What’s the difference between user-level and aggregate engagement?

User-level engagement tracks how each individual recipient interacts with a sender. This personalized data influences filtering decisions for that specific user's inbox.

Aggregate engagement combines signals across all recipients to evaluate the sender's overall quality. This affects the sender's reputation and influences filtering for everyone.

A sender might have strong aggregate engagement but poor user-level engagement with specific recipients. Those individuals may see spam placement while others see inbox.

Conversely, a recipient who consistently engages with a sender may receive inbox placement even when aggregate metrics are concerning.

Understanding both levels helps diagnose problems. Poor aggregate engagement requires broad improvement. Poor user-level engagement with specific segments requires targeting refinement.

Aggregate reputation opens the harbor. User-level engagement determines which pier each recipient sees you dock at.