Email Deliverability Specialist — Newsletter Flagged as Spam & Bouncing (Kit / ConvertKit)

We run a game design education company. Our newsletter serves 5006 subscribers alongside a ~10,000-member Discord community, and it's a core channel for us for instructor deep-dives, industry resources, job postings and promotional emails. The problem Our newsletter broadcast is being flagged as spam and increasingly hard-bounced by receiving servers. While other non-html broadcast has no issues. We've have been using this template for 2 years. What we know: We send through Kit (formerly ConvertKit) using a custom HTML template. We have not set up a custom sending domain in Kit - we're on shared sending infrastructure. We have no SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records configured. Problems began after we started including 20+ outbound links per issue (resource roundups and job postings). Most recently, an issue with zero links was also flagged, which suggests this is a sender reputation and authentication problem rather than purely a content problem. We want this diagnosed properly, fixed at the root, and handed back as a system our team can maintain without breaking it again. Scope of work 1. Full audit SPF configuration DKIM setup and signing across every source that sends on our behalf DMARC configuration, policy, and alignment Domain reputation and blocklist status (Spamhaus, Barracuda, SURBL, and others) Bounce log analysis distinguishing hard bounces, soft bounces, and reputation-based blocks Kit account and sending configuration Overall sending health, including any other tools sending from our domain Written findings with root cause and a prioritized fix list 2. Authentication setup Configure a custom sending domain in Kit - advise on the right subdomain structure Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in DNS without disrupting our existing business email on the same root domain Set an appropriate DMARC policy with a defined path to enforcement, and configure aggregate report handling we can actually read Ensure one-click unsubscribe (List-Unsubscribe, RFC 8058) is correctly implemented Verify compliance with current Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft bulk sender requirements CAN-SPAM compliance review Blocklist delisting where required 3. Domain warm-up and reputation recovery Build and execute a warm-up plan for the new sending domain Advise on segmentation and volume ramp during warm-up Establish a data hygiene process - list verification, suppression list management, bounce handling, and a re-engagement/sunset policy to hold complaint and bounce rates within thresholds 4. Template and content audit Review our HTML template for deliverability issues: image-to-text ratio, code bloat, broken or redirecting links, tracking domain configuration, plain-text version quality Advise on safe practices for link-heavy issues so we don't have to gut the format Produce clear guidelines our content team can follow 5. Monitoring, guardrails, and handoff Configure Google Postmaster Tools (and Microsoft SNDS) with access handed to our team Establish ongoing monitoring for deliverability, sender reputation, data hygiene, and CAN-SPAM compliance Deliver a deliverability guardrails document and pre-send checklist our team runs before every send Run inbox placement and seed testing before and after remediation to demonstrate improvement Written documentation plus a walkthrough call so our team can monitor and troubleshoot independently Required experience Apply only if you have hands-on experience with all of the following: SPF, DKIM, DMARC - including alignment, policy modes, and report interpretation Email deliverability and sender reputation management at larger siz DNS record configuration across common registrars Kit / ConvertKit or comparable ESPs (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Beehiiv) Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS, and inbox placement testing tools (GlockApps, Mail-Tester, Inbox Insight, or similar) Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft bulk sender requirements CAN-SPAM compliance HTML email troubleshooting Clear written communication - we need documentation a non-specialist can follow Nice to have: BIMI implementation, blocklist delisting, newsletters with heavy outbound linking (curation, resource roundups, job boards), creator or education audiences. Deliverables Written audit with root cause findings and a prioritized fix list Custom sending domain live and verified, with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC passing across all sending sources Domain warm-up schedule with volume and segmentation targets Template revisions plus written content guidelines for link-heavy issues Data hygiene process documented and implemented Deliverability guardrails document and pre-send checklist Google Postmaster Tools and monitoring configured, with access handed to our team Before/after inbox placement test results Handoff documentation and one walkthrough call Success criteria Newsletter reliably reaches the inbox at Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo Spam complaint rate held under 0.10%, never above 0.30% Bounce rate returned to normal range All authentication checks pass verification across every sending source Our team can send link-heavy issues without triggering flags How to apply - read this carefully Applications that do not answer the questions below will not be considered. We won't respond to generic proposals, portfolio links without answers, or templated agency pitches. Answer in your own words, referencing the specifics of our situation. Begin your proposal with the word BLOCKLIST so we know you read this section. 1. Based on what we've described, what do you believe is the primary cause, and what is the first thing you would check to confirm it? 2. Describe a specific deliverability problem you fixed. What was the diagnosis, what did you implement, and what were the measurable before-and-after results? 3. How many times have you implemented SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols? 4. Have you configured a custom sending domain in Kit / ConvertKit specifically? If not, name the comparable platforms you've done this on. 5. Realistically, how long until our newsletter is reliably inboxing again, and what drives that timeline? 6. Your availability, timeline for the setup phase, and rate. Proposals that engage with the actual technical situation will be prioritized. Proposals that describe your agency's process will not.