How do low engagement senders get gradually suppressed?

Senders with consistently low engagement face gradual suppression as filters progressively reduce their visibility. This often follows a predictable pattern.

Initially, inbox placement declines slightly. More messages go to spam, reducing the audience that sees your mail. This naturally reduces engagement metrics further.

The declining engagement reinforces the filter's decision. Seeing less engagement, the filter reduces inbox placement more. The cycle accelerates.

Eventually, the sender may face near-total spam placement at that provider. Only recipients who have explicitly rescued messages continue receiving them in inbox.

Breaking this cycle requires dramatic improvement: aggressive list pruning to send only to engaged recipients, content optimization, and possibly reputation recovery efforts.

Gradual suppression is death by a thousand cuts. Each small decline compounds until the inbox becomes unreachable.