The Reply Two Email Marketing Wiki
Everything you need to know about email marketing
Trying to decode some corporate email jargon? The Reply Two email marketing wiki spells things out in language we can all understand. Each definition has a handy prompt you can copy and paste too.
Control Champion Challenger
In newsletter testing, these three terms form the foundation of structured experimentation: Control is your baseline version, the original against which you compare all changes Champion is your current best-performing version, which may be the original control or a previous winner Challengers are new variants you test against your champion. When a challenger wins, it becomes your new champion for future tests, creating a continuous improvement cycle.
Read more on Control Champion ChallengerConversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of folks who actually do the thing you want them to do. While your pals in finance obsess over conversion rates for purchases, in newsletter land it applies to any goal along the reader's journey. Including signups, clicks, replies, form completions, or that elusive "forward to a friend." Think of it as your newsletter's batting average for turning lurkers into doers.
Read more on Conversion RateCustom Domain
A Custom domain is your very own branded web address used for sending emails, instead of using the default domain from your email service provider (ESP). Think yourname@yourbrand.com versus yourname@genericemailprovider.com. This puts your brand front and center in every subscriber interaction, from inbox to click.
Read more on Custom DomainDKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is your newsletter's digital signature that proves emails actually came from you, not some sketchy impersonator. It works by adding an invisible cryptographic signature that receiving servers can verify. Your DKIM record in your DNS proves you're legit so you can skip the spam folder.
Read more on DKIMDNS
DNS (Domain Name System) acts like the internet's phone book. It translates human-friendly domain names (acme.com) into computer-friendly IP addresses that computers use to find each other. For email, DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC tell receiving servers your emails are legit. Key email-related DNS records include: A: Points your domain to a specific IP address CNAME: Creates domain aliases, often used for ESP verification MX: Directs incoming mail to your mail server TXT: Stores text information, used for SPF and other verifications SPF: Lists authorized email senders for your domain DKIM: Adds a digital signature to verify email authenticity DMARC: Sets policies for how receivers handle authentication failures BIMI: Is an advanced record that verifies your brand's identity and adds your logo to the sender profile and inbox, some hoops to jump through PTR: Reverse DNS, used by some spam filters to double-check you’re legit.
Read more on DNSDedicated IP
A dedicated IP is a unique Internet Protocol address used exclusively by one sender for email distribution. Unlike shared IPs where multiple senders use the same address ranges, a dedicated IP gives you complete control over your sending reputation.
Read more on Dedicated IPDeliverability
Deliverability is your email's ability to successfully land in subscribers' inboxes rather than getting trapped in spam folders or rejected outright. It's the difference between your carefully crafted newsletter being seen or getting lost in the digital void. Your deliverability rate is the percentage of emails that make it to the inbox.
Read more on DeliverabilityDigital Marketing Terms
Digital marketing terms are the big fancy words marketers use to sound smart at conferences and confuse their clients. Just kidding. Think of them as a specialized vocabulary that describes techniques, metrics, and tools across online channels. They're the shared language for talking about SEO, email marketing, social media, and other ways we try to get people to click things on the internet to sell our stuff.
Read more on Digital Marketing TermsEmail Marketing Agency
An email marketing agency is a team of nerds you hire when you'd rather create awesome content than fiddle with DKIM records or debug why your GIFs are breaking in Outlook. Email marketing agencies are the specialized teams who handle stuff like list management, deliverability, automation, and analytics. Their help lets you focus on what you do best. Create. Think of them as your backstage crew making sure the show goes on without hiccups.
Read more on Email Marketing Agency