Reputation Monitoring Documentation
Overview
PostBeagle's reputation monitoring system helps maintain excellent email deliverability by tracking your sending reputation across PostBeagle's own sending infrastructure (a self-hosted Postfix/Rspamd stack) and automatically responding to issues. Reputation is computed from PostBeagle's own bounce, complaint, and engagement telemetry plus external signals (Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS, Spamhaus) — not from any third-party email provider.
Documentation Structure
For Users
📘 User Guide - Complete guide for PostBeagle users
- Understanding reputation metrics (bounce rate, complaint rate)
- Reputation policies explained
- Viewing your reputation dashboard
- What happens when your account is paused
- Best practices for maintaining good reputation
- Troubleshooting common issues
- FAQ
Key Topics:
- Bounce Rate: Keep below 5%
- Complaint Rate: Keep below 0.1%
- Reputation Score: Aim for 90+
- List hygiene and email best practices
Quick Reference
📙 Quick Reference - Fast lookup for common tasks
- Metric thresholds at a glance
- Common issues and quick fixes
Key Concepts
Reputation Metrics
| Metric | Threshold | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Bounce Rate | 5% | Account paused if exceeded |
| Complaint Rate | 0.1% | Account paused if exceeded |
| Reputation Score | 0-100 | Overall health indicator |
Reputation Policies
| Policy | Behavior | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Pauses at high-severity findings | Most users (default) |
| Strict | Pauses at any finding | High-volume senders |
| None | No automatic pausing | Advanced users only |
Account States
| State | Description | User Can Send |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Normal operation | ✅ Yes |
| Warning | Metrics approaching thresholds | ✅ Yes |
| Paused | Automatic or manual pause | ❌ No |
| Reinstated | Recently resumed, grace period | ✅ Yes |
Getting Started
For Users
- Access your reputation dashboard: Settings → Reputation Monitoring
- Review your current metrics and status
- Read the User Guide to understand best practices
- Set up email notifications for alerts
Common Scenarios
User: My bounce rate is high
- Check recent imports for data quality issues
- Remove all hard bounces from your list
- Implement double opt-in if not already using it
- See User Guide - Troubleshooting
User: My account was paused
- Review the dashboard to understand the issue
- Take corrective actions (clean list, improve content)
- Request reinstatement via dashboard
- See User Guide - Account Paused
Support
For Users
- Dashboard: Real-time metrics and status
- Documentation: This guide
- Support Email: [email protected]
Best Practices Summary
For Users
✅ Do:
- Use double opt-in
- Clean your list regularly
- Send relevant, expected content
- Monitor your dashboard weekly
- Respond to bounces immediately
❌ Don't:
- Purchase email lists
- Send to unverified addresses
- Ignore bounce notifications
- Use misleading subject lines
- Hide unsubscribe links
Metrics and Thresholds
Reputation Thresholds
These are industry-standard deliverability thresholds (the same limits Gmail, Yahoo, and other mailbox providers enforce), applied by PostBeagle's reputation system:
| Metric | Warning (80%) | Critical (100%) | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bounce Rate | 4% | 5% | Pause sending |
| Complaint Rate | 0.08% | 0.1% | Pause sending |
Reputation Score
| Score | Status | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | Excellent | None |
| 70-89 | Good | Monitor |
| 50-69 | Fair | Improve practices |
| 0-49 | Poor | Immediate action |
Frequently Asked Questions
How often are metrics updated?
Bounce and complaint events update your reputation as they are ingested; threshold checks run every 15 minutes. Rates are calculated over a rolling send window.
What happens to scheduled campaigns when paused?
They are automatically paused and must be rescheduled after reinstatement.
How long does reinstatement take?
Typically 24-48 hours for admin review and approval.
Can I change my reputation policy?
Contact support to request a policy change. Admins will review your sending history.
What's the difference between Standard and Strict policies?
Standard pauses at high-severity findings (5% bounce, 0.1% complaint). Strict pauses at any finding with lower thresholds.
Additional Resources
- Google Postmaster Tools
- Reputation Dashboard (Settings → Reputation Monitoring)
- CAN-SPAM Compliance
- Domain Setup & DKIM
Version History
- v2.0 (2026): Migrated to PostBeagle's self-hosted Postfix/Rspamd sending stack
- Reputation now computed from PostBeagle's own bounce/complaint/engagement telemetry
- Bounce handler + FBL email worker ingestion pipeline
- Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft SNDS external signal polling
- v1.0 (2024-01): Initial release
- Automated pausing
- User and admin dashboards
- Reinstatement request workflow
Contributing
To improve this documentation:
- Submit suggestions via [email protected]
- Report errors or outdated information
- Request additional topics or clarifications
Last Updated: June 2026
Maintained By: PostBeagle Documentation Team