Many believe email deliverability is driven by engagement and best practices. but that’s only surface-level. If your domain is compromised or abused, none of those tactics will save you. A single phishing attack at scale can destroy your sender reputation overnight. True deliverability begins with security. That means enforcing DMARC at p=reject, securing DNS, enabling MFA, and actively monitoring access and API usage. Without this foundation, your domain risks being blacklisted - and once that happens, your emails simply won’t land. Security isn’t an add-on to deliverability. It is the core system everything else depends on.

Many claim email deliverability is about engagement. But it's not.You can apply all the best sending practices, but if a threat actor sends 10x your regular volume in phishing emails from your accounts, whether through hijacked credentials or because DMARC is sitting at p=none - none of those practices actually matter.If there's no security foundation in place and your domain & associated IPs end up on Spamhaus, SURBL, etc, your emails won't make it through.Foundation first, surface-level stuff later. DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are a great starting point, but first ensure DMARC is at p=reject, DNS records are locked, MFA is enabled, and API keys are rotated and monitored.Security isn't a deliverability add-on. It's the engine. Nobody builds a car by starting with the body. You do the internal work first, then put the shell on top.