shorteners where possible.

RBL_SPAMHAUS_DROP: Sender address on Spamhaus blacklist

The sender address (From) is on a Spamhaus blacklist. Spamhaus is an international organization that tracks known spam sources. Contact support.

DBL_PHISH: Domain used for phishing

A domain in your email is on the Spamhaus Domain Block List for phishing. This means the domain was previously used for phishing attacks. Contact support.

RSPAMD_URIBL: URL on blacklist

A link in your email is on a URL blacklist. This list contains websites known for spam, malware, or other harmful content. Check all links in your email and remove suspicious URLs.

FROM_DN_EQ_ADDR: Sender name equals email address

The display name of the sender is exactly the same as the email address. This pattern is often used by spammers. Use a normal name as sender, for example "John Smith" instead of "john@example.com".

MIME_BAD_EXTENSION: Dangerous file extension

Your email contains an attachment with a dangerous file extension or a suspicious filename. This can be executable files, double extensions, or files without an extension. Only use safe file types for attachments with recognizable filenames.

How to fix Policy Rejected

In most cases, an email gets the Policy Rejected status because of the email content itself. You can fix this by adjusting the email content. Change the parts that cause a high score, think of the subject, links, sender address, or attachments.

Spam Insights to see problems

Pro users can use Spam Insights to see why an email was blocked. You'll see the spam score right away and which parts cause problems. This way you can adjust the email and send it again.

Spam Insights is also available via our API. This lets you retrieve the spam score after Lettermint has received the email. You can use this information to improve your emails and prevent future blocks.

Test for free with our test email addresses

Before sending emails to real recipients, you can test them for free with our test email addresses. These emails don't count toward your monthly usage. This is useful for testing before you send a campaign or newsletter to your full list.